Part .07
"How we gonna get an apartment if we don't have money?" Martin asked a good half-a-block away. I turned to the right into an alleyway.
"We're still in a good part of town, right? So, I just tear down a wall -- " I started.
"A wall?" Martin prodded.
"Well," I started to explain to him, "you know how you hear people . . . they're thinking and you hear their thoughts? Well, when it started getting loud . . . I just put walls. Its like the place where I hear the thoughts is a room. I have windows and doors. If I open the window, I can let people in and hear their thoughts. Doors too."
"Ohhh," Martin said.
"Anyway, I'll tear down a wall and listen for someone with money and an evil heart . . ." I grinned at Martin, who returned it amiably. "You know, the ones who are cops and such. Then, I just make that person walk to the bank and withdraw about ten thousand. It'll keep us okay for a few months, if we're good at it, and the person will never remember he gave the money to a little girl and boy in a certain alleyway."
"We can do that? Don't you feel bad?" Martin asked.
"What for? We're taking from the cops. They're the biggest crooks who've ever lived," I told him.
Martin gave a weak shrug of his shoulders. "I guess so."
I sat down cross-leggedly on the dirty ground, then began preparing myself to take down the wall. "Try to not think about anything. Think . . . valley-girl . . . airhead . . . bimbo . . ." I grinned, remembering my first meeting with Mom and Dad; bimbo indeed! "I'm going to need to mediate, its hard work taking down a wall."
"Okay," Martin agreed.
Calmly, I started my relaxing techniques. Slowly, I lessened my breathing. I closed my eyes and was in a dream state. Then, quickly, I tore down the wall.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
What is described next is as told to me by Martin; I had no idea what was happening to me after I tore down the wall, only what I heard inside my own head.
I screamed, loudly, shortly. I drew my legs up to my chest and after that one short scream, I just whimpered. My eyes were wide open, my arms clutching my legs closer to my bed, rocking back and forth. My jaw quivered, my breathing was ragged. I stopped blinking entirely, my eyes became almost all red.
"Tyronica!" Martin cried in a hoarse stage whisper. I showed no sign that I had heard him. "Wake up, Ty," he called. Once again, I didn't answer him in any noticeable way.
Martin made up his mind. Getting off the floor in a leap, he ran as quickly as he could back to Foggle Towers. He told me later on that he was never so glad in his life that he was a Manticore; his memory came in use as he navigated the two blocks it was to the apartment building.
Bursting into the apartment, he came upon Mom, Dad, and Zack speaking, along with the two children.
"Something's wrong with Tyronica," he told them, breathless from worry. Mom and Zack went to the door, waiting for him to lead them to me, while Dad gathered up the babies in his arms and took them to their room.
Martin said that later he was surprised that Manticore didn't come crashing down on them as the three of them ran top speed down the streets. He told me that he was certain that they were running so quickly that humans wouldn't have been able to see much more than a blur.
They found me exactly where Martin had left me, in a miserable heap of pain, whimpering. Wordlessly, Mom gathered me up.
"How we gonna get an apartment if we don't have money?" Martin asked a good half-a-block away. I turned to the right into an alleyway.
"We're still in a good part of town, right? So, I just tear down a wall -- " I started.
"A wall?" Martin prodded.
"Well," I started to explain to him, "you know how you hear people . . . they're thinking and you hear their thoughts? Well, when it started getting loud . . . I just put walls. Its like the place where I hear the thoughts is a room. I have windows and doors. If I open the window, I can let people in and hear their thoughts. Doors too."
"Ohhh," Martin said.
"Anyway, I'll tear down a wall and listen for someone with money and an evil heart . . ." I grinned at Martin, who returned it amiably. "You know, the ones who are cops and such. Then, I just make that person walk to the bank and withdraw about ten thousand. It'll keep us okay for a few months, if we're good at it, and the person will never remember he gave the money to a little girl and boy in a certain alleyway."
"We can do that? Don't you feel bad?" Martin asked.
"What for? We're taking from the cops. They're the biggest crooks who've ever lived," I told him.
Martin gave a weak shrug of his shoulders. "I guess so."
I sat down cross-leggedly on the dirty ground, then began preparing myself to take down the wall. "Try to not think about anything. Think . . . valley-girl . . . airhead . . . bimbo . . ." I grinned, remembering my first meeting with Mom and Dad; bimbo indeed! "I'm going to need to mediate, its hard work taking down a wall."
"Okay," Martin agreed.
Calmly, I started my relaxing techniques. Slowly, I lessened my breathing. I closed my eyes and was in a dream state. Then, quickly, I tore down the wall.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
What is described next is as told to me by Martin; I had no idea what was happening to me after I tore down the wall, only what I heard inside my own head.
I screamed, loudly, shortly. I drew my legs up to my chest and after that one short scream, I just whimpered. My eyes were wide open, my arms clutching my legs closer to my bed, rocking back and forth. My jaw quivered, my breathing was ragged. I stopped blinking entirely, my eyes became almost all red.
"Tyronica!" Martin cried in a hoarse stage whisper. I showed no sign that I had heard him. "Wake up, Ty," he called. Once again, I didn't answer him in any noticeable way.
Martin made up his mind. Getting off the floor in a leap, he ran as quickly as he could back to Foggle Towers. He told me later on that he was never so glad in his life that he was a Manticore; his memory came in use as he navigated the two blocks it was to the apartment building.
Bursting into the apartment, he came upon Mom, Dad, and Zack speaking, along with the two children.
"Something's wrong with Tyronica," he told them, breathless from worry. Mom and Zack went to the door, waiting for him to lead them to me, while Dad gathered up the babies in his arms and took them to their room.
Martin said that later he was surprised that Manticore didn't come crashing down on them as the three of them ran top speed down the streets. He told me that he was certain that they were running so quickly that humans wouldn't have been able to see much more than a blur.
They found me exactly where Martin had left me, in a miserable heap of pain, whimpering. Wordlessly, Mom gathered me up.