Chapter 1
I opened my eyes to the shaded room, not really seeing anything. My mind was focused elsewhere, some would say in a different world. And in this other world I spread out my senses, reaching for the other minds near me and exploring the room I was in.
This place wasn't new to me. As a matter of fact it was very familiar. I had spent many afternoons working here with my teacher, Gean. But today was more of a free for all. She had two other students to deal with, and being the more experienced one, I just sat there, ignoring the other psychics at work. Smiling softly to myself I spread my mind further outward.
"Alex, be careful. Don't try to look too far," Gean said telepathically. She had been teaching me control for just over a year now. Not that long, but long enough so that I knew what I was doing. Kind of.
In my head I nodded, agreeing with Gean, though I knew I could look for blocks without a problem. But I was learning to control power, not to increase it. I had plenty of power to deal with, and plenty of things I could do wrong.
The psychic world was like a plain, an endless plain of nothing that held pockets of power, of light. I was one of those lights, as were Gean and the other students. Every mind held some power, some aura, even if it wasn't psychic. And some of us could hide ourselves, or dim the power to make it as if we weren't there. I was working on that, not being quite great at it, but improving. I was working on that and shielding my mind, too. They were two things that came naturally to me. Shielding wasn't really a problem. I had yet to meet a person who could force himself into my head. Well, one person had, but I didn't even know what I was then. I had been sixteen, confused, and tangled in a very bad plot set about by Mathew Barton, the former leader of the Barton foundation. His untimely demise had something to do with the fact that I was pyrokenetic. But very few people know that. Most of those who had were dead. Very few people knew I had powers at all. I tried to keep quite about it. Outside my family, teacher. and close circle of friends no one knew.
"Alex?" Gean asked.
Psychically and physically I turned to her. "Yes?"
"We're heading into a time waver, so we should end the meditation soon," she warned, not really worried, just cautious.
I acknowledged that I understood, sending her a feeling other than words.
Wavers were simple enough. Ten minutes in one world could seem like an hour in the other. The time was really the same time, but you'd swear it wasn't. They could be annoying, or rather simple. Some could be predicted while others would just come at you. In any case, I slowly began pulling my mind back into myself.
I blinked as I came back to the "real world." Gean and her other two students hadn't gotten back yet, so I waited. I could have left, but I needed to talk to Gean and schedule another meditation session. I stared around the dim room for a moment, before standing up to flip the light switch. Sitting back down I began to stretch a little.
Brandon, one of the other students, blinked as he came back to himself. Wincing from the light he glanced around the room. "Do you know what time it is?" he asked.
I glanced around the cluttered mess on Gean's desk to see the mahogany clock before answering. "It's 'bout 5:30. Do you have to be somewhere?"
He shook his head, but looked edgy.
I raised an eyebrow at his frown, but he wasn't looking. He was glaring at the clock impatiently, glancing at Gean every few seconds. I half expected him to start tisking and tapping his foot, but I understood he was probably late for something and we had to talk to Gean before leaving. So we sat and twiddled our thumbs for another few minutes while we waited for Gean to come to her senses.
It didn't take too long for Gean to come back, bringing with her the third student. She took her time signing us out and arranging our next appointments, but by six o'clock we were all signed out and ready to go.
I stepped out of Gean's makeshift office and onto a busy sidewalk as I headed to my car so I could pick up a dress. People were walking speedily to wherever they needed to go, pushing past anyone stupid enough to stand still. The bright sun glared down on me unemotionally. Bright hot summers weren't my favorite times. I preferred raining winters and falls, but they didn't start for another two months. So I'd put up with the hot days and try to enjoy a summer on Earth.
Even as I moved through the crowds I noticed how things were different from the space colonies, and wondered why I ever moved back to Earth, though that was actually quite obvious. Ethan was here. When choosing between my boyfriend and space, boyfriend had seemed to be the better choice. Even if I wasn't too sure if it still was.
Thud! Someone shoved past me, forcing me into a wall to my left. The impact didn't hurt much, yet still I had to turn and yell, "Hey!" just for the heck of it. The man, as I thought he would, ignored me. I was turning back when I saw the face.
My head stopped in mid movement as I stared at what lasted for just a moment, and I wasn't sure of exactly what I saw. But I was a good guesser and willing to bet I had seen that face before. And how many guys had long brown hair pulled back in a braid with carefree cobalt blue eyes along with that cocky smile? Okay, so maybe a few, but I was next to positive I had just seen Duo Maxwell.
So of course I did the useless normal thing of pushing my way back through the crowd in the direction from which I had come. All the while I looked for traces of Duo, for anything to show where he may have gone. People pushed pass me and I had a brief urge to run out into the street, but that was it. He was gone.
I cursed under my breath, shaking my head. It was stupid of me to look. If Duo wanted to be seen he would let me see him. Like I just did. But, it had been three years. Why would he show up now? I laughed. I'd know soon enough or not at all. I turned back to where I had been going. My car was waiting for me and I had to make a few more stops before I headed to my mom's event tonight. Being a Preventer and a diplomat seemed to get in each others way, but it was something I had learned to deal with. After all, someone had to keep the bad guys at bay.
I glanced back one last time before turning a corner, just to confirm that no one was there, and of course, once again, there was nothing.
I opened my eyes to the shaded room, not really seeing anything. My mind was focused elsewhere, some would say in a different world. And in this other world I spread out my senses, reaching for the other minds near me and exploring the room I was in.
This place wasn't new to me. As a matter of fact it was very familiar. I had spent many afternoons working here with my teacher, Gean. But today was more of a free for all. She had two other students to deal with, and being the more experienced one, I just sat there, ignoring the other psychics at work. Smiling softly to myself I spread my mind further outward.
"Alex, be careful. Don't try to look too far," Gean said telepathically. She had been teaching me control for just over a year now. Not that long, but long enough so that I knew what I was doing. Kind of.
In my head I nodded, agreeing with Gean, though I knew I could look for blocks without a problem. But I was learning to control power, not to increase it. I had plenty of power to deal with, and plenty of things I could do wrong.
The psychic world was like a plain, an endless plain of nothing that held pockets of power, of light. I was one of those lights, as were Gean and the other students. Every mind held some power, some aura, even if it wasn't psychic. And some of us could hide ourselves, or dim the power to make it as if we weren't there. I was working on that, not being quite great at it, but improving. I was working on that and shielding my mind, too. They were two things that came naturally to me. Shielding wasn't really a problem. I had yet to meet a person who could force himself into my head. Well, one person had, but I didn't even know what I was then. I had been sixteen, confused, and tangled in a very bad plot set about by Mathew Barton, the former leader of the Barton foundation. His untimely demise had something to do with the fact that I was pyrokenetic. But very few people know that. Most of those who had were dead. Very few people knew I had powers at all. I tried to keep quite about it. Outside my family, teacher. and close circle of friends no one knew.
"Alex?" Gean asked.
Psychically and physically I turned to her. "Yes?"
"We're heading into a time waver, so we should end the meditation soon," she warned, not really worried, just cautious.
I acknowledged that I understood, sending her a feeling other than words.
Wavers were simple enough. Ten minutes in one world could seem like an hour in the other. The time was really the same time, but you'd swear it wasn't. They could be annoying, or rather simple. Some could be predicted while others would just come at you. In any case, I slowly began pulling my mind back into myself.
I blinked as I came back to the "real world." Gean and her other two students hadn't gotten back yet, so I waited. I could have left, but I needed to talk to Gean and schedule another meditation session. I stared around the dim room for a moment, before standing up to flip the light switch. Sitting back down I began to stretch a little.
Brandon, one of the other students, blinked as he came back to himself. Wincing from the light he glanced around the room. "Do you know what time it is?" he asked.
I glanced around the cluttered mess on Gean's desk to see the mahogany clock before answering. "It's 'bout 5:30. Do you have to be somewhere?"
He shook his head, but looked edgy.
I raised an eyebrow at his frown, but he wasn't looking. He was glaring at the clock impatiently, glancing at Gean every few seconds. I half expected him to start tisking and tapping his foot, but I understood he was probably late for something and we had to talk to Gean before leaving. So we sat and twiddled our thumbs for another few minutes while we waited for Gean to come to her senses.
It didn't take too long for Gean to come back, bringing with her the third student. She took her time signing us out and arranging our next appointments, but by six o'clock we were all signed out and ready to go.
I stepped out of Gean's makeshift office and onto a busy sidewalk as I headed to my car so I could pick up a dress. People were walking speedily to wherever they needed to go, pushing past anyone stupid enough to stand still. The bright sun glared down on me unemotionally. Bright hot summers weren't my favorite times. I preferred raining winters and falls, but they didn't start for another two months. So I'd put up with the hot days and try to enjoy a summer on Earth.
Even as I moved through the crowds I noticed how things were different from the space colonies, and wondered why I ever moved back to Earth, though that was actually quite obvious. Ethan was here. When choosing between my boyfriend and space, boyfriend had seemed to be the better choice. Even if I wasn't too sure if it still was.
Thud! Someone shoved past me, forcing me into a wall to my left. The impact didn't hurt much, yet still I had to turn and yell, "Hey!" just for the heck of it. The man, as I thought he would, ignored me. I was turning back when I saw the face.
My head stopped in mid movement as I stared at what lasted for just a moment, and I wasn't sure of exactly what I saw. But I was a good guesser and willing to bet I had seen that face before. And how many guys had long brown hair pulled back in a braid with carefree cobalt blue eyes along with that cocky smile? Okay, so maybe a few, but I was next to positive I had just seen Duo Maxwell.
So of course I did the useless normal thing of pushing my way back through the crowd in the direction from which I had come. All the while I looked for traces of Duo, for anything to show where he may have gone. People pushed pass me and I had a brief urge to run out into the street, but that was it. He was gone.
I cursed under my breath, shaking my head. It was stupid of me to look. If Duo wanted to be seen he would let me see him. Like I just did. But, it had been three years. Why would he show up now? I laughed. I'd know soon enough or not at all. I turned back to where I had been going. My car was waiting for me and I had to make a few more stops before I headed to my mom's event tonight. Being a Preventer and a diplomat seemed to get in each others way, but it was something I had learned to deal with. After all, someone had to keep the bad guys at bay.
I glanced back one last time before turning a corner, just to confirm that no one was there, and of course, once again, there was nothing.