"Sometimes I
Feel like I trusted you too well
Sometimes I
Just feel like screaming at myself
Sometimes I'm
In disbelief I didn't know
Somehow I
Need to be alone"
-Linkin Park, "Don't Stay"
I looked up and froze. Iceman was staring at me again. He was projecting again, so I took full advantage of it. I knew he felt bad about it. Much worse than his best friend, Pyro. Based on my multiple skims (surface reads) of his mind, Pyro felt not the slightest iota of regret or sadness or guilt about what he had done. That train of thought led me to the irony that Pyro could control fire and Iceman could control ice. Well, opposites attract, I guess.
I didn't really know why Iceman had done it. I mean, he had been my best male friend. The guy I could go to for an insight into the mind of some guy I was after or who was after me or who I was having any kind of issue with, because he knew without doubt how the mind of a guy worked, and it wouldn't be tainted by trying to impress me because we had no interest in each other in that way. I had liked that about our friendship. And nothing had noticeably changed.
My guess was that it was Pyro's fault. He could be really charismatic when he wanted to, and he thought of himself as the worst, most dangerous mutant of all. Well, worst was debatable (I happened to think that self-healers, teleporters, and telepaths were worse), but he was pretty dangerous, especially when he had such easy access to fire with the lighter he carried like a safety blanket. I thought he might have threatened Iceman into it. But then I doubted Iceman would have been as enthusiastic, or would have still been acting like best friends with Pyro. But that could have been by a threat, too.
Of course, I could always read one of them and find out. I knew that. But the Professor had always impressed upon me the importance of the privacy of one's own mind. And I would have to get close enough to where I could pick up anything other than what he was thinking about and feeling at that exact moment. That was within about a foot. I had a deep repulsion for each of these four men now, and the thought of getting within ten feet of one of them was enough to make me want to run away screaming. And I had no doubt that they probably didn't want me that close either. With the possible exception of Pyro. It was his fault. All of it.
As far as I knew.
Because, dammit, I didn't know. That was what there was no getting around. All I knew was what had happened. And my heart couldn't handle to think about what had happened. Not now. But just then, I heard the Professor's voice in my head.
Artemis, can I see you in my office, please? There's something we need to discuss.
What is it, Professor?
Please, Artemis, just come to my office as soon as possible. Oh, and Kacela, your physics report is late.
We both blushed a fascinating shade of plum. I had been tapping her into the Professor's words. I looked at her, swallowed hard, and got up. I wasn't hungry anyways.
Feel like I trusted you too well
Sometimes I
Just feel like screaming at myself
Sometimes I'm
In disbelief I didn't know
Somehow I
Need to be alone"
-Linkin Park, "Don't Stay"
I looked up and froze. Iceman was staring at me again. He was projecting again, so I took full advantage of it. I knew he felt bad about it. Much worse than his best friend, Pyro. Based on my multiple skims (surface reads) of his mind, Pyro felt not the slightest iota of regret or sadness or guilt about what he had done. That train of thought led me to the irony that Pyro could control fire and Iceman could control ice. Well, opposites attract, I guess.
I didn't really know why Iceman had done it. I mean, he had been my best male friend. The guy I could go to for an insight into the mind of some guy I was after or who was after me or who I was having any kind of issue with, because he knew without doubt how the mind of a guy worked, and it wouldn't be tainted by trying to impress me because we had no interest in each other in that way. I had liked that about our friendship. And nothing had noticeably changed.
My guess was that it was Pyro's fault. He could be really charismatic when he wanted to, and he thought of himself as the worst, most dangerous mutant of all. Well, worst was debatable (I happened to think that self-healers, teleporters, and telepaths were worse), but he was pretty dangerous, especially when he had such easy access to fire with the lighter he carried like a safety blanket. I thought he might have threatened Iceman into it. But then I doubted Iceman would have been as enthusiastic, or would have still been acting like best friends with Pyro. But that could have been by a threat, too.
Of course, I could always read one of them and find out. I knew that. But the Professor had always impressed upon me the importance of the privacy of one's own mind. And I would have to get close enough to where I could pick up anything other than what he was thinking about and feeling at that exact moment. That was within about a foot. I had a deep repulsion for each of these four men now, and the thought of getting within ten feet of one of them was enough to make me want to run away screaming. And I had no doubt that they probably didn't want me that close either. With the possible exception of Pyro. It was his fault. All of it.
As far as I knew.
Because, dammit, I didn't know. That was what there was no getting around. All I knew was what had happened. And my heart couldn't handle to think about what had happened. Not now. But just then, I heard the Professor's voice in my head.
Artemis, can I see you in my office, please? There's something we need to discuss.
What is it, Professor?
Please, Artemis, just come to my office as soon as possible. Oh, and Kacela, your physics report is late.
We both blushed a fascinating shade of plum. I had been tapping her into the Professor's words. I looked at her, swallowed hard, and got up. I wasn't hungry anyways.