Drew's mind expanded, touching each and every mind in the grocery
store. In the beginning Drew had found the feeling unsettling. Even if he
wanted to "tune into" the thoughts of only one person, his telepathic
ability had to balloon to include the minds of everyone in his area. The
slight purple tint of his eyes and the sharp, sudden intake of breath were
easy enough to hide, but the uneasiness was sometimes almost too much to
mask, with thoughts of infinite variety - pictures, voices, words - filling
his head. Drew had thought that by the third day he would have been able to
get over the feeling he got when he entered other people's private worlds
but clearly it was not happening.
Drew continued to scan the myriad of psyches for his sister's, when he noticed one which stood out like a bright beacon in the dark sea of mental identities. Slowly he walked through the store, his eyes losing focus as his own brain set to work on following the trail of that unique mind.
*... where to put this power? Maybe that cashier? Or the boy I saw near the cereal boxes?...*
"Drew?" Julia watched her brother as he stumbled through the grocery alley, narrowly missing a pyramid of stacked cat food cans. She could see that he was lost in thought. But in whose thought, she did not know. "Where are you going?" He continued to walk down the smooth white tiles, somehow drawn to... whom?
The youngest Madison sister, curious, began to follow her mesmerized older brother. It didn't take long though as Drew, without his eyes looking at where he was going, tripped over a basket of assorted fruit. Drew grunted as he lost his concentration and fell to the ground, hitting his chin on the hard floor.
"Ow."
Julia stood over her fallen bro, wearing a smug smile. "Hurt much? What happened?"
"Demon," Drew whispered, pointing down the dairy aisle.
"Shh!" said Julia as she quickly looked around to see if anyone had overheard them. Luckily after the little commotion brought by Drew's fall, everyone else had gone back to whatever they were doing; save the teenage clerk who was swiftly approaching.
"Excuse me sir, but would you please get off our fruit?" he barked at Drew, who quickly picked himself off the floor. The acne-stricken teenager began to methodically put back the display as Julia led Drew and their shopping cart away from the mess.
"Okay," Drew said carefully as they stopped across the shelves of milk cartons, "I was using my power and I... well, *heard* someone say something about finding someone else to put some power in."
"Ohh..." Julia nodded in mock agreement. "Come again?"
"Whatever it was I heard, it was not normal human thoughts, and it definitely came from that guy," explained Drew, directing Julia's gaze to the man clad in black, quickly coming their way.
"S**t. Let's go."
"What? But we haven't even finished the grocer-" Drew grabbed Julia in midsentence, dragging her to the store exit. "Hey!"
The two rushed outside the mall complex, where their aunt's ancient green beetle sat waiting in the parking lot. Drew anxiously kept looking back, only to see his demon hot on their trail. Drew broke into a run with Julia by his side, doing her best to keep up. Upon reaching their ride, Drew frantically glanced around, looking for their pursuer.
"Keys!" he yelled at his sister, who was fumbling around her pockets. "Quick!"
"Wait!" she screamed in reply. A smile of triumph broke on her sweat- ridden face, as she fished the car keys out her pocket.
Drew swiped them from her palm, opened the car door and jumped in, Julia following suit. "Where is he?"
"Who the hell are you talking about?"
The beetle jumped to life and as Drew rolled the car out of the slot, he opened his mind in search of the unseen demon. His intentions were lost in the cacophony of words, seemingly endless, presenting themselves from all directions.
Drew sorted through them, the thoughts of the enemy hidden beneath the voices of others. Latching onto the faint mental blip, he continued down the driveway, the voice growing stronger and stronger until- *I've been waiting a long time for your kind to come along*
A shiver rolled down Drew's spine. He knew what Drew was doing.
"Drew!"
Instinctively Drew slammed his foot on the brakes, the beetle slowing down inches from a telephone post.
"Second time this week. Wow," deadpanned Julia. She blew her hair away from her eyes, looking at her brother intently. "Um, Drew, what exactly are we running from?"
"Him." Drew stared on, with Julia following his gaze. The demon who had been chasing them just a few minutes ago stood before them, beside the post they nearly crashed into.
A smile broke across his face, a faint light beginning to build between his eyes. Drew took in a sharp breath as the light exploded, coming towards them in a beam of white energy.
They ducked, but not before the energy exploded in a wave of shimmering white, washing over him. Drew's head began to pound, lightheadedness took over as Drew struggled to make sense of what had just happened to him.
He rose from the seat, as the purple-blobbed aftershock faded from his vision. Staring outside the windshield he found nothing, no one. Julia, clearly confused about what was going on, opened her eyes and looked at him strangely when his eyelids began to flutter.
"Drew?" a voice tittered as Julia's face began to melt with the background.
Drew continued to scan the myriad of psyches for his sister's, when he noticed one which stood out like a bright beacon in the dark sea of mental identities. Slowly he walked through the store, his eyes losing focus as his own brain set to work on following the trail of that unique mind.
*... where to put this power? Maybe that cashier? Or the boy I saw near the cereal boxes?...*
"Drew?" Julia watched her brother as he stumbled through the grocery alley, narrowly missing a pyramid of stacked cat food cans. She could see that he was lost in thought. But in whose thought, she did not know. "Where are you going?" He continued to walk down the smooth white tiles, somehow drawn to... whom?
The youngest Madison sister, curious, began to follow her mesmerized older brother. It didn't take long though as Drew, without his eyes looking at where he was going, tripped over a basket of assorted fruit. Drew grunted as he lost his concentration and fell to the ground, hitting his chin on the hard floor.
"Ow."
Julia stood over her fallen bro, wearing a smug smile. "Hurt much? What happened?"
"Demon," Drew whispered, pointing down the dairy aisle.
"Shh!" said Julia as she quickly looked around to see if anyone had overheard them. Luckily after the little commotion brought by Drew's fall, everyone else had gone back to whatever they were doing; save the teenage clerk who was swiftly approaching.
"Excuse me sir, but would you please get off our fruit?" he barked at Drew, who quickly picked himself off the floor. The acne-stricken teenager began to methodically put back the display as Julia led Drew and their shopping cart away from the mess.
"Okay," Drew said carefully as they stopped across the shelves of milk cartons, "I was using my power and I... well, *heard* someone say something about finding someone else to put some power in."
"Ohh..." Julia nodded in mock agreement. "Come again?"
"Whatever it was I heard, it was not normal human thoughts, and it definitely came from that guy," explained Drew, directing Julia's gaze to the man clad in black, quickly coming their way.
"S**t. Let's go."
"What? But we haven't even finished the grocer-" Drew grabbed Julia in midsentence, dragging her to the store exit. "Hey!"
The two rushed outside the mall complex, where their aunt's ancient green beetle sat waiting in the parking lot. Drew anxiously kept looking back, only to see his demon hot on their trail. Drew broke into a run with Julia by his side, doing her best to keep up. Upon reaching their ride, Drew frantically glanced around, looking for their pursuer.
"Keys!" he yelled at his sister, who was fumbling around her pockets. "Quick!"
"Wait!" she screamed in reply. A smile of triumph broke on her sweat- ridden face, as she fished the car keys out her pocket.
Drew swiped them from her palm, opened the car door and jumped in, Julia following suit. "Where is he?"
"Who the hell are you talking about?"
The beetle jumped to life and as Drew rolled the car out of the slot, he opened his mind in search of the unseen demon. His intentions were lost in the cacophony of words, seemingly endless, presenting themselves from all directions.
Drew sorted through them, the thoughts of the enemy hidden beneath the voices of others. Latching onto the faint mental blip, he continued down the driveway, the voice growing stronger and stronger until- *I've been waiting a long time for your kind to come along*
A shiver rolled down Drew's spine. He knew what Drew was doing.
"Drew!"
Instinctively Drew slammed his foot on the brakes, the beetle slowing down inches from a telephone post.
"Second time this week. Wow," deadpanned Julia. She blew her hair away from her eyes, looking at her brother intently. "Um, Drew, what exactly are we running from?"
"Him." Drew stared on, with Julia following his gaze. The demon who had been chasing them just a few minutes ago stood before them, beside the post they nearly crashed into.
A smile broke across his face, a faint light beginning to build between his eyes. Drew took in a sharp breath as the light exploded, coming towards them in a beam of white energy.
They ducked, but not before the energy exploded in a wave of shimmering white, washing over him. Drew's head began to pound, lightheadedness took over as Drew struggled to make sense of what had just happened to him.
He rose from the seat, as the purple-blobbed aftershock faded from his vision. Staring outside the windshield he found nothing, no one. Julia, clearly confused about what was going on, opened her eyes and looked at him strangely when his eyelids began to flutter.
"Drew?" a voice tittered as Julia's face began to melt with the background.
