Mark of the Rising Sun

As the days wore on, I reflected more on what had happened between Kat and me. It was obvious that we had connected telepathically, but I had never done it with anyone other than Hope before. I began to wonder if maybe I could extend that ability further, to speak with other people with my mind. I started toying with the ability, trying to recreate the event, but with no success. I became rather annoyed with myself, as I knew I had the potential, if only I could figure it out. I could do it with Hope with no problems, and I had already done it with Kat.

I decided to bring Kat back into my trials since it had been with her that I initially triggered this ability, but try as I might, I was still unable to communicate with her. I delved into my frustrated mind seeking an answer. Then one day it hit me. We had been able to talk only when I was in physical contact with her. We tried again, this time while holding hands, and to my surprise and delight, it actually worked, and we were able to share a bond like few other friends had had before, but still I wanted more. I wanted to use this ability outside the realm of touch, to extend my powers beyond the barriers I had reached.

I practiced endlessly with Kat, who was a good sport about it, and was always willing to lend a hand. During this time, I learned so much about my friend, and at the same time, became very familiar with her mind, and the way it worked. Never before had I been so close to another person, but I still had to hide my secrets from her, which hurt me to no end. I wanted so badly to tell her everything, but I knew that to do so, would be to put her into danger.

The more time we spent together, the easier it became to connect with her telepathically. One morning, without even thinking about it, while I was still in bed and Kat was in hers, I reached out and touched her mind. She was still asleep and dreaming wonderful dreams. I didn’t want to wake her, but just sat there and watched for a while as her dream unfolded. When I could watch no longer, I thought, Beautiful, and readied myself to return to my own mind.

It was then that I heard a response, Angela? Is that you? Where are you, are you in my bed?

No, I am in my bed, you heard me?

Yes, I heard you; I thought you couldn’t communicate with other people outside of physical contact. It was a bit disturbing to have your thoughts communicated to me while I was sleeping, please don’t do that again.

Apparently, I can now, and I’m sorry I won’t do it again. I’m still learning the best way to use this ability and the worst times to use it. This is a huge step for me.

Over the next few days, the two of us continued to talk with each other without fear of being overheard. I tried reaching out to others in much the same way, but with little success. Why did it work with Kat, but not with anyone else? I pondered the question with an intense curiosity for a long time before coming to a conclusion about it. I needed time to get to know the minds I was trying to communicate. With Hope, we were bonded at a deep level, but with everyone else, I needed to get to acquaint myself with their minds.

As the school year progressed, I started familiarizing myself with the minds of the students and teachers around me. I didn’t try to contact any of the others right away, I didn’t want to intrude upon their inner sanctum, but if the need arose, I believed that I could do it with more than just Kat. The ability was there, I knew, but I didn’t trust those around me with the secret just yet.

My one exception to that rule would be, of course, football. Being able to communicate telepathically with the other players on my team would be a huge advantage against other teams. We could communicate plans more quickly and confuse opponents with unusual tactics like not having a huddle. I could broadcast changes and other important things without having to let the other team know what we were up to. It would give us a definite edge on the field.

I approached one of the coaches after a practice, “Coach, I need to talk with you about something.”

“What is it Angela, is there something wrong?”

“Actually it is just the opposite. I have been devising a new way to help the team improve our odds of winning. I think I have found something that will give us a great advantage against our opponents.”

He looked at me skeptically, but continued the conversation, “Is that so? So what is this big new advantage you speak of?”

I took a deep breath and prepared my mind. I had spent a while trying to perfect this technique and this was the first true test of my skills. If I failed now, I would have to start the process all over again with a new hypothesis. I reached out my mind to the coaches and tried speaking with him. Coach, can you hear me, it’s Angela.

I could see the surprise on the coach’s face as the words penetrated his mind and I heard a reply in my head, Yes I can, wow how do you do that? Can you teach others? Can you communicate with others the same way?

Whoa there, slow down. I can do this, I think, because of my unique bond with my familiar. I don’t know if I can teach others how to do it, I am still trying to work out all the bugs in it myself. One day I hope to be able to teach others how to do it. As for communicating with others, I can, I think, as long as I get a feel for their mind. Once I am familiar with their mind, I believe that I can speak this way with anyone. I actually didn’t know for sure that this would work now.

He closed off his mind from me at that point, “You’re right Angela, that could be a very powerful weapon in our game. For right now, we should keep it a secret until you are sure of your abilities. I want you to start familiarizing yourself with the minds of all the coaches and players on the team, I want you to see if you can contact multiple minds at once. The better your skills are, the more of an advantage we’ll have on the field.

With the conversation over and my new assignment in the wings, I left the field feeling a lot better about my contributions to the team. I had no way of knowing that these things would soon be sitting on the sidelines as a greater threat swooped down on me in the coming days.