thought, giving it a hard push. Thankfully it wasn’t, and I found myself out in the cool, clear night.
With no clue where to go.
A grassy lawn stretched out before me, maybe for a hundred yards. I could make out the faint outline of buildings beyond the grass, but I had no idea which building housed the dorms. I had always traveled indoors between the administration building and the dorms, in connecting corridors of some sort. If I could just find the courtyard, maybe I could find my way from—
“Need some help?” a voice called out behind me, and I nearly screamed in fright.
My heart beating wildly, I turned to find Aidan standing there, leaning against the side of the building.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” I asked, running a hand through my hair. It was the second time in oneday that he’d scared the living daylights out of me. Still, I had to admit I was glad to see him—so glad I was almost giddy.
With his hands shoved into his pockets, he walked over to where I stood. “Sorry about that. Happy to see me, huh?” He grinned at me in the moonlight.
It was a good thing it was dark out, because I was sure my face was scarlet. “You’re not allowed to do that, you know,” I scolded. “It’s against the code.”
“What, sneak up on you, or read your mind?”
“Both. I guess I’m going to have to learn how to do that blocking thing.”
“I wish you wouldn’t,” he said. “Your thoughts are pretty interesting.” Suddenly his smile disappeared. “You heard me today, didn’t you?”
My breath came faster, making puffs of smoke in the air. “What do you mean?” I asked, tripping over my tongue.
“You know exactly what I mean, Violet. You heard me. In your head. That makes you telepathic, by the way.”
“Really?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to be telepathic.
“Yeah, but you know what’s really weird?” he asked, taking two steps toward me. I couldn’t answer—I just stood there like an idiot. “What’s really weird,” he continued, “is that no one else can. Hear my thoughts, I mean.”
“That . . . that can’t be right,” I stammered. “I’m sure other people can. This school is supposedly full of kids who can do stuff like that.”
His gaze pierced mine. “Oh, there’s plenty of kids who can hear telepathically. They just can’t hear
me
.”
Instinctively I took another step backward. My vision had finally adjusted to the dark, and I could clearly see his face, his eyes. They looked silver now, reflecting the moon. The longer I stared into them, the harder it was to look away.
“You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?” he asked.
I swallowed hard. “Should I be?”
“You tell me.”
“Um, I guess you look pretty harmless,” I said with a shrug. I was trying really hard to not think—about him, at least. How on earth did one block their thoughts?
Without warning, he reached out and trailed a finger down the side of my face. Oh, man, but the Aidan effect was in full force—I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, and my legs felt like Jell-O. How was it possible that I was scared of him and attracted to him, all at once?
Perhaps I should be afraid of you instead,
he said, his voice a whisper in my mind. His lips hadn’t moved, and yet I’d heard him, as clear as could be, the words accompanied by a weird electrical buzz in my head.
Fear settled in the pit of my stomach, and yet I wanted to kiss those pale lips of his. And the worst part?
He knew.
“I have to get back to the dorm,” I blurted out.
“I’ll walk you,” he said, and I let out my breath in a rush.
Without another word, I followed him.
6 ~ The Great Wall of China
F orget it,” I said, dropping my head into my hands. “I’m never going to get the hang of it.”
My new “psychic coach” just sighed. Her name was Sandra and she showed up for our appointment wearing a blue Juicy tracksuit, as if she were a personal trainer or something. And she was
way
too perky,
With no clue where to go.
A grassy lawn stretched out before me, maybe for a hundred yards. I could make out the faint outline of buildings beyond the grass, but I had no idea which building housed the dorms. I had always traveled indoors between the administration building and the dorms, in connecting corridors of some sort. If I could just find the courtyard, maybe I could find my way from—
“Need some help?” a voice called out behind me, and I nearly screamed in fright.
My heart beating wildly, I turned to find Aidan standing there, leaning against the side of the building.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” I asked, running a hand through my hair. It was the second time in oneday that he’d scared the living daylights out of me. Still, I had to admit I was glad to see him—so glad I was almost giddy.
With his hands shoved into his pockets, he walked over to where I stood. “Sorry about that. Happy to see me, huh?” He grinned at me in the moonlight.
It was a good thing it was dark out, because I was sure my face was scarlet. “You’re not allowed to do that, you know,” I scolded. “It’s against the code.”
“What, sneak up on you, or read your mind?”
“Both. I guess I’m going to have to learn how to do that blocking thing.”
“I wish you wouldn’t,” he said. “Your thoughts are pretty interesting.” Suddenly his smile disappeared. “You heard me today, didn’t you?”
My breath came faster, making puffs of smoke in the air. “What do you mean?” I asked, tripping over my tongue.
“You know exactly what I mean, Violet. You heard me. In your head. That makes you telepathic, by the way.”
“Really?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to be telepathic.
“Yeah, but you know what’s really weird?” he asked, taking two steps toward me. I couldn’t answer—I just stood there like an idiot. “What’s really weird,” he continued, “is that no one else can. Hear my thoughts, I mean.”
“That . . . that can’t be right,” I stammered. “I’m sure other people can. This school is supposedly full of kids who can do stuff like that.”
His gaze pierced mine. “Oh, there’s plenty of kids who can hear telepathically. They just can’t hear
me
.”
Instinctively I took another step backward. My vision had finally adjusted to the dark, and I could clearly see his face, his eyes. They looked silver now, reflecting the moon. The longer I stared into them, the harder it was to look away.
“You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?” he asked.
I swallowed hard. “Should I be?”
“You tell me.”
“Um, I guess you look pretty harmless,” I said with a shrug. I was trying really hard to not think—about him, at least. How on earth did one block their thoughts?
Without warning, he reached out and trailed a finger down the side of my face. Oh, man, but the Aidan effect was in full force—I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, and my legs felt like Jell-O. How was it possible that I was scared of him and attracted to him, all at once?
Perhaps I should be afraid of you instead,
he said, his voice a whisper in my mind. His lips hadn’t moved, and yet I’d heard him, as clear as could be, the words accompanied by a weird electrical buzz in my head.
Fear settled in the pit of my stomach, and yet I wanted to kiss those pale lips of his. And the worst part?
He knew.
“I have to get back to the dorm,” I blurted out.
“I’ll walk you,” he said, and I let out my breath in a rush.
Without another word, I followed him.
6 ~ The Great Wall of China
F orget it,” I said, dropping my head into my hands. “I’m never going to get the hang of it.”
My new “psychic coach” just sighed. Her name was Sandra and she showed up for our appointment wearing a blue Juicy tracksuit, as if she were a personal trainer or something. And she was
way
too perky,
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