Read Online Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
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Your father’s glad you’re talking to a friend—he’s actually humming in the back room, something from
Fiddler on the Roof
, which he saw with you years ago. For your eighth birthday. You had strawberry cake with chocolate frosting. It was a Colt Hatchback … 2003. Green … blue. Greenish blue. You argued with your mom over what color the car was. Rain, and—”
“Stop it!”
Brent opened his eyes. “I won’t do it again,” he promised. “Calm.”
“Don’t you
tell
me to be—”
“Cool it!” Brent shouted. At least, it seemed like a shout. Cooper didn’t think Brent had actually raised his voice, but the word echoed in Cooper’s mind. “I didn’t do this to you. Someday you’re going to have to square with those memories, those thoughts. For now, though, I just needed you to believe me. Do you believe me?”
“I believe you.”
He certainly didn’t want another demonstration.
B rent waited, sipping his coffee, until Cooper’s agitation had subsided. The coffee was bitter, stronger than he was used to, but it was palatable enough and it gave him something else to focus on so Cooper didn’t feel even more on the spot.
He didn’t have to make an effort to read Cooper. In fact, even when he made an effort
not
to, Cooper’s clear, surface thoughts were sometimes hard to tune out.
“I assume you have to go to school today?” he asked, once Cooper’s thoughts had settled back into something manageable.
Cooper nodded. “I skipped yesterday afternoon. I don’t intend to make a habit of it.”
“I could grab you from school after classes are over, and drive us to—” Brent winced as his words elicited a series ofpain-filled images from Cooper. “Or we could take the train into the city. We can get to Ryan’s via public transportation.”
“You said you weren’t going to read my mind again,” Cooper said, but there was a halfhearted quality to his objection.
“I won’t try to read you intentionally unless I have to, and I’ll try not to prod you with anything I hear, but when you shove thoughts at me like iron pokers through my eyes, I’m going to respond,” Brent said bluntly.
“Like … iron …
pokers?
Didn’t you say you mostly got static?”
“Mostly, yes, but that’s the background. Your thoughts in front can be pretty sharp,” Brent said, reminding himself to watch his words. He had to admit, he had never thought he would be having this particular conversation with the regular-high’s football star, but weirder things had happened. He had stopped believing jock stereotypes after seeing Delilah practice magic in the middle of the woods, and learning a week later that she was also the captain of the cheerleading squad. “Mostly I can control things now,” he added, still trying to convince Cooper to come with him and get help. “It was a lot worse before.”
“Hmm.” Cooper paused, his gaze going distant. Then he glanced up at Brent, searchingly. He seemed about to speak, then stopped again, and finally said, “It’s really weird talking to someone who can read my mind.”
“Trust me, it’s just as weird from the other side,” Brentanswered honestly. “If it makes you feel better, most of the time, I really don’t
want
to hear anyone’s thoughts. You’d be amazed how many random and really unpleasant things cross people’s minds. You know how sometimes you’ll get a visual image of something gross or just seriously twisted? That’s the kind of thing I used to pick up from people all the time—mental images I
never
wanted, because no one wants them. Like the stuff that comes to mind when someone says, ‘I saw your mom buying handcuffs yesterday.’”
Cooper’s expression at that moment was priceless.
“Okay,” he said. “I could get why you wouldn’t want to see that kind of stuff.”
Brent waited patiently for Cooper to decide what he wanted to do.
At last, Cooper broke the silence by saying, “Tomorrow. I can’t skip school again,
Fiddler on the Roof
, which he saw with you years ago. For your eighth birthday. You had strawberry cake with chocolate frosting. It was a Colt Hatchback … 2003. Green … blue. Greenish blue. You argued with your mom over what color the car was. Rain, and—”
“Stop it!”
Brent opened his eyes. “I won’t do it again,” he promised. “Calm.”
“Don’t you
tell
me to be—”
“Cool it!” Brent shouted. At least, it seemed like a shout. Cooper didn’t think Brent had actually raised his voice, but the word echoed in Cooper’s mind. “I didn’t do this to you. Someday you’re going to have to square with those memories, those thoughts. For now, though, I just needed you to believe me. Do you believe me?”
“I believe you.”
He certainly didn’t want another demonstration.
B rent waited, sipping his coffee, until Cooper’s agitation had subsided. The coffee was bitter, stronger than he was used to, but it was palatable enough and it gave him something else to focus on so Cooper didn’t feel even more on the spot.
He didn’t have to make an effort to read Cooper. In fact, even when he made an effort
not
to, Cooper’s clear, surface thoughts were sometimes hard to tune out.
“I assume you have to go to school today?” he asked, once Cooper’s thoughts had settled back into something manageable.
Cooper nodded. “I skipped yesterday afternoon. I don’t intend to make a habit of it.”
“I could grab you from school after classes are over, and drive us to—” Brent winced as his words elicited a series ofpain-filled images from Cooper. “Or we could take the train into the city. We can get to Ryan’s via public transportation.”
“You said you weren’t going to read my mind again,” Cooper said, but there was a halfhearted quality to his objection.
“I won’t try to read you intentionally unless I have to, and I’ll try not to prod you with anything I hear, but when you shove thoughts at me like iron pokers through my eyes, I’m going to respond,” Brent said bluntly.
“Like … iron …
pokers?
Didn’t you say you mostly got static?”
“Mostly, yes, but that’s the background. Your thoughts in front can be pretty sharp,” Brent said, reminding himself to watch his words. He had to admit, he had never thought he would be having this particular conversation with the regular-high’s football star, but weirder things had happened. He had stopped believing jock stereotypes after seeing Delilah practice magic in the middle of the woods, and learning a week later that she was also the captain of the cheerleading squad. “Mostly I can control things now,” he added, still trying to convince Cooper to come with him and get help. “It was a lot worse before.”
“Hmm.” Cooper paused, his gaze going distant. Then he glanced up at Brent, searchingly. He seemed about to speak, then stopped again, and finally said, “It’s really weird talking to someone who can read my mind.”
“Trust me, it’s just as weird from the other side,” Brentanswered honestly. “If it makes you feel better, most of the time, I really don’t
want
to hear anyone’s thoughts. You’d be amazed how many random and really unpleasant things cross people’s minds. You know how sometimes you’ll get a visual image of something gross or just seriously twisted? That’s the kind of thing I used to pick up from people all the time—mental images I
never
wanted, because no one wants them. Like the stuff that comes to mind when someone says, ‘I saw your mom buying handcuffs yesterday.’”
Cooper’s expression at that moment was priceless.
“Okay,” he said. “I could get why you wouldn’t want to see that kind of stuff.”
Brent waited patiently for Cooper to decide what he wanted to do.
At last, Cooper broke the silence by saying, “Tomorrow. I can’t skip school again,
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