The Boy Who Read Minds

by Veronica Soliman

  A devious plan arose as I decided, why the heck not.

  "What's your name?" I asked her as she continued asking about my research.

  "I'm Daniella, my friends call me Dannie!" She smiled widely, a people pleaser this one certainly was.

  "Well Daniella, I have a proposition for you, and I can make all your pre-med dreams come true." I grinned, immediately leaving my chair and moving to my lab bench. I picked up the serum, adding in two more chemicals and placing it in the centrifuge.

  The boy had ingested the serum all those years ago, it wasn't a shot. It wasn’t that I assumed he could hear people’s thoughts now— I just wondered what would happen to humans that ingested my serum. It was pure curiosity, but I refused to accept that nothing happens. My mice could communicate from across the lab and lead each other to escape— telepathically. I assumed something similar had to happen in humans. And thus, I wouldn’t give up.

  "Sure Dr. Dooley." She was all too eager, the perfect candidate.

  "One moment Daniella," I smiled, grabbing the test tube out and walking over to my desk. I opened the mini fridge under my desk and pulled out an ice-cream cone. I was simply looking for one change and hoping this was the final solution. I placed the contents of the test tube over the ice cream. Maybe the contents of the dairy had to react or maybe the sugar, regardless, I hoped this would work.

  "Do me a favor and eat this Daniella, then report back to me next week. And don't worry about the final sweetheart. You're covered." I said, curiosity clouding my judgement, "just don't tell anybody else about this."

  She nodded eagerly, taking the ice cream from me and eating it. "Okay, Dr. Dooley." She said excitedly, knowing she'd earned an A in my class. I smiled.

  Now I wait. I was waiting for her to leave so I could add her name to the list of participants, but it didn't take long before she reacted, and I wondered if she had an allergy to any of the chemicals that I’d used. She started breaking out in hives and I had to send her to the emergency room. She would be fine, but I was still back at square one, realizing that I should choose my subjects more carefully.

  I glanced at my phone. It was getting late, but I had nothing better to do. I started scrolling through the news media on my cellphone when a video of my daughter and the boy that had been with her the day I visited popped up on my phone. They stood by a streetlight, a car had crashed into it, and they were floating. A shining white light surrounded them as they looked at each other and random voices echoed in the background.

  It made me wonder if Violet had been affected by my serum and had lied to me about it. It angered me that I couldn’t trust my own daughter. I watched the video over and over again, searching for some sort of answer. I had to bring Violet in and figure things out. Perhaps, just maybe, the boy with her was the same one that ruined my life all those years ago.

  Chapter 43:\ Lava Rising

  Joseph

  I was startled from my nap as a loud banging came from my apartment door. I wondered if anyone was visiting today, but I hadn't planned anything aside from sleeping all day and going to work tonight. I was annoyed at the fact that I'd been awakened from my nap. I yawned loudly as the banging continued.

  Shut up. Stop knocking. I groaned, rubbing my eyes as I walked to the door. I lived on the second story of this apartment completely alone. I’d been able to figure out a way to live here for a really low price— thanks to the landlord who’d appointed me as his handyman. Without peeking through the peephole, I unlocked the door to see a face I certainly wasn't expecting.

  "What's up Aaron, what're you doing here?" I asked coolly, stretching my arms. More importantly, how did he know where I lived. I hadn't spoken to him since we were kids, I mean we'd say hello in passing and while playing on the Rosemond basketball team together; but aside from that, we had grown apart. It had been a hot minute since we had had an actual conversation. I was afraid of how he was glaring at me at this moment, wondering why he looked so angry. It kind of reminded me of the look my father used to make when he was angry; my heart began to race.

  For a minute my mind began to wander. I had seen him spending a lot of time with Violet recently, it made me wonder if he’d decided to take the burden of my leftovers. I wondered if she’d mentioned anything about me to him— if she had, then why did he look so angry just standing there?

  A pit started to fill my stomach as I felt like I was about to throw up. My mind raced a million miles a minute as I came to a single conclusion: the wench really would lie about something like that to someone I knew. Next time I see her, we'd definitely need to have a little chat. We hadn't spoken since she’d slept with me, and I wondered why she’d been avoiding me at school.

  Occasionally we would make eye contact and she would always look away immediately. It wasn't that I didn't try to reach out to her, because believe me, I texted her many, many times after that night, but she’d always ignored my messages. I think she ended up changing her number or something because my messages stopped going through.

  "So, it was you." Aaron said calmly, his voice was chilling. I backed away, uncertain of what was true.

  "What're you talking about?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly. I was angry at myself now, how dare I sound so weak in front of him. "Why are you here? Why do you look so mad?" I crossed my arms. The sun was setting as I watched him carefully, his gray eyes had turned completely dark as though he was a tiger ready to pounce. The next thing I knew, I was knocked to the ground as Aaron threw punch after punch. He wordlessly slammed his fist into the side of my face repeatedly until I grew numb to the pain. I still couldn’t understand why he had assaulted me in my own home without any reason to. I thought we were friends?!

  "Stop! Hey! Stop hitting me!? I didn’t do anything to you, man, get off of me!" I shouted. Trying to cover my face as he pushed me to the ground, his lips curled in anger as he breathed heavily, giving me a second to think. I looked around for any sharp objects.

  "For sure bro, I’ll stop just like you did when you raped Violet.” Aaron snarled, throwing another punch as I heard something in my jaw crack. “You disrespected her boundaries, and…” He spoke loudly, grabbing me by the collar, punching me again. He threw me against my wall, leaving a gaping hole where I’d slammed into it. I wasn't sure what was even happening now aside from the fact that I needed to fight him back, I grabbed his hand as he attempted to hit me again, kicking his leg and slamming my fist into his chest.

  It was enough of a distraction to get him to back up a bit. I quickly kicked him when he tried to get up, watching him land on the ground as I rushed to grab a knife from my kitchen.

  “Those are some pretty big accusations there, Aaron!” I spat, blood coming out of my mouth.

  I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but now I knew that the wench had actually told him what we did. I did nothing wrong, in my eyes it was consensual, she always jokingly told me to stop when I was tickling her so why does this make any difference?

  This psychotic guy wasn’t about to walk into my apartment and make me bleed without payback. I'm stronger than my father. I won't let this fear control me. I felt blood glide down my cheek, watching Aaron's hands carefully. I won't let this fear control me. My mind instantly thought of my father in the woods and I shut it out immediately.

  "You took that away from her! You took her choice away! You destroyed her! She trusts nobody and it's all because of you!" He roared, beyond angry as I held the knife in my shaky, unsteady hands. I would do it. I would stab him.

  "Look, you punched me enough, if you come near me again, I'll… I'll stab you! I'm not scared of you!" I shouted, his face momentarily morphing into that of my father's and fear struck every crevice of my heart. I gestured to the sharp knife in my hand as he backed away, glaring at me.

  I thought back to Violet. She was the person to blame for this animal. She’d probably asked him to barge into my home and attack me. She wasn't pretty enough to have someone fighting for her like this— she was
just meh. If she had put him up to this, she'd pay for it. She deserved what happened to her, whatever that may be. It would've happened eventually anyway, and I was sick of waiting. Serves her right anyway for choosing to sneak out with me in her skimpy little skirt.

  "Stop thinking or I'll choke you!" Aaron's hands were bloodied, rolled up in fists as he glared at me. I dared not think about what he'd done to my numb face, I saw blood drop from my jaw to my white shirt. I wished that he would leave.

  "Stop… thinking? What is wrong with you?! I could have you arrested for barging into my apartment and threatening to kill me! I don't know why you're so angry, but I'm sure we can work this out. We can talk because I don’t know what you’re talking about. Come on bud. I'd never hurt a girl, especially not one as precious as Violet, I loved her." I said, gritting my teeth as I still held the knife in my hand, my grip tight as I slowly took a step toward him. I had thought that Violet and I had agreed to keep our relationship private— we hardly spoke to each other at school and would only meet at each other’s homes every once in a while. I wondered how he’d even found out that I’d even dated a girl like Violet. Aaron was like a dog, sniffing his way into everyone’s private business.

  Aaron took a long pause, my heart was racing, ready to run and throw the knife if he decided to attack me again. I glanced around, looking for my phone. It was nowhere in sight. My heart was racing; I felt like prey being watched by a calculating predator who had a thirst for my blood. I hadn't even had the chance to punch him back yet, but if I knew anything about Aaron, it was that words could hurt him deeper than any physical pain I could provide.

  I wondered what he had been doing with Violet. I had assumed she hadn't told anybody about our breakup. I’d assumed this when I’d spoken to her best friend, Stacy, the following week and she was confused why I asked her about Violet. Or maybe Violet had told her, and Stacy simply didn't care. I wouldn’t have been surprised; after-all, we were talking about Stacy.

  I glared at Aaron; I knew that he didn’t even know who Violet was until this school year started. We’d all gone to the same schools in Rosemond county for many years. Yet, this oblivious fool with his giant ego and god-complex had the audacity to proclaim that I was at fault for spending time with my girlfriend. He would stupidly berate me when, in actuality, it was Violet who made the decision to go with me. I didn't see what I had done wrong or why I was getting beat up for it.

  "You're right, how about we just sit and talk." Aaron finally spoke, he looked calmer, his fists unclenched as I eyed him warily. I was afraid that it might’ve been an act and that he'd try to hit me again, but he held his hands up. I smirked through my numb features, thankful that Aaron was a reasonable person.

  "S… Sure?" I stuttered, confused. I put the knife back in its place, optimistic that I could calm him down and get him to leave my apartment. Or maybe I could find my phone before we sat so I could call the police. As soon as we sat, the prick stood up and showed me my phone in his hand. I furrowed my brows, a sinking feeling choked me, it was like he knew what I’d been planning.

  "You owe her an apology and if you don't turn yourself in, believe me, you deserve everything that's coming to you." He said, standing up and turning toward the door. I had been afraid for my life, when, all this time, he had no intention of doing anything anyway. I glared at him, wishing I’d hit him some more.

  Was he threatening me? Who does he think he is?

  I glared at him, confused at how he had calmed down so quickly and what the reason was behind it. He seemed too eager to leave, but I couldn't just be kept silent when I did nothing wrong.

  "She asked for it!" I crossed my arms. "Violet asked to sneak out so we can have some fun. I didn't do anything wrong. So, you can go crawling back to her and tell her that it was her fault, not mine. I'd never rape anyone."

  That seemed to do the trick as he turned to face me so quickly that I’d hoped he got whiplash; I realized that I'd just signed my own death sentence as his snarl looked like the devil had possessed him or something. Before he could lay another finger on me, a police officer was at my doorway and I was ecstatic that she was watching the scene play out. I had won; he would be arrested, I hoped.

  "Mr. Paul?" She asked. I was so happy. Thankful and so ecstatic that one of my neighbors had called the police. If a neighbor had called, I was definitely going to bake them cookies at some point as a thank you, when all the cuts and new bruises on my face, arms, and chest healed, of course.

  Aaron nodded at her as she smiled cautiously.

  "I'm detective Reeves, we'd like to bring you in for questioning at the precinct. We have a case regarding someone that you might have been affiliated with and we would like to bring you in to get a better grasp of the situation. Please come with me." I watched carefully. I was admittedly scared and realized that that cop was probably the reason that Aaron seemed in a rush to leave moments ago. But how did he even know that she was here? He probably heard her like the dog that he is.

  Aaron complied, leaving my apartment as I took a huge sigh of relief. I searched for my phone so I could tell my teammates about what happened, but it was gone. He'd taken it with him and left me with blood stains all over the apartment rug. There goes my deposit… I sighed.

  I rushed to the bathroom to wash my face and think of ways to get my revenge. Violet would rue this day; she'd pay for all the trouble that she’d caused me. I would make sure of it.

  Chapter 44:\ Uncharted Territory

  Violet

  I sighed, willing my phone to give me a notification— any notification. I felt a strange sense of loneliness. I suppose this feeling came because now I knew what it felt like to not be alone. It was amplified as I thought of Aaron. I hadn’t seen him all week at school or otherwise and I wondered if he was doing okay. I guess I did become attached to Aaron without ever realizing it. I didn't like that I'd become dependent on someone else, but it was hard not to when Aaron and I lived and breathed the same air for over three months.

  I kept thinking back to how abruptly he had torn away from our kiss and just left. I wondered how long he'd known about my distance headaches being gone. I felt like something had changed, perhaps he didn’t need me anymore now that the mystery of how he’d gotten his powers had led him to me.

  I had a couple theories about his mind reading abilities. The most obvious was the fact that my dad had tested his serum out to see if two mice could telepathically communicate. I wondered if the serum needed two people in order to work in the first place. I wondered how stressed the mice must’ve been.

  Then it hit me— the first time Aaron and I ‘swapped’ was the morning at the café when he had told me about his powers and found out about what’d happened to me. I was very stressed that day. The second time we’d ‘swapped’ was when we’d gotten into the accident two weeks ago. I sighed, wondering how any of those situations connected, if not for feelings of stress at those moments. I wondered if Dooley’s serum had manipulated our genes— almost like a virus. I could’ve been completely wrong, but I wished Aaron was here so I could talk to him about it and hear his voice tease me about it. It was unfair that I missed him. The world was cruel.

  I shut my eyes, laying on the comfortable cushions of my bed and staring at the ceiling, trying not to think about all the times Aaron had done something stupid in my room, like pretend to fall out of my window and actually fall out. I giggled at the thought.

  Mom had been gone for almost as long as Aaron had been gone. I wondered if calling either of them would do anything; I wondered if she was okay. I checked my phone; I was scheduled for another shift at the drugstore this weekend, but I didn't want to go anywhere.

  Hey Jim, I don't think I'll be able to continue working at this store anymore. I'm dealing with a lot right now, I sent you my two weeks’ notice via email a couple days ago, but I can’t come in on Saturday. Sorry for the short notice. I texted the owner of the store and tossed my phone aside. I felt empty inside and it was an
odd feeling considering the need-nobody mentality that I had had not so long ago.

  I thought back to Aaron, wishing my mind would stop. I took a deep breath and before I knew it, the empty thoughts silenced, and I had fallen into a deep slumber.

  A small rapping on my bedroom window sent jolts of electricity down my spine. I lazily opened my eyes, I couldn't contain the grin that formed as I hopped out of my cozy bed and unlocked the window, pushing it wide open. The cold air drifted in and along with it came Aaron.

  He was shivering in his coat, light spots of snow covering him. His nose had turned a bright red as he grinned back at me. It was nearly three hours past midnight. I wondered why he'd decided to come back when he knew that he no longer needed to be near me. It made me feel giddy.

  "It's freezing, Vy." He stuttered, taking his shoes off and reaching for my hand. "I feel like my fingers are about to fall off." His cold fingers stung my warm ones as I hugged him. I didn’t care that his chest was ice cold, I was just happy to see him. I took a step back as he took off his coat. He walked over to my window to shut it, but the latch got stuck and it wouldn’t close. He gave me an apologetic look, but I genuinely didn’t mind— it only meant that we would be cuddling tonight because it was cold in here. The thought made me feel giddy.

  Fear started creeping in as I heard footsteps coming upstairs. Perhaps it was my mother; I quietly ignored the sinking feeling as Aaron began talking about his day, what I had missed at school, and how much he wished I could go with his family to Hawaii in the summer. I couldn't help but smile at every word that left his beautiful mouth. He was such a beautiful soul, and I wished the world knew that.

  "How are you doing Vy?" He asked, pausing before saying my name again, "Violet." His brows furrowed with unnecessary concern.

  "I'm fine. I've just been looking forward to seeing you all day. And Mrs. Smith's essay was pretty fun to write." I grinned, sitting on my bed in my warm pajamas.