they just gave her enough leeway to hang herself. Deciding that he’d had enough of looking
through the blood work for the moment, Dr. Carnesby packed all the papers away and locked
them in his desk. He then headed for the kitchen to make a late lunch. There, he found
Michael’s abandoned sandwich and chucked it into the trash. If what Jane had said was true, he
figured Sandra and Michael were going to be busy for a while. Looking at the clock, Dr.
Carnesby realized it was far later than he initially thought. Since they’d taken to eating around
six PM and it was now four-thirty, Dr. Carnesby decided to just make dinner for everyone again.
Perhaps the smells would draw the others out of their rooms.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
After about twenty minutes, I finally calmed down enough to examine exactly why I was
so angry. I hadn’t felt the characteristic fluttering behind my forehead that told me Sandra was
manipulating my emotions but all the hallmarks were there. An anger that was far greater than it
needed to be, a complete disregard for my actions and why I was doing what I was, and an
anger that didn’t dissipate but lingered on. I sighed as I realized Amy and I had done exactly
what Sandra wanted us to do: break up with each other and avoid each other. I vaguely
wondered why Sandra wanted us separated but could think of no good reason. I could, however, think of many bad reasons why she might be separating all of us.
Together, it was harder for emotions to make one of us do something regrettable. I’d seen a
strange change come over Sandra in the week since we’d discovered our powers. She
delighted in causing pain and anger and fear, seeming to be invigorated by causing the
emotions in others. It actually reminded me a lot of the villains in the comics I’d read as a child.
The smell of frying meat and vegetables interrupted my musings and I followed my nose
out to the kitchen. My stomach grumbled, reminding me irritably that I hadn’t eaten anything
since breakfast this morning. In the kitchen, I saw Dr. Carnesby making a stir fry, the rice
bubbling in a pot on another burner. He smiled tiredly when he saw me.
“Ah, George, it’s good to see you,” Dr. Carnesby said, leaving the meal to cook. He sat
down at the table and gestured for me to do the same. When I was seated, he continued, “I’m
sorry to hear about the argument you and Amy had. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I don’t think so,” I sighed regretfully, shaking my head. “Once Amy makes up her mind
about something, she rarely changes it. I just don’t quite understand what brought this all on.
One minute, it seemed, we were fine and working to understand what had happened to us. The
next, she was snapping and angry that I was neglecting her.”
“Sometimes these things really have no rational explanation,” Dr. Carnesby murmured
consolingly. He looked around the room then, seeming to listen carefully. “However, I believe
this might.”
“Oh?” I asked when he didn’t speak again. I was tired of the riddles he enjoyed and just
wanted to know what was going on. “And what might that be?”
“Jane believes, as do I, that Sandra might be trying to separate each of you and recruit
you to her side,” Dr. Carnesby explained, so softly that I had to lean forward and strain to hear
him. “What that might be, I have no idea, but it probably is not something good. At least to judge
by the way she’s gone about it. You might have noticed Michael acting a bit... strange?” “Yeah, I have,” I answered after thinking about it a few moments. “He’s acting like he’s in
love with Sandra, following her everywhere, keeping an eye on her at all times. He’s also been
flushed and his eyes are always glassy.”
“Just so,” Dr. Carnesby nodded. “I believe you may find that Sandra has taken her
manipulation of Michael to a new level. I wouldn’t share anything with him you don’t want
Sandra to know. I believe she has him firmly wrapped around her finger.”
“But why?” I asked, confused. “It’s not like any of us hate the others. Why would she
want to control Michael so completely?”
“Can you think of absolutely no reason?” Dr. Carnesby asked softly then got up to deal
with the stir fry. While he was busy, I thought furiously over everything Sandra had done since
we’d discovered we’d gotten these powers. Every time she practiced, she did something
negative to us, something to give her power over us. Anger for me, the few times her
manipulation had stuck with me. Anger and despair for Amy, enough to cause her to break up
with me. Apparently desire for Michael, turning him into a devoted slave to her.
“Power,” I breathed as the epiphany burst across my mind. “She wants power over us.
Sandra’s been avoiding Billy since she can’t manipulate him.”
“Exactly,” Dr. Carnesby replied, nodding at me. “Even before she gained the power of
empathy, Sandra exhibited a wish to control others from a position of power. That urge has only
grown now that she has a much more personal and accessible way of controlling others. I worry
about what she might be planning but she has been extremely careful. Sandra has not spoken
her plans aloud nor written them down. Assuming, of course, that she has plans for after she
leaves this facility.”
Footsteps heralded the entrance of Billy followed by Amy, which kept me from replying
to Dr. Carnesby. I didn’t know who else he had told of his suspicions and I didn’t want to spread
the information around. Especially if Amy was somehow under Sandra’s control. “Smells good,” Amy said, completely ignoring me. She sat down at the table a few seats
away, carefully not looking in my direction. I tried to ignore the pang of hurt that gave me but
wasn’t completely successful, to go by the sympathetic look Billy shot me. He sat down between
us, giving me someone to talk to.
“You ok?” he asked concernedly, staring intently at me. I could feel a gentle tickling in
my mind and shrugged.
“Not really but I guess I will be,” I replied, sadness making my voice low.
Though I need to talk to you, I thought at Billy.Dr. Carnesby told me something that’s a
little worrisome.
Is that so? Billy replied as a smug smile crossed his face. He shrugged as my mouth
dropped open in surprise. This was new. I figured if I could hear thoughts, I might be able to
make mine heard.
Well, that’s pretty cool. You sound echo-y and far away, but other than that, I can hear
you fine, I replied. He thinks Sandra might be up to something. Something that helps her gather
power. He said she’s already controlled Michael. Speaking of, have you seen either of them?
Billy shook his head, casting a warning glance over to Amy. I really hoped that didn’t mean what
I thought it did, that Amy was heading over to Sandra’s side, but his next words abused me of
that notion.
I can hear that Amy is considering that Sandra might have been right, Billy told me
grimly.About what, she’s not thinking about it, but I can tell it’s not good. Sandra is definitely in
a good light in her mind while we are not.
Dr. Carnesby had drained the rice by now and placed it and the stir fry on the table. We
covered up our conversation by heaping our plates with rice and the meat
and vegetables,
carefully not looking around. I didn’t want to meet Amy’s eyes right now, even by accident.
Can you hear what Sandra is planning? Or what she’s doing right now? I asked, taking a
bite of stir fry. It was rather good and I nodded appreciably at Dr. Carnesby.
Sandra is rather... occupied at the moment, Billy said delicately, a light blush rising on
his cheeks.With Michael. And the only sense I can get of what she’s planning is that it involves
money. She wants money and she’s not all that particular about how she gets it. But her plan
isn’t quite complete yet. There is a definite sense of needing Amy.
Amy? I asked, worried for her. What could she possibly need Amy for?
Think about it, George, Billy admonished me, mixing together his stir fry. Amy has a very
destructive potential to her power. As does Michael. Sandra could be wanting them as, for lack
of a better word, muscle.
I snorted softly, amused at the mental image that word gave me. All I could see was
Sandra sitting at a table in a warehouse, the table heaped with money, while she laughed
maniacally. It was a scene out of a lot of mob movies and comic books.
You may not be far off, Billy mused while Amy looked curiously in my direction. I
shrugged at her and went back to eating, looking down at my plate in apparent concentration.
She may not want to take over the world or anything like that but Sandra wants to feel
important. Being a mob boss or something similar would give her that.
The rest of the meal passed in silence while I thought over what Billy had said. It was
really interesting that his power had progressed to being able to send thoughts to others. It
definitely made it easier to talk without being overheard. Though the fact that we needed to was
rather worrisome. I’d come into this trial hoping to walk away five thousand dollars richer at the
very least, with a few new friends at the most. And now, I was worrying that one of my fellow
students was going to turn rogue and become a criminal? It seemed almost ludicrous.
As everyone put their empty dishes in the sink, I volunteered to be on cleanup duty. Amy
walked away without another word and within a few minutes, I heard a movie playing in the
lounge. Billy stayed in the kitchen with me, drying the dishes as I placed them in the drying rack.
Dr. Carnesby went back to his office, muttering under his breath. “So, you think Sandra really is a danger?” I asked under my breath as I passed Billy
another plate. He looked at me opaquely, his eyes flicking around the kitchen.
“Possibly. I know she’s not thinking about kittens and roses,” Billy replied wryly. “And
what she’s doing with Michael, there’s no affection there, no care. She’s using him, getting his
power under her control.”
“And you think Amy’s next,” I stated, not even bothering to make it a question.
“I do, yes,” Billy nodded. “Other than your power, hers is the most offensive.” I passed
him another plate but it slipped through his hands and plummeted to the ground. Billy gasped
and stretched out a hand towards it. Suddenly, it stopped about three inches off the ground,
floating gently in the air.
“Uh, Billy?” I whispered, staring at the plate in surprise. “Are you doing that?”
“I... I think so,” Billy said, his voice strained. He lifted his hand and the plate floated up
between us. With a small smile, Billy grabbed the plate, dried it off, and put it away. He looked
around the room again, making sure no one was there.
“I think my abilities have expanded a bit,” Billy whispered, thrill threading through his
voice. “I was wondering if that would happen.”
“You were? What did you just do?” I asked, my voice quiet.
“Telekinesis,” Billy replied, smiling widely at me. His violet eyes were sparkling and he
looked about ready to jump for joy. “Apparently, I’m not just a mind-reader anymore.”
“You should tell Dr. Carnesby,” Jane interrupted us, making both of us jump. “This is
something that he should know.”
“You’re right, Jane,” Billy said. “Though I think it can wait until after we’re done.”
We finished the dishes quickly, making sure everything was back in its place. Our
discussion about Sandra and Michael was completely forgotten as Billy and I made our way
back to Dr. Carnesby’s office. Billy was practically vibrating with excitement. “Adam, can I talk to you for a minute?” Billy asked as we saw Dr. Carnesby sitting in his
office. The doctor nodded and Billy walked in to sit down on the table. I stood in the doorway;
the room really wasn’t big enough for three people.
“What is it?” Dr. Carnesby asked after he had stacked the papers on his desk neatly and
put them in a drawer.
“I think my abilities have expanded,” Billy explained. He lifted a hand and the mug on Dr.
Carnesby’s desk floated into the air. He made a beckoning gesture and the mug floated across
the floor to Billy’s hand. He grasped it and held it out to Dr. Carnesby, the smile still on his face.
“Impressive. You have telekinesis now as well?” Dr. Carnesby asked, pulling out his
notebook. “When did this begin?”
Billy explained the almost mishap in the kitchen, emphasizing the fact that it was
instinctive rather than a thought-out plan to save the dish. I nodded when Dr. Carnesby looked
at me, verifying everything Billy was saying. Dr. Carnesby wrote everything down then looked
up at the ceiling for a few minutes once Billy was done speaking.
“I’d like you to keep this to yourselves for now,” he finally said, nodding at both of us. “I
don’t want to keep harping on the subject, but the less Sandra knows about your abilities, the
better. I don’t want her to try to use you both as well.”
“You think she really would?” I asked incredulously, shaking my head. “You and Billy
both keep making her out to besome sort of psychopath bent on world domination.”
“And that may not be far off,” Dr. Carnesby said darkly. “World domination may not be
her goal at the moment but domination certainly is. You notice she and Michael still have not
shown themselves yet?”
“Yeah but that could be meaningless,” I argued. “What proof do we really have that
Sandra is turning evil or something like that?”
“Nothing concrete,” Dr. Carnesby admitted, looking to Billy who shrugged. “Just
circumstantial things and a feeling is all. She could very well just be practicing every facet of her ability. But think about it, George. Has she really acted all that well since she discovered her
ability?”
I did as asked, thinking over Sandra’s behavior in the last week. I honestly hadn’t seen
muchof her since she’d been spending most of her time with Michael and Amy, but what I had
seen I had to admit wasn’t pleasant. Sandra had walked around with a supercilious expression
on her face mixed with greed. And every time she’d gotten a rise out of someone or succeeded
in instigating whatever emotion she’d been going for, there’d been a look of intense satisfaction
that was bordering on obsession on her face. No, Sandra hadn’t exactly been a paragon of
virtue since discovering her ability.
“No, you’re right,” I finally admitted, sighing heavily and shaking my head. “I don’t like
this.”
“You know we�
��ll probably be the only ones who can stop her if Sandra decides to
become a criminal?” Billy asked, alternating looks at me and Dr. Carnesby. “It would be so easy
for her, she’d just need to induce a desire to give her whatever she wanted in her victims.
They’d happily hand over money, jewelry, information, anything and Sandra would get away
without even a scratch.”
“I realize that, yes,” Dr. Carnesby nodded, his eyes grave. “But you are the only ones so
far who can resist her empathy. She hasn’t tried anything with me mostly because I have
nothing to offer her.”
“You both are acting as if fighting is a foregone conclusion,” I argued, concern etched
across my face. “Why are you both assuming she’s going to turn into some crazy megalomaniac
rather than easing back on her abilities?”
“I’m hoping Sandra doesn’t,” Dr. Carnesby said, rubbing a hand over his face. “But she’s
not acting as if she plans on using her abilities for good things. She’s pulling people to her who
are useful. I’m trying to plan for the worst so that we’re not blindsided if she does go rogue.” “Right now, she only has Michael as an ally,” Billy mused. “If we can keep Amy from
going to her side....”
The rest of the conversation dwindled away as I thought about Amy. Dr. Carnesby and
Billy continued to discuss options and alternatives, their voices a quiet hum in the background of
my thoughts. I was still surprised and hurt over the argument I’d had with Amy earlier and it still
didn’t make sense. It felt like everything just happened suddenly, with no warning. Amy and I
had been a fairly solid couple before this. Sure, we’d had arguments before and ups and downs,
but we’d always worked them out.
As I ran the argument in my head again, I remembered something I had realized after
the fight. Before, when we fought, we didn’t escalate to yelling right away. There was always
discussion, questions, and trying to listen beforehand. The way we’d both acted had been out of
character and I remembered the anger I hadn’t questioned at the time. The anger and rage had
blown up out of nowhere as soon as I was absorbed in the argument with Amy and I
remembered that it had come from Sandra. Every time I dropped my guard, every time I didn’t
Gnotret (The Accidental Heroes Chronicles Book 1) Page 14
