by Enid Titan
Wicked Telepaths
An Alpha Quadrant Reverse Harem Academy Novel
Enid Titan
ISBN: 9781677803057
* * *
Copyright © 2019 by Enid Titan
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover designed by Enid Titan Designs
Created with Vellum
To my readers. Thank you for the support and encouragement along the way. - E.T.
We shall probably get nearest to the truth if we think of the conscious and personal psyche as resting upon the broad basis of an inherited and universal psychic disposition which is as such unconscious, and that our personal psyche bears the same relation to the collective psyche as the individual to society.
Carl Jung
Contents
Also by Enid Titan
Preface
1. New Earth
2. Shuttle
3. Prophecies
4. Long Lost
5. Ice Planet
6. New School, New Bullies
7. Roomie
8. Heavy Gold
9. Water Visions
10. Tormented Telepaths
11. Icy Kiss?
12. Jazad
13. Jocasta’s Warning
14. P.E. Class
15. Three Big Blue Hunks Of…
16. Final Touch
17. Devoran Bullies
18. Do NOT Show Me!
19. Three Blue Butts
20. Twisted Telepathy
21. A Bad Decision?
22. Three Aliens, Six Tongues
23. Lurking
24. Settled & Secretive
25. Psychic Attack
26. Kidnapped By Her Boys
27. Penelope’s Hesitation
28. Two Big Blue…
29. Split
30. The Third Boy
31. Flooding
32. Slow Recovery
33. Saving Earth
34. Breaking & Entering
35. Isolation
36. Study Break
37. Strong Ajax
38. Annoying Teases!
39. Bizarre Letters
40. Dreams & Memories
41. Symbols & Visions
42. Fading
43. Awareness
44. Reality
45. Blood Rituals
46. Who Are You
47. Shards of Ice
48. Cas
49. Poppy’s Powers
50. The Order
51. Fengari
52. They’re Dead
53. Blue Blood Spilled
54. Awakened
55. The Other Side
Pre-Order Book 2
FREE SHORT STORY
An Invitation
Free Sample: Devor
1. Late Summer ‘95
Free Sample | First Contact Captives: Vidar
1. The Basement
About the Author
CW: death, some bullying, psychic attacks, mild torture, content for adults only.
Also by Enid Titan
In chronological order:
Short Stories
Virgin Earthling
The Alpha Quadrant Series
Devor
Tau
Aries
First Contact Captives: An Alpha Quadrant Series
First Contact Captives: Vidar
First Contact Captives: Kronos
Book #3 coming soon
Vortha Gifted Academy
Wicked Telepaths (You are here).
Preface
I wrote Wicked Telepaths as part of a continuation of my universe established in The Alpha Quadrant Series1 as well as First Contact Captives2. If you've read both these series, I think you'll find Poppy Darden's story a pleasant addition to the world. This book takes place 100 years after the events of Devor, and a few decades after First Contact Captives: Kronos3. This story, however, is Book #1 a standalone series that you can read on its own.
I based the Academy in this story is based on real settings I experienced attending boarding school in New England for High School (in Massachusetts to be specific) as well as my experiences at a small liberal arts college in Northern Vermont.
This story includes only characters who are 18+ and those characters will age as the story progresses. Currently, I plan on writing eight books in the series, and hopefully, the reasons for this will become clear why as you read the story. This romance novel combines my love of fantasy and science fiction. I had to tell stories reminiscent of my time living in New England.
Reverse Harem is a tricky beast because there are so many opinions about the genre out there, and I considered not writing a harem romance due to my desire not to alienate readers.
One of the great things about science fiction is the willingness of both authors and readers to explore the taboo and to engage with worlds entirely different from our own. Because of this, I decided to push the envelope and write about a different relationship structure with a dynamic that I enjoy reading and writing. You will find 3 men entirely devoted and loyal to 1 woman in this book with no cheating and a happily ever after story with a very mild cliffhanger. The quad definitely get a satisfying resolution to their tale.
Thank you for picking up this book. I hope you enjoy the story.
Peace and long life,
Enid
1 www.books2read.com/devor
2 www.books2read.com/vidar
3 www.books2read.com/kronos
1
New Earth
Poppy glowered as she stared out the window of her uncle’s New Manhattan apartment at two naked guys brawling over a bottle of water. The sand in the city below crept in from the growing Dust Bowl, which now encroached on the Rockies.
Uncle Monty told Poppy once that before the Dust Bowl, people lived in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. Now, they were all covered in sand.
“Poppy, are you listening to me?” Uncle Monty said gruffly.
Poppy nodded, but she wasn’t listening. The fight between the homeless men escalated. One of them pulled a silver blade.
“I know when you’re not listening,” Uncle Monty chided, “You have that same look your father used to have when he wasn’t listening.”
Before the fight with the homeless men could escalate further, three robotic policemen came and neutralized them. They dropped to the ground and Poppy figured that she’d better listen to her uncle.
“We need to take you to the embassy.”
“The one on Main Street?”
“No, darling, the one on the moon.”
“Very funny.”
“I’m not joking. I’ve been meaning to tell you this but we received this in the mail after your high school exams.”
“What’s this?”
Poppy took the silver envelope with the holographic wax seal from her uncle, still disinterested.
“The U.S. government analyzed the biometric data of every high school student in the country and sent it to the Devorans.”
“Great,” Poppy snarked, “Are the little blue men going to give me an Olympic medal?”
Uncle Monty grimaced, “Don’t talk like that, Poppy. They’re our allies.”
“They’re watching our planet turn to dust when they have all the power and technology in the world to fix it. I don’t care.”
“Open the envelope,” Monty insisted.
“I don’t care.”
“Please, Poppy. Open it.”
“You already know what’s inside, don’t you?”
&n
bsp; “I got a call.”
“Fine.”
Poppy ripped open the seal and read the letter.
Dear Penelope Darden,
The Royal Family of Devor invites you to visit the planet and to attend the prestigious academy for our telepathic youth, The Vortha Gifted Telepaths Academy, on our home world. Should you accept our invitation, we will be in touch with you. This envelope contains more information about the academy and what your acceptance would mean.
Gratefully Yours,
Achilles, Headmaster
“So what?”
“Poppy, don’t you recognize what this is?”
“Yeah, an opportunity for me to travel in space. Big whoop. We all did a trip to Venus as seniors. It sucked.”
“This wouldn’t just be a trip to Venus. It would be a trip across our quadrant of the galaxy.”
“I don’t care!”
“It doesn’t matter. I already accepted your spot.”
“You did what?” Poppy snapped.
“Sorry Poppy but I couldn’t let you pass this up.”
“Why not? What the hell is so great about these aliens? We’ve known about them for years but from what I’ve seen they’re all useless! The Devorans, the Taureans, the Polluxians, they all came here and left our planet in shambles. We’re all dying and they don’t give a shit!”
“They do," Monty answered, "And this is how they’re proving it.”
“By giving one person a chance to go to their stupid academy?”
Monty was used to his niece’s outbursts by now. Poppy could be strong-willed, like her father, and she had her mother’s temper.
“It’s more than that. They believe you have latent telepathic abilities that once untapped could heal the planet. You could save everyone.”
“What? Me?”
“Yes, Poppy. I spoke to the ambassador on the phone. There’s no other human being on the planet whose data registered on their charts. Everyone here has latent telepathy and we knew that already. Even the ones with developed skills don’t have the potential that you have.”
“So what, I’ll go and learn to read minds and then save the earth? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Hear what they have to say, Poppy. Give them a chance.”
“What if I say no?”
“What will you do next year, then?”
Ah, that question. Poppy had been hoping that after high school she could continue living with Uncle Monty. He was well off and New Manhattan was one of the biggest cities in Colorado. But it was tough finding work here and to make money, you had to be willing to hustle hard.
“I dunno. The Appalachian coast might have work.”
“I won’t send you to the East Coast just to have you become a beach bum or a surfer. You have to do something with your life, Poppy. When your father died, he left me in charge of you.”
“My mom’s still alive. Doesn’t she get a say?”
“Don’t you think your mom would want you to do your part to help the planet?”
Poppy diverted, “What about college?”
“College doesn’t give you an advantage anymore.”
“I suppose,” Poppy admitted.
Monty stroked his silver beard and followed up with, “Then give this a chance. We’ll leave for Devor on Friday.”
“Friday!?”
“We have to act fast. The Devoran delegates are already on the planet’s surface. Of course, they prefer visiting Canada to visiting here, especially after the last incident, but we’ll meet the delegates tomorrow.”
“I won’t have time to say goodbye to my friends.”
“You will if you head out tonight.”
“We were supposed to have dinner," Poppy argued.
“We’ll have plenty of time for dinner on the spaceship. Run along. You should get started packing tonight.”
“What do I even pack?”
“The warmest clothes you can find. The planet is freezing.”
Uncle Monty had gone to Devor for work last year. Poppy wanted to come along then, but he refused just so she could study for that stupid Ancient U.S. History test.
After that, Poppy didn’t think she’d chance leaving earth again. Space travel could be dangerous and unpredictable. At least aliens had better tech. Better everything.
The aliens might not have all been hostile, but they were certainly unfriendly. Poppy had never met a Devoran, but she’d seen the blue-skinned tourists from a distance once or twice.
When aliens visited earth, no matter what planet they were from, they always had such a strange look on their face — a mixture of pity and disgust. Poppy loathed that look.
2
Shuttle
Poppy didn’t want to admit her terror about teleportation to Uncle Monty. She’d seen aliens enough times that she didn’t stare at them when she entered the embassy. The issue wasn't having to deal with Devorans. Poppy rather liked observing them out of the corner of her eye so they didn't notice her staring.
They were all so tall and their skin so many different shades of blue. Devorans stationed on Earth staffed the embassy.
“How do they live right here in New-Man and I’ve never seen them before?” Poppy whispered to her uncle.
Monty adjusted his tortoiseshell glasses and explained that Devorans preferred to use their telepathic fields to filter human perceptions so that they could appear human unless an observer knew what to look for. Poppy doubted him at first, but it had to be true. Her uncle knew more about aliens than anyone else she knew. The embassy was in a huge stone building staffed with over four-hundred aliens. As they traveled the arching halls deeper into the belly of the beast, a knot tightened in Penelope's stomach.
Poppy couldn’t tell the males and females apart. Both were tall, both equally strong and both had long silvery-white hair twisted into different styles. Monty elbowed her and whispered, "It takes a while to tell them apart. Don't worry."
Two imposing guards in tight white fabric jumpsuits led them to a large circular arena with a ring of white light around it.
“Step onto the teleportation pad, Poppy.”
Poppy held her uncle’s hand. He squeezed until the shaking in her hands stopped. Poppy never said a word to him about being nervous. Spitfire, just like her mother, she’d never admit dreading her circumstances on Devor. This would be nothing like her school trip to Venus, Monty thought. He hoped he was making the right choice for the girl. Leaving Earth now was the only option he saw, but the issue of whether it was right to let her go weighed on him regardless.
Her parents trusted him over anyone else on the planet. His niece relied on him for everything.
Monty squeezed her hand back. Poppy's mouth gaped open as she underwent her first teleportation. No noise came out. Her chest contracted. Her body twisted and there was this sense that she would never be put back together again and just as quickly, she was standing on a platform somewhere entirely different. Her legs trembled and Poppy lost her balance.
“Entirely normal. The temperature difference must be quite a shock. Welcome back, Monty.”
“Pallas! I didn’t expect you here.”
Monty's cheeks reddened at the sight of the towering broad-shouldered blue alien who awaited them with high arched eyebrows and long, pointed ears.
“I didn’t expect to be assigned to your neck of the woods. I suppose that poor pink creature there is Penelope?”
Monty glanced back to find that Poppy had risen and she stared around the giant white atrium, stumbling forward both nauseous and confused. Pallas rushed over to her and introduced himself, grasping her hand in a polite shake.
“Welcome aboard, Penelope.”
Penelope flinched and gasped as she took Pallas' hand. She’d never touched a Devoran before but the slight contact from his hand caused a series of images to flash before her eyes. She retreated quickly. Pallas’ eyes glowed yellow with embarrassment.
“My apologies,” Pallas responded quickly, “I wasn’t aware yo
u had never connected with a Devoran before.”
“Connected? What was that?” Poppy turned to her uncle for reassurance.
Monty nodded and stepped behind her, wrapping his arm around Penelope's shoulder. Pallas was much taller than her Uncle Monty, but shared his slight frame, more typical of a college professor who hardly experiences the sun's tender touch. Pallas reached out again and Poppy flinched instinctively.
“Sorry, I was only fascinated by your hair. It’s… jet black. So very different from Monty’s. Perhaps one day when you’re more accustomed to our customs we can discuss Earth.”
“Yes, sir."
“She’s got your manners, Monty. I take it she’s never been to Devor?”
“No, she hasn’t.”
“She’ll fit right in at the Academy.”
“Will she now?”
Poppy noticed her uncle's uncertainty for the first time since he'd propositioned her with leaving Earth. Monty never second-guessed his choice's. Pallas' gaze traveled from her back to Monty.
