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Part 4, Chapter 16

Lizzie

New York City, NY

All odds were against her. The glasses were all larger than the bracelet except for one. The ride manager accidentally let it slip in his mind that there was a manufacturing problem with one of the glasses, and that was the only one that Lizzie could use.

Lizzie was at the carnival. Bridget had convinced Glass to let her out and help her control her powers. It was very hard. There were so many people that it was hard to focus on one person's thoughts. That was what she was trying to do now. She was holding the ring in her hand and reaching out with her mind, trying to see into the thoughts of the carny. Finally she got it. Lizzie through the ring and it landed on the one unrigged bottle of the game. It was in the very back, three bottles away from the corner of the booth. The corrupt carny looked at her in amazement. "You, young girl, are the only one to land a ring tonight. You are the only one to go for the back also, what made you do that?"

"I just had a feeling." Lizzie replied. The carny looked over the crowd of onlookers and announced loudly:

"Well folks, what a feeling right?" He then turned and looked at Lizzie. "Well young missie, what prize do you want?"

Remembering June's thoughts after her first training exercise, Lizzie pointed at a stuffed animal hanging on the back wall. The carny went and grabbed it.

"This one?" He asked holding it up. Lizzie nodded her head. She grabbed the toy from his outstretched hands and handed it to Bridget.

"Can you hold this for me?"

"Why of course." Bridget said, leaning down and gently pulling it away from her. Lizzie then turned to look at the carny. She leaned in close and whispered at him.

"Next time, deform half of them. It will make it more fair." The carny looked stunned. Lizzie started to walk away.

What a girl, what a girl. The carny thought. "Step right up ladies and gentlemen! Try your luck on the dreaded 'Ring toss Of DOOOOM'!!!"

Lizzie smiled to herself. Then, she suddenly got a craving.

"Bridget?" She tugged on her sleeve lightly.

"Yes?"

"Can we get some cotton candy before we go?"

"Yes dear. Yes we can."

The car ride back to the base was a fun one. Lizzie and Bridget played a lot of games. 'Guess the animal' was a real killer. They put on a neural inhibitor on Lizzie so she couldn't cheat.

 "Is it a pig?" Lizzie asked off of the clue that it was pink.

"Nope." Bridget said shaking her head. It was infuriating to Lizzie not to be able to hear her thoughts. In the few weeks that she had gotten them, she grew so accustomed to them that it was like a whole different lifestyle for her.

"Does it live on a farm?" Lizzie guessed again.

"Nope."

"Does it live in the forests?"

"Nope."

"Does it live on islands?"

"Yes." Lizzie felt a surge of relief. She was almost out of strikes. Everyone has twenty wrong guesses in a row before they lose, and Lizzie had just reached 18.

"Is is a mammal?"

"Nope."

"Is it a fish?" Bridget shook her head. "Is it a bird?"

"Yep."

Hmmm, pink bird. Flamingo! "Flamingo?"

"You got it. Now it's your turn."

"I'm okay for the time being. I am sleepy."

"Anything you want." Bridget reached over and gently pulled of the inhibitor.

There we go. Bridget thought. Can you hear me?

Yeah. I can hear you.

Goodnight Lizzie.

Goodnight Bridget. With that, Lizzie fell asleep staring out the window at the dark landscape beyond.