LIFE AND DEATH (edythe's pov)

Chapter 10 Theory

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Solar Midnight: Midnight Sun Reimagined (Life and Death, Book I) by beyondthedawn

Books » Twilight Rated: T, English, Supernatural & Romance, Beau S., Edythe C., Words: 224k+, Favs: 59, Follows: 36, Published: Dec 26, 2020 15Chapter 10: THEORY

"Can-can I just ask one more?" he entreated instead of answering my demand.

I was on edge, anxious for the worst. And yet, how tempting it was to prolong this moment. To have him with me, willingly, for just a few seconds longer. I shook my head. "We had a deal."

"It's not really a question. Just a clarification of something you said before."

I rolled my eyes. "Make it quick."

"Well..." He hesitated for a moment, as if deciding which question to voice. "You said you knew I hadn't gone into the bookstore, and that I had gone south. I was just wondering how you knew that."

I glared out the windshield. Here was another question that revealed nothing on his part, and too much on mine.

"I thought we were past all these evasions," he said, his tone critical and disappointed.

How ironic. He was relentlessly evasive, without even trying.

Well, he wanted me to be direct. And this conversation wasn't going anywhere good, regardless.

"Fine, then," I said. "I followed your scent."

I wanted to watch his face, but I was afraid of what I would see. Instead, I listened to his breath accelerate and then stabilize. He spoke again after a moment, and his voice was steadier than I would have expected.

"Your turn, Beau."

"But you didn't answer my other question," he said.

"Oh, come on."

I looked down at him, frowning. He was stalling, too.

"I'm serious. You didn't tell me how it works-the mind-reading thing," he said, reiterating his question from the restaurant. "Can you read anybody's mind, anywhere? How do you do it? Can the rest of your family do the same thing?"

And why not tell him? He'd already guessed most of this, and it was an easier subject than the one that loomed.

"No, it's just me. And I can't hear anyone, anywhere. I have to be fairly close. The more familiar someone's... 'voice' is, the farther away I can hear him. But still, no more than a few miles." I tried to think of a way to describe it so that he would understand. An analogy that he could relate to. "It's a little like being in a huge hall filled with people, everyone talking at once. It's just a hum-a buzzing of voices in the background. Until I focus on one voice, and then what they're thinking is clear. Most of the time I tune it all out-it can be very distracting. And then it's easier to seem normal"-I scowled-"when I'm not accidentally answering someone's thoughts rather than their words."

"Why do you think you can't hear me?" he wondered.

I gave him another truth and another analogy.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Maybe your mind doesn't work the same way the rest of theirs do. Like your thoughts are on the AM frequency and I'm only getting FM."

I realized as soon as the words were out that he would not like this analogy. The anticipation of his reaction had me smiling. He didn't disappoint.

"My mind doesn't work right?" he asked, his voice rising. "I'm a freak?"