Fascinating Villains

{26} - Shiny and New

Doe eyes round like saucers above a freckled face stare back at me for a fleeting second. Where have I seen him before..? I attempt to gently let some of his overlapping thoughts back into my focus.

/Taller... Worst... Rain... Body... Date... Car... Gave... Popcorn... Free.../

I rapidly shut out the unpleasant unfurling of indistinguishable sounds, having found a clue amidst it. Popcorn. That is the guy from Freakland Amusement Park, who was enthralled by Cheryl and thus gave us our popcorn for free. I am curious as to why she is still stringing him along, a month later.

Coaxed and complimented by my friend for the duration of the travel, Peter drove us to a fast food restaurant right at the bustling heart of Gotham City. The confusing agony of dozens of hundreds of people thinking simultaneously almost fried my sanity. It was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the worst dining experience of my entire life. Fortunately, she dismissed her boy toy early on, seeing as his only role was to offer us a ride.

Then, we spent more than two hours at that place, building endurance for my psyche and chiselling its limits. It took me the first forty minutes of our lunch time to silence my mind. We ordered our unhealthy meals before beginning the exercises, which I managed to do even with devastating mental pressure and a near total loss of any concentration whatsoever. The tests increased in difficulty, proportionally with my mental agility. The manoeuvres felt easier as we progressed thanks to my resolve.

I needed to succeed, because Cheryl refused to tamper with my brain in any manner. All she did was advise me, slip in and out of my mind to speak to me telepathically and protect my exposed psyche from any nefarious telepaths who might stumble upon it. I sometimes wished she would take control for a second, to facilitate my learning, even if it was not an option. In spite of this, her movements helped me situate the confines of my own thoughts. Closer to the end of our training, I could imagine the borders precisely and I distinctly perceived a breach within them. This opening represents the point where the gangster's brain and mine fused, where an intersection was created between the respective edges of our minds. This is a passage that, according to her, I will not ever need to close. Meaning that my mind can be considered impermeable, which will soon lead to me controlling it.

As we walk out of the fast food restaurant, the brunette woman tells me, "See? That wasn't so hard."

"Not for you," I tease.

A bus screeches past us down the street, and I trip on my feet, disconcerted by the shift of background thoughts. The appearance of newer ones in the mass startled me.

Thankfully, I am not working until Sunday, so hopefully that will be enough time to...

/Practice using your powers?/

I was thinking something more along the lines of hiding in my apartment, but I guess practice makes perfect... It is the smarter thing to do. This stage of transition - not unlike when I came out as non-binary - is bound to make even the most trivial day-to-day activities painfully awkward. Any social interaction might derail if I lose... Oh no.

Colin. And Joseph and Cedric's get-together! Darn it. Double darn it. I never should have agreed to that many - yes, two - events in such a short lapse of time. I already feel nauseous with guilt at the idea of having to cancel on them all...

"Who says you have to cancel?! These are perfect opportunities to grow your abilities!" Cheryl exclaims.

"I'm gonna look like a fool. People around me can't know that something weird is going on, they'll get suspicious."

"Of you?"

"I cannot risk it. If I am going to be seen as a junkie who can't align two words, it will be with strangers at the mall, thank you very much."