SOAR - Book One: DEAD HEROES

CHAPTER 7: MIND READING, MORE QUESTIONS, AND A HISTORY LESSON

7

Mind reading, more questions,

and a history lesson

The elevator doors slid open, revealing Wire with his arms crossed in front of his chest and an irritated look on his face. “Do you three have anything to say for your idiocy?”

Flynn looked down, “Sorry.” He murmured.

Wire leaned in close, blocking Iris, Korwyn, and Flynn’s way out of the elevator, “What was that? I couldn’t hear what you said.”

Flynn rolled his eyes, “I apologize for my idiocy!”

Wire smiled satisfactorily, “There we go! Was that so hard?”

Iris watched this interaction with much amusement; it reminded her of two brothers she had met whilst inside Beaslie’s.

Flynn clapped his hands, wiping the look of irritation from his face and turning it into a smile. “Okay! Back to the office, get some tea, and then I’ll tell you all what I found out!”

*** *** ***

Iris was sitting back in her blue swivel chair, spinning gently as she sipped at her tea. “Before we get on with what I figured out from reading the Gallfinaens minds, I have a feeling that Raine has a question. Raine?”

Iris placed her teacup back on its platter and gently placed it on the table. “How can you read minds?”

Flynn smiled, “Always asking the right questions and getting straight to the point don’t you Raine? Anyways, I can read minds using these.” He reached into his pockets and pulled out a pair of headphones.

“Headphones?” Iris asked confusedly.

“Try them.” Flynn tossed the headphones at Iris who caught it with both hands and began to inspect them. The earpieces and the wire were a black and was connected to nothing.

“What do I do?” Iris asked, waving the plug about, wondering where she should put it.

“Just put them on your head and imagine you’re listening to something.” Flynn encouraged. Iris did as she was told and put the headphones on. “Good, now close your eyes and try to listen to everything going on in the room. Try to listen to the sound of your heart, the buzzing of that one fluorescent bulb, and everybody’s breaths. Just listen.”

Iris looked at the rest of the group uncertainly, wondering what the headphones would do. Korwyn looked uncertain but Locke and Wire were gazing at her curiously, it made her nervous. Iris wasn’t sure but did as Flynn asked. She left the wire of the headphones hanging at her side and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths, trying to hear everything in the room. She heard the rest of the group’s breaths, a fly in the corner, the buzz of the lights, and the wind whistling a sad tune outside the building. She heard the group gasp and wondered what was going on, but she didn’t open her eyes. For some odd reason, she felt as if the sounds she was hearing were getting louder, as if the inaudible was gaining decibels.

Out of the blue, Flynn whispered in a deep and calming voice, “Good Iris. Now listen very carefully. Try to focus on someone, someone whose mind you want to listen to. Choose carefully then think about them, how they look and what you know about them.”

Iris nodded slowly, not loosing her focus. She didn’t see what was happening but the others did. The black headphones and the wire were beginning to glow with a purple haze.

Iris wondered who she should think about but then remembered the numbers on Wire’s screen. She remembered him standing in the doorway of the disinfection room with his curly, dark green hair that stuck up at the top. Standing with perfect posture in his striped gray and black shirt with the sleeves rolled up and blue suspenders clipped onto black dress pants. But the thing that left such a large imprint in Iris’ memory were his eyes, glowing a pale blue with numbers constantly scrolling across them. This was a mind that Iris was interested in listening to so she thought of the few memories she had of him.