Capturing Ella

Chapter 6 - Joe

I sat by the edge of the pool, my feet in the water as Jason did laps. It was fascinating watching him; it was almost like he was part fish. I preferred going for long morning runs with my parent's dog in the morning as it got me out when I woke up early, but the passion kind of receded as Socks, the family dog, passed away a year or so ago. The news had come through that Maui was expanding into drugs searches, and have brought on five new drug puppies that still needed to pass training before being adopted out. However, one of the guys at work who was sort of my boss but in a relative term had already got his hands on one of the puppy. At Maui, we all got told there were no bosses or managers and we were all at the same level in the eyes of the Government but we all knew it wasn't true. There was a relative hierarchy with some people being further ahead than others. Michael Evans, and my brother Jake, were kind of our managers and were offered one of the drug puppies. Jake had to say no – puppies weren't too good around three week old babies – but Michael took one. A cute Springer spaniel who's overly hyper called Peri Peri. The dogs had all been named after spices, and joining Peri Peri was Pepper, Clove, Cinnamon and Saffron. I decided I would offer to adopt one of the puppies at the end of August, when I move into my new flat. I had never lived alone, so I would probably just be isolated and lonely.

I shook off my daydream, watching Jason as he continued to swim. I never learnt to swim in school because – when we were offered swimming lessons in year 7 – I bunked them. Not because I was a bad man kid but simply because I was four foot two and 14 stone. I was edging in between and obese and morbidly obese and when you're that big in the first year of secondary school – well – you're a target. And as I didn't talk back or argue back or even start to think of comebacks and I was just shy, so I just let it happen. And when the school uniform for swimming was (guess what!) swimming trunks, I was too self conscious to be seen in swimming lessons. Things they didn't teach you in school; both boys and girls can be insecure about their bodies. So I never learnt to swim. I mean, I would love to learn but I would need someone who would be patient and wouldn't mock me.

'You look like a seal who isn't allowed to play in the water at the zoo,' Jason laughed, jumping up on the wall to the left of me.

'Thanks,' I laughed slightly.

You're not at home? Jake asked me telepathically, and along the line I could feel him standing in the kitchen, looking at the half drunk bottle of water. I'm not used to being messy and had to have everything in place before I left, so the bottle of water was cause for alarm.

No, down the pool with Jason.

Can both of you come home so I can take you to base? You're both needed. He simply said. Jason isn't a Savant but his degree and the fact he was good friends with so many Savant's, he was allowed to be one of three who weren't Savant's – and the other two were government officials.

Why are we needed? I asked, gesturing for Jason to get up. He knew what it meant when I couldn't talk – and it meant telepathy. He trusted me so with no more words and just a scowl, he got up beside me and started to follow me out the swimming pool park.

You know we struggled to find you someone you can work with and who can compliment your gift in an interview of a suspect? Well – we think we managed to find someone. And she's lovely and your age and if you dare be horrible to her I will personally punch you. Some come back home as soon as you can and we'll go in. And he cut the conversation as I left milling what he said.

My gift meant I could get someone to speak unfiltered so they wouldn't hold back, but I couldn't get them to tell the truth or show what emotion they were showing so we couldn't know if they were lying or if they were guilty. We couldn't use me in an interview of a suspect alone because we couldn't sentence someone based on them spilling secrets with details. They needed someone who would tell if someone was lying and their emotion and no one who worked at Maui had that gift. A few people on the American side of the Net had the gift but couldn't fly over here as often as they needed – so the fact they found someone was huge. And she's also my age. I couldn't help the flutter of butterflies in my stomach just thinking she could be the one. But the way Jake talked about her made me doubt something – he obviously knew her. How could he know her and not tell me? He was desperate to hook me up and the way he talked, the girl who could compliment my gift in an interview was a close friend. And I had no idea who it could be.