Shine

The Brink of Something

I had been far hungrier than I'd realized, making up for past nausea, so I plowed through my food and most of the breadsticks, wrapping the rest in a napkin to take home because I didn't want to use a Styrofoam box. Edward eased me down the steps after—he had overruled my protestations—paying for my dinner and I rolled myself to his car.

Once we'd left the city for the highway, I raised an eyebrow at him, eyeing the speedometer. "While you may be able to walk away from a premature flattening of this vehicle against another I will turn into dust and blow away."

He smiled. "I promise I will see you home safely." He breathed. "If you do have further questions, you may ask them."

"You're offering?"

"I can see you debating over asking them or not."

"I've made a habit of not prying into others' affairs."

"You are not prying; I invited you." Though he didn't seem particularly pleased.

I regarded him a moment longer. "All right, fine. I'm curious about the practical aspects, the limitations and whatnot. Is it everyone whose minds you can perceive, or have been able to perceive?"

He nodded slowly. "Everyone."

"How encompassing is everyone? It can't be the entire world's consciousness."

He shook his head. "Doesn't this bother you? Even my own family took years to get accustomed to it, and still they sometimes hate it."

I shrugged. "I rarely express myself well in words. Plus I have little to hide."

"You hide far more than you let on to most of the people you interact with."

I lightly sighed. "True. But you're just one person, not everyone. I trust you won't tell everyone about how bad my bad days really sometimes are. Besides, I also lack tact. I've often thought it might be easier to express myself and my intentions if I could somehow do it without the constraints of a spoken language."

He appeared somewhat shocked by this. "Of course I'm shocked—you truly don't seem to mind."

I smiled and spread my hands. "What? I don't have time to be negative if I can help it. Your dad's got my records, my aunt works with him, and you perceive minds. Surely you've figured this out by now."

He waved one finger at me. "I am still taken aback by your cavalier attitude. Why aren't you more concerned about the fact that I'm admittedly different from other humans?"

"Why should I be? You've never shown yourself to be dangerous. Capable of dangerous things, sure. Everyone is in their own way, and yes some more than others, but that doesn't mean they need to be treated like a pariah. However if you feel the need to further expose yourself carry on, it's only fair."

He chuckled. "I suppose. You know most of the important parts." He took in a large breath. "You're right, it isn't the whole world. Only people within a certain proximity to me. Those I know better I can read from further away."

"Is it only what's currently on their mind that you pick up?"

"Yes."

"No digging?"

"No. No digging."

"Does each mind feel different to you?"

"Of course. The same way different people give off different personas and tones, so too do their minds."

"How much do people's mental tones tend to vary from their projected tones?"

"More than you would think."