Read His Mind | ✓

Chapter 19

Abbie's POV

W-what did I just hear? Those words continued to ring in my ears. I killed someone... I killed someone... I killed someone... It can't be true, right? There wasn't a murderer sitting in front of me, right? I heard it wrong, right? This was not real, right?

"Let's go, Abbie." Benson stood up and pulled me up. "We're leaving." He held onto my wrist and started to walk away with me. I didn't stop him and let him, because, at that moment, I wanted to be anywhere but there. Away from his dad.

"No matter how much you try, you can't prevent what will happen. Don't waste your time," Bobby spoke up. "Give up." 

Benson stopped and tightened his grip on me. He turned his sideways and replied, "I won't let you do what you did to Britney to her," he said, his voice hard. Who was Britney? 

He laughed. "We'll have to see about that. The Council of Teli won't stand by if you interfere with this. You might have been lucky last time, but you won't get another miracle. They'll use any means to do this, you can't do anything. They'll end you if they have to." 

"Then I'll let that happen," he said. "If dying can protect her from them, then so be it." Dying? I looked up at him but he was already pulling me forward.

"They would love to meet you," Bobby added. "You are one special girl."

We stopped again. This time, it was because of me. Benson tried to make me go forward but I didn't let him. They? Who was 'they'? 

As if he heard my thoughts, he answered, "The Council of Teli. They are a group of people who are very interested in your ability."

My ability? What ability? Wasn't I just an outcast at school? "What-" I began to say when Benson interrupted me. 

"She doesn't need to know this, Bobby. We're going to leave," he said, his voice as cold as ice. 

"Go ahead," Bobby dared. "Let's see how long you can protect her." 

  ◈ ◈ ◈  

The sky was dark with the moon shining brightly above us. His street was quiet with no cars at all. 

"What's going on?" I stopped him when we were a safe distance away from his house. 

He let go of my hand and stared at the ground quietly. 

"Benson!"

No response. The crickets chirped in the distance.

"Benson!!"

"I'll tell you another day," he said.

"Tell me right now."

"Fine, I'll tell you." 

We started to walk to my house as he told me everything.

"Abbie, you're different than everyone else," he began. "Unlike most females, you have the ability to read minds which is incredibly rare among us Teli. Whenever the Council of Teli receives a report of one, they sent men to capture them and they..-they run tests on them. Horrible, inhumane ones so they can find out why," he finished in sad voice. 

"Is Bobby one of them?" I asked. 

"Yes, he was sent to watch me and now he knows what you are. He'll tell the COT and they'll send more people like him here to get you. They won't stop until they have you in their lab. They won't stop until you're nothing but a corpse."

I gasped. "What am I going to do now?"

"I won't let them get you, I promise. I told you I would protect you," he assured with a small smile. 

"Was that why you became my friend? Because you knew I was different?" I asked, feeling my heart drop.

"You have a whole life ahead of you. They're going to ruin it," he responded. "I didn't want that to happen to you." 

So he approached me because of this. He wasn't truly my friend like I thought he was. I couldn't help but feel betrayed. I felt a tear fall down my face.

"Are you crying?" Benson stopped walking and leaned closer to me. 

"No!" I said a little too fast. I quickly dried my face and looked away from him.

"Why are you crying?"

"Something got in my eyes, that's all." I continued walking and heard him run to catch up with me.

"Abbie-" He held onto my shoulders and forced me to look at him. "At first I came to you to protect you from the council, but it's not like that anymore. I still want to protect you, but I'm not doing it just for that anymore. I want to see you happy, I don't want to see you hurt." His hazel colored orbs gazed at me with so much sincerity that I felt my heart flutter. I noticed how close we were and stepped back. 

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," I said even though I knew it was not true. 

"No I'm not. I'm serious Abbie."

"Okay, I believe you, I guess." I stared down at my nails, feeling the heat in my cheeks and began to walk again.

He easily caught up and flashed a dimpled grin.

"Who is Britney, anyways?" I changed the subject. "Was she your girlfriend?" I felt a pang of pain, but ignored it and waited for an answer.

"She was the only person who cared about me after my parents died. And she was special just like you. A year ago, they took her away and she died in their hands," he growled angrily. "That's why I was sent here. They didn't want me to tell the other Teli in the community. They didn't want the others to know."

"Is that why you were so emotionless when I first met you?" I thought about his nonchalant expression before he started to open up to me. 

"Yeah."

"You must've loved her, huh?" I said softly. I could tell how he felt about her. He really cared about her. Much more than he does about me. He probably only cares about protecting me because I reminded him of her. That was must be why.....

I don't know if he heard, but he didn't answer. 

We walked quietly for a couple of minutes when he spoke up. "That's not why Abbie. I'm not doing this just because you remind me of her. That's not why."

He just- he just read my thoughts! "How did you do that??" 

"I'm a Teli and we can read people's mind, even special Teli like you."

"What!? Are you serious??" 

"Yeah. That reminds me. I need to teach you how to block others from reading you. It's dangerous. It makes you vulnerable, especially to Teli like Bobby and the COT."

"So the reason why I couldn't hear your thoughts was because you were blocking me out?" 

"Yes, that was why." he chuckled. "I couldn't let you know what was going in my mind, could I?"

"So you heard everything I was thinking?" I gasped.

"Pretty much," he smirked. 

No wonder he knew my parents were having a divorce. No wonder he said that he wasn't jealous of his dad a few weeks ago and knew that I was wondering if he liked me. As I slowly remembered the embarrassing things I thought about in my head when he was there, I sped up to get away from him. He laughed as he ran after me.