Beautiful [Alien!Gerard]

03.

I never understood why I could always hear what people were thinking. Ever since I could talk I would talk to people when they weren't talking to me. It was strange, and it especially scared my parents. They thought that I was schizophrenic.

Me. A small child who could barely pay attention to what someone was saying for more than three seconds.

Maybe it was because my mind was literally filled with voices. I didn't tell my parents that, though. I was old enough to know that doing so would result in bad consequences. I avoided human contact with anyone. I only came out of my room when it was absolutely necessary.

I became resentful towards my parents. Their thoughts on me were simply 'strange' and sometimes bordering on 'mistake'. They didn't care, they were too busy working. I wore headphones as soon as I had access to music. It helped, as did talking out loud. I tried to avoid talking to myself, though.

Eventually, I decided to tell my parents I could read minds. I received two equally offensive reactions. My mother laughed in my face, my father called me 'insane'. I decided it would be best to keep things to myself from then on.

I used my ability to help me in some not-so-respectful ways. The only reason I passed high school was because I cheated off of the teacher. As soon as I was down with high school I dug into my college fund and went off to live on my own. I know it wasn't wise, but I couldn't stay at home any longer.

I moved into my own apartment, quickly adjusting to being plagued by other people's thoughts. I hated it. I felt like I was intruding on everyone's privacy. Not to mention I'd seen plenty of things not meant for my eyes.

I took to listening to music as often as possible, but sometimes I couldn't and was forced to listen to things I didn't want to hear. I tried to only take the information from people that could be important. Over time I eventually developed the ability to only see what I wanted. I could almost walk through a person's brain. It was weird, and my mind was mostly silent. Every once in a while I would still hear things I didn't choose to, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been.

I eventually began to learn more about what I loved to learn the most. Life that wasn't on Earth. I didn't understand why I was so interested, I just felt almost comforted by the thought of not being alone in the universe.

I dug through government official's brains, recording my information and making it my mission to research whatever I could. I learned as much as I could. I knew there would be a day when someone would visit our planet. Someone. . . otherworldly.

I knew I would have to step forward and help communicate with them. I had to, I could very well be the only person on Earth who could read minds.

It was silly of me. If anyone ever found out I could read minds I would surely be brought in and experimented on. Maybe. Or they'd just ask me questions and I'd be forced to hear all about what an asset or liability I could be to this country.

Not to mention my mind might catch Mr. Secret Agent's spank bank. God knows I don't want to see that. Ugh, nasty stuff.

Then the man with the red hair fell from the sky. I knew everything there was to know about him as soon as I spoke to him in his frustratingly bare language. His language is by far my least favorite. No adjectives or transitional words and phrases.

He was distrusting of me, but I knew I had to try to help him. Better me, someone who understood everything, than those drunk neighbors next door.

He seemed harmless enough, but I knew that I needed to be nice. He was at least two inches taller than me and had enough meat on him to squish my head like a grape.

I'd helped patch him up, trying not to touch him much. His planet never experienced much physical contact between its beings if it wasn't necessary. Kissing? Not a thing. Hugging? Nope. The only touching that was significant was for things that were imperative for helping others.

I tried my best not to seem like I was some kind of freak that liked to waltz through everyone's thoughts, but sometimes that was unavoidable. He didn't seem to care much about the fact that I knew his language and common features that were only used on his planets.

I could tell he probably already disliked it here. He'd never experienced being unclean. Dirt wasn't a thing on his planet, and now his hands were covered in it.

There was a lot he needed to get used to, if he wanted to survive in this foreign planet. And I was more than happy to help him.