Linked

Chapter 2

After lunch, Ellie and I finished our classes for the day while chatting about the tough homework assignments or what's going on inside the teacher's heads.

"He can't possibly be giving us this much work. And have you noticed how much fidgeting he's doing? He probably has something going on at home," Ellie whispered to me in class.

"I heard his wife is splitting up with him," A kid who's name I barely knew joined the conversation.

"That's awful," Ellie became very sympathetic but still had a sense of curiosity, "Casey, can you read his mind?" Ellie loved my power for the reason to better understand someone, or calm her curious nature.

"I don't know. We're at the back of the class, but I'll try." I stared right at the struggling math teacher and concentrated. What are you thinking? What's inside your head?

Then, all at once the thoughts came rushing to me like raindrops on a windshield.

Ugh... I hate this class. Why can't the kids just shut up? Just listen for one second and I promise I'll teach you something worthwhile. He made an audible sigh. Who I'm I kidding? Not even my wife will listen to me. I need a vacation. And fast.

"He says he needs a vacation," I relayed to Ellie, "He can't take much more of this class... Or his wife ignoring him."

My best friend absorbed the information like a sponge, "So he is having problems at home. Sounds like he needs that vacation."

"Yeah, maybe. But he's still a terrible teacher." I added with a smirk as the math teacher dropped his lesson plan all over the floor.

"Not again! Can someone help me pick this up?" He glanced up, frazzled.

"You got me there," Ellie agreed, still looking at me. Then she raised her hand, "I'll help."

I smiled to myself in light of her personality, and followed after her to help retrieve the scattered papers.

~~~

That night, I laid in bed, thinking to myself about the nature of my gift and how I might be different if I didn't have it. After a few minutes of my own thoughts, I decide to consult L.

That's another perk that came along with the mind reading: I can communicate with a person called L. He is a mind reader as well, but we've never met in person. Communicating to each other is just as easy as reading minds; except we talk back. We've never talked too much about where we live or who we are, but both of us live in the same state, and are only-children. We've never given each other our full names; just the initials of our first names. I think it's kinda cool that he's one of the only people I'm close too besides Ellie. I guess you could say we're linked together through our minds.

Hey L? Are you awake? I called out into the darkness with my thoughts.

Yeah, I am. What's up, C? His voice radiated throughout my head.

Nothing much. I was just thinking what it would be like if we didn't have these powers. Do you think our lives would be completely different, or are they barely affected by this?

I don't know, C. Maybe they would; maybe they wouldn't. But we all change for the better, you know? And maybe if we couldn't read minds, we'd know the type of people and be the type of people that come without the power. No matter what we have, our lives would work out what's important, and what's not needed to be that alternate version of ourselves. We'd be just fine.

Yeah, but we wouldn't know each other, L. We could walk past each other and not even know who the other one is.

We could do the same thing right now, C. He reminded me that we only talk inside our heads.

I guess you're right. The conversation seemed to be dying down, but I asked one more question before drifting off to sleep. Are we ever gonna meet in person, L?

I don't know, C... But if we did ever bump into each other, I'm sure we'd know.

Yeah, I'd recognize you anywhere. I answered back with a yawn.

Me too, C. His words were the last thing I heard that night before I fell into a deep sleep.