Zero

11 : The Fourteen

P A R T 1 1

It is the middle of the afternoon. Four is a pretty large village. The outskirts of the forest lead me to a back alleyway in Four.

From here, I can see a Four - a young man standing outside a shed at the end of the alley.

He looks about twenty and has longish brown hair and black eyes. He's wearing a brown leather jacket, a white shirt and blue jeans.

As I approach him, he smiles and says, "Hello. My name is Monty Jones. We've been expecting you."

He stretches a hand out, but I do not shake it. To his credit, he just drops his arm to his side and continues smiling easily.

Monty then opens the door to the shed, expecting me to enter. But I hesitate and stay where I am. "You can trust us," he reassures me. "I'm from A Hundred Numbers."

At that, I decide to let my guard down a little. I pull the collar of my black leather studded jacket closer around my neck, though, before going inside the shed.

Monty enters behind me and leaves the wooden door half open.

The shed is filled with furniture needed for living conditions. I spot a bed in the corner, a small cabinet, a couple of beanbag seats, a charcoal stove, a tiny fridge, a wooden desk and chair as well as a rug on the floor.

But I notice all these details after I spot the boy sitting on one of the beanbags. He is staring at the ground and looks about seventeen, a year older than me.

He's got pale golden blond surfer hair, slightly tanned skin and is wearing a black tee shirt with bermudas.

It is when he looks up and I see his face that I realise he is extremely cute. Then I notice his eyes. They are a very pale blue, so ice-like that they seem to be glowing.

And the thing is, he barely gives me a glance, which makes this the first time anyone has looked at me for less than a second.

"This is -" Monty begins, then pauses.

"Jarren," the boy finishes for him. He does not extend a hand for me to to shake, nor does he give a smile. "I was the one who told you to come here."

"You should take a seat. I believe you have much to discuss, Miss... " Monty trails off, prompting me to tell them my name.

"Aisling Pandora," I state, then immediately regret it. What if these people are not completely trustable?

I sit down on one of the beanbags while Monty allows himself out. "See you soon," he waves.

When the door closes, Jarren says, "Jones is not from A Hundred Numbers. He told you he was because I asked him to."

Trying to ignore his good looking face, I glare at him. "Why?"

"Because waves of distrust are flooding from you. Sorry if I'm making it worse, but I needed to talk to you because you've been in my visions."

He had visions of me? Oo. "Well... You must have gotten them for a reason..." My voice dips to a mumble as my eyes fall on his collarbone. A Four, as expected, but just in front of it...

A faded line that can go unnoticed if one is not looking for it.

He is a Fourteen. Actually, he is The Fourteen.

Suddenly, he exclaims, "What! No way!"

For a moment I think I spoke out loud which is why he responded, but then I realise I did not say anything.

But I was thinking. And I am pretty sure he read my mind.

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mindjournal #024

1 August 1530hours

Before the girl entered my home I could get vibes from her standing outside - wariness. And distrust. Lots of it.

Ended up getting Jones to lie about being from some organisation her guardian came from. Now, it seems, that guardian is dead. Was a Nine.

Knew the girl does not like being stared at, so I didn't. Tried to keep eyes off her.

It was difficult.

Blew my cover when I read her mind and found out I'm a Fourteen.

Realised I'd made a mistake in revealing the mind magic. Stared at ceiling sheepishly. Came to terms with the fact that there's no escape.

Admitted I can read minds. Might as well tell her.

"You're psychic," she said in wonder. "You can also connect with minds. That's how you called me here."

Nodded in agreement. Muttered with an accusatory tone: "And you're a Ten. You didn't say."

"You couldn't expect me to tell you when I wasn't sure if you were trustable," she sighed. "And I didn't have to tell you since you found out on your own."

I raised both arms in a surrendering gesture. "If you don't like me reading your mind, I'll stop," I promised.

She smiled at this. Kind of has a pretty smile.

Found out she has nowhere to go. Told her she could stay here for as long as she needed. She seemed unsure, but then agreed.

She has just taken something out of her pocket and waved me over.

It looks like a phone. She presses a button on the side and the screen that was blank before is suddenly filled with colour.