Angel's Demon

15. Awakening

15. Awakening

Felicitia had distinctly heard someone call out Gina’s name. Was one of the others dreaming? It wasn’t witching hour.

Are you thinking about Gina? Felicitia asked.

Sarah’s likeness appeared in Felicitia’s mind. Who?

Any of you?

Two more faces popped into Felicitia’s mind. All three of them replied that it wasn’t them.

There, did you hear that? Felicitia asked.

Nope, came the replies.

Felicitia focused all her concentration on the faint voice she’d heard. Hello? She called out as loudly as she could. The others complained at the volume of the thought-talk. Sorry, she said, there’s someone out there, and I want to reach them. I think maybe it’s one of the others.

Why, after all this time, would one suddenly pop into your head? Doug asked. He’d given up on the others a few years back and had left the searching to the girls.

I don’t think it was a conscious thing. I think it was more to do with the name that was being talked about. Gina.

You think her name might have been a trigger? Sarah asked.

Felicitia shrugged her shoulders. Maybe. You guys might want to mentally block your ears for a while. I’m going to keep trying.

Feli, Sarah said. Where do you live?

In all the years they’d been in contact they’d never told each other where they lived. They thought it would be better, just in case one of them was captured and tortured for information, like what happened in those television shows. Kids with powers were highly prized. If one of them was found by the wrong people, they didn’t want the others to fall into their hands as well. It was stupid, really. At least three other people knew that Sarah, Doug and Andy were thought-talkers … they hadn’t told anyone about Felicitia though. She was their secret.

Altona, Felicitia replied, suspicious of why Sarah suddenly wanted to know.

You’re not that far away, Sarah said. I thought maybe we could try to make contact together. If we hold hands maybe we can amplify our signal. I know it sounds stupid, but —

Felicitia butted in, I’m not giving you my address.

Well duh, Sarah laughed. I can’t drive and the public transport at this time of night is non-existent. I thought you could come here.

Doug and Andy had been listening quietly to the exchange. I’ll come, they said together.

Sarah and Felicitia were in fits of laughter. The guys had never been this eager to follow-up on a lead before.

You must be crazy, Sarah said. Mum and Dad won’t let me have boys in the house at this time of night.

Okay, Doug replied.

So where do you live? Felicitia asked.

I’ll text you, Sarah replied. She picked up her phone just as it vibrated to let her know she’d received a new message. It was from Doug. When are we going to tell them that we’ve met? Sarah typed one word in reply — soon — before typing out a new message to Felicitia with her address — Twenty-six Falconer Terrace Hoppers Crossing.

Doug shook his head when he saw her message. Sarah had been saying soon for almost a year. He was finding it hard to keep that part of his mind behind closed doors. One day that flood gate was going to open and they’d know everything.

On my way now, Felicitia said. I’ll be there in about half an hour.

After years of talking to someone in your head, it was weird to be meeting in the flesh. Sarah’s stomach was in knots and going to the toilet didn’t help. What if she doesn’t like me? She thought to herself. What if I don’t like her? What if she’s a nose-picker? Sarah laughed at the last thought. She’d only met one nose-picker in her life and that boy had grossed her out so much she had inadvertently shamed him in front of the whole class. Kids can be cruel, she reminded herself, after all, she’d been called a freak often enough, but nose-picking is disgusting.

Sarah rushed to the front door when she heard a car pull up out the front. She’d forgotten to tell Felicitia not to ring the doorbell. It was loud enough to be heard throughout the entire house, and her parents might wake with a start, wondering what the emergency was. She quietly opened the door and said Don’t, just as Felicitia was about to press the doorbell.

Sorry, she whispered. I forgot about the doorbell.

Why are you whispering? Felicitia asked. Your parents aren’t thought-talkers.

Sarah shrugged her shoulders, Habit, I guess, from when my silent friends come around.

They headed to the back of the house, to Sarah’s room. There was a single bed with an alcove bedhead that contained a small lamp, a packet of tissues and five books. Two bookcases were on the opposite wall. One was full of books — science fiction, fantasy, old school books, TS magazine, and cook books. The other was loaded with knick-knacks and trinkets. It would be a pain to dust them all, yet Felicitia only saw a speck of dust here and there. She picked up a porcelain unicorn — no ring of dust outlined the place where it had been on display — and turned it on different angles, smiling as she saw the colours of the pearlescent horn change where the light touched it.

Pretty little thing, Felicitia said.

Mum gave it to me the first time I went to hospital. She said it would bring me luck.

Maybe it did, Felicitia replied, carefully placing the fragile mythical animal back on the shelf.

When Felicitia walked over to the bookcase to peruse the books — Good, no fluffy romance books, Felicitia thought to herself — Sarah quickly and quietly moved her beloved unicorn a fraction to the left, turning it so that its horn pointed towards her bed. There, Sarah thought to herself. Back where you belong.

Shall we sit on the floor or the bed? Felicitia asked.

The floor. That way we don’t have far to fall if something goes wrong.

We’re only trying to make contact with someone, Felicitia replied, not levitate.

The two girls sat cross-legged on the floor, directly opposite each other, their knees almost touching. Sarah held out both hands and Felicitia clasped them with hers.

We need to concentrate as one, Felicitia said, and focus on the same message.

What do we want to say?

Felicitia thought for a moment. How about, we’ve met Gina, how about you?

I guess that would work. Sarah thought about what else they should do if it was one of the others. Let’s add our likeness to the message, as we were back then.

Not a bad idea, Felicitia replied. I’ll squeeze your hands three times. On the third one, we yell as loud as we can.

Sarah nodded. Her heart was racing, her palms were becoming slick with sweat and she could feel a lump in her throat, making it hard to swallow. Lucky I don’t have to use my voice, she thought to herself.

Felicitia squeezed Sarah’s hands gently, once, twice, three times.

We’ve met Gina, how about you? they yelled in unison.

Shit, Doug said, that was loud.

Quiet you, Sarah said. We’re listening for a response.

There was definitely something there. Sarah couldn’t hear it on her own. Connected to Felicitia, she could. Sarah wondered if it was because Felicitia was older than them, or because she was stronger.

What does it sound like to you? Sarah asked.

I don’t hear anything, Doug replied.

She wasn’t asking you. It’s too faint to make out. Let’s try again. Three squeezes.

Don’t, Doug said, though it was too late. Their thoughts pierced his skull, the white-hot tendrils of the words stabbing, stabbing, stabbing. He thought the blood vessels in his eyes were going to burst and that his head would explode.

Wah?

Felicitia couldn’t contain her excitement. Oh my God, I think we just made contact. Whoever it is is west of us. Let’s focus in that direction.

On the third squeeze their combined voice sent the same message in the direction of the person who had responded to their question, even if it wasn’t the answer they were expecting. Wah was a start, an acknowledgement that they’d been heard by someone other than Doug or Andy.

Hey, Andy said, you guys are giving me a headache.

Doug snorted. It wasn’t as bad that time. The first time they nearly busted my pooper valve, as my dad would say.

A voice without a face said, I’m dreaming again. All that talk of hospital and Gina.

Who’s that? Andy asked. He’d heard the voice without a face, and thought they were playing tricks on him. It wouldn’t be the first time.

I am dreaming, aren’t I?

We don’t know who it is, Felicitia replied. One more time.

The girls sent their message again. Felicitia changed the tone of hers, one which demanded a response. Sarah’s eyes widened. She hadn’t imagined such power was possible with a simple thought.

Seven voices responded — Doug, Andy and five unknowns. Felicitia was taken aback. She’d only expected one voice to reply.

So many thoughts were coming through at the same time, and all using the same voice. Felicitia thought that perhaps this is what schizophrenics experienced, the voices all nattering at once and not a moment of peaceful thought. Stop, she yelled.

The voices stopped. Felicitia’s head was pounding. She took a deep breath and rubbed her temples, trying to focus. They’d heard her without the aid of Sarah.

Introductions please, Felicitia said. I’ll start. There will be three more after me. My name is Felicitia.

Andy here.

Doug.

Sarah.

So all of you don’t talk at once, we’ll do a roll call. Anyone at your end have a first name starting with A? Felicitia asked.

Me, a voice replied. I’m Aly.

I know you’re all new to this, and it might be scary. You’re probably even wondering why every voice sounds like your own. We gave up on the why of it. Try to send an image of what you look like when you’re thought-talking, so we know who it is that’s talking.

Different types of laughter rang out in their heads — high-pitched, short guffaws, nasal sounding, a belly laugh and someone snort-laughed. The latter made the others laugh as well, until only the sound of a room full of laughter could be heard.

When the noise finally died down, Felicitia asked, What’s so funny?

Aly projected an anime version of herself, and if Picasso had drawn anime, that’s what she would have looked like. Thought-talking … who came up with that? You’re telepaths.

Firstly, that can’t be your likeness. It’s hideous, Felicitia retaliated. And secondly, we know we’re telepaths, but as little kids that’s what we called it and, well … it just stuck. We’ve been doing this a long time.

Felicitia continued through the alphabet, until the other four newcomers had been identified — Gesthimani, Kyle, Matt and Paul.

Who was it that said Wah? Felicitia asked.

Me, Kyle replied. Why?

I heard you mention Gina’s name and say that the time had come.

I never said that, Kyle replied.

Not out loud, but you thought it.

Oh, Kyle said. He was thinking that from now on he’d have to be more careful about what he was thinking about.

I heard that, Felicitia laughed.

Heard what? Sarah asked.

Kyle said he was going to have to be more careful about what he thought from now on, or words to that effect.

Shit, Kyle replied. You heard that?

Yep.

Have you been in touch with any of the others? Sarah blurted. Can you feel the pull?

Yes and yes, Aly replied. We were online earlier discussing what’s happening, and these memories came back to us. Stuff we haven’t thought of since we left hospital.

You guys are taking this well, Andy said. I thought I was going mad when I first heard the voices.

With what’s been happening to us the past few days, nothing is all that surprising, Gesthimani said. Besides, I have a calming effect on people. It’s rare we get worked up anymore, at least not when I’m part of the conversation.

Felicitia clapped her hands excitedly. I told you they might have different abilities to us.

It’s happening, Kyle whispered. Something inside us is awakening … we just levelled up.