“I’m sorry,” Zack said softly. “Didn’t mean to scare you. Just a routine check to make sure you’re okay.”
The frozen kid did not move or speak.
This was not going well. He would have to come up with a Plan B.
“I’m leaving now,” Zack said, holding up both hands in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. He took a step back.
“Are you going to kill me?” The boy’s voice quivered so badly it was barely audible.
Zack stopped edging toward the door. “No. I’m not here to hurt you. I just wanted to take a quick look around the room. Make sure everything is okay.”
“I don’t believe you,” the boy whispered. “You’re glowing too hot. None of the other orderlies do that.”
Understanding slammed through him. “Well, damn. You’re picking up my aura, aren’t you?”
The boy did not respond. He just continued staring with those big, frightened eyes.
Zack shut down his parasenses. “Is that better? I’m no longer jacked up.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’ve closed down my paranormal senses. I can’t shut them off entirely, but I can dial them back. I’m not putting out nearly as much energy now. Most folks wouldn’t be able to detect an aura when I’m running cold like this. My name is Zack, by the way.”
“Are you a vampire or something?”
“No such thing as vampires. I’ve got some psychic abilities, that’s all. And I think you do, too. You know what they say, takes one to know one. What’s your name?”
“Josh.”
“Nice to meet you, Josh. How come you’re in this place?”
“I’m crazy.”
“Yeah? What did you do? Set fires? Torture small animals?”
“No. Nothing like that. I like animals.” Josh levered himself up on one elbow, shock and outrage overcoming his fear. “I sort of see light waves around people.”
“Yeah, figured that was it.” Zack went closer to the bed. “Who put you in here?”
“My stepmom. She got my dad to go along with it. Told him that if I stay with them, I’ll traumatize her kids and the new baby.”
“Because you see auras?”
“Is that what they are? The light waves?”
“Uh-huh.”
Josh hesitated. “Yours are really strong. I thought you said you shut them down.”
“I did. But level tens give off a lot of energy, even when we’re in neutral. Not everyone can sense that energy, though. Only other people with highly specialized parasenses.”
“You sound as crazy as me.”
“People who don’t have a strong paranormal nature often think that those of us who do are wack jobs. You got access to a computer in this place?”
“Sure. Dr. Ogilvey let me bring one with me when I checked in. My stepmom said I spend too much time on it. But Dr. Ogilvey told my folks that it was important to me and that I should be allowed to do normal things that other kids my age do, like go online.”
“Dr. Ogilvey seems like a pretty decent guy. He just doesn’t believe that it’s possible for folks to have paranormal senses.”
“I know. I told him that he has a good aura, sort of warm and bright. He thought I was either hallucinating or making it up.”
“He wouldn’t be the first person to suppress his own psychic nature. Lot of folks do that rather than deal with the fact that they’ve got extra senses.”
“You sure you’re not another crazy?”
“If I am, at least I’m not living here at St. Damian’s. I’ve got a life. Even got a lady friend who’s also psychic.”
“Huh. Isn’t that sort of weird?”
Zack pulled out his wallet and removed a card. “Seems normal to me. But then, I know some stuff you don’t know.”
“Like what?”
“I know about an organization for people like us. I’ll give you a link and the password you need to access the site online.”
“Cool.”
“I need a pen.”
“There’s one over there on the desk,” Josh said, sounding awed.
Zack looked around. There was just enough light to make out the pen and a pad of paper on the small desk near the window.
“I see it.”
He walked to the desk.
“Man, you give off a lot of energy,” Josh whispered. “All kinds of colors but they don’t have names.”
“That’s because paranormal energy comes from a different part of the spectrum than visible light. It emanates at wavelengths that the human eye can’t see.”
“So, I’m like one of those birds that can see ultraviolet light that people can’t see?”
“Exactly. The average psychic can’t detect that kind of energy, either, at least not as visible light. Only certain individuals—you, for instance—who happen to have a special type of sensitivity can detect other people’s aura patterns. It’s a gift.”
“Some gift. It landed me in a loony bin.”
“Don’t worry. I’m going to talk to some people. We’ll find a way to get you out.”
Josh made a soft, derisive sound. “Think so?”
“I know so,” Zack said.
“You don’t know my stepmom.”
“Trust me. There are people who specialize in this kind of work.”
“What kind of work?”
“Helping people with psychic abilities adjust to their senses and figure out how to act normal so they can live in the real world.”
“Yeah?”
There was so much aching hope in the single word that it was all Zack could do not to take him down the stairs and drive him straight to the nearest Arcane Society office. But there were rules against that kind of thing, not to mention a few laws. Fallon didn’t like it when a J&J agent was accused of kidnapping. Fortunately, there were other options. The Arcane Society had a whole team of experts trained to handle situations like Josh’s.
“No problem,” Zack said. “Just takes a little time because we have to work through the system, for everyone’s sake. Meanwhile, though, I want you to check out this Web address I’m going to give you. You’ll find out that you’re not alone and that you’re not crazy.”
He picked up the pen on the table.
Searing, frantic, desperate psychic energy screamed through him. Faint, ghostly images flashed across his mind.