I noted the shorter girl's movements, tone, expressions as she replied to everything I'd said, thinking her kind of amusing. She seems like someone I could possibly get along with.
âYup, Pamella. Some call me Norrie, or Pam. I don't care which one, either is fine.â
I smiled, feeling a little bit more relaxed than I had earlier, "Norrie, then."
As she shifted her weight, Norrie asked, âWhat do you think about all this?â And the relaxed feeling faded.
"I think it's strange, like maybe I shouldn't have come. Though, that's probably just my nerves talking." I sighed, taking a hand out of my pocket to brush a strand of hair behind my ear, "But really, I hate not knowing what's going on..." I almost laughed. I've always hated not knowing things, yet I refused to purposefully listen in on someone's thoughts. A clash of interests there, huh?
Just about that time, a door opened on the other end of the room, and for some reason, my attention was drawn to whoever was stepping through it. A man who appeared older than the rest of us, though I couldn't really place an age (maybe in his mid-thirties or something?), stepped through. His expression, posture, and well, everything about him appeared relaxed, unaffected by the prospect of walking into a room filled with a bunch of freaks. It kind of made me uneasy seeing just how perfectly composed he was. Then I noticed that I wasn't the only one who felt it, because the room was suddenly quiet.
He walked to the center of the far wall before stopping and glancing around the room at a leisurely pace. It was like he was making sure he made eye contact with every kid in the room, me included, because before I could look away, our eyes met. I went rigid, feeling a slight tingle at the base of my skull. My breath caught and my eyes widened. I'd heard thoughts, but had never slipped into someone's memories without touching them before, and the tingles were the sign that I was about to be swept up in this guy's memory lane... But nothing happened. As soon as his eyes moved on, away from mine, the tingles stopped, and I was beyond confused.
"Wha... What just happened?" I breathed out, more uncomfortable than when I first walked into this place. I took both hand out of my pockets and crossed my arms and picking at the fabric of my jacket.
When the man had done a full sweep of the room, a small but welcoming smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. When he spoke, his voice was smooth, fluctuating in a way that matched his relaxed appearance. "I'm sure you all have a lot of questions you'd like to ask, but let's try to make this part brief. I'm Dr. James Mason, and every one of you gathered here has obtained a special ability, though yours may be different from others."
That's comforting. I really wasn't sure what to think, but then again, the two I'd been traveling with had been different from me... I glanced at Pamella, wondering what she could do.
"To make things easy on you, I've sort of summed things up, dividing the abilities into five categories: Erasers, Illusionists, Manipulators, Whisperers, and Listeners. Just by the names, you're probably able to tell which group you belong to, am I right? Well, if not..." He started to pace, putting one arm behind his back and motioning with the other as he talked. "Erasers erase memories. Illusionists control the senses. Manipulators sense and manipulate the emotions. Whisperers can put thoughts or ideas into your head. Listeners can hear your thoughts and see memories."
He stopped pacing. "Like you, I have an ability. Unlike you, I know how to control and use it. Learning to control your abilities is one of the reasons your here, and to learn to control them, you'll have to train them." He paused before continuing, scanning the room again, "That means, if you want to control your abilities, you can't be afraid of them."
What was with this guy's short way of talking? It was a little bit annoying to me, but also somehow intimidating. I guess it was because of how nonchalant his voice was that it unnerved me. Did he think we were all idiots? My stomach flipped as he talked. How could we NOT be afraid of them?
He was silent for a moment, as if he were letting whatever he'd said sink in before continuing.