The Empath: 2

THE EMPATH:

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Chapter 1

THE EMPATH

TWO

By ©Diana Jillian

Monday, February 12th, 2007  18:00


Mary turns to walk away.  Not because of what he feels--because she can't feel his feelings--but because of her embarrassment.  How in the world did he know she would be hiding out behind the library building?

He gently grabs her by the shoulder to turn her around.  She doesn't bother to look up.

He says, "'Fear is the path to the dark side.  Fear leads to anger.  Anger leads to hate.  Hate leads to suffering.'"

Out of nowhere, Mary bursts out laughing.  "Quoting Yoda," she finally says.  She looks up at his face for the first time, and notices his smile.  She's never seen him smile before.

He has a straight, white, perfect smile.  Almost too perfect in her mind.  Perhaps he's had braces before.  Whatever it was about his smile, it shows character; a kind character about him.  She felt as if she could trust him somehow, but this is their first time meeting--in person, that is--it'll take a long time before she can feel that bond with him.

Love on the rocks/Ain't no surprise/Pour me a drink, and I'll tell you some lies/Got nothing to lose,/So you sing the blues, all the time...


Realizing she still has her earbuds in her ears, she pulls them out.  She didn't remember adding Neil Diamond to her collection, but anything is possible with her.  It could have been a mix-up and had been added after Phobia by Breaking Benjamin was added.  That has been known to happen before.

Jeremiah watches as Mary pulls those headphones off and looks down.  He knows what's going on, but doesn't want to let her know.  He doesn't want to risk freaking her out any more than she already is.

Breathe in, breathe out, he thinks to himself.  He doesn't want to come off as some kind of monster like King Kong, or even an ancient sea monster like a leviathan.  She can't know yet that he's like her, only he can read minds.  He finds her thoughts intriguing.

She doesn't think like the rest of her peers.  She thinks in manners that seem like she doesn't belong in this decade.  Perhaps the nineteen-twenties, maybe.  While other girls her age are thinking about being popular, Mary is thinking about traveling for a while.

He gives himself a mental shake and proceeds to speak, "Is everything alright?"

Mary looks up at him and smiles.  She feels the library is pretty quiet now.

"Yeah," she answers.  "Let's go inside to work on our project."

 ****

The Empath, Chapter Two,