Oblivion Read Free Page A

anywhere.”
    Jumping to the
important things, Mark asked, “Is there anything else you can tell us? Any part
of his emotional state that can give us any clue as to where he might be, or
what’s happening?”
    Concentrating
harder, I answered, “It seems like he’s far away, but I don’t know how far.
I’ve never tested my range, but when he was at the Farm with Mason, and I was
in the hospital in Carndal , his emotions were easier
to feel than now.”
    “Okay, so it has
to be further away than that. Is there anything else?” Alice asked.
    There was, but I
couldn’t explain it. Jason… well, he didn’t feel like himself. The constant
fear and tenseness about his power was missing. Sure he was scared, but it
wasn’t the same kind of fear.
    “Something is… off,”
I finally said. “He’s scared, and confused, but he doesn’t feel normal to me.
And there’s something else… I think, well, I think someone is with him. There’s
a familiar personality nearby. I think it’s Nickels,
but I’m not completely sure. I never even attempted to feel his emotions before
the last few days, but he definitely feels familiar,” I said again.
    “I knew it!” Mark
growled. “I knew there was something off with Nickels! First he was able to
push you from his mind, and now he is with Jason wherever he is.”
    “But Jason doesn’t
seem afraid of him,” I said. “He almost seems relieved. There was a third
person in the same vicinity, and when that person left, it seemed like Jason
felt safer with Nickels—if it is Nickels.”
    “Okay, so what is
Nickels thinking?” Alice asked, tapping a pen on the table near one of the
files.
    Shrugging, I said,
“I have no idea. I can’t tell thoughts, only emotions. He seems worried, but
not afraid. Beyond that… hold on,” I pushed my ability, trying to force myself
to look beyond the surface emotions to those hidden behind the mental shields
Jason’s companion had erected.
    “I told you to
stay away!” The voice was back. It was the same person I contacted when I
tried to reach Nickels earlier.
    “Sam?” Hannah
sounded concerned, and, when I looked at Alice and Mark, they appeared to share
that concern. I must have given something away when the man spoke to me.
    “I’m fine. Give me
a moment.”
    “Who are you?” I
pushed the question into his mind. “You aren’t Detective Nickels, so who are
you?”
    The man seemed to
chuckle. “I am Nickels. And yet, I am not. I have had many forms and many
names, but in none of them have I done something as grievous as what you have
done. To destroy one man’s mind, and wipe another clean… that is a truly
dangerous ability, young one.”
    “What do you
mean? Whose mind is wiped clean? I—”
    “You can
pretend, Oblivion, but you are more dangerous to your brother than I ever have
been.”
    The tone was familiar, but it was
impossible. What I suspected couldn’t be. It couldn’t be the truth. He was
dead. And yet, the truth was impossible to ignore.
    “Kindred,” I
realized finally who this man truly was. “I would never harm my brother.” Recognizing what he called me, I asked, “Why did you call me ‘Oblivion’? And
what do I need to do to get Jason back?”
    I could feel my
breaths speeding up as I grew more agitated, suspecting, but not yet knowing,
what Kindred was about to tell me.
    “First, do not
call me Kindred. I am Jeremiah. Second, you wiped your brother’s mind clean.
Perhaps you did it by mistake, but he remembers nothing. For now, I am the only
person he is able to trust. Third, Oblivion, you made him forget. You have a
dark power, little boy, one that you must learn to control before I allow you
near your brother again. Until you learn that control, there is nothing more
you can do for us.”
    “Wait!” My
mental voice nearly screamed at the thought I may have harmed my brother so severely. “Is Jason okay? Aside from the memory loss, is he safe?”
    I already
suspected the answer was no, but