The Scribe Read Free Page B

sun.
    “Well, then,” Julian said, and I couldn’t tell by his voice if he was amused or annoyed. His face showed only his typical intense curiosity. “Maybe you can tell us about this ability of yours to read Sasha’s mind without him knowing. I have to say that’s a skill I haven’t seen before.” He smirked again, but it was clouded. Which made me wonder what his ability was telling him that I didn’t know.
    Ava ignored him and turned to the contractor, handing her an unos card she pulled from her jacket pocket. “This is all that I have, and most of it is stolen, so you should change it to cash as soon as possible.”
    The contractor took the card and made a quick salute with it. “Nice doing business with you.” Then she turned and left the door standing wide open in her wake.
    I quietly drew in a breath, trying to clear the panic from my chest, then shuffled to the door and shut out the bleak afternoon sun. I took my time reprogramming the punch code. When I turned back, Ava was watching me. Her eyes were alight, intense like Julian’s but softer, the color of the sky on a summer day when you can see for a miles. Julian alternated between studying her and flicking glances at me, as if watching a ping-pong match or possibly a chess game with the concentration he gave it.
    I decided to play it cool, even though my nerves were still singing alarm bells throughout my body. I crossed my arms and leaned against the now-closed door.
    “So are you reading my mind now?” I asked, boring a look into those too-innocent blue eyes. If you are, I’d like you to get the hell out and mind your own business.
    “Oh!” she said. “No, of course not. I mean, not that you would know. I’m sorry.” This time her apology seemed real, turning her cheeks red and making her slender fingers work against each other in silent agitation. “I don’t do it all the time. Only when I need to. I promise I won’t do it again. Unless you want me to.”
    I don’t want you in my head! The thought came unbidden and ferocious, but she didn’t flinch, so I guessed she was true to her word.
    “How does that work, exactly?” Julian asked. “Don’t you have to push through a mindbarrier to read thoughts?” He had templed his hands, tapping them against his lips.
    She finally turned the spotlight of her attention to him. “Well, I do in a way, I suppose. I brush against people’s mind barriers. I’m very gentle. They hardly ever notice, and usually they can only tell if they already know that I’m doing it.”
    “So you can read their thoughts by simply brushing the surface of their minds?” Julian asked. I recognized the Board of Directors voice he used when diving into things that fascinated him. “You don’t jack inside their heads at all, then?”
    “Oh no,” Ava said. “In fact, I can hardly jack at all. At least not very strongly. I’m mostly a linker, really.”
    Julian’s lips quirked up at that.
    “Well, maybe you didn’t hear,” I said, “but everyone here has an extreme talent.” I glanced at Julian. “I don’t know if being a linker qualifies as extreme.” Although there was no question that her ability to get in my head without my knowledge was making me extremely uneasy.
    Her pale face turned even whiter as she grasped my meaning, and my insides wrenched loose. Why did I say that? Part of me wanted to shove her right out the door again. Part wanted to say something to ease the frightened look on her face.
    “Please don’t turn me away,” she said. “I… I risked a lot coming here, and…”
    “No one’s turning you away.” Julian’s voice gentled, like he was talking her down from bolting. “You’re safe as long as you’re here, and you were right to trust us.” I was glad that he recovered for my idiocy. At the same time, I didn’t like the soft tones he was using with her. My head was ready to explode with the contradictions.
    “Just tell us what you can do,” Julian said.