Winters Family Psi Chronicles 2: Project Onyx Read Free Page A

eyes struggled to pierce the darkness of his bedroom. He checked his alarm clock and realized it was only a little after three in the morning. He lay back down and struggled to quiet his mind.
    He managed to fall back to sleep and plunged back into a similar nightmare with the unknown assailant pursuing him. He awakened and dropped off to sleep again. His alarm clock didn’t go off but he only slept in until shortly after seven. After the incident with his shield collapsing yesterday, his father had scheduled an emergency appointment with Dr. Bettinger who happened to be the only shielding specialist in Snohomish County. Brian wouldn’t be attending classes today which wouldn’t have bothered him if he wasn’t already struggling with some of his grades and he didn’t want to lose his driving privileges. Brian considered laying in bed and trying to drop off but realized that was hopeless because he was wide awake.
    Even though Brian usually dreaded the doctor’s visit, he was so exhausted from the restless nights and his runaway empathic ability that he didn’t mind too much. No one was waiting in the small lobby when he and Paul arrived at Dr. Bettinger’s office. For furnishings, the room offered only four, blue cushioned chairs and a tasteful painting on the far wall along with the receptionist’s desk where a blond woman was seated who looked fresh out of high school. After only a short wait, Dr. Bettinger opened the door to his office and smiled welcomingly. He was a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair, brown eyes, and a calm demeanor. They gathered in his office and he closed the door behind them. Paul sat on the chair facing the desk while Brian sank into the comfortable, beige easy chair off to the side which faced an identical easy chair. The subtle aroma of lavender mixed with peppermint had a calming effect on Brian’s nerves. Dr. Bettinger tapped a few keys on his desktop computer to activate the voice recognition program that he used to record all his sessions before settling in the easy chair facing Brian.
    “Thank you for seeing us on such short notice,” Paul said.
    “It was no problem. I had an opening and fit you in.” Dr. Bettinger turned to focus on Brian. “Tell me about the dreams you’ve been having.”
    Brian explained them with as much detail as he could recall. Dr. Bettinger allowed him to recite them without interruption and only asked a few clarification questions before proceeding with the assessment of his mental barricade. Brian sensed the psychologist’s powerful presence gently probing the surface of his shield. After several moments, Bettinger requested that Brian allow him to enter his mind to avoid further weakening of the protection. Brian stiffened at the sense of invasion of another’s presence in his thoughts. Almost immediately, the strength of his shield increased and the pain brought on by the input of everyone’s emotional states evaporated. The tension slowly eased from his body as the protection swiftly increased. After about half an hour, the doctor withdrew and Brian’s shield was stronger than it had been in almost a year. Bettinger always performed first class work and he charged a generous fee. Luckily, their insurance covered most of it.
    “I feel so much better,” Brian said.
    “I suggest you work on your shielding for at least an hour in the morning and at least an hour in the late afternoon or early evening,” the doctor said.
    Bettinger strode across the room and positioned himself at his desk so he could type into his computer and swiftly typed some notes into it.
    “I sensed the kind of damage to your shield that usually indicates a psychic attack,” Bettinger said.
    “There’s this kid who attacked me during class,” Brian said and filled the doctor in on the specifics of Zack’s attack and how his protection had collapsed completely.
    “That could explain it. I don’t have enough information yet to determine whether this is a