Winters Family Psi Chronicles 2: Project Onyx Read Online Free PDF Page B

who observed him from behind the mirror but couldn’t get a fix on them due to the psionic shield imprisoning his mind. As long as that barrier remained in place, his empathic senses would remain muffled and it would be possible to only sense those individuals who stood very close to him. The more he thought about his current predicament, the more sickened and frantic he became. His DNA had been fundamentally altered and there was probably no way to reverse the process. He knew that Samantha intended on killing both him and Russell once she completely evaluated their condition. Escape was extremely unlikely.

 
     
    Chapter 4
    When Russell emerged from the bathroom, he grabbed another sandwich and took up a position on the opposite end of the couch from Brian. Even though there wasn’t a clock anywhere in the room, he knew that their allotted time was almost up and Samantha would be returning. She hadn’t said much but he was analyzing her dialogue to try to glean any useful information that may help in eventually escaping from this place. Brian suspected Russell was a level ten talent but he didn’t recognize him from school so he must have been abducted from another area.
    “I’m a level ten empath, do you have a secondary ability?” Brian asked.
    Russell regarded him guardedly as he silently debated whether or not he should respond. Brian was tempted to use his ability to encourage him to talk but he might notice as he was suspicious and may detect the subtle energy exchange.
    “I’m a level ten psychometrist,” Russell finally said and then added with a note of suspicion, “I haven’t seen you in any psychic control and development classes.”
    “We only have one in my school. I live in Lynnwood.”
    “Oh.” Russell’s guard relaxed noticeably. “I’m from Everett. We have two of those classes at our high school.”
    “I don’t know about you but it’s my least favorite class,” Brian said.
    “Me, too. There really aren’t too many ways to develop psychometry. Too bad I’m not a level ten telepath.”
    “Maybe you’ll become one,” Samantha said unexpectedly from several feet away.
    She had slipped into the room engaged in Quiet or she’d made herself invisible. Either way, it was very disturbing as she’d approached them unnoticed. Brian had been too focused on Russell to pick up on her slight emotional radiation.
    “When will we know?” Russell asked, pretending that she hadn’t startled him.
    Samantha’s lips twitched fractionally with amusement as she regarded him.
    “Very soon, I hope,” she said. “I need you both to close your eyes and relax. We’re going to attempt to see if you can sense any new abilities.”
    Brian obediently closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch but Russell didn’t immediately follow suit.
    “Close your eyes,” Samantha said coolly.
    Russell reluctantly acquiesced and she guided them through a relaxation exercise involving calm and scenic imagery. She described a tranquil, grassy meadow with lavender bushes and lush fruit trees. It was difficult to completely immerse himself in the exercise as Brian’s throat was still dry and scratchy but he did his best. Next, she had them visualize themselves floating high in the sky among soft, wispy clouds.
    “Now, I’m going to count backwards from ten to one. As I count down, you will become more and more relaxed until you are no longer aware of the feeling of your own body,” Samantha said smoothly.
    Even though Brian had intended to only pretend to go along with the session, he had reached an altered state of mind and realized she’d used her telepathic ability to help push him into that receptive state. He didn’t fight it even as he became aware because he needed to fool her into thinking he was cooperating fully. Only then would she ever drop her guard at some point and hopefully provide an opportunity to escape. She finished counting down and allowed a short silence to ensue.
    “Now, I