Psychic Chapter Seven: Drake In the point of view of William That night, I turned over onto my back in my bed. I needed time to think. The tables had turned. Things would be different now. I smiled. Nana would teach April how to use her psychic powers. Slowly, of course, so that April would still be able to attend school. I was so excited. Things were working out. I wouldn't need to lie to April after all. She could be one of us. That thought made me happy. I felt like I never would have to worry ever again. Just then, I heard a car door slam. I lifted myself off my bed to look out the window. I saw someone walking towards our house from a car in the driveway I didn't recognise. I squinted through the dark to see who it was. Suddenly, I jumped back with a loud gasp. I scrambled for my bedroom door. "Mom!" I shouted. "Don't answer the door!" I heard the doorbell ring. I yanked my door open and ran down the hallway. I heard footsteps walking towards the front door. 'Don't open the door! Don't open the door! Don't open the door!' My mind pleaded. I fumbled down the stairs. I turned left to the main hallway and screeched to a stop. My mother had opened the front door. She turned and smiled at me. "Look who it is, William!" My mother said warmly. "It's Grayson!" I stood there, my mouth open and breathless. My mom smiled. "Look at him. He was so excited to see you that he ran, and now he can't even speak!" She said to Grayson. Grayson smiled and walked into the hallway. He was a big kid. He was a little taller than me and had the build of a refrigerator. He had spiky blonde hair and dark brown eyes. If you looked up the word "Jock" in the dictionary, there would be a picture of him. He walked toward me and pulled me into a suffocating, bone-crushing hug. "Hello, Cousin!" Grayson said. "You've gotten taller since last time I saw you! Have you been working out?" He finally released me so that I could answer. "Yeah." I mumbled. "Ever since the last time you visited." A gleam lit up in Grayson's eyes that I knew all too well. "Does that mean you want to have another go?" He asked. He cracked his knuckles threateningly. I stood up to my full hight. I was still shorter than him, though. "I think we're a little too old for that now, don't you think?" I answered. Grayson chuckled and patted me on the back. "Yeah, you're right." He walked into the front room and continued to talk. "That's what I've always, said, Willy! You got the brains out of the two of us, and I've got the brawn." I frowned. I could never tell with him if he was insulting me or not. Just then, I heard footsteps in the hallway above. Then Lindsey appeared. "Is that Grayson?" she asked excitedly. Grayson grinned and held out his arms. Lindsey flew to him and gave him a hug. I noticed that he didn't try to squeeze the life out of her. I plopped down into a sofa and watched as the other members of my family fluttered around Grayson like a flock of butterflies. Everyone seemed so excited. Even CJ was happy to see him. It wasn't that I hated my only Cousin. It was the fact that bad things seemed to happen whenever he appeared. Every time he and his mother, my dad's sister, would visit, Grayson would always do something mischievous and I would get blamed for it. Whether it was throwing a baseball through the kitchen window, tracking pond mud through the living room, or feeding pizza to CJ, nobody ever seemed to believe that such an innocent-looking boy like Grayson would ever do such a thing. As we got older, Grayson got stronger. He would always have to prove he was stronger than me by wrestling me and pinning me to the ground over and over again. Not once had I ever beat him. The last time I'd seen him, I promised myself I would work hard to become stronger. Trouble seemed to follow him wherever he went. And it was no different now. I could sense that something wasn't right. We hadn't seen him or Aunt Carmen for five years, and then he suddenly shows up on our front doorstep. I didn't know why, but I sensed an odd feeling of foreboding. Like trouble was on it's way. "You're staying here?" I asked. Grayson shrugged with a smile. "Well, my mom wanted me to move to Anoheim, California with her boyfriend, but I wasn't too excited about moving there. So I called Aunt Lynda and she said I could stay here and go to school with you!" He roughly patted my shoulder. "Isn't that great? It'll be like old times, cousin!" ` "That's what I'm afraid of." I muttered unter my breath. Out loud, I said, "What about school? We're almost through the first trimester here." Grayson smiled. "Well, I already finished my first trimester this year, so I'll register for school, audit some classes until next trimester, and pick up where I left off!" he said. Dangit. This was going to work out perfectly. Later that night, Mom said Grayson was going to share my room with me. We pulled a mattress out of the storage room and carried it up to my room. I layed awake in my bed that night. I couldn't shake this uneasy feeling that something bad was on its way. I sighed. "You're still awake too?" Grayson asked in a low voice. "Yeah." I replied. "I can't sleep." "Neither can I." There was a long silence. "Why can't you sleep, Gray?" I asked. Grayson sighed. "It's a lot of things, actually." He said. "Like what?" "Well, my mom, for one. I worry about her. I hope that her boyfriend will take care of her. My dad didn't." he said. There was a pause. "Then there's school." he continued. "I hope the people here are friendly." "They are. Trust me." I answered. Grayson chuckled. "Then there's that matter about the psychic killers..." "The what??" I sat up in bed. "The psychic killers. They're a group of people who are set on 'purifying the human race' or whatever. They go around killing psychics." I was stunned. Was he joking? I woudn't put it past him. "I woudn't worry too much about it." Grayson finally said. "They work on the east coast. That's where most of the psychics live." "How can you speak so calmly about this?!" I spluttered. "Shush, Will. You'll wake the others." I took a deep breath. "You're sure we're safe here?" I asked. "Oh, yeah. The Society is working on snuffing them out. They know what they're doing." Grayson answered. I had heard about The Society before. They were the psychic headquarters. They were like our mini government. As long as we followed the rules they had set up, they would give us protection. The rules included keeping ourselves secret from normal humans, and things like that. We couldn't use our psychic powers to meddle in the normal human affairs, either. Like the lottery and similar things. Apparently, they had the power the 'snuff others out' as well. I felt a little safer. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't worry your family with this, Will. Don't make them worry for no reason." Grayson said. "Okay." I muttered. I layed back down. After a while, I finally fell asleep. The next morning, CJ was licking my face. I woke with a start. "Ugh! CJ! Down, boy!" I mumbled, wiping off my face with my blanket. Grayson groaned. CJ piped. I rubbed his head. "Thanks, little buddy." I said. I reached down and poked Grayson. "Wake up, man. Time to get ready for school." I mumbled. Grasyon groaned again. I got up, showered, got ready for the day, and went downstairs. Mom handed me a banana, a yogurt, and some pop tarts. "Have a wonderful day at school, Honey!" She said, kissing me on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom. Love you." I said. Mom cocked her head. "Where's Grayson? Isn't he-" "Right here!" Grayson called, tromping down the stairs. "C'mon, Willy! I'll ride with you." he said, patting me on the back as he passed. We both climbed into my pickup and drove to school. Jackson and Steve were sitting in the cafeteria when we arrived. They grinned up at me. "Hey, Will! Who's the new guy?" Jackson asked. "Hi, guys. This is my cousin, Grayson. He's transfering here to school. Grayson, this is Jackson, and that's Steve." I said. "Hello there." Grayson said. As the rest of our group of friends came, I introduced Grayson to them. When April came, she sat down next to me and smiled. "April," I said. "This is my cousin, Grayson. He'll be coming to school with us from now on. Grayson, this is my girlfriend, April." "Hello, Grayson! Nice to meet you!" April said, smiling. Grayson stared at her for a moment. Then he smiled. "Finally got yourself a girfried, eh, Willy?" he said. he added telepathically. April smiled. She must've heard his message too. Grayson was instantly popular at school. He had looks, skill, and everything else that high school students admired. April and I were officially a "thing" now. That's what Jackson called it anyways. I didn't mind. In fact, I rather liked it. April was exstatic with her newfound power. She would sometimes try to send me telepathic messages, but most of the time, they only came out as feelings. That was alright by me, though. The feelings she sent me were always happy and loving. "Will!" She whispered to me at lunch one day. "Can you hear everyone else's thoughts?" I smiled. I replied telepathically. April consentrated really hard. <... Teach... me?> She managed to think to me. I nodded. I thought. My eyes flicked to Grayson, who was standing a ways away, talking to a group of girls. I smiled. I said, nodding my head towards them. April smiled mishevously. She stared at them for a while. Suddenly, she smiled. "Grayson is quite the ladies' man!" She said out loud. I laughed. I asked telepathically. April shrugged. "Sort of." She whispered. "It was kinda fuzzy, but I could get the gist of what they were thinking." I smiled. I encouraged. April smiled. "This is so wierd." She whispered. "Never in my life did I think I would be able to do this. It's like stepping into another world!" I put my arm around her. I thought to her. She smiled. Then she reached up and kissed me on the cheek. The days passed quickly. Rexburg started getting colder and colder, although it hadn't snowed yet. One day, I came home from school to find CJ sitting on the front porch outside. He was as still as a statue. I climbed out of my car and walked over to him. "Hey, buddy! What's up?" I asked. CJ looked at me anxiously. He replied. I frowned. "Why is she sad?" I asked. CJ cocked his head. he asked. I sighed. Oh. "Not a what, CJ. Who. Chad is that guy Lindsey is dating. He must've done something to upset her." I stepped for the front door. I didn't even have to open it to hear Lindsey crying. I could also hear Mom trying to comfort her. I warily stepped inside. "I can't believe... believe he would do that to me!" Lindsey gasped in between sobs. Mom and Lindsey were sitting at the kitchen table. There was a box of tissues accompanying them. I asked Mom telepathically. Mom answered simply. I nodded and slipped quietly up to my room. Grayson was already there. "Here to avoid the girl troubles?" he asked. I nodded. We sat in silence. I began on my homework, and Grayson fell asleep. A couple hours passed. Suddenly, both of us bolted upright when we heard CJ barking savagely outside. CJ almost never barked. I stood up and looked out the window. Outside, CJ was circling a man wearing dark clothes. I leapt for my bedroom door as the doorbell rang. Grayson and I tromped down the stairs as Mom answered the door. A tall man with pale skin and spiky jet black hair and dark leather jacket stood in the doorway. The most shocking thing about his appearance was his crystallic eyes. They were piercing and almost white. He didn't look threatening, but he didn't look like the friendliest person you ever met, either. CJ was standing directly behind him, watching closely. The man bowed when he saw my mother. "Good evening, Mrs. Duncan." he said in a voice so low and calm that I found myself instantly trusting of him. I didn't know why. His smooth voice seemed to viberate the very depths of my soul. I looked at Lindsey's and Grayson's faces. Their expressions matched the way I felt. The man continued. "My name is Drake Watkins. I am the Head of Protection for those with parapsychological powers. I am from The Society." Mother slowly nodded. "Would you like to come in?" she asked. All of us except Lindsey were seated at the table. Dad had come home from work and CJ had calmed down. Although he curled up in the corner of the living room and refused to move. Lindsey came back from the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate and set it in front of Drake before taking a seat next to him. "You're too kind." Drake said gratefully in his deep voice. Lindsey smiled gratiously. She seemed to have forgotten about breaking up with Chad completely. Dad leaned forward in his chair. "So, you say you're from The Society? What brings you here, to Rexburg, Idaho then?" he asked. Drake sipped his hot chocolate before answering. "A couple months ago, The Society discovered a small band of normal humans that... had a grudge, shall we say, against those with psychic powers. They're headquarters was located on the East side of the United States, in Kingstree, South Carolina. They are led by a man who calls himself Marlow. Whether this is his real name is to be determined. Their group is called the Psychic Killers." he said. Mother drew in her breath sharply. Everyone else was completely silent. Drake gravely continued. "As suggested by the name, they take any opportunity they can to 'snuff out the psychics' as they put it. They think that they are purifying the human race." I sat up in my chair. "But they're on the East side, right? We're safe over here!" I said, remembering my discussion with Grayson on the subject. Drake nodded. "Yes. They are on the East side. For now. How long that will last is uncertain." he replied. Grayson looked confused. "How can they tell if someone is a psychic or not?" he asked. Drake shifted in his chair uncomfortably. "Apparently, Marlow has developed a device that can pick up on psychic activity near it. It's range is rather small, however. How he managed to make it is a mystery to The Society still. Even I am uncertain on the specifics of how it even works." This seemed to upset Drake. He seemed like the kind of person that didn't like not knowing. "So this is a warning?" Dad asked. Drake nodded. "The Psychic Killers are growing in numbers." He said gravely. If the situation spreads, my team will be in charge of protecting the psychics in this area. There is your family, and a couple on the other side of town." "The Palmers?" I asked hopefully. Drake nodded. I gave a small sigh of relief. Grayson sat up. "My mother is also a psychic. She used to live not far from here, but she recently moved to Anoheim, California." He said in a worried tone. "Noted. Don't worry. We'll do our best to keep everyone safe." He said calmly. His deep voice sounded so sure. I immediately felt more relaxed. Drake took the last sip from his hot chocolate and stood up. Lindsey looked disappointed. "You're leaving so soon?" she asked. Drake smiled at her gently. "I'm afraid I must." He said quietly. "My return here will mean bad news for you." "Not to me." Lindsey said with a sigh. Drake's smile widened as he turned to leave. Mother closed the front door after him, smiling slyly at Lindsey. Dad, Grayson, and I sat gravely at the kitchen table. Dad finally spoke. "Psychic Killers, huh?" he muttered. There was a long silence. "Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I used to work for The Society. They know how to handle things." Grayson looked confused. "You used to work there?" he asked. Dad nodded. "That's where I met my wife. I used to work for Mitch Donnovan. He was the head of the Relocation Department. If a psychic was discovered by a normal human, they had the option of... disappearing for a while. Relocating, if they needed it. That was Mitch Donnovan's job. Helping psychics relocate. I was his assistant for a while. Then he hired Lynda as a secretary, and I liked her a lot." Dad smiled at Mom. She winked and went into the kitchen to start dinner. "I never knew how you and Mom met before." Lindsey said thoughtfully. I nodded. CJ finally emerged from the living room glumly. he mumbled. Lindsey sighed dreamily and stood up. "I'll be in my room if you need me." She said softly. After she left, Grayson and I exchanged glances. "That's just wrong!" April protested. We were at school and I had just told her what had happened the night before. "Killing people because they're different? That's horrible! I feel so bad for the psychics that live in the East!" I put my hands on her shoulders. "April, darling, it'll be okay." I said in a low voice. "The Society is doing the best that they can. Drake said that We'll be safe over here. I'm sure other psychics are moving this way as well." April seemed to relax a little. "I wish there was something we could do." She said quietly. I nodded. "I know. Me too. Hey, are you done with your fries? I told the others I was taking you out to lunch. I wouldn't want you to go back hungry." I said with a smile. April smiled a little too. "I'm almost done, Will." she said, taking a bite out of another fry. I hoped changing the subject made her feel better. I was going to need to keep a close eye on her and her grandmother from now on. I wasn't going to let anything happen to them. When I pulled into the driveway, I noticed that Lindsey's yellow bug was already There. Strange. Didn't she have cheerleading class after school? I parked my car next to hers and opened my car door. It was then that I saw the sleek, black-and-silver motorcycle parked on the other side of Lindsey's car. I stared at it blankly for a while. Whose was it? It couldn't have been Grayson's. And Mom and Dad would never allow Lindsey or I to get one. Then I heard laughter coming from the house. I turned around quickly and saw Lindsey and Drake sitting on the steps of the front porch. Lindsey was smiling happily and Drake had a small smile curving his thin lips upward. I was confused. Did Lindsey and Drake like each other? Not that I minded, really. I was glad that Lindsey wasn't sad about breaking up with Chad anymore. It just seemed... odd. Lindsey was the complete opposite of Drake. She was wearing pink and blue all over her, and Drake seemed to only own black clothes. She was always talking, and Drake seemed to speak only when he had to. 'You know what they say,' I thought to myself. 'Opposites attract.' Lindsey giggled again. "You like Drake's motorcycle?" She asked. I smiled and nodded as I walked towards them. "Yeah. It looks pretty sweet." I replied. Drake smiled a little and nodded his thanks. "So... I thought Drake's coming back here means that we're in a little trouble?" I asked as casually as I could. Drake sat forward on the steps. "It turns out that circumstances have changed. I've come here to... ask your family a little favor." he answered. I cocked my head in confusion. "What kind of favor?" I asked. Drake fell silent. "He's waiting for our parents to come home." Lindsey spoke for him. "He won't even tell me!" She said, nudging him gently with her shoulder. Drake only smiled. I immediately felt uncomfortable. One, I wanted to know what Drake had in mind for us, and two, Lindsey and Drake were flirting. I awkwardly stepped past them into the house. CJ was at the door, looking out the window at them. "What are you doing, CJ?" I asked. CJ didn't look away from them as he thought to me. he said resolutely. I knealt down and scrubbed his furry little head. "It wasn't your fault that Lindsey and Chad broke up. It's just a part of life." I said gently. CJ sighed. he said. I smiled. "You're a good dog, CJ." I said, patting him on the back. CJ's tail thumped on the floor a couple times before he became totally focused on Lindsey and Drake again. I let him stay there. CJ really was the best dog in the world. He wanted the best for us. I knew that he would do whatever his little dog body could possibly do to keep us all happy. I needed to have that same resolve.