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“Show them in, Luis, thank you.”
I stand and come around my desk to greet the Venorians. “Pravol, Shuban, good morning.” As I step towards Pravol, I remember what Wyatt said last night. In my mind, I focus on the thought,your armpit smells. I touch my forehead to his. Stepping back, I see him lift his elbow and discreetly try to smell his armpit. Midway through the action, he stops and skewers me with his aqua-colored eyes. “So,” he says mildly, “you know.”
“Know what?” asks Shuban, looking puzzled.
Pravol inclines his head towards me. “Please Shuban, greet Melinda as is our custom.”
Shuban gravely steps towards me, placing a hand on my cheek and his forehead to mine. This time, I telegraph another thought.I know you can read my mind. He steps away, his brow clearing. “Indeed, I can!” he responds to my unspoken thought.
“I’m curious. How does this mind reading thing work?”
“Venorians have neural receptors all over their bodies that can tap into another person’s nervous system,” explains Shuban. “Through this, we can connect to that person’s brain and read thought patterns.”
“Can you only do this by touching foreheads?”
“We get the strongest signal that way and it is considered the most polite form of doing so. However, it is possible to get a connection through any physical touch. Give me your hand, Melinda, and think of something. I will demonstrate.”
I place my hand in Shuban’s much larger one and think of what Wyatt said last night. Shuban’s face sets in concentration. Then he lets my hand go with a snort. “Wyatt said you should think their armpit smells next time you greet a Venorian.”
“Who is Wyatt?” wonders Pravol.
Shuban takes hold of my hand once more. I let him read me. When he lets go, he tells his fellow Venorian, “Wyatt is Melinda’s mate on Earth.”
I thought I was telegraphing that Wyatt was my ex-husband. Instead, Shuban seems to have picked up on the fact we are very much unfinished business.
“Ah,” says Pravol. “So it was his idea to test me like you did. I would very much like to meet this Wyatt.”
I smile, “I’m sure that can be arranged.”
“If I may ask,” continues Pravol, “how did you become aware of our ability to read minds?”
I gesture towards the couch at the end of my office. “Please, let us sit.” We take a moment to settle ourselves down on it, then I answer Pravol’s question. “It was Martha Reynolds, one of our shortlisted candidates for the exchange program, who first alerted me to the possibility. I decided to put it to the test last night.”
Pravol nods thoughtfully. “The bugs in my hair.”
“Precisely.”
“Speaking of Martha,” Shuban interjects, “she is the reason we have come to see you today.”
I raise my brows. “Indeed? How so?”
“It has come to our attention that Martha, uniquely among all other races we have encountered in our space travels, is able to read minds just like us.”
“Read minds? How come?”
Shuban shrugs. “As to that, I do not know. However, she was able to correctly read a very personal thought I had about her as we exchanged our greeting. We spoke of it, and she admitted that she had been able to tap into each of our thoughts last night as she greeted us.”
I’m floored. Could this mind reading thing also be a latent capability in humans?
“I had no idea this was something we humans could do too. If so, this opens up many intriguing possibilities.”
Pravol now assumes the reins of the conversation. “This is what we have come to discuss. We would like to invite Martha on to the exchange program, if she is still willing to come and live on Ven for six moon rotations.”
“But who would she trade places with? There are only five of you here.”
“There is one person that we do not believe is suitable for this program—Eliza Carmichael. We would like Martha to replace her.”
Ah, Eliza Carmichael, the ditzy blonde with a viper tongue who I had the dubious pleasure of meeting two days ago. The other members of the selection committee were adamant about choosing her over Martha, despite my protests. What a gloriously karmic victory it would be if my preferred candidate were to go instead. Cautiously, I say, “I would have to consult with the other members of our selection committee, as this decision is not mine alone to take.”
