AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I agree,” Ambrose said. He got to his feet and studied Fenner’s wildly flaring aura. “One more question. Do you believe in paranormal energy and psychic talent, Dr.Fenner?”
Fenner’s entire face twitched; whether it was in annoyance or anxiety was difficult to say. Both, Ambrose decided.
“Of course not,” Fenner said. “You insult my intelligence. If you believe in such nonsense you are delusional. You really should follow my advice and get proper psychiatric care.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ambrose said.
He followed Pallas out the door. They went toward the lobby, but when they reached an intersecting corridor he abruptly turned the corner.
“This way,” he said quietly.
He steered her along a white tiled hall marked with two closed doors.
“The lobby entrance is behind us,” Pallas said in low tones.
“I know,” he said. “These are the rooms where the sleep studies are done. By the way, Fenner was lying when he said he doesn’t believe in paranormal energy and psychic talent.”
“Really? Now, that is interesting.”
“It is, isn’t it?” He stopped in front of a door markedA. “This was my room.”
He tried the knob. It turned easily. A quick glance inside revealed a pristine room that had been prepared for the next patient. With the exception of the camera and the black box with its array of wires and sensors, the space was furnished to look like a room in a budget motel.
“Sense anything that can tell us something useful?” he asked.
Pallas did not respond. He turned and saw that she had gone very still in the doorway. There was an otherworldly look in her eyes, as if she was looking into another dimension.
“Pallas?” he said.
He was starting to wonder if this was one of those situations that, when you looked back, had seemed like a good idea at the time but which you later regretted. The last thing he wanted to do was send her into another panic, the way he had at the asylum.
But she did not look panic-stricken now. She looked focused. Very, very focused. After a moment she walked deliberately aroundthe room, lightly touching surfaces and objects—the chair, the reading lamp, the camera. When she put her fingertips on the bed she gasped and yanked her hand back as if she had touched a hot stove or a live electrical wire.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She blinked and seemed to come out of the strange place where she had been seconds ago. “Yes. I’ve seen enough. I’ll need to draw to make sense of the vision.”
“There’s no time for you to go into an automatic drawing trance here,” he said. “Someone is going to come looking for us soon. I want to show you the other room before they throw us out.”
“Ambrose, if this is another one of your tests, I don’t think you understand how my talent works. I’m not an airport security dog. I don’t sniff out guns and illegal drugs.”
He touched a fingertip to her mouth. She stopped talking, but her eyes narrowed in an ominous way. Okay, she was pissed. He would deal with it later.
He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one had seen them and then he steered her down the hall to room B. The door opened easily enough, revealing a space that was furnished very much like room A. He moved inside and turned to see how Pallas was reacting.
She had once again gone still. He could tell by her eyes that she was back in that other dimension. He knew she had slipped into her other vision, but this time she looked as if she was viewing a nightmare. He had pushed the envelope a little too far.
“Shit,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to drag you into hell. Let’s get out of here.”
He put his hand on her shoulder, intending to turn her around and guide her back out into the hall. She flinched, and stared at himas if he was a stranger. Hastily he raised his hand so that he was no longer touching her. For a moment she seemed bewildered. Then she closed her eyes.
“Do that again,” she whispered.
He hesitated and then cautiously rested his hand on her shoulder. He felt the shiver that went through her, but she did not try to pull away. He was intensely aware of the energy burning in the atmosphere around her. The exhilarating rush of intimacy was heightened by the physical contact—at least that was how it affected him. He couldn’t tell if she got the same jolt. She merely nodded once, evidently satisfied, and started to walk slowly around the room. Unsure of what to do, he maintained the connection and moved with her.
He opened his inner window and tried to analyze what he was seeing in her aura. The fire in some of the wavelengths told him that she was in her other vision, concentrating hard, but that was all it told him. He did not see any signs of incipient panic now. She was in control, working her talent.
She stopped twice, once to touch the bed and again to flatten a palm against the top of the bedside table. She flinched violently both times. He could feel frissons of nervy energy coursing through her, but she did not panic.
