Accused (Ganzfield) by Kate Kaynak Page A

listening to them.
    So that’s why he was out front yesterday?
    She nodded, serious and concerned. There are a bunch of different agencies keeping tabs on us now—FBI, DOD, and ATF.
    Crap . I could understand why the FBI and Defense Department might be interested in us, but what did “Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms” have to do with us?
    Three things people shouldn’t give to Drew.
    What a mess. I’d been thinking that the worst of this situation was over with the judge’s ruling, but it wasn’t. It never was.
    No, it’s not over. Williamson’s mental voice cut in. He’d obviously been following along from his office on the third floor. Why don’t the four of you come up when you’re done with lunch?
    A minder meeting? I was feeling better, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the full hive-mind effect of a bunch of telepaths in the same room, bouncing ideas from one to another at the speed of thought.
    Trevor took my hand. If it gets too much for you, we’ll leave.
    Okay. I leaned my head against his shoulder and sent him a wave of love.
    “Whoa!” Ann and Zack both startled and looked away.
    Sorry! My face heated as I pulled up a mental shield around us. Minder PDA. We saw enough personal stuff in other people’s heads so we tried to be discrete around each other. What I’d just done was about as subtle as spray-painting “Maddie Loves Trevor” on a highway overpass.
    Crap. I’m out of practice, I thought to Trevor.
    You know you can practice with me as much as you want.
    Aww. This time, the flash of silver-white energy I shared with him stayed between the two of us.
    Hey! Do all the romantic crap on your own time… and hurry up already. I need to get back to the gate. Seth could hear the rest of us from the place near the front drive where he leaned against a tree. If he came much closer, our combined thoughts would be painfully loud to him.
    I took a final moment to savor the tangy-sweet taste of ketchup on the remaining bite of my burger. The few people still eating noticed us as a weirdly silent group that suddenly stood together and headed toward the door. Gah! They move like a school of fish suddenly changing direction.
    I cracked up. You catch that? I thought to Ann.
    The spark thinking the fish thing? Last time it was a flock of birds.
    I wonder what it would be like.
    What?
    Being normal.
    It’s overrated. Ann flashed a quick smile at Zack. And keep in mind, the guy who thinks we’re like weird fish can make things burst into flames at will. It’s all relative.
    I laughed. Ann? I’m glad you stayed . She’d overloaded on other people’s thoughts last year and had left for several months, living unenhanced out in the real world.
    Ann glanced over at Zack. Me, too.
    We pushed open Williamson’s door.
    “Maddie?” My steps faltered as my mom blasted me with a fire hose of worry.
    Hi, Mom. I gave her a hug, knowing how much she needed to get a hand on me, how much she needed to get a feel for my state of mind.
    “Oh, honey!” She started to cry, leaking her relief and joyful astonishment to everyone else. You’re okay! You’re not traumatized anymore! I felt such horrible things in your mind yesterday. I was so worried. I thought you might never fully recover.
    Was that just yesterday? It felt like ancient history in some ways. I’m okay, Mom.
    “How? How are you okay? You’re better than okay. You’re… you’re happy! How is this possible?”
    Trevor. I stepped back out of my mom’s arms to lean with Trevor against one wall. Ann took the last chair and Zack kept a hand in hers as he stood behind her. Trevor shared my abilities when we had physical contact so I suspected that Ann and Zack now had something similar going on.
    “What?” My mom was still shocked by my okay-ness.
    I have a special connection with Trevor. Good as new.
    “But that man—”
    Telepathic torture , I explained, hoping this would be the last time. The broken-glass edge of the pain was gone, but it