Endless by Tawdra Kandle Page B

of enthusiasm aside, are you
ready to begin right away? I’ve been looking at your class
schedule, and I see that Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are short
days for you.”
    “Wait—you’ve been what ? How do you
have my class schedule?”
    “I work in the alumni office, remember. I
have access to just about everything I need. I was trying to work
out a schedule that wouldn’t be too arduous for you, since this is
your first semester of college. We don’t want to over-tax you.”
    “Oh, thanks so much. I appreciate that.”
    Cathryn ignored me. “So should we say
Wednesday and Friday this week? I’ll work on that schedule and give
you a copy when I see you. Some days we’ll work on campus, and
others we’ll need to drive up to Harper Creek. And eventually we’ll
be going on calls, but that will wait a few weeks.”
    “Fine. Only this week, I can’t do Friday. I
have an appointment already.”
    “Oh, right, with your witch shrink?”
    My mouth dropped open, and I felt like I’d
been sucker punched yet again. How on earth could Cathryn know
about Aline?
    “Who told you about her?” I hissed into the
phone. “And don’t call her that. She’s not. A witch, I mean.”
    “I told you, we do extensive research before
we ever reach out to a potential asset. And then I picked it up in
Michael’s mind. He thinks about you, and everything to do with you,
so much that it’s really annoying. Oh, and your mother mentioned
the shrink on Saturday when she was talking with Harley and the
Landowers. So don’t blame me.”
    I gritted my teeth. When had my parents
become so loose-lipped? “Whatever. Anyway, I can only work
Wednesday this week. Where do I go?”
    “I’ll pick you up at your dorm. We have
papers for you to sign and some forms to complete. We can do that
at the same café where we ate lunch last week. I’ll give you the
schedule, we’ll go over some rules. Nothing too stressful for
you.”
    I rolled my eyes and stuck out my tongue. I
had reached the dining hall and stood outside, waiting in the spot
where Michael and I always met. He rounded the corner just in time
to see the face I was making at the phone and gave me a quizzical
glance.
    “Cathryn,” I mouthed, pointing at the phone.
Aloud, I answered her. “That’s fine. I’ve got to go now, Cathryn.
Michael is waiting to go to dinner. See you Wednesday.” I hung up
without waiting for her response.
    Michael shook his head. “How are you going to
do this if you can’t even stand to talk on the phone with her?”
    I sighed. “Not sure. I try, I really do, but
she always says something that just makes me want to scream.” I
told him about our conversation and Cathryn’s comments about
Aline.
    “I just want to keep some things to myself,
you know?” I complained as we came through the line, choosing food
for our trays. Michael glanced at the salad I’d put together, but
he kept his comments to himself. I could ignore his rather loud
thoughts about my rabbit food dinner.
    “Yeah, I understand.” We threaded our way
through to our usual small table in the corner. “I’m sorry I gave
anything away about Aline. It’s hard for me to remember that she
can hear me think, too.”
    I shrugged. “You didn’t know yet when she
heard you, so don’t worry. Plus, apparently she found out about my
‘witch shrink’ in her research on me.”
    Michael finished his taco and started in on
the chips and guacamole. “Tas, are you sure about this? I know your
parents are excited, but is all the stress worth it?”
    I shook my head. “I really don’t know. But I
did promise them I would at least give it a try. So that’s the best
I can do. Try.”
    I worked hard to hold onto that thought when
Cathryn picked me up on Wednesday. Her little blue convertible
purred to a stop at the curb in front of Rollins Hall. I climbed in
without saying a word.
    “One of the first things I’m going to teach
you is how to block your thoughts.” Cathryn plunged in