Page 15 of Silver Elite

His deep voice grew almost hypnotic as he ordered me to close my eyes again so he could show me how to find the path.

“Nothing but darkness, Wren. You can’t see anything but a silver rope. Do you see the rope?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good. Picture it stretching out in front of you. And at the very end of it is a silver light. Do you see the light? Good. You’re going to bend down and pick up the rope, wrap your hand around it. That’s your path, keen? From the rope to the light. You’re going to follow the path.”

“Follow it where?” I’d asked in confusion.

“Into my mind,” he answered. “Are you at the light? Good job. What do you feel now?”

A soft whimper came out. “I don’t like it. It feels…heavy. It makes my head hurt.”

“You’re feeling the pressure build up. It’s my shield protecting me from you. Try to picture the shield. It looks like a metal wall, doesn’t it? Thick steel.”

“Uh-huh.”

“That’s—”

“And there’s gold sparkles floating in the air. It’s pretty.”

He didn’t speak for so long that I cranked my eyelids open. Uncle Jim’s brow was furrowed. He looked uneasy. But when our gazes locked, he gave a fast nod and returned to the lesson.

“Next time, I’ll teach you how to search for cracks in someone’s shield. But right now, I’m going to lower mine so we can practice. Close your eyes again. Step into the silver light.”

I did what he said, and he cursed suddenly, startling me. My eyes popped open in time to catch him rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s all right,” he assured me when he noticed my concern. “Let’s keep going. You’re inside my mind now. I feel you there. Eyes closed, Wren. There you go. The most important thing you need to knowabout the Modified—about people like us—is that our minds have two frequencies.”

Keeping my lids squeezed shut, I mumbled, “I don’t know what ferkencies is.”

“Frequencies. Like…” He paused. “Ocean waves. One wave gives off positive energy—that’s for talking. The other gives off negative energy—that’s for listening. The first thing you’ll see when you break through someone’s shield is an open door. Beyond the door, black waves are trying to push you out. Do you see them, little bird?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good—”

“What is down the hallway?” I interjected.

Another long pause.

He cleared his throat. “Ignore it for now. Focus on the black waves. Push your way through them until they clear up and then tell me what you hear.”

I remember concentrating so hard, my closed eyelids began to twitch. Jim hadn’t expected me to succeed on the first try. Children rarely do. So he was visibly shocked when I squeezed past the waves of negative energy trying hard to repel me. My expression bloomed with joy.

“You’re proud of me.” I bit my lip, straining to hear more of his thoughts. “You’re—”

My happiness faded.

“You’re ’fraid of me,” I accused.

“No,” Jim corrected, his voice gruff. “I’m not afraid of you. I’m afraidforyou, little bird.”

I didn’t understand, back then, what he meant by that.

He cleared his throat. “All right. That’s how you read a mind. Now walk back through the door and go toward the hallway you saw. Follow that positive energy wave. That’s your second frequency. It’s where we establish a link so we can use telepathy.”

“What’s tellepappy?”

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