Status: NaNoWriMo Novel
The Outlier
Chapter Seven
It had been two weeks since Anita had moved into the AFMA facilities, and Vincent had been trying everyday to open up her mind and her abilities.
“Okay, Anita, show me what you got today. What am I thinking?”
“...become…the...worlds…”
Anita shrugged. “Something become the something worlds.”
“You’re getting there! Keep going!”
Anita scowled at the man in front of her.
“...am...Louise...pretty today…”
“You think Louise looks pretty today!” Anita shouted excitedly.
“What? I mean, no!” he exclaimed, being taken aback by Anita’s response. “I mean, yes, she looks nice today but...how did you know that?”
“I could hear it!” she said, trying to hold back giggles of excitement. “You were thinking that Louise was pretty today!”
“But that wasn’t the only thing I was thinking.”
The teen shrugged before giving a non-committal hand gesture. “Who cares, I got it! I could actually make sense of something! I’m not crazy!”
Just then, the double doors to the room burst open and a large man with thinning black hair sauntered in.
“Walsh! Why are you working with this patient?”
Vincent looked at his watch. “It’s her time, sir.”
“But we have other patients that also need your attention.”
A young woman stepped out from behind the large man. Her skin was tan and her hair was a sleek and straight black.
“Rasha,” Vincent said slowly. “I didn’t think you wanted to work more this week before your procedure.”
She shrugged. “I don’t. He says I should, though.” She replied, voice dripping with an Egyptian accent.
“Damn right, Walsh,” the man continued. “Her procedure isn’t for a while. Why not work with her?”
“Well, I will during her normal timeslot-”
“How come she can’t work with you and the new kid?”
“Because they have the same problem. It wouldn’t work well. The amount of power they would...oh. Sir, you actually might be onto something!”
“Mmhm, well, carry on then, Walsh,” he replied gruffly, almost seeming ashamed that his stunt didn’t throw off the young doctor as much as he would’ve hoped.
“Have a good day!” He called after him as he practically waddled out of the room.
“Who was that? And why did he have the nerve to call me ‘the new kid?’”
“That was Marcus Bennett. He runs AFMA at the current moment.”
“The current moment?”
Vincent shrugged. “Between the three, well, four of us,” he added, looking back at the observation window to see Louise’s face buried in the chart while pretending not to listen. “I think there are some people here who would run this place better than he does.”
“I agree,” the woman named Rasha added. “He does a really bad job.”
“But that’s beside the point!” Vincent exclaimed, clapping his hands together and startling Anita and Rasha. “We’re gonna give this a shot. Anita, take a seat here and Rasha, sit across from her.”
Anita sat back down in her chair as Rasha dragged another to the spot Vincent had designated.
“Now, Rasha, I want you to think of something really basic and keep repeating it over and over in your head. Anita’s going to try and read your mind-”
“Wait, she can do that too?”
“Yes. She has a similar anomaly to yours.”
“How well…”
“Not too well,” Anita answered to Rasha’s thought. “But I’m working on it.”
Rasha gave a small, sly grin. “I am impressed. How old are you?”
“Sixteen.”
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “Wow. That young.”
“Anyway!” Vincent interrupted. “Let’s get started. If you need something to focus on-”
“I don’t.”
Dr. Walsh shrugged. “Well okay, then. I’ll be up in the observation booth.”
Vincent walked out, leaving the two mind readers alone.
“...when…”
“Recently,” Anita answered. “At least, I’m assuming you’re asking when I found out I could do this.”
Rasha nodded once, not breaking eye-contact with the teen.
Anita’s face scrunched in concentration. “Yeah, I’m not getting anything else. Are you even thinking anything? Or is your mind just blank.”
“I was about to ask you the same,” Rasha said, looking almost pleasantly surprised.
“Wait, are you trying to read my mind?”
“One at a time, ladies,” Vincent said over the speakers from the observation room. “It’ll help a lot.”
“Okay, read my mind,” Anita said excitedly. “What do you got for me?”
Rasha looked into the teen’s eyes and almost looked angry.
“You’re too excited for this. You like that you’re not the only one.”
“I am not too excited!” Anita replied defensively. “But yes, you hit the nail on the head.”
Just then, Anita felt a sharp pain in her head.
“Okay, I gotta be done. It hurts.”
Vincent rushed down from the observation room, pushing a wheelchair through the doors. “Hey, are you gonna be okay? You look a little pale.”
“Yeah, my head just hurts a lot right now. I wanna be done for today.”
“Yeah, we’re done for today. Rasha, if you still want to work-”
“I will wait here,” she finished for him, crossing her legs and getting comfortable. “Take your time, Dr. Walsh.”
“Okay, Anita, show me what you got today. What am I thinking?”
“...become…the...worlds…”
Anita shrugged. “Something become the something worlds.”
“You’re getting there! Keep going!”
Anita scowled at the man in front of her.
“...am...Louise...pretty today…”
“You think Louise looks pretty today!” Anita shouted excitedly.
“What? I mean, no!” he exclaimed, being taken aback by Anita’s response. “I mean, yes, she looks nice today but...how did you know that?”
“I could hear it!” she said, trying to hold back giggles of excitement. “You were thinking that Louise was pretty today!”
“But that wasn’t the only thing I was thinking.”
The teen shrugged before giving a non-committal hand gesture. “Who cares, I got it! I could actually make sense of something! I’m not crazy!”
Just then, the double doors to the room burst open and a large man with thinning black hair sauntered in.
“Walsh! Why are you working with this patient?”
Vincent looked at his watch. “It’s her time, sir.”
“But we have other patients that also need your attention.”
A young woman stepped out from behind the large man. Her skin was tan and her hair was a sleek and straight black.
“Rasha,” Vincent said slowly. “I didn’t think you wanted to work more this week before your procedure.”
She shrugged. “I don’t. He says I should, though.” She replied, voice dripping with an Egyptian accent.
“Damn right, Walsh,” the man continued. “Her procedure isn’t for a while. Why not work with her?”
“Well, I will during her normal timeslot-”
“How come she can’t work with you and the new kid?”
“Because they have the same problem. It wouldn’t work well. The amount of power they would...oh. Sir, you actually might be onto something!”
“Mmhm, well, carry on then, Walsh,” he replied gruffly, almost seeming ashamed that his stunt didn’t throw off the young doctor as much as he would’ve hoped.
“Have a good day!” He called after him as he practically waddled out of the room.
“Who was that? And why did he have the nerve to call me ‘the new kid?’”
“That was Marcus Bennett. He runs AFMA at the current moment.”
“The current moment?”
Vincent shrugged. “Between the three, well, four of us,” he added, looking back at the observation window to see Louise’s face buried in the chart while pretending not to listen. “I think there are some people here who would run this place better than he does.”
“I agree,” the woman named Rasha added. “He does a really bad job.”
“But that’s beside the point!” Vincent exclaimed, clapping his hands together and startling Anita and Rasha. “We’re gonna give this a shot. Anita, take a seat here and Rasha, sit across from her.”
Anita sat back down in her chair as Rasha dragged another to the spot Vincent had designated.
“Now, Rasha, I want you to think of something really basic and keep repeating it over and over in your head. Anita’s going to try and read your mind-”
“Wait, she can do that too?”
“Yes. She has a similar anomaly to yours.”
“How well…”
“Not too well,” Anita answered to Rasha’s thought. “But I’m working on it.”
Rasha gave a small, sly grin. “I am impressed. How old are you?”
“Sixteen.”
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “Wow. That young.”
“Anyway!” Vincent interrupted. “Let’s get started. If you need something to focus on-”
“I don’t.”
Dr. Walsh shrugged. “Well okay, then. I’ll be up in the observation booth.”
Vincent walked out, leaving the two mind readers alone.
“...when…”
“Recently,” Anita answered. “At least, I’m assuming you’re asking when I found out I could do this.”
Rasha nodded once, not breaking eye-contact with the teen.
Anita’s face scrunched in concentration. “Yeah, I’m not getting anything else. Are you even thinking anything? Or is your mind just blank.”
“I was about to ask you the same,” Rasha said, looking almost pleasantly surprised.
“Wait, are you trying to read my mind?”
“One at a time, ladies,” Vincent said over the speakers from the observation room. “It’ll help a lot.”
“Okay, read my mind,” Anita said excitedly. “What do you got for me?”
Rasha looked into the teen’s eyes and almost looked angry.
“You’re too excited for this. You like that you’re not the only one.”
“I am not too excited!” Anita replied defensively. “But yes, you hit the nail on the head.”
Just then, Anita felt a sharp pain in her head.
“Okay, I gotta be done. It hurts.”
Vincent rushed down from the observation room, pushing a wheelchair through the doors. “Hey, are you gonna be okay? You look a little pale.”
“Yeah, my head just hurts a lot right now. I wanna be done for today.”
“Yeah, we’re done for today. Rasha, if you still want to work-”
“I will wait here,” she finished for him, crossing her legs and getting comfortable. “Take your time, Dr. Walsh.”