Free Nobody Gets The Girl by James Maxey Page A

right? He
sees what's going on in everyone's head."
    "Everyone? In the whole world? All at
once?"
    "Well, not everyone, I guess. His power
doesn't work on Amelia or me. I don't think it works on you."
    "Why wouldn't it work on me?"
    "Well, you didn't step back earlier. My
powers don't have any effect on you, so you're probably immune to
Dad. Neither of our powers works on Amelia, either."
    "Are you immune to Amelia's power?"
    "Not the sharp steel blades part. But she
can't pick me up by my blood."
    "She what?"
    "She does this thing where she picks people
up by grabbing the iron in their blood."
    "This is just too strange," said Richard.
"You're pulling my leg."
    "Nope. Hey, did I tell you Amelia and I have
a code name for Dad? Dr. Know. Catchy, huh?"
    "Copyrighted, probably." Richard realized
that this new information about his employer explained a lot of
apparent non sequiturs in their conversations. And it meant
something else. "So, your dad knows about your stealing cinnamon
buns?"
    "I assume so. He hasn't mentioned it before.
But, also, I think his power gets more focused the fewer people he
concentrates on. He can get vague impressions from millions of
people at once, or concentrate on a hundred and know their every
last secret. But that's not the worst thing Dad can do with his
power."
    "Do tell."
    "He can take over people's brains entirely.
Use them like memory chips in a computer, to take over some of his
thinking for him."
    "Must come in handy when he's designing time
machines and domed cities."
    Sarah sat down on a bench and motioned for
Richard to follow.
    "You can't imagine what it's like," said
Sarah. "Having a father who can watch your every move through the
eyes of whomever it is you're with. When I was seventeen, right?
There was this guy named Vance I met at a Nine Inch Nails show. He
was like, twenty or something, really cool, with long hair and dark
eyes. Just the most awesome guy I'd laid eyes on, really. And Vance
starts hitting on me, and I'm digging it, and we go back to his van
and smoke some pot, and he, you know, starts doing stuff to me. And
I like it. It was my first time even kissing a guy, and already he
had my bra undone, and I'm just totally in the flow, no doubts
whatsoever. But then the van lurches, like a car's hit it or
something, and the top of the van just peels off like it was tin
foil, and there's Amelia, wearing her nightgown, looking all
pissed.
    "Dad sent her. He knew what I was up to
because he was inside Vance. My father was inside the head of a guy
who had his hands in my panties."
    "Shit," said Richard. "I mean, wow, shit.
That's horrible."
    "You can't imagine," said Sarah. "Dad
grounded me, of course. But it didn't matter. I mean, what was I
going to do after that? I could never let another guy touch me
again."
    "That's awful," said Richard. "What a lousy
hand to be dealt."
    "Have you been with a lot of women, Richard?"
asked Sarah.
    "What?"
    "You were married, right?"
    "Yeah. In a different lifetime. Her name was
Veronica."
    "Was she your first?"
    "Um," said Richard. "No. No, I saw my share
of action in college. Look, I don't want to seem evasive, but I'm
trying not to think about my old life. I need to put all those
memories as far behind me as I can if I'm going to get through
this. Whenever I start remembering things, then realize that those
things never happened as far as this world is concerned, it makes
me feel like my head might split in two."
    "The hand you've been dealt is as fucked up
as mine," said Sarah. "Do you mind if we do a test? Just to make
sure you're immune to my powers?"
    "Sure."
    "Take off your clothes," said Sarah.
    "No," said Richard.
    "Hmm. How about... you take off my
clothes?"
    "Here? In public?"
    "Oh, I guess not," said Sarah. "You do seem
immune to my charms."
    "Well, immune to your powers at least," said
Richard. "I still find you charming."
    "One last try: kiss me."
    She closed her eyes and puckered.
    Richard couldn't believe this was happening.
He