Free Mind Secrets: A Science Fiction Telepathy Thriller (Perceivers Book 1) by Jane Killick Page A

remote as she did so. “Well?” she said, approaching Michael. Her eyes looked intently at him. He knew she was trying to perceive him before he had a chance to tell her. “Did they …?”
    “… cure me of something I don’t have?” said Michael. “No.”
    She seemed relieved. She sat back down on the sofa. Otis joined her. He put his arm around her shoulders. She allowed it to rest there, but didn’t sink into his affection. “So,” she said, “what happened?”
    He told her what he had told Otis. She sat, open-mouthed, listening to it all.
    “What do you think, Jen?” said Otis. “Adult perceivers – is it possible?”
    “Yesterday and I would’ve said no, but today …?” She let her doubt fade away.
    Jennifer pulled her phone from her pocket. “We need to tell people.”
    Otis reached across her and spread his hand over the screen. “No.”
    “We can’t fight this together, Otis, if we don’t share information.”
    “We don’t know anything for sure.”
    “Then how are we gonna find out? You can’t send Michael back in there – and we can’t go without risking being cured.”
    Something triggered in Michael’s mind. He’d been so focussed on escaping Cooper, he hadn’t thought about anything else. “I almost forgot.” He delved into his pocket and pulled out the vial of liquid he’d taken from the nurse’s desk. It was warm from being close to his skin. He handed it to Otis.
    “What is it?” he said.
    “That,” said Michael, “is the cure.”
    Otis’s eyes widened. He turned the glass tube around in his hand. “This?”
    It was about ten centimetres in length with a rubber stopper on one end and clear liquid inside. On the outside was a label that read: CLINIC #1. 50ml. Serial no. 537986B
    “Let’s see,” said Jennifer. She took it from him and held it up to the light. The liquid sparkled with purity. “It’s so small.”
    “But powerful enough to change your life,” said Otis.
    “What are we going to do with it?” said Jennifer.
    “We should get it analysed,” said Otis.
    “How are we going to do that?” she asked.
    “I know someone.” He grabbed it back from her.
    “Who?” Jennifer asked.
    “No one you know.” Otis looked at his watch. “I’ll be a couple of hours.” He got off the sofa.
    “You’re going now?” she called after him.
    “You know what they say,” said Otis, halfway to reclaim his keys from the kitchen. “Strike while the women are hot!” He tossed his keys into the air and caught them again. He gave her a cheeky smile as he went out of the door.

CHAPTER TEN
    FROM THE Action Against Mind Invasion website, www.aami.com :
 
WHERE DID PERCEIVERS COME FROM?
The short answer is, nobody knows. One day teenagers were those young people who hung around on street corners looking glum, then four years ago we found out they were looking into our minds.
We found out. It’s almost certain they existed before then. As Professor Olong of the University of Birmingham says: “It seems likely these children were perceivers before their teenage years. The research we’ve been able to do so far suggests they were capable of perception in a limited form before puberty. Probably misunderstood as instinct, or the ability to read body language. While the children themselves kept quiet about the truth for fear of being singled out as abnormal.” [www.dailynews.co.uk/science/olong]
As for why perception appeared all of a sudden, the reasons are still unclear. “More research needs to be done,” says Olong. “But it seems to me that something in our environment must have triggered this change. For a fifth of teenagers to suddenly have this condition, it cannot be a coincidence.”
    ~
    JENNIFER STOOD IN the kitchen, her back resting against the worktop while reading something on her phone.
    “Hi, Michael,” she said without looking up.
    Michael stepped into the kitchen. It smelt of the curry Otis had cooked last night. The pans he put in soak were