Free More Than an Echo (Echo Branson Series) by Linda Kay Silva

or four years. I know it seems like a long time, but gaining complete control of your powers is a long and often complicated journey. It is not easy and there are no shortcuts, but it will mean the difference between having a real life and possibly having none at all.”
    I gulped hard. I couldn’t imagine being in the Bayou a year, let alone four. What would happen to my real life? Were those days long gone and I hadn’t even grieved its death?
    “There are two ways out of your power; suicide and insanity. Many choose the former  after long battles with the latter. To successfully master yourselves, you must invest fully in the process. Everyone’s process is different just like everyone’s powers are different. What I teach Jacob I may not teach you. Do you understand?”
    I nodded.
    “Good. Now, since Jacob has been here so long, he is in charge of this week’s morning lessons. When you finish your work, he will take you out on the water and educate you about this new environment. It is important you understand your surroundings at all times.”
    “Is that part of the process?”
    Melika nodded and ran her hand up and down her walking stick. “Oh yes. You see, a super must always familiarize herself with her environment. It should be the first thing you do wherever you go. Knowing your environment keeps you safer. Always be aware of the hazards and pitfalls of every environment, that way you can be prepared.” Melika rose and walked out to the edge of the dock. “Were you prepared when Todd overtook you? Did you see anything in your surroundings you could have used as a weapon? Did you see any way out besides violence?”
    I shook my head. “No.”
    “You felt the threat and acted, correct?”
    “Yes.”
    “Had you been more aware of your environment, you might have had other choices. A  life without options is not a life worth living. The more you understand the Bayou, the more you’ll know about life. The Bayou is life.”
    At first, I wondered if maybe this was a mistake. I didn’t see how knowing about the Bayou was going to help me. I thought maybe this was a big, fat waste of time.
    But Melika had been so right about the Bayou being life. That day, Jacob opened my mind and my world. I saw a texture and layers to the world around me I never knew existed. In Oakland, a tree was a tree. Here, every tree served a purpose, every plant important to the whole. If we don’t learn the interconnectedness of the universe, how can we ever truly be a part of it? How can you know yourself if you haven’t combed the depths of your being?
    I felt full of life and energy only nature provides. I understood why Melika sent me out on a boat with Jacob, and I started looking forward to it every morning. He was a great teacher and I learned more about biology and life from him in one week than I learned from any teacher in any school.
    That afternoon, Melika took me out into the backwoods behind the cottage and there was a firepit with several stumps for sitting. It would become one of my favorite places in the world.
    “I come out here because we need to be away from any potential emotional energies. What we have to do needs to be done undisturbed. You already know shields help empaths keep out extra emotional energy from others so you aren’t overwhelmed. The edge of it works as a psychic alarm. The stronger you are, the better and longer the shield holds up. Now, there are many things that will quickly erode a shield: stress, negative emotions from others, and lack of sleep can deteriorate a shield as well, which is why I want you to eat and sleep well. Anytime your physical body is out of balance, you are vulnerable to attack.”
    “Attack?”
    “Yes. An attack can be from the wave of emotions coming in through your shield, or it can be an attack from another psionic being. Rest, time alone and meditation are wise, so before I teach you how to create a shield, I’ll need to show you how to meditate