Speak No Evil

Dr Paley smiled in satisfaction and lifted the instrument. ‘I cut the connection, Ken. This is going to work very well, I have no doubts.’ He nodded towards the examining table. ‘Who wants to go first?’

Ken and Amanda looked at each other. ‘Ladies first?’ Ken suggested.

‘Oh, that’s so old-fashioned,’ Amanda said quickly.

Dr Paley smiled. ‘OK, I’ll decide. Come on, Ken, let’s show the young lady there’s nothing to be afraid of.’

Ken climbed up on to the table and lay down.

‘I’ll use the scan to pinpoint the exact spot where I’ll direct the laser beam,’ the doctor said. He wheeled the machine to the side of the table.

Amanda watched nervously, but a movement on the floor distracted her. ‘There’s a mouse!’ she cried out.

Ken sat up. ‘Where?’

Amanda couldn’t answer him. She couldn’t even speak. Before her eyes, the mouse began to expand, and its body changed form. Then it wasn’t a mouse at all.

‘Carter!’ she exclaimed.

‘His name’s Paul,’ Ken reminded her.

‘Whatever,’ Amanda replied. ‘What are you doing here?’

Dr Paley was frowning. ‘Paul, you shouldn’t be in here. Go to your room immediately.’

The boy’s mouth moved, as if he was trying to reply. The only word that came out was ‘no’.

Amanda glared at the boy. ‘I can’t believe you nibbled at my granola bar. That was so disgusting.’

Dr Paley went to the door and opened it. ‘Ms Callow, would you please call a resident assistant to escort Paul Carter back to his room?

The secretary came to the door and stared at Paul in astonishment. ‘I didn’t even see him come in!’

‘Um, he was hiding in the cupboard,’ Dr Paley told her. ‘It’s not important. Just call for a resident assistant, please.’ Ms Callow hurriedly went back out to her desk.

Paul looked at Ken. Amanda remembered how expressionless the boy usually looked. Now there was no mistaking the urgency on his face.

‘Stop,’ Paul said.

‘Stop what?’ Ken asked.

He mumbled something that sounded like ‘dun loose ya giff’.

‘We can’t understand a word you’re saying,’ Amanda snapped impatiently.

A familiar voice came from outside the door. ‘He’s saying, don’t lose your gift.’

‘You can’t go in there!’ Ms Callow yelled.

But as usual, Jenna didn’t respond well to authority figures. She stomped right into Dr Paley’s office.

‘What are you doing here?’ Ken asked.

‘If you want the procedure, you’re going to have to wait your turn,’ Amanda snapped.

Jenna wasn’t alone. The police officer, Jack Fisher, followed her into Dr Paley’s office.

The doctor was not pleased. ‘Excuse me, but we’re in the process of a medical procedure here!’

‘No one’s performing any procedures in here today,’ Officer Fisher declared. ‘This surgery has not been authorized by Harmony House officials.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Dr Paley sputtered. ‘I am a certified medical doctor. I don’t have to ask permission to perform a simple procedure that doesn’t require an anaesthetic.’

‘You do when it’s an experimental operation,’ the policeman declared.

‘And what makes you think I’m doing an experimental operation?’ the doctor demanded to know.

‘This young lady told me.’

Dr Paley stared at Jenna. Jenna stared right back at him.

‘You weren’t very careful, Doctor Paley,’ she said. ‘You know about my gift, you know what I’m able to do. But you didn’t block me when you came into class yesterday. I read your mind.’

Dr Paley turned to the police officer. ‘And you believe this nonsense? Do you honestly think this girl can read minds?’

‘Yes,’ Jack Fisher said simply. ‘Just as I believe that boy on the table can communicate with the dead.’

And then another person came into the room. ‘Doctor Paley, please don’t bother my students,’ Madame said quietly.

The doctor dropped all pretence. ‘Madame, I have no choice. This is absolutely necessary.’

‘Why?’ she demanded to know.

‘Because your students are dangerous.’

Madame corrected him. ‘My students have the potential to be dangerous, just as all people have. But my students also have the potential to do great and wondrous things. I will not allow you to take that potential away from them.’

Amanda finally got a chance to get a word in. ‘But Madame,’ she wailed, ‘I don’t want to do great and wondrous things. I want to be normal! And so does Ken!’

‘Do you, Ken?’ Jack asked. ‘Yesterday you saved lives. Maybe hundreds of them. Could a normal person do that?’

Amanda looked at Ken. He seemed torn. He clenched his fists, his eyebrows went up, and he mumbled, ‘Not now, Jack.’

‘Excuse me?’ the police officer said.

‘Not you, sir. I’m talking to my friend Jack. I’ll get back to you later, buddy.’ Then he hopped off the table.

‘Amanda, maybe they’re right. Maybe we shouldn’t give this up. Think about the hitchhiker you saved.’

‘But think about me!’ Amanda protested. ‘I don’t want to spend my life hopping in and out of other people!’

‘Oh, come on, Amanda,’ Ken said. ‘You’ve got more control over your gift than half the people in our class. You can choose when to use it.’

Amanda had to admit he had a point.

‘And what’s so great about being normal, anyway?’ Ken continued. ‘Think of your friend Nina. You want to be like her?’

Another good point. And what he said cheered her. Clearly, he wasn’t impressed with her frenemy.

‘I wish I could arrest you,’ Jack said to the doctor. ‘I wish I could take you into custody right now. Unfortunately, I can’t prove that you’re doing anything illegal. But I’ll be keeping my eyes on you from now on, Doctor.’

‘I’m taking my students back to school now,’ Madame told Dr Paley. ‘Including Paul.’

‘He hasn’t been released from Harmony House,’ Dr Paley argued.

‘That can be arranged,’ Jack Fisher said. ‘I do have some influence here, you know. And I’m going to get a court order to keep you away from the gifted students.’

The doctor turned to Madame. ‘You’re going to regret this. When these young people get a little older, when they begin making their own calculated decisions how and when and why to use these gifts, you’ll find that you’ve enabled and released unimaginable horror.’

Amanda expected Madame to defend them. But instead, the teacher sighed. ‘Perhaps. I don’t blame you for being frightened. I’ve got students who are afraid of their own gifts.’

‘As well they should be,’ Dr Paley declared.

Madame nodded. ‘I can only hope to influence them, to help them use their gifts wisely and well. Some of them may reject this, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.’

Amanda’s eyes went from Ken to Jenna to Paul and she shivered. Who knew what any of them could turn out to be? Good, bad — there was no way of knowing. But there was one thing she knew for sure: their lives wouldn’t be boring.

‘Come along, class,’ Madame said. And Dr Paley stepped aside to allow the gifted students to leave.