‘I could get in!’ Tracey declared. ‘The guard wouldn’t see me if I’m invisible. I could follow Carter around and find out what he’s up to.’
‘Forget it,’ Jenna said. ‘Remember what happened when you tried to spy on him before? And you became visible again? No offence, Tracey — I know you’re improving but you just don’t have enough control of your gift. You could get into serious trouble if you’re caught there.’
‘I’ve got an idea,’ Martin said.
Jenna rolled her eyes. ‘Let me guess. You’ll punch out the guard.’
‘Jenna, don’t tease him,’ Tracey hissed.
But Martin really did seem to be developing some control. ‘I’m thinking Amanda could get in.’
Aghast, Amanda turned to him. ‘Me?’
‘Like Jenna said, the place is full of losers,’ Martin said. ‘There’s got to be someone checking in who you could feel sorry for. You could do your body-snatching thing, take over and go in as that person.’
Amanda stared at him in horror. What kind of insane idea was that? Then she caught Ken’s eye. He was looking at her with interest.
‘You think you could do that?’
‘She could,’ Jenna broke in, ‘but she wouldn’t. Do you really think Amanda’s going to do something to help us?’
Amanda swallowed hard. ‘Don’t speak for me, Jenna. I could try. .’
‘Today?’ Jenna asked.
‘Um. . let me think. . I don’t even know where Harmony House is. .’
‘I’ll take you there,’ Jenna declared. ‘Right after class.’
That was definitely admiration on Ken’s face. Amanda swallowed again and smiled thinly.
‘Great.’
CHAPTER FIVE
THE PAIN IN HIS head was gone by the time Carter returned to Dr Paley’s office. Even so, something in his head was different. It was like the TV of his dreams was embedded somewhere in his brain. At some point in the last session, it had been switched on. It was off again now, and Carter preferred this state of mind. Now that he was entering Dr Paley’s office, he had the sensation it could be turned on again, and he didn’t want that. But he’d been told to return, and he did what he was told.
Dr Paley seemed different too. His eyes were brighter, his smile was wider. Change meant danger. Carter began to shiver.
‘Sit down, Carter. I want to show you something.’ He wheeled a trolley to the middle of the room, and positioned it in front of Carter’s chair. On top of the trolley stood a television, smaller than the one in his dreams, but still a television. Carter felt his heartbeat quicken.
Dr Paley didn’t notice his discomfort. ‘I want to show you the tape I made of our session this morning.’ He touched a button and slipped a disk into an opening. Then he sat down behind his desk, where he too could see the screen. He held a remote control towards the TV, it flickered to life, and Carter saw himself, sitting in this same chair. He couldn’t see Dr Paley on the screen, but he heard his voice.
‘I’m going to count back from ten,’ Dr Paley said. ‘Close your eyes. You will feel yourself getting sleepy. When I reach the number one, you will be in a deep sleep, but you will continue to hear my voice. Ten. . nine. . eight. . seven. .’
The pain was coming back. Carter covered his ears. Quickly, Dr Paley took the remote control. The tape continued, but Carter didn’t hear anything.
‘Actually, we don’t need the sound,’ Dr Paley said. ‘You never spoke. Now, watch carefully, Carter. Here it comes.’
Carter didn’t have any expectations as to what he might have done under the spell of the doctor’s hypnosis, but even so, it was a shock to see himself get smaller and smaller.
Dr Paley had said Carter had a gift. Was it a gift like Tracey’s? Then he realized that the chair on the screen wasn’t vacant. A small white rabbit sat there, twitching its nose.
‘That’s not really a rabbit, Carter,’ Dr Paley said softly. ‘That’s you.’
He picked up the remote control. ‘I’m going to fast-forward for a minute. There, now watch this.’
The rabbit on the chair seemed to puff up. Then it became fuzzy, almost impossible to identify as a rabbit. As it enlarged, it changed form. The form became too blurry to see anything in detail, but then Carter could see the outline of arms, legs, a torso. . The focus returned. It was Carter, in the same position as before, still sitting in his chair. And all this happened in less than a second.
‘You’re suffering from Acute Faculative Allomorphy, Carter, commonly known as shape-shifting,’ Dr Paley said.
Carter took his eyes off the screen and looked at the doctor. His whole body began to tremble.
Dr Paley came out from behind his desk and drew another chair closer to Carter. He placed a warm hand gently on Carter’s shoulder.
‘Don’t get upset, Carter. You’re going to be all right. You’re safe here, nobody is going to hurt you. As I told you this morning, you have a gift. It’s a very unusual gift — very few cases have been recorded, and these cases have been kept secret. My own interest in extraordinary abilities has given me access to information that has long been hidden from the public.’
His voice was calming, and Carter stopped shaking. But was he really safe? How could he be sure?
The doctor continued. ‘You must know by now that uncommon gifts like this exist. Think about your classmates.’
Carter stiffened. He could hear Madame’s voice. ‘Never tell, never tell.’ He’d told Serena, and he’d been sent away from the class.
It was almost as if Dr Paley could read his thoughts. ‘You’re not in trouble, Carter. No one is going to hurt you, or any of your classmates. I know everything because I’ve been talking with Madame. She has always suspected that you too may have some kind of special ability. We both have your best interests at heart. We want to help you.’
The words rang true, and Carter had always trusted Madame.
‘I’ve learned from Madame that many of your classmates’ gifts arose through extreme situations — a trauma, a crisis of some sort — and I believe this may be true of you too. We need to know why you became a shape- shifter. From your reaction in watching the tape I could see you were shocked, but I don’t think that was the first time you’ve ever shifted. Your state of amnesia has erased all memories of your gift. But the explanation for your ability is buried deep within your subconscious. I can’t reach you through traditional hypnotic procedures, so I need to try something else.’
Carter’s eyes followed the doctor as he rose and went to the white cabinet in the corner of the room. He opened a drawer.
‘I’m going to give you an injection. It’s perfectly safe — it’s just a sedative which will help you to relax completely and allow you to overcome the inhibitions which are preventing you from speaking. Hopefully, you will recover some memories and be able to tell me about your past. Would you roll up your sleeve, please?’
It was a direct order. Carter had to obey. But Dr Paley must have sensed the fear that engulfed him, because his voice became even more soothing.
‘You’ll only feel a little prick, and retrieving the memories shouldn’t be painful. You may not even remember what you tell me. But I’m taping you so you’ll be able to watch it all later. I’m keeping no secrets from you. You have to trust me, and you must not fight the need to express yourself.’
It was just as Dr Paley said — the injection was just a little sting in his arm, and then he felt nothing.
‘We’re going back in time, to six months ago. Close your eyes, Carter.’
Carter closed his eyes, but what he saw wasn’t darkness. At first he thought he was dreaming, because he
