As they took turned changing into their beachwear Deb observed her new ‘team’ without using her powers and found that it was easier than she expected.  Wren and Nat were obvious, as were Alicia and Slater.  Zach and Fuji, though … really tempted her into prying.  She surmised they were attracted to each other but something was getting in the way … Zach was a horn-dog and Fuji did not like it.  Chris was harder, she seemed alone but perfectly happy with the situation, but Josh … That one she really needed to read.  Perhaps just a little peek … She dropped onto the couch and started crying.

            Slater squatted beside her.

            “You read Josh,” he said quietly.  She nodded.  “I knew it was bad but I guess you found that out.”

            “He killed his father,” she whispered.  “His own father … was trying to rape his little sister!”

            “We know,” Slater said.  “We don’t have a lot of secrets between us.  We have to trust each other like nobody else.”

            Wren was there next to Slater. 

“I warned you,” she said and Deb tensed for the impact Wren had threatened.  “All you have to do is ask.  If you don’t trust us, how can we trust you?”  She turned away and disappeared down the hall.

“Deb, people need secrets,” Slater said.  “It doesn’t matter what the secret is, or how big, everyone needs them, just as they need privacy.”

“But I don’t do it to hurt people …”

“Go tell Josh that.”

She looked over at Josh, engrossed and laughing with Chris.

Slater touched her chin and forced her to look at him.  “If you ever want any one of us to trust you, you have to tell him.”

“But what do I tell him?”

“The truth.”

The serious look on her face must have telegraphed something as she approached the pair.  Chris was smiling but Josh looked like he was a million miles away.

“I am sorry for interrupting but, Josh, can we talk?”

Chris’ eyes narrowed and all mirth left her eyes.

“Sure,” Josh replied.

“You don’t have a drink, Deb, what can I get you?”  Chris asked.

It took a moment for Deb to recognize the question.

“Oh … sweet tea?”

Chris looked doubtful.  “If we don’t have tea?”

“Lemonade, I guess,” Deb replied.

Chris crossed the small hall and stepped into the kitchen.

“What’s up?” Josh blinked like the sun was in his eyes.

Deb had no idea how to say it tactfully so she just blurted it out, “I am sorry, I read your mind …”

Several of the team were close enough to hear Deb’s declaration and stopped to listen.

“Find anything interesting?” Josh grinned.  “If you find my recipe for pancakes, write it down, I can never seem to remember it.”

“But ... I invaded your privacy.”

“Did you do anything bad in there?” Josh asked.

Deb shook her head.  “I can’t do anything like that.”

“Then besides read our minds, of what use are you?”  It was Wren, looking scary pissed again.  “Since you can just grab anything you want out of our minds, I believe it is show-and-tell time.  You first.”

This was not something Deb wanted to do and she started mentally thumbing through her powers trying to decide what to tell them about and what not to.

“All of it, Deb,” Nat said quietly from behind her.  “We will all gladly explain our powers and abilities, but if you don’t tell me, I can’t find a place for you in our team.”

Deb scanned the faces of the eight people that she was supposed to trust.  Wren was giving her a hard-eyed look, Josh looked like he was having fun and Slater nodded and smiled at her.  Everyone else was just sort of waiting.

“Josh?  Can I borrow you?”

“YES!” he stepped closer.  “Take me, I’m yours!”

There were a few chuckles.

“Slater, tell me if this works … “ 

She put a hand on Josh’s shoulder.

“Wow,” Nat said.

“What happened?” Slater was puzzled.

“They disappeared,” Nat said.  “Who can see them?”

Wren raised a hand.  Inwardly Debra groaned.  Of course Wren could see her.  Then Chris raised hers.

“Three of you then,” Nat said.

Deb took her hand off Josh.  Nat was looking at her thoughtfully.

“How many can you do that with?” he said.

“Just one other,” she replied.

“Hmm …“ the tall surfer said.  “What else ya got?”

Deb started to touch Josh again but stopped.  She gave him an enquiring look.

            “Go ahead!” He grinned.

            “I don’t have to touch someone to do this,” Deb explained.  “Try to move, Josh.”

            Nothing happened.  Josh looked as if he’d been trapped in a time loop or something.

            “I kind of turn off the movement controls of his mind,” Deb said.  Josh suddenly lurched forward.  Nat caught him.

            “How long does it last?” Nat said.

            “Until they break out or I release them.”

            “Slater?  Can she try that on you?”

            “Sure, like I said, I am interested.”

            Deb looked at him then said “Try to move.”

            Slater smiled and put an arm around Alicia.  Deb really wanted to try it on Wren but was afraid to ask.  Nat glanced at his girl-friend but didn’t suggest she try it.  Again Deb wanted to read them, to see what they … no, how they seemed to communicate without a word.

            “You already know about the telepathy,” Deb said.  “I’ve got a couple other tricks but I am not sure I’d want to use them on my team.”

            “What do they do?” Wren asked.

            “Well, one will make you blind and the other … kind of muddles your thought processes,” she replied.

            “Muddles?” Nat was the one to ask.

            “It is like instant senility,” Deb said.  “Make it hard for a person to think.  I don’t think it will work on Slater or Wren or Chris.  It seems they have some sort of immunity.”

            The expected smile of satisfaction never appeared on Wren’s lips.  That surprised Deb.  Even without ‘reading’ Wren, she knew that she was going to be the one she had to play to in order to be accepted.

            “Anything else?”  Nat said.

            Deb nodded, “This one is why Miller came for me.”  She stepped over to the couch and sat down.  “Describe to me a place on the boardwalk, somewhere I haven’t seen.  I’ll describe whoever is behind the counter.  One thing, don’t bother trying to talk to me, I won’t hear you.”

            “Sail board rental place up the beach to the north, actually built out over the sand.  Who’s running the place and what are they doing?”  Nat said.

            Deb settled back into the couch and closed her eyes.  Slowly her point of view shifted from the room around them to outside of the cottage.  It took only a few seconds to travel to the beach and head north.  At first she was worried as she didn’t see the place Nat had described, then it came into view several miles further up the shore.  It was only a matter of a second and she hovered over the small white building with stacks of sail boards.

            A man in his thirties was seated in a white Adirondack chair talking to a pretty blonde girl of about her own age wearing a bikini and roller blades.  She looked worried and he looked uninterested.  She tuned in on their conversation.

            “Picket, twenty dollars is all I need,” she was whining.  She was holding up a necklace that Deb was sure was costume just by the color.

            “Babe, that shit ain’t worth twenty cents,” the man said.  “Go snatch something worth some money.”  The man jerked a thumb back up the beach.  “Get going … or you could spend the night at my place.”  He leered at the girl.

            Without a word the girl turned and rolled back up to the boardwalk, the man lifted himself up enough to follow her ass as she left.  Once she was out of sight, he pulled a cell out and hit a speed dial.

            “Yeah, it’s me,” he said.  “She just came by with some crap.  She’s headed Slug’s way.  What? … Where you say? … Barstow!  Who the hell goes to Barstow? …  Holy fuck! That girl with the surfer? … No shit!  I bet he’s real pissed.  He had plans to that skater chick tonight. …  Yeah, later.”

            He slipped the phone back into his shirt pocket and started laughing.  Deb snapped back into her body.

            “We gotta save her!”  She came off the couch like she was ejected.

            “Whoa,” Nat put a hand on her shoulder.  “Take it easy and explain.”

            “I found the place, there was this guy in his thirties, dressed like a beach bum, dark tan, white boater hat …” she took a breath.  “He was talking to this skater chick … I think she was trying to sell him a necklace only he wasn’t having it.  He told her to go get better stuff and she left … then he called somebody on speed dial and told them she’d just left.  I guess the guy on the other end of the line told him something about someplace called Barstow and mentioned ‘Slug’ … that was what that black guy earlier hated people to call him.”

            “So he made it to Barstow,” Wren said with a little smile.  “Interesting.”

            “But this guy, the girl called him Picket, said this Slug’s had plans for the girl tonight.  I been in his head, he’s going to kill her!”

            “Pretty, tanned, blonde, bikini, on blades?” Nat said.  Deb nodded.  “Sounds like Janie.  Let’s find her.”  Everyone started to move.

            “WAIT!” Deb surprised them all.  “I can find her in a couple of minutes … and that brings me to my last power …” 

            She knew she’d be treading thin ice on this one.

            “What is it?” Nat asked.

            “I call it the Connection,” she replied.  “But you gotta trust me on this one, you gotta let me sort of into your head.”

            “I don’t think so,” Wren folded her arms.

            Deb turned to Josh who shrugged, “Sure, why not?  What do I have to do?”

            “Look, I can’t read any thoughts or memories doing this, it is independent of my telepathy,” she said.  “Close your eyes and just look into the darkness there, when you see a light, that’s me.  Imagine pulling me toward you … like you are going to hug me.”

            “Cool, I can do that,” Josh grinned and closed his eyes.  After a second … “I see it!”  Then … “Holy crap, it’s like we are in a room together.”

            “Exactly!” Deb said.  “Now, open your eyes and go outside, start walking toward the beach.”

            Josh pushed open the screen and trotted west.

            “Can you hear me?”  Deb said aloud.  There was a pause.  “Okay, remember these numbers, 0319219497, now you tell me a number to remember … NO, not 69!  Okay, 2283195, got it.  Now come back.”

            A few moments later Josh came through the door and said “0319219497!”

            “That’s right,” Fuji said.

            “And you gave me 2283195,” Deb looked smug.

            “So you are like a private phone to anyone you make this connection with?”  Nat asked.

            “Yes,” she replied, feeling a little less out of her element.

            “And you can do this with anyone?”

            Deb shook her head, “I’ve never tried it with someone like Slater or Wren.”

            “I’ll give it a try,” Slater stepped forward.

            “No,” Wren said.  “I will.”

            The connection she made with Wren was far easier than she expected.  It could only mean Wren was taking a chance and trusting her pretty much completely.

            “Cool,” Josh said, “Wren’s here!”

            “You can do this with more than one?”  Nat asked.

            “I didn’t know,” Deb admitted.  “I didn’t think to disconnect Josh before bringing Wren in.”

            “Let’s see how many more we can add.” Nat said.

            “Try me next,” Slater suggested.

            “You have to speak aloud, Slater,” Deb told him.  “Everything has to be verbal, think of it like a phone.”

            “That works,” Slater replied.  “You’re right, Deb, I can see this thing doesn’t let you into our minds.”

            “That is so reassuring, after I have join in,” Wren said flatly.

            “Can I join in?”  Alicia was watching Slater’s face.  Deb figured she wanted the mental connection but it didn’t work.

            “I guess that’s my limit,” Deb said.

            “Alicia may have some kind of immunity, try Chris,” Nat suggested.

            Chris came in with only a slight resistance and was quickly followed by Fuji and Zach.  Eight of the nine in the room.

            “Why can’t Alicia?” Slater asked to no one in particular.

            “It is because of me,” Alicia’s voice was an octave lower then shifted back up the scale.  “Grandmother.  We are two sharing one mind, I think that blocks it.”

            “What kind of range does this connection have,” Nat asked.

            “I don’t know,” Deb had to admit.

            “We’ll test it then …  okay, here’s the plan … Deb you go back into the out of body thing … look for Janie while the rest of us scatter up and down the beach.” Nat said quickly.  “Usual teams … let’s go.”

            It was amazing how quickly they disappeared.  Deb settled onto the couch and let her point of view drift.  She easily found the team with Nat and Wren heading toward the sail board shop.  Deb moved far faster then even the cars on the interstate so it was only a matter of seconds before she spotted the girl gliding along the street, headed inland.

            “Got her,” she said to the connection.

            “Hey!”  It was Zack.

            “I see it too,” Nat said.

            “What is it?” Deb demanded.

            “I think we are seeing things through your eyes, like an overlay,” Nat said.  “Everybody got it?”

            There was a chorus of ‘yeah’.

            “Doesn’t seem to block our own sight,” Nat said.

            “It does if you are trying to step down from a curb,” Zach groused.

            “You are not hurt,” Fuji said.  “Hardly any blood.”

            “If you kiss it it will be all better,” Zach cooed.

            “In your dreams,” Fuji growled.

            “Every night …”

            “Cool it guys, get back on track,” Nat put a stop to the by-play.

            “We got her,” Nat said then called “Janie!”

            The girl turned and didn’t look very pleased at seeing Nat and Wren.

            “How are you doing?” Nat said when they reached her.

            The girl shrugged, “Not too bad.”

            “You can sleep at our place tonight,” Wren offered.

            “Why?”  Janie was suspicious.

            Nat and Wren exchanged looks and something passed between them that even Deb felt.

            “Janie, Picket is setting you up tonight with Slug,” Nat told her.

            “What are you talking about?”

            “We have picked up a little information at the party, involving you and a ‘large black man dressed all in black’,” Nat said.  “You’ve had a run in with Slug before so we put two and two together.”

            “Please,” Wren said.  “Come back to the cottage, you can sleep on the couch.”

            “And there will be plenty of food,” Nat added.

            Deb’s point of view moved in on the trio and could see the indecision in the girl.  She had no idea of the relationship Wren and Nat had with her but the fact that she stopped to listen spoke of something more than passing acquaintance.

            “Look, Janie, you know we don’t expect anything from you,” Nat said.  “We are just worried about this rumor.”

            “Remember the last time,” Wren seemed to command.  Janie paled under her tan.

            “Okay, I guess one night wouldn’t hurt,” she finally said.  “But just one night, right?”

            “The invitation is open any night,” Nat said.  “And if one is all you need, that’s fine with us.”

            The girl looked at the pair.  “Why are you doing this?  Why are you helping me?”

            Nat’s smile was gentle.  “Because,” he said, “it’s what we do.”

            “Can I pick up my stuff?” Janine pointed in the general direction of the street.

            “Sure, but you come to the cottage as soon as you can, okay?”  Nat said.

            “Yeah, I will,” the girl said as she pushed off and rolled up the street.

            When she was out of earshot, Nat said “Follow her, Deb, until she is at the cottage.”

            Her point of view flashed up behind the girl, easily keeping pace.  Six blocks up the street, the girl rolled into the parking lot of a flea bag motel with hourly, daily, weekly and monthly rates.

            “Shit,” the girl said under her breath.

            She rolled up to a unit half way down the wing.  In front of the door was a heavy looking gym bag with a note pinned to it.  ‘Return the key, or else’ it read.

            “Fuck yeah, I’ll return it!”  With a grunt she hefted the bag across her shoulder then rolled passed the office with key in hand.  As she came level with it, the key vanished from her hand and appeared on the desk inside.

            “She’s a meta,” Nat said.

            Deb could almost feel Wren rolling her eyes.

            “Team, let’s not scare the crap out of her … Chris …”

            “What’d I do!” the blonde sounded affronted.

            “You did make that cheerleader pee her pants …” Slater offered.

            “And that dog the other day, one look at you and he was runnin’,” added Josh.

            “And you scare the crap out of VAMPIRES!”  Zach joined in.

            Janie headed south, Deb hovering just over her shoulder, taking in all the cross talk until the word ‘vampire’.  “Vampire?” she said.

            “Oh crap, now you did it Zach,” Fuji said.

            “She was going to find out at some point,” Wren said.

            “Don’t forget the demons,” Chris sounded amused.

            “Demons?”

            “Look, we can go into this in the Pit later,” Nat said.  “How’s Janie doing?”

            “She’s almost there,” Deb reported.

            “Okay, you all go meet Red, Wren and I’ll take care of Janie,” Nat said.

            “What about me?” Deb asked.

            Nat smiled.  “You have more teammates to meet.  All of you changed?”

            “I’m not exactly ready to move,” Deb informed them.  “I won’t be ready until this girl reaches the cottage.”

            “I’ll hang back and make sure Deb gets to the right party,” Josh said.

            “There is only one party, Josh,” Wren said dryly.

            “She’s here,” Deb announced.  As Wren pulled open the door, Deb returned to her body and sat up.  “I’ll go out the back.”

            “Meet you there,” Josh said.

            She snatched up her little bag and slipped out the back door.  She heard Nat says, “Welcome back, Janie.”

            “Hey, Deb, how do you get this connection off?  People are starting to stare!”  Zach asked.

            “Just ‘step’ out of the room in your head,” Deb replied.

            One by one she felt them step out, the last was Josh.

            “We simply must do this again some time,” he said as he came around from the front of the cottage.  “Too bad we have to talk.”

            Deb shrugged, “That’s the way it is.  Where can I change?”

            The back door opened onto a screened in porch with a washer dryer combo to one side.  She stopped and blinked.  A water pipe was attached to a tree ten feet up was a showerhead with a long pull chain.  A circle of what looked like curtains was suspended from the tree and encircled the showerhead.  Josh grabbed a cord and the curtains lowered to within a few inches of the sandy grass.  It was opaque.  He pushed one side open for her.

            “While the rest of us guys don’t mind a little peek behind the curtains, Nat was very specific.  Total privacy,” he explained.

            “What about overhead?”

            Josh laughed, “Only Nat’s that tall and you can see him coming a block away.”

            She stepped through and Josh let the curtain drop.  Turning slowly she examined the thing and found it pretty much as advertised.  Around the top ring a series of clothing hooks offered a place to hang things so she stripped down.  From the bag she pulled the pink and white bikini she’d chosen, seemingly much to Wren’s disgust, and pulled it on.  The top was maybe a little small, but it would do.  She pushed open the drape.

            Josh let out a slow whistle.

            “You’re as tan as Nat!?  You a beach bum like him?”

            “Beach bunny,” she replied.  “What do I do about my clothes?”

            “Set them on the washer, and there are probably beach towels in the dryer.”

            She started for the screen door then stopped.

            “Josh … I am sorry I looked into your head,” she said.

            “I know,” he replied with a smile.  “No big deal, not like my life is a huge secret.”

            “I won’t do it again,” she looked down at her feet.

            “Hey, no worries!”

            She set the bag on the washer and found a towel.

            “They live here alone?”

            “Nat and Wren?  Yeah, since day one.  This was Nat’s house growing up.”

            He started for the street that ran behind the house.

            “So he’s from here?”  She realized it was a stupid question.  “What about Wren?”

            “I think she was born in Malibu … you don’t know who she is?”

            “I don’t think so,” Deb said.

            “You remember that movie star and super model that were killed a couple Christmases ago?”

            “Sandura and what’s his name?”

            “Aiden Collins,” replied Josh.

            “Collins.”  No wonder the name had seemed familiar.

            “Yeah, she is their daughter.  And Nat’s mom was killed right there in that cottage the same night.”

            “Oh my god,” Deb whispered.  “Who did it?”

            Josh shrugged.

            “It’s still being investigated.”

            They reached the boardwalk and turned left.  A few dozen yards up the beach, four huge canvas tents had been erected in a square.  All the sides had been rolled up creating a large party area that teamed with people.  A half dozen BBQ grills sat just outside the tents in a line with people adding food as fast as other’s took it off.

            “Why the party?” Deb asked.

            “Who knows?  It is like this, well not this crowded, but every day, almost all year around.”

            “Doesn’t it get cold?”

            “Cold?  You mean like below 50?”  Josh grinned.  “It is San Diego, Debra, 50 IS cold.”

            She’d seen snow on Virginia Beach more than a few times in her life and when winter in Virginia hit, it got below zero regularly.

            “Fifty?”

            “You’re not from around here, are ya?”  Josh grinned.  “Oops, Red’s here, time to introduce you around.  Watch out for Charlie, he’s got roaming hands.”

            A new small crowd was approaching from the street.  Deb counted ten, six girls and four guys.  One surprised her, a young black kid that couldn’t be more than twelve.

            “Who’s the black kid?” she whispered to Josh.

            “That’s Q, the whiz kid.  He’s dad is a rocket scientist and Q’s smarter than him,” Josh replied.  “Unlike the rest of us, his meta power is all brain power.”

            “He doesn’t look very happy to be here …”

            “Probably got dragged away from some super robot death machine he was building.”

            Slater and Alicia met the other group as they reached the boardwalk.  He shook hands with a tall blonde guy with a military style hair cut while she exchanged cheek kisses with an ethereal looking girl with waist length straw blonde hair.

            “Come on, let’s get this over with,” Josh took her hand and pulled her forward.  “Hey guys, this is Debra, our new ‘classmate’.”

            The ethereal girl offered a hand and a welcoming smile, “Mal Tornquist, class … er … leader, and this …” She gestured to the guy with the crew cut. “… Is Mark Law, our vice-leader.”

            “Nice to meet you both,” she replied, taking the offered hand.

            For a brief moment was almost started reading the group but remembered Wren’s warning.  She’d have to go with face-value.

            Mark, at first impression, was over the top military down to the ramrod straight back as they shook hands.  There didn’t seem to be any humor in him at all as he looked her over like a new recruit.  Mal, on the other hand, was open and friendly and regardless of her icy Nordic beauty, quite warm and genuine.  It was Mal who introduced the rest of the team.

            They came and went fast, as most seemed more interested in food that chatting with a new classmate.  Right off the bat she pegged the black girl, Bell, as anti-social and Q didn’t seem much better.  Neither looked like that wanted to be there.  Shannon and Ern she saw instantly as a package deal.  Both were quiet, though Shannon’s quiet was more the shy type while Ern was apparently a man of few words.  Hand in hand they moved off down the beach, head close, talking quietly.  Deb almost followed them but figured her falling out when she drifted out of her body might attract attention.

            “Hey, I’m Rachel,” a tall girl with light brown hair offered a hand, then snatched it out of range.

            “Rach!  Don’t tease the new girl!  I’m Mari.”

            This one offered a hand as well but completed the gesture.  A couple inches taller then Deb, she had black hair streaked with blue nearly a vibrant as Fuji’s. 

            “Just kidding,” Rachel offered her hand again and this time met Deb’s.  “Kind of a reflex for me.”

            “Reflex, my ass, you just like doin’ that shit,” a speaker was a handsome Latino with a smile he knew was wicked.  “Carlos Sentara and you are the hottest girl on this beach!”

            “Keep it in yo pants, Charlie!” Bell snapped.

            Deb bit her lips.  She so wanted to read these two.  Even she could see some kind of tension there.

            “I’m Kari,” the final girl said, her Texas accent almost Deb’s own Southern drawl.  “Where y’all from?”

            “Virginia,” Deb replied.

            “Thank God, I am so tired of Yankees,” Kari said this with a grin.

            “You think they have any real sweet tea?” Deb said a little wistfully.

            “Honey, don’t hold your breath, but the lemonade’s not bad.”