Chapter 6: Speech

Jaime

FOR JAIME, high school proved to be more complicated than all his schooling before. It was good that he got to choose a portion of his own classes and tested into more advanced levels in others. He especially liked math. He was moved directly into an advanced algebra class, having already completed algebra and geometry in middle school.

The core curriculum in high school was dictated by the state. This included English language, biology, human geography, Spanish, and physical education. Jaime chose computer science for his special four-year emphasis and, because he was already proficient with computer basics, moved straight to the second level honors course.

Some teachers objected to having a student who could not participate verbally. David helped Jaime navigate the high school enrollment process by interviewing teachers for each of his classes. Math, science, and computer science classes were the easiest to enroll in. Taking a formal Spanish language course was the most difficult. The teacher was uncertain how she could assess his language skill without hearing him speak the words.

Jaime showed he was able to type his answers to questions in Spanish and the teacher agreed to assess him on written skills instead of verbal skills. Ultimately, the teacher was inspired to study Spanish sign language and began including it in her lessons. Jaime was pleased with this course because four of his friends from kindergarten were in it with him. They were all fluent in ASL and the four had taught Jaime many Spanish phrases over the years.

Focusing on his own thoughts was an effective means of blocking the thoughts of others. When he was particularly focused on a geometry problem, for example, or researching the circulatory system for biology, other mental voices faded away and all he could hear distinctly were his own thoughts.

If, however, he found himself daydreaming, he could become caught up in the thoughts of another person. He didn’t want to become a head voyeur, but some people were difficult to turn away from. He heard a student speaking enthusiastically about playing a basketball game, for example, and at the next game, rode in the mind of that student as he played. He found a new appreciation for the sport as the player focused on the game and devoted all his energy single-mindedly to playing his best and winning.

Jaime realized he had depended on his telepathy or mind reading all his life, but had never spent time studying it or improving it. Riding in the mind of the basketball player had shown him that it was just as possible to shut out everyone else by focusing on this one person as it was when he focused on his own thoughts. He thought of it as fine-tuning a radio when there were other stations nearby that interfered with the signal. It required a great deal of thought to develop the talent further.

On the other hand, he had encountered the thoughts of a person that was so strongly directed toward him that Jaime believed at first he was actually in a mental conversation with the boy. It didn’t take too long, however, to realize that even though the thoughts were about him, the speaker didn’t hear him respond.

God, I’d like to tap that! I wonder if I could make Zipper Lips scream if I fucked his ass. Shit. I’m getting hard. I need to get out of the shower. Fuck!

«Hey! Cool it man! I’m not interested!» Jaime thought to him.

I don’t dare say anything. I’m not out and the other guys would crucify me if they knew. I wonder if he’s a little bit gay. Or bi?

«I’m not either. I don’t care if you are. Really. I’m just not interested.»

Jaime was getting angry when he realized he was figuratively talking to thin air. The boy with the lustful thoughts couldn’t hear him. Jaime really had no right to police other people’s thoughts, even when they were about him. He untangled his mind from the other’s thoughts and dressed.

‘Zipper Lips.’ By the end of his freshman year, many students he had classes with had figured out his name sign and referred to him as Zipper Lips. It didn’t really amount to an insult. He’d chosen the name sign himself. Even his friends called him ‘Zip’ when they spoke aloud to him. A fond nickname, he supposed, just as he sometimes called Juan ‘Mex.’ Of course, Jaime only did that in his mind and in the sign, but he quickly equated the two.

The two boys and two girls he’d maintained friendship with from kindergarten on, often met to study together. Their only shared class was Spanish, but they studied other subjects at one or another’s home as well. During their time studying together, Jaime became aware that Mex and Cheery were acting strangely. It took a few minutes to realize the two had begun hanging out together and were thinking loving thoughts about each other. Jaime quickly separated himself from their thoughts. He was determined not to become a voyeur on his friends.

Cheery’s real name was Letitia Rodrigues. They were not allowed to study at her house while her mother was at work, but Mex always walked her home after their study sessions. Letitia meant ‘Joy’ in Spanish. It was an appropriate name for the bubbly girl. Her name sign was the sign for ‘cheerful.’ Jaime was kind of fond of her, too, but he would never interfere in his friends’ relationship. He didn’t find any of the same kinds of thoughts toward him in Cheery’s head as she had of Mex. His other two study partners held no such thoughts about anyone.

Jaime had to constantly practice shielding his own thoughts from others. If he could hear people’s thought without them knowing it, it seemed likely that someone else could possibly do the same thing. He began to define his own set of words to explain what he experienced.

Out-loud voice was what other people used to talk to each other with their mouths. Inside voice was what people used in their heads. Most people had an inside voice, but he didn’t think anyone was aware that it could be heard by a head talker, like him. They were head deaf and didn’t hear anyone else’s thoughts, so why would they even consider that someone else could hear their thoughts.

He’d long ago begun to identify the thoughts of individuals from each other, just as his ears could tell the difference between people’s out-loud voices. Sometimes, however, it took him a bit to figure out who a new or different head taste belonged to.

And finally, when Jaime read another person’s thoughts, he considered himself a head voyeur. He wondered if everyone was born with the ability to talk in their heads, but learned to shut it out so effectively and so quickly they never realized they had it to start with.

That was the start of Jaime’s investigation of whether it was even possible to awaken a person’s head sense if the proper trigger could be found. Jaime imagined himself teaching his friends to communicate with their heads like they did with their hands. He started reading everything he could find about telepathic science and theory.

Jaime and Wendy

“How was your date with Donny?” Jaime overheard in the school hall. The girls were right behind him, so he couldn’t help but hear them talking.

“I swear, all boys ever think about is sports. And probably sex, but the only thing they talk about is sports. And if that’s all he can talk about, he can forget about sex,” Wendy Anderson, a girl in Jaime’s sophomore chemistry class said. She was one of his lab partners, so he could recognize her voice anytime. She never seemed to shut up. He wondered how she knew what Donny could talk about. Jaime was sure she never listened.

“Told you so,” Cheryl, the friend, chided her.

“I don’t know how a boy ever expects to get to first base if he can’t open his mouth without quoting a sports statistic. ‘Brock Moore ran for 218 yards in last Sunday’s game.’ ‘Mason Graham passed for three touchdowns.’ ‘They should trade worthless Grady O’Brien and get a good tight end.’ Can you imagine listening to that crap all through the movie? No thanks.”

“See you at lunch. Maybe we can spot a good one if we go hunting together,” Cheryl said as they parted ways at the chemistry lab.

They joined their other two lab partners as Mr. McConnell gave them the experiment they were to conduct and told them to be sure to wear their safety glasses. Jaime found it hard to focus on the teacher’s words because he became caught up in Wendy’s internal monologue.

Safety glasses! There goes everyone’s sex appeal. Damned Donny. If he’d listened to me, he’d have gotten more than a goodnight kiss.

Jaime could see in her replay of the Saturday night events that Wendy never had any intention of letting Donny have more. He was willing to pay for the movie and popcorn, so she was willing to grace him with her presence.

With the help of their lab partners, they managed to get the experiment set up and listened to the next set of instructions.

I need the strong silent type, Wendy thought. The image in her mind was of a movie star with a ripped body who didn’t say much.

Maybe I should try Zip. He’s certainly silent. Not particularly ripped. Not bad looking, though. Wonder what he packs in his pants.

The team paused in their experiment to each write down the steps in their composition books. Jaime noticed his lab partners all printed their notes in block letters of varying neatness. His precisely penned Spencerian script was a stark contrast.