Chapter 4: Oliver's Story II

Oliver woke up with a headache. He always woke up with a headache. Even before he had come to the clearing. As long as he could remember, he had a headache. He would wake with a headache and then the voices would come. It was because of the voices that he was in the clearing. Nicole was with him again. She handed him a couple of bananas and a grapefruit. This was her idea of breakfast. She had either already eaten or wasn't hungry, since she just sat crossed legged on the grass with her eyes closed. He guessed that she was meditating. She had long brown hair and brown eyes, though he couldn't see them right now. She wore a light tan peasant top, like the one she wore yesterday, and brown knee length pants. A pair of sandals were sitting beside her, she has taken them off before sitting.

She opened her eyes as he finished eating and smiled at him. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Sure."

"Ally will join us later today, so that you can practice with an accessible mind nearby. I must warn you though, it may be unpleasant."

"Why?"

"Ally can be very crude and unpleasant. Her thoughts will most likely be dark."

"You mean, she's a bitch."

"Please do not be vulgar", Nicole said quickly. "Ally is purposely abrasive in order to get a negative reaction from people. She has a good soul though, and will do anything for a person that she considers a friend."

"I don't get it, why does she do that?"

Nicole looked at him for a moment, then asked, "Oliver, how would you feel if you could get anything you wanted? If everyone you ever met fell in love with you and would do anything and everything to make you happy?"

"That would be great!"

"MMnnn yes", she said dubiously. "How would you feel if they all felt that way because you were forcing them to. The only thoughts and desires they have are what you give them. Their opinions, their dreams, their mood, wants, hopes, dreams, loves, hates are only what you force them to have."

"Umm."

"Everyone agrees with you because you force them to. Everyone loves you because you force them to."

"Uhhh."

"Now, how would you feel if you could not prevent it from happening."

"That doesn't sound so hot anymore", he agreed dejectedly.

"The greatest thing we could do to Alicia is to disagree with her, because no one else has ever been able to."

"You mean,... she's always been like this?"

"Since she was approximately eleven, yes. Until now. For some reason, she is unable to effect Espers."

"Waitaminute... what's a vesper?"

"Esper, Oliver. That is what you are. That is what we are."

"But...", Nicole cut him off before he could finish his question.

"Oliver, we have a lot of work to do. Could we postpone the interrogation to a less time critical day?"

"I guess."

"Excellent. Sit. Relax... and concentrate."

- What have I gotten myself into? -

For the next couple of hours, Oliver worked on his control. He could feel his range had gotten bigger again, he was getting better at pulling it back in, but it didn't make a difference. It seemed that the more progress he made, the bigger it got. So, even though he was pulling it in faster, there was so much more that it still took the same amount of time and energy.

This wasn't gonna work. He told Nicole his thoughts.

"This ain't working."

"I know the slow progress is frustrating Oliver, but you have made good progress so far."

"You don't get it Nicole. The only thing this training has done is made it stronger."

"That is to be expected, but if you continue...", Oliver cut her off.

"NO! It's getting WORSE not better. Yesterday I was here with you all day. ALL FRICKING DAY! And you know what I heard in my head? ME! JUST ME! Now I've three idiots in my head going over mating schedules and birthing rates! I don't know what they're talking about, but I can give you the figures if you want. It's getting worse!" Oliver started to cry. "I was so happy yesterday when I got here. It was quiet. It was heaven. Now... now It's like... like it's starting over again. But I know that's only cause I'm here. If I go back out there...", he couldn't finish; he was crying too hard. Arms wrapped around him and he threw his around Nicole, crying onto her shoulder. "I wish I were dead."

"Shhh, Oliver. We will think of something. We will figure this out. I need you to be strong. Do not give up on me, for I do not intend to give up on you."

"OK."

>>We will... we will... ROCK YOU!<<

"Someone's coming", he told Nicole.

"Who?"

"I dunno. They got a Queen song stuck in their head."

"Well, considering your growing effective radius, it may be sometime before they arrive. Wait, how do you know that someone is coming here?"

"Every time the chorus rolls around they... I dunno... sound closer. I can even tell that they are coming from the parking lot. And they don't know all the words."

"Oliver... were you able to distinguish direction and volume before our training?"

"No."

"Oliver, this is definite progress. Try and isolate those thoughts. See if you can focus your concentration on just the person approaching."

Oliver settled back and closed his eyes. He heard the three people from before, and now this new one. He tried to focus on the new thought, concentrating on it, tried to ignore the other three.

It didn't work.

He wrestled with the problem for a bit and then remembered what Nicole had told him. -I am blocking you-. Was it really that easy?

Then... there it was. One thought. One. Not four like there should be. One. The other three were still there, but muted. They were shut out, shut up, blocked. He listened to the one thought in his head, but couldn't tell who it was, only where. And it was getting louder, closer. And it was still singing. Only now it a song by the Kinks, not Queen. But it was odd. It was a little different from the others. It echoed. He'd never heard a thought that echoed before. Almost like the thought was repeating itself after a split second. Odd. But still one and not four.

"Nicole... I did it."

"Really?"

"Unless the other three guys all had simultaneous heart attacks... yeah."

Over the next 20 minutes, Nicole had him working hard. First, she had him stop so all the thoughts were back to see if he could do it again. He could. He was surprised at how easy it was once he knew how to do it. She had him do this three more times. Once for each person in his range. Oliver noted that only the new one was echoing. Then Nicole had him try to switch to a different thought without bringing them all back. That wasn't quite as easy, but he managed. Next she had him try and focus on two thoughts at the same time. THAT was easy.

Without opening his eyes he told Nicole, "They're here", he opened his eyes and saw her looking over his shoulder.

"Ally, how unexpected. What are you doing here?"

"Jenny called her", Oliver said.

"Jenny fucking called me, douche drinker. Said you were fucking ready for me."

"Nicole, who's Jenny?"

"You will meet her soon enough Oliver. Ally, if you could join us please?" Nicole patted the grass beside her.

"No thanks quim queen, I'll sit next to the cum guzzler here", Oliver looked over at Alicia and saw the woman who drove them yesterday standing behind her.

-Waitaminute, three guys from earlier plus Alicia makes four. Who's the lady and why can't I hear her- Oliver dropped his block and four thoughts flooded his mind. Not five. Then he remembered what Nicole told him about Alicia.

-Their opinions, their dreams, their mood, wants, hopes, dreams, loves, hates are only what you force them to have. -

-Not four thoughts. Four thoughts and an echo. This woman doesn't have any thoughts of her own. She has Alicia's thoughts.-

-Nope, - Oliver thought, -doesn't sound so hot at all.-

With the arrival of Alicia and what she called her slave, Nicole's instruction became more difficult. No, that's not true. They became impossible.

"I can't do it, Nicole"

"Yeah, disco dyke, he can't do it."

"First of all Ally, you used that one already. Secondly, you are not helping", Nicole turned back to Oliver. "You must believe that you can in order to succeed. If you expect failure, you will fail."

"Yeah, but, I don't even understand what your telling me to do."

"Once you have isolated her mind, concentrated harder and delve deeper. Feel more than just her surface thoughts."

"I don't even know what 'delve' means"

"Dig. Drop. Descend. Submerge. Lower."

"But there's nothing to dig or drop into. It's just a thought. It's either there or it's not."

"Oliver, there is a mind behind that thought, a personality, a whole life of memories. You need to feel your way into the deepest part of the mind to access all of this."

She wasn't getting him. Oliver tried to explain it to her the way she explained it to him. "Nicole, remember your candle in the dark room? Well, you're trying to get me to figure out the lighter when there are no candles in the fricking house."

"But Oliver, you do realize that there is a mind behind these thoughts do you not?"

"'Course I do. But I can't 'feel' it or hear it or see it or find it. I just hear thoughts. That's all. I've been concentrating on Ally..."

"That's 'Alicia', rump ranger"

"... for half an hour and all I've managed to do is memorize the words to 'Benny and the Jets'!" He turned to Alicia, "And can you please try to think of something else?"

"What, you don't fucking like Elton John? I thought all you fucking prick polishers liked each other."

"Stop fricking calling me names.

"Ally, you may wish to consider restraining yourself where Oliver is concerned."

"Fuck you. I say and do what I want."

"Ally... please."

"Whatever... Fucking baby."

"Thank you Ally. Oliver, let's try something else."

Nicole had him try to 'see' Alicia's thoughts instead of 'hearing' them. He understood what she wanted. She wanted him to see through Alicia's eyes. He didn't think it would work. It didn't. Not for lack of trying though. She had him try for a couple of hours before she gave up. Next, she had him try and project his thoughts to Alicia. That worked a little better. He was at it for almost an hour, trying to send a tongue twister to Alicia.

"Fuck Nicole. I keep thinking of peters, pipes, pricks and peckers. You got dick on the brain, Olive?"

"That was supposed to be 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers'."

Alicia starred at him in disbelief for a few seconds, then she started to laugh. And laugh. And laugh. She laughed so hard she had trouble breathing and tears leaked out of her eyes.

Oliver just stared at her. It wasn't all that funny. Even Nicole giggled a little bit at it.

"Poor Alicia, hoist by her own petard."

Through her laughter she squeaked out, "You mean by 'by my own PETER!" And laughed even harder.

"I don't get it."

"Do not concern yourself, Oliver. Alicia is simply being herself. Perhaps it would be best to retire for lunch while she composes herself."

With that, Nicole began producing apples, pears, and other fruity things. He was just glad she didn't bring any brussel sprouts or spinach. He didn't mind only eating fruits, but he would kill for a bologna sandwich right about now. Alicia calmed down when he was halfway through his apple.

"Oh, fuck, Olive. You got me good on that one. Just remember, paybacks a bitch, and so am I."

"But I didn't do anything."

"Never you mind, Oliver. Finish eating so we may continue."

"Yeah, and no more dick thoughts!"

Over the next few hours, Oliver got better at projecting his thoughts to Alicia. He sent images of overflowing sinks and bathtubs. Rivers and streams. Waterfalls and rainfalls. Finally with a not too harsh "Fuck You, Olive", Alicia went into the trees to relieve herself while Oliver laughed and Nicole looked on confused. Next, Nicole had Oliver try to relay thoughts from one person to another. Oliver searched without dropping his block and was a little surprised to discover six other thoughts within his range. He dropped his block and found that they were softer that the original three so he knew that the new ones did not come within his range. It was still getting stronger. He raised his block and isolated one to let through.

"OK Nicole, I got one, but my range jumped again. It's still getting stronger."

"That is fine Oliver. You know now how to protect yourself."

"But won't it get harder as it gets stronger?"

It was Alicia who answered him, not Nicole. "You know how long it takes to boil a fucking egg?"

"Um... no"

"'Bout eight fucking minutes. You know how long it takes to boil 10 eggs?"

"Um... eighty minutes?"

"Fuck no. Takes eight minutes. You know how long it fucking takes to boil one hundred eggs?"

"Eight minutes?"

"Fucking right it does."

"OK... I don't get it."

"What Alicia is trying to say is that once you have the methodology intact, the number of targets becomes a non issue", then she turned to Alicia. "I was not aware that you knew how to boil and egg."

"I don't, sapphic slut", she shrugged. "Just know how long it takes."

Sighing and turning back to Oliver, "Begin when you are prepared, Oliver. Try to send one of the other subjects thoughts instead of your own. I want you to try to send it directly and not relay the thought to Alicia.

That was hard. He ended up echoing the thoughts more often than not. He felt like he was making progress when Alicia had him stop.

"Pick someone else, Olive. If I have to hear one more fucking report about animals fucking, I will fucking kill you."

"Sorry, Ally."

"It's Alicia, butt puncher."

"It's Oliver, potty mouth."

"Ass bandit."

"Toilet talker."

"Cock craver."

"Spoiled bitch."

>>You are a spoiled bitch.<< Came Alicia's thought to Oliver.

"Fuck you, Oliver", she said softly.

"Ally, Oliver? Let's take a little break. Oliver I want you to practice your meditation while I talk to Alicia."

He didn't want to meditate. He wanted to try again, but the girls went into a huddle a bit away. He could have easily listened in on Alicia's part of the conversation, but figured if they wanted him to hear, they would have stayed close. 'Sides, they were both helping him. And they didn't have to. Even Alicia, who didn't seem to like him at all was helping him. He couldn't figure her out at all. So he started sending random numbers to the guys (truth be told, he didn't know they were guys, it just made it easier to think of them as guys) working on their mating reports. Thoroughly screwing them up. Then he tried doing what he was attempting with Alicia to them. Sending one persons thoughts to another. The girls seemed really involved with whatever they were talking about, so he had enough time to, again, almost make it.

"Oliver? It is getting late. Let us attempt this one last time before we retire for the evening."

Another fifteen minutes and he was able send simple thoughts to Alicia from one of the guys.

"Excellent, Oliver. I am exceptionally pleased with your progress. Let us begin back to the parking lot."

He paled at the thought of going into the city. Thousands upon thousands of thoughts in his head. All screaming for attention.

"Relax and concentrate, Oliver. You can do this. Do not concern yourself. We still have the pills if it comes to that, but I do not think you will require them."

"Eight fucking minutes, Oliver. One egg or a hundred. Still takes only eight fucking minutes."

They headed out after Alicia corralled her slave. After ten or so minutes Oliver could hear more and more thoughts come into his range as he got closer to civilization. He started to panic.

"Take it fucking easy, Oliver. Remember one, ten, a hundred. Don't make no difference. Just throw them into the pot. Let the fuckers boil."

Oliver started throwing his blocks up as new minds came into range. Alicia was right. It didn't make a difference. As new thoughts came flooding in faster, he just 'threw them into the pot'.

"Let 'em fricking boil", he quoted Alicia.

Both girls kept encouraging him as they walked out of the preserve. He even threw up a block for Alicia. Since they were no longer training, he didn't feel right listening to her thoughts anymore. Besides, she had some disco thing in her head now. When they made it to the parking lot, Alicia sent her slave to start the car. She turned to Oliver. Nicole was looking at him too. They both looked concerned. He smiled at both of them and tapped his head.

"All alone in here."

"Excellent, shall we then?"

"Fucking aye, let's go."

They drove to the hotel in silence. When they arrived, Alicia herded her slave in the room as Nicole and Oliver followed.

"Ally, you may use the shower first."

"All right. Don't count on me leaving you any fucking hot water", with that she disappeared into the bathroom with her robe.