Chapter 4

Although they could only talk briefly in the hall, they could communicate thoughts all day. It was lunchtime before they got to sit down together. As soon as they were settled, Mary joined them. Mary, of course, wanted to know everything that had happened to Chris.

“I think we have a slight problem.” Chris thought.

“I bet I can guess her name is Mary.” James thought.

“Worse, she was my first girlfriend.” Chris thought.

“Am I missing something here?” James thought.

A mental image of Chris and Mary in a sixty-nine entered James’ head.

“Oh, she will be your first girlfriend?” James thought.

“No, she is my current girlfriend. I mean, at this time, we are involved like that.” Chris thought.

“Oh, I see.” James thought.

“I just bet you would like to see it.” Chris thought.

“Maybe later, the first time. I want it to be just the two of us.” James thought.

“So when are we going to Boston Seafood?” Chris thought.

“After mom and dad let me drive again.” James thought.

“Oh, I forgot. Shit! I have to retake the driving test.” Chris thought.

Mary said, “Earth to Chris, where are you, Chris?”

“Oh, sorry, Mary.” Chris thought. Mary’s eyes went wide.

“How did you do that? I didn’t even see your lips move.” Mary said.

“Oh crap, I have no idea how I did that.” Chris thought.

Mary was wide-eyed as Chris looked at James.

“Don’t look at me. I am just as new at it as you are.” James thought.

“Hay, how are you two doing that?” Mary said.

“Well, now what do we tell her?” Chris thought.

“Try speaking. This is starting to freak me out,” Mary said, looking like she was about to bolt.

Chris asked, “Mary, do you believe in ESP?”

Mary looked at the two of them. She wanted to tell them they were both nuts, but she held back out of curiosity and shook her head no.

Chris said, “Well, ever since we ran into each other in the hall, we have been linked mentally.”

Mary’s eyes went wide.

James said, “We are still trying to figure it all out. But you are the first person that can hear us.”

Mary had a puzzled expression on her face. Then, she seemed to come to a decision. And she thought. “Well, if you can read my mind, tell me what I am thinking.” Then she thought of something she figured neither of them could guess. She thought of the three of them in bed together, having sex.

“If that’s what you want, I might share him with you.” Chris thought.

“Hay, don’t I get a say in this.” James thought.

Both girls thought, “No.”

Then Mary said, “Oh my god, that is so cool. Just wait till I tell my dad about this.”

Chris and James both went catatonic. Mary’s father was a reporter with a local TV station.

Chris said, “Mary, don’t you like me?”

Mary said, “Well, yes, girlfriend, I do.”

Chris said, “Then listen, you can never tell anyone about this.”

Mary said, “Why, you two could be famous?”

James said, “Mary, the government would come to take us away and do awful experiments on us if they learned of this.”

Mary said, “No, they wouldn’t do that to the two of you.”

James said, “No, Mary, you’re not following here. You can hear our thoughts as well. They would do it to you as well.”

“Now, why would they do anything to me?” asked Mary. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized she was part of it.

“See what we mean?” Chris asked.

Mary said, “I think so, but why can I hear you and no one else?”

“We have no idea; maybe you are a latent telepath or something like that,” James said.

“A what?” Mary asked.

“You may be just like us, but you never knew it before now,” Chris said.

“This is so confusing,” Mary said.

“Tell us about it,” Chris said.

Mary momentarily looked into Chris’s eyes and seemed to go into a trance. It was weird, in a way. Shortly, Chris looked like she was in the same trance as Mary. James looked at the two of them and started to worry. Then he, too, entered a trance-like state with them. Strangely, no one around them noticed it. Maybe it was because they were so quiet that no one was paying attention.

Inside the trance-like state, it was another story altogether. They all became one mind, viewing each other’s memories.

“My God” Was Mary’s only independent thought. Everything else was the culmination and combined knowledge of over 150 years of experience and existence. “This is amazing,” was the general conscience of the three minds. They became like they were of one mind, one collective mind processing the histories of all the others, each learning everything about the other.

The bell rang, ending lunch hour. Although their minds registered that it was time to go, they couldn’t break the link holding them in the trance.

It wasn’t until James felt a hand on his shoulder that the trance link broke.

“You guys, Ok.” Tim was asking. It was his hand on James’ shoulder. Ben and Danny were standing next to him.

“Oh yes, sorry, I was lost in thought,” James said.

Tim said, “Looks like you were all lost in thought.”

Danny said, “It’s the twilight zone.” Then he started to hum the theme song.

Ben and Tim chuckled, and the three joined them in laughing. It was like somehow they all agreed that they should do so.

Tim said, “Well, I don’t know about that, but it did look strange.”

“To tell the truth, it was very Twilight Zone-ish,” James said.

The two-minute warning bell went off.

“Well, we all better hurry off to class,” Mary said.

The group broke up and was off. At least they all made it to their respective classes on time.

James was in study hall when he heard, “Does this mean we are a triad?” It was Mary’s thought.

Chris responded, “Sounds like a plan to me.”

James was just so shocked that he thought, “But we haven’t had sex yet.”

“Oh, poor boy, you’ll get yours as soon as we both get some good seafood.” Chris thought.

“Great, Dad will kill me when he sees the credit card bill,” James replied.

“At least your dad gave you one.” Mary thought.

“Well, that is true. Then again, I am not a shopper like the two of you.” James thought.

“The Mall!!” Their girls’ thoughts came in unison.

“Has anyone noticed that this mind stuff no longer bothers us?” James thought.

“Must be a male thing.” Chris thought.

Mary replied, “Yes, a very male thing.”

“Now, how in the world is this like a male thing?” James thought.

“Not the link, the shopping remark.” The thoughts of both girls came at him simultaneously.

“Oh!” James replied.

The rest of the day, they badgered each other like they had been married for a lifetime. They were so comfortable becoming with each other in the link that no one worried about why or how. It was good enough that it was, and that was all that mattered in the here and now.

Saturday, the big day finally came. James still found it hard to believe that the three were a triad. Rumors were going around school that the three of them had “gone weird.” Well, those were the rumors. Besides, as the three of them learned to use their newfound gift on those around them, they could see jealousy and envy at the root of all of it.

Only two inmates trapped in the school system around them were worrisome. Danny was evil, they decided, and so was a girl named Beth Swan. She made Danny look like an angel in comparison. Fortunately, Beth was not part of their circle of friends.

James picked up the girls in his dad’s old car, and they drove around a bit to show off before heading to the Boston Seafood restaurant. They got there before the rush and were seated very quickly. Then again, maybe the 50 James had slipped the matre’d.