Awakening Book One of the Trust Series - By J. E. Swift Page 0,52

Caitlyn had no reason to believe they would not be alright. But right now, the young woman needed to focus on the day ahead of her. She was not about to disappoint her new mentor because of distractions in her personal life.

After the dinner with his family, Declan had asked Caitlyn if she wanted to start training a couple of days early. She had readily agreed to meet him at one of the older buildings on the outskirts of the compound. When Caitlyn walked through the door that morning, it was quickly apparent that no one had been in this particular building for some time. Her feet echoed eerily down the hall as she made her way to the room where Declan had asked her to meet him. She shivered slightly from the chill, as this building was not heated. Garrett had always either trained with Caitlyn outside on the nicer days or inside the comfort of the new facilities. He always insisted that she be comfortable while training.

When she entered the room, it was apparent that Declan viewed things differently. The room was cold and stark, a deep contrast to the Trust’s main headquarters. It was painted a dull gray and the only light came from a window that was in desperate need of a good washing. Caitlyn noted that there were two chairs facing each other in the middle of the room but that was it for furnishings. Sighing, she took a seat and waited for her new mentor to come. Several minutes later, she heard a small popping sound and Declan walked towards her to the middle of the room. He wore a light gray sweater, with dark gray slacks. She smirked as she thought how it made him almost blend into the room.

Declan took the other seat available, twirling it around so he could rest his arms and chin on the back. He looked at her for a moment, cocking his head in thought, before smiling. “Good Morning.”

Caitlyn couldn’t help but be a little arrogant. She crossed her arms playfully. “Good Morning? Where the hell are we and why are we here?”

Declan chuckled. “Well, aren’t you a bright ray of sunshine? We are in the old training facilities that have not been used in thirty years. Why is because I don’t want us disturbed. There is not anything here to distract you from what you need to focus on. There is no nature, no comforts of home, or no certain people to take away your concentration.”

She came to realize quickly that his training methods would be very different from Garrett’s. She grudgingly admitted that it sounded like it might be conducive to training, albeit boring. “Okay, then. So what are you going to teach me?”

Declan stood up. He looked pleased that she was direct with her lines of questioning. “We are starting with mind blocking.”

Caitlyn couldn’t suppress her self-assured tone. “Hate to bust your bubble, but I already know how to do that. We need to move on.”

Declan grinned in response. “So confident, aren’t we? No, you know the basics of mind blocking. What I am going to make you understand is that the mind of an Actual is like an onion. There are many, many layers to uncover. There are many different ways to block one’s mind, just as there are many different ways of breaking into one’s mind. You know how to block the most direct way of someone invading your thoughts; it’s the way most Actuals know how to figure out what someone is thinking and how to do telepathy. You would have no idea how to block my father, Lionel, and me from entering your thoughts, along with many others who are especially skilled at telepathy. There are many crevices in the brain and we can sneak around and find the cracks that are lying there ready to be manipulated. If you get someone who has particular skill, serious damage can be done. We are starting with the basics that Garrett taught you and building upon them.”

Caitlyn mused on this. “If that was true, why didn’t Garrett teach me that? He is able to perform projectile telepathy; surely he has the ability to get past a basic block if what you state is true.”

Declan shrugged. “He does. Being a projectile telepathist makes him particularly adept at breaking through a block. With that said though, most people don’t think it is worth the effort and he probably was saving it for the end