Red houses and pewter figurines went flying when a calico kitten jumped into the middle of the Monopoly board.
Teri squealed and Richard jerked back. “Gah! Cat! I was winning.”
Teri laughed. “No, you weren’t.”
“I had Park Place and Boardwalk! That cat cost me the game.”
“Adrian had three monopolies. There were only two squares we could land on to pay you, and you didn’t even have hotels yet. The odds were against you.”
Richard grunted.
“I can set the board up exactly like it was if you want,” Teri said. “But we both know Adrian was going to win.” She smiled. “I've never had much luck with dice.”
Adrian picked up the kitten. Teri had named her Callie. She purred as he held her to his chest and stroked her. “Well, maybe we can start a new game,” he said. “Or play something else. What do you want to do, Teri?”
Her gaze dropped. He’d been so nice to her. They all had. But she couldn’t stop thinking about Ruddy and Xeke. “Maybe ... maybe I can see my friends now? If they’re back, I mean.”
Adrian sighed. “Teri—they’re not back. I’m not sure when they’ll be back.”
“You told me they’d be back in a day or two!”
He shook his head. “I said they told me they’d be back in a few days.”
“But you didn’t believe them, did you?” Her voice was monotone. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It was too soon to know for sure. Please don’t be upset. Sometimes people say things they don’t mean so they don’t hurt others.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Teri frowned. “I’m not eight. You don’t have to talk to me like I’m stupid.”
“I’m sorry,” Adrian said.
“No. I’m sorry. But how could they leave me like that? What did I do?” Her eyes swept from Richard to Adrian.
“That’s not important right now,” Adrian said.
“Stop coddling me,” Teri said. “I can handle it. It’s the not knowing that’s tearing me up.”
“Honestly?” Adrian said. “They were terrified of you when they got here. When they learned about Richard, I think it saved them from having to make a hard choice.”
“What kind of choice?” Teri whispered.
Adrian sighed. “There’s a reason for all this.” He pointed to the handcuffs. “Mentalists have—well, let’s just say you have a lot more to deal with than the rest of us.”
Teri nodded.
”Sometimes mentalists lose touch. And if they’re strong enough, there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Except ...”
Teri looked at Richard. “Except someone like you.”
“Right,” Richard said.
“You aren’t the first mentalist we’ve had here,” Adrian said. “Danny was a mess when he arrived. He lived here for nearly two years. But we let him start using his powers again too soon, before he’d dealt with his guilt. He lost control again, did terrible things. I feel for Corey and your friends. What we had to do about Danny was a tough choice, but I think deep down he wanted it. He knew it was too late. It isn’t too late for you.”
“What did you do to him?” Teri asked. She didn’t take her eyes off Richard.
Richard stared at his hands. “He was my best friend. But I let ... I let him get to a bad place. There was nothing we could do. He went crazy. I had to ...”
“That’s enough, Richard,” Adrian said. “Don’t do this to yourself.”
Richard turned his head away.
“Danny was like a brother to all of us,” Adrian said. “We’re a family in Cloudcroft. What happened to him ... well, we promised we’d never let it happen to anyone else.”
Adrian reached across the table and put his hand on Teri’s. "Richard’s gift is that he can keep the rest of us safe while we learn to use our powers. He can help us when we lose control. With him, we have options that your friends didn’t have.”
Lose control. Teri remembered what she’d done to Amelia and shuddered.
“I promised your friends we’d help you, Teri. Corey said they’d try to come back for you. I can’t control that. But you have a place here with us as long as you want.”
Teri tried to say something, but tears came instead. She buried her head in Richard’s shoulder.
He put his arm around her and held her. “Oh, no. Don’t cry. Everything’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
