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RIGHT AFTER MY STINT in The Hole, Haniel sends me to another test. Every so often, the Archangel recruits get together to practice mind reading, which is a basic skill for any Archangel. I've perfected it, more or less, but today is a little different. While others try to read our minds, we're supposed to block them.
First, I'm paired up with a new Archangel recruit named Amara. I feel bad, because she's literally been an Archangel trainee for six days. I, on the other hand, am almost finished with my training. I don't know why Haniel paired us up. She's either giving me an easy win, or she's giving Amara a big challenge.
“Hi...” Amara slides into the seat across from me, her shoulders slumping. She doesn't look much like an Archangel. She's small and short, with worried eyes and fidgeting hands. It's hard to imagine her driving a spear through a demon. “I'm Amara.”
“I'm Kaylene.” I thrust out a hand, and when she takes it, I swear I can feel her trembling.
“I know who you are. Everyone does,” Amara says. “I guess that's why I'm a little bit... intimidated.”
“Don't be.” I try to warm her with a smile, but the worry lines stay firmly on her face. “A few years ago, I was just like you. No one knew who I was, and most of my partners were people I looked up to. A few years from now, you'll be the person who intimidates other people when she walks into the room.”
“You think so?”
It's hard to imagine that, because the Amara I see today is the opposite of intimidating, but I'm trying to be encouraging. “Yeah. I do.”
“So, um...” Amara glances around the room, at all the other paired recruits. There are about sixty of us, each with different levels of experience. “What are we supposed to do, exactly?”
“I try to read your mind, you try to read my mind. At the same time, we're supposed to try to block each other.”
“How?” Amara whines, but she's already too late. I'm in her head, hearing all her thoughts.
“I don't know how to read a spirit's mind! The quartz crystal doesn't work. Why isn't anyone showing me how to do this? I think I'm in over my head. I would have been better off as an Archangel's secretary. Gabriel was looking for one. Maybe it's not too late?”
“Girl, you're way too good to be a secretary,” I tell her.
“You heard that?” Amara shrieks, hiding behind her hands.
“Well... yeah. That is the point of these tests.” I give her another smile. I'm usually not as smiley as my mom, but the poor girl looks like she needs one. “If you need help, why don't you ask Archangel Haniel? She's a lot more patient than Jophiel was.”
Amara replies with the tiniest, “Okay.”
I read her mind at least three more times before we change partners, and I'm pretty confident she didn't hear a single thought in my head. I feel bad for Amara, though. I remember how overwhelmed I was when I was a new recruit. Archangel training is a lot different from spirit guide school.
When my next partner drifts to my table, I have to consciously keep a straight face. It's Taishi Nakamura. I'm paired with him a lot, and he looks handsomer every time I see him.
“Hello again, Kaylene,” he greets me as he sits.
“Konnichiwa, Nakamura-san.” I always greet him in Japanese, even though I don't know if I'm saying it right. He has yet to correct me, so I guess I'm not mincing his native language. “Do you think you'll have any more success today?”
Taishi shakes his head. “Doubtful.”
“It's okay. I've gotten good at blocking people,” I console him. “Besides, you've still got awhile to practice.”
“It'll be sad when you're not around anymore,” Taishi says.
“Nah. When I'm gone, that just means you'll be able to beat everyone,” I answer with a wink.
Rather than read each other's minds at the same time, Taishi and I decide to take turns. I practice my telepathy first. Taishi tries to prevent me from entering his mind, but he can't. I hear every thought in his head, and almost all of them are about Leigh, his girlfriend. I've only met her once or twice, because Taishi and I rarely see each other outside of practice. I wish I could hang out with him. I wish that more than he knows.
He could be thinking his thoughts in Japanese, and I'd be out of luck, but that would be against the rules of this particular test—and Taishi is a stickler for the rules.
At the end of a minute, I summarize his thoughts for him. “You need a new sword, it's Leigh's birthday soon, and you're mad at her for breaking your mom's favorite pot.”
“I'm not mad at Leigh,” Taishi corrects me. “I'm just a bit upset.”
“Why don't you manifest a new pot that's exactly like the broken one?” I suggest.
He answers solemnly, “Because I'll never be able to get it right. Trust me, my mother will know the difference.”
When it's Taishi's turn to read my mind, I'm one hundred percent sure I can block him. The poor guy hasn't come close to mastering the skill. Apparently, he can hear Leigh's thoughts, but he struggles with everyone else.
I have a speech prepared. I've said these words in my head at least a dozen times before, but Taishi never hears them.
“I like you, Taishi. Every time we're on missions together, you distract me, but in a good way. I wish you didn't have a girlfriend because I'm not interested in anyone else. I even turned down a date with Sandalphon because I want you. You. No one else.”
When Taishi shakes his head, I know I'm safe. As always, he's oblivious to my feelings.
“I can't do it,” Taishi says. “No matter how much I focus, I... can't.”
“Don't worry. You'll get it right,” I assure him. “Practice on people who aren't angels or Archangel trainees. It's usually a little easier to hear their thoughts.”
“Thanks for the advice,” Taishi answers with a sigh.
Apart from that little speech in my head, I always keep things professional between us. Taishi and I part with a handshake, and I watch him go with tears in my eyes.
I wish Haniel hadn't paired me up with Taishi so much. Now I'm stuck with a huge crush on a guy who could never return my feelings.