I woke up in a hospital bed, with blue sheets around me, blue sheets tight around me. Strange. I had no memory of falling asleep or getting here. My mind was hazy.
The fight. What happened to the fight?
I sat up, noticing my body wrapped with bandages torso.
"You're awake?"
I nearly jumped out of the bed.
Tony sat on a chair next to me, I hadn't seen him.
"What's happened?" I asked.
"I made you pass out in order to access your mind. You're from earth and you happened to coincidentally come across Tom in a fight. You helped and now you're here. Right?"
I nodded. That's how everything occurred. Tom and I had suffered severe injuries. He told me to come here.
This ability of his was amazing.
"... When did you do it?"
"The moment I caught sight of you."
That means... the fight between me and him never occurred.
"So am I correct to assume that your ability allows you to access a person's mind? Do whatever you want to it. Get whatever you want from it."
He nodded.
Suddenly, my chest tightened. He had a very scary power.
"How do I know if you're not already controlling this situation?"
I wanted to make sure.
Who knows, what if I'm already dancing in his palm.
"I've determined that you're not an enemy. So manipulation won't be necessary."
Ooi ooi... Where are we getting at?
Knowing he has an ability to access people's minds is not reassuring at all.
"What about Tom is he okay?"
"You can check on him later."
His response was quick. He didn't seem willing to continue the discussion, so I changed the topic.
"Um... Now that you're done, am I going home?"
"No, you've already discovered the location of the one of our Nexarion gates. You going home might put us at risk."
"Then what."
"You have to choose. Between execution or attending our local Academy."
The answer to that question was already clear.
"What's an academy? Is it similar to the schools on earth?"
He pulled out a brochure out of his pocket and gave it to me. It had a picture of a school building, students from age six to fourteen, and information on the school.
Tony stood up afterwards, and began walking away.
"Read that for more information."
I didn't stop him. It made me shake, knowing he had the ability to manipulate my actions. It was best if he left.
I opened the brochure, to get a clear picture of the academy.
Then--
A sharp stab tore through my head. My skull buzzed. My breathing got ragged.
Pictures flooded my head. My father's lifeless body on my arms. Blood flickering off a blade. It was overwhelming.
[Successful infiltration. Memory restored. I kept a cloak over your memory, in case they attempt to read it again.]
My hand clamped over my mouth.
I couldn't breathe.
It was all coming back.
"Get out of my head!"
Footsteps followed. The front sheet slid open.
"I need help, he's having a panic attack!"
My father died, again.
I couldn't save him.