Issue 1 Downtime

Steve sat cross-legged on the grass and closed his eyes. Images from the minds of passersby flitted past his mind's eye like a swarm of blinking fireflies. The first time he had tried this he couldn't believe he was doing it, not at the suggestion of that supposedly reforming supervillain. He still couldn't.

Damnit. Focus.

He concentrated, slowly bringing an object out of memory. The cartoon sketch of a rocket-ship took shape. A rocket-ship with fins. A red rocket-ship with fins. A red rocket-ship with orange fins. Each iteration was a greater strain, but with each there were fewer and fewer foreign images. By the time the ship breached the third dimension, his forehead was dripping sweat and his face tense with exertion.

[OPEN]

"You know," Brigid said as she emerged from the nearby hedgemaze with Alex, "I'm not sure it has a center."

"Don't look at me. I can't even tell if we're coming out in the same spot," Alex said with a grin. "Has anyone ever really come out and said that there was a center to it?"

"I mean logically I'm sure there's physically a center, I just think someone might have had a laugh and made it so none of the paths go there."

"Maybe if you flew over it, you'd see a sign that said "ha ha, look at the ants scurrying around searching.""

Steve, still sitting motionless with his eyes closed and mind focused, hadn't noticed his own small nosebleed.

"That sounds like a lot to put on a sign."

She looked to Steve and blinked.

"...is he alright?"

"Well, I'm sure they could shorten it u- um... I don't know if he is."

"...Steve?" She called out cautiously to the boy.

There was no response.

"Okay, for the record? If I'm like that? THAT'S when you worry about me," Alex said, looking worried himself.

"Uhm... yeah. That... about qualifies," she said as she hurried over to the boy.

"Steve can you hear us?"

Steve's eyes shot open. He looked annoyed.

"Damnit... I almost had it."

"Had what? A brain hemorrhage?"

"You're... uh... kind of bleeding right now, Steve."

"Huh?" he asked, looking momentarily perplexed before wiping under his nose with the back of his right hand. He looked at the small smear of blood and winced. "Oh..."

"Yeah, that's... not good, right?"

"What... were you even doing?" Alex asked, giving Steve a worried look of the 'something might burrow out of his chest' variety.

"I was just practicing blocking out stuff. I guess I pushed myself too far."

"Well be careful. Nobody wants to see anyone get hurt, right?"

"Well... no. But on the plus side, things were the quietest they've been in a while."

"Doesn't seem like much of a plus," she said with another worried look at him.

"Yeah, seeing people's thoughts all the time isn't a negative at all," he said with irritation.

"As opposed to your brains leaking out your nose?"

"It's just a tiny nosebleed," he said stubbornly.

"If you're having trouble, maybe you should ask the teachers?"

"It's not... it's just... you wouldn't understand," he responded, rising abruptly and wobbling on his feet.

"...well, aren't there teachers that have powers like yours?"

"Yeah, I'm sure the headmistress has plenty of time to tutor people," he said sarcastically.

Or the worst telepath ever...

"Don't know until you ask, right?" She asked with a sidelong look to Alex, hoping for some support.

"I'm pretty sure they know how to deal with whatever mental problems can pop up," Alex offered. Wait, how did I just say that? Shit, did that sound as bad as I think it did? Shit, shit, shit...

"Mental problems?" Steve asked with irritation.

"Uhm... maybe not the best way to put it."

"Ya think?"

"Yeah, I... uh... sorry. Totally didn't... yeah, I'm just going to shut up now."

"I'll be fine. Okay?" he said stubbornly.