Writing Challenge: "Why are you lying to me?"

This is a collaboration between Dryope and myself. Thank you Dryope for being wonderful and putting up with my ridiculous suggestions to let them become true somewhere.






Sean Neville knew what it was to be a pariah. While he’d been popular enough when he’d gone to school with the Jesuits, he’d lost all of his friends when his telepathy had emerged. He’d found himself in a new school in a strange state, where he knew nobody and all of the other kids were suspicious of his powers and afraid of him. For the longest time, his only friend had been his trainer, who was like a father to him. And that was it. He got on well enough with his roommate, but they hadn’t been friends, not really.

It wasn’t until he’d been at Hammel for a few years that he’d actually made friends, had made a real friend. Maggie Donovan had been his salvation; from the moment she’d accepted his invitation to go to the dance, they had been inseparable. He could talk to her, share with her, and she would do the same with him. But even with a friend, a girlfriend, he remembered what it was like to be a pariah.

That was why it bothered him how the other students treated the new boy like he was a leper. It wasn’t like he could help what his powers were.

To say that Josh hated Hammel would have been an understatement. He loathed his new school both because it was away from his family as well as because it was a reminder that he wasn't normal. Really, the idea of being meta human didn't bother him; that was as much due to genes as his blue eyes. But he did hate his power; he would have preferred something that didn't cause other people to shun him. Even the teachers and trainers seemed uncomfortable around him, but it wasn't as if he used his power on purpose. If he had his way he would never use it, ever. He didn't want to cause people to sin, particularly not so outrageously. Particularly not when his own mother was so obviously disappointed in him. She said she still loved him, and he believed it, but he hated the sad look that had filled her eyes when she'd been told what his ability was. He didn't want her to be disappointed, so he was determined to try really hard not to use his power again.

Unsurprisingly, he'd made no friends. The other students made no secret of the fact that they were afraid of him, and several of the girls already accused him of breakups they'd suffered since his arrival. He wasn't used to not having friends; before Hammel he'd made friends easily, but now hardly anyone would speak to him. Not that he went out of his way anymore, he certainly wasn't the gregarious student he'd been before he knew what he could do.

He spent most of his free time out by the koi pond, studiously engaged in whatever school work was assigned. He could avoid other students that way, and his roommates could have the room at their disposal. He didn't really want to interfere with other people's lives and there was no guarantee he wouldn't if he spent prolonged time with anyone else. Sometimes he thought perhaps he would have been better of quarantined, not just sent away to this awful school.

A small knot of students passed the pond, edging away from him exaggeratedly. He pretended not to notice, but as soon as they were out of sight he sighed to the koi. Even though they were enclosed within the pond they seemed so carefree, and he momentarily envied them. "It must be nice being a fish. Not knowing you're stuck in a pond and just eating....whatever fish eat." He told them, but they ignored him just like the other students did.

Figured. Even the fish hated him.

Sean had been watching the new boy from the window in the cafeteria, sitting out there alone by the pond. It was...sad, and familiar in a way, although he looked to be more miserable than pained. Sean knew about his power – everyone at Hammel knew about his power because that news spread quickly, news of exotic and unwanted powers. In one way, he understood why people were afraid, because the end result was disconcerting; in another way, Sean believed that anything could be solved with prayer and determination, particularly sin.

Fear was no reason to isolate someone. Fear had led to his isolation and he had hated every minute of that. He couldn’t let it continue with someone else, equally scared and isolated. Seeing the kids walk by the new boy like he had the plague was the last straw.

He was going to do the right thing. He was going to talk to the new kid.

He made his way through the throng of other students in the cafeteria, all joking around and who still paid him little mind (for which he was grateful), and then he walked through the back door. He stood for a moment out there, closed his eyes and deliberately sent a single telepathic sentence to Maggie to tell her where he was going if she wanted to look for him; he was far better at focusing on a single mind to project than he’d been when he first came to Hammel, all thanks to Robert. It helped that if he knew someone well, he could find him or her so easily.

He didn’t wait for her acknowledgement, because he knew he’d made the connection, and that was enough. With that, he walked down the winding path to the koi pond.

The boy looked so...sad. Alone and miserable, and Sean felt an overwhelming sense of kinship in that moment. Rather than say all of that and scare him, he instead sat on the other end of the pool, careful not to get himself wet. “Hey. My name’s Sean. Do you mind if I sit here?”

The last thing Josh expected was for anyone to address him, particularly not in such an amiable manner. Blue eyes narrowed in silent suspicion at the older boy, uncertain and afraid to accept this offer of friendship at face value. Before his power had manifested he would have cheerfully told Sean he didn't mind at all before proceeding to chat his ear off about whatever was his mother's cause of the day. Not anymore.

"How much money did they offer you?" He asked at last, settling on the only reason anyone could possibly want to be so close to him. "Or do you just not know that I'll curse you?"

It was sad to see the younger boy so suspicious. Even at the height of his isolation, Sean had never assumed anyone was paid to spend time with him; then again, his telepathy allowed him to cut through the layers in a way unavailable to most. It had taken years but he finally began to see what Father Benedict meant by it being a blessing.

But that didn’t explain some of the other powers, like what this new student had.

He shook his head, immediately denying the accusation. He was quick to explain, “Nobody paid me anything.” He couldn’t imagine someone actually paying him, or anyone, to talk to someone else.

And as for the rest of it...he shook his head again. “And I know what your powers are. But it’s okay. I still want to talk to you. Unless you want me to leave you alone?”

Sean wasn’t actively scanning the other boy’s mind, so he didn’t know what he was thinking. But he hoped that he wouldn’t be pushed away for sincerely trying to be friendly.

A small spark of hope flickered in Josh's eyes and then went out. He wanted to believe that the other student was being sincere, and that he really wanted to talk, but he had no evidence beyond the fact that he was here.

He folded his arms across his chest protectively, trying to puzzle out what the game was here. "Aren't you afraid of me?"

Everyone else was, and he understood why. It hurt. But he did understand.

While Josh had a protective posture, Sean’s was open. He sat by the edge of the pond with his arms on either side of him, leaning back on his hands for balance. Comfortable, or as comfortable as one could be in such a situation, seated awkwardly and equally awkward in trying to make friends with someone who seemed divided between wanting a friend and thinking him the Devil.

The young telepath shook his head, because he wasn’t afraid, not really. “People are afraid of me too. They used to be afraid of me all the time, but not as much now. I’m not like that.”

He tried not to be.

"Why are people afraid of you?"

The question was cautious, curiosity and desire for companionship warring with the distrust he felt of everyone since being brought to Hammel. He was well aware that his power wasn't the only one which was....unfortunate. His was simply the only one he knew of that directly lead other people into sin. One that could irrevocably change how other people felt about one another.

At least the other boy did seem nice enough, so maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe he was here of his own free will and he wasn't afraid, though that idea made little sense to Josh. "And why aren't you afraid of me?"

Sean looked briefly down at his lap; even with Robert’s patient tutelage and confidence-boosting these past few years, he remained somewhat self-conscious about his powers and how other people perceived him. That this boy was unaware of his reputation spoke only to his isolation from the other students, not to Sean gaining any social standing.

Glancing back up to meet the other boy’s eyes, he answered honestly, “For a couple of reasons. I read minds and people think I’m a snoop because of it. And I can change memories, which people also don’t like too much.” He shrugged, still meeting the other boy’s eyes.

He wanted to be honest, so the other boy could see that he meant no harm and could be trusted. “I’m more than my powers. So are you. So is everyone. So why should I be afraid?” Sean Neville saw malice in nobody.

"Oh." Josh digested this newfound information for a moment. In a way, he could understand why people would be uncomfortable with mindreading. In another, he didn't think that was nearly so bad as what he did. "That's not really..." He began, struggling to explain why their cases were completely different. "You aren't changing people. And making them...making them be...do...stuff..."

Although the memory manipulation sounded like it was similar enough, as much as he didn't want to admit it, because in some way he wanted to be upset about this. If he wasn't upset then that meant he didn't understand the gravity of what he did to other people.

As for the rest of Sean's speech, he wasn't fooled for a minute. "That doesn't make any sense." He insisted, tensing up again. "Sure, there's more to me than my powers, but they'll change you. If you aren't afraid I'll make you gay you're lying." He glared down at the koi swimming lazily below them; he truly didn't understand what the other boy stood to gain from this pretence. "Why are you lying to me?"

The telepath shifted one hand on the ledge; let it dangle in the water, which was cool to the touch. A moment later, one of the fish came up and brushed the tips of his fingers. It was unexpected because he couldn’t sense the fish, and that also made it somewhat uncomfortable. But he didn’t focus on that; he focused on the boy sitting across from him. “It’s close enough,” he said in response to the other boy’s stammering about how they weren’t the same. And no, they weren’t quite the same, but it was close enough.

“If I tried, I could probably make you think you were a girl.” Sean shrugged again, because he would never do that to someone else.

The telepath was taken aback; he didn’t know how to react to being accused of lying. He frowned, but he kept his attention on the other boy’s face. “I’m not lying. I’m not afraid because the Lord wouldn’t do that to another person, to either of us. And I’m out here talking to you because I want to get to know you. But if you want me to go, I won’t make you talk to me.”

Josh shrugged uncomfortably. He didn't want Sean to leave, not really, not when he was the only person who had made overtures of friendship, but at the same time he wanted the older student to understand precisely what danger he was in. This was serious, it wasn't something he could control or reverse.

"I already changed people." The words were a barely audible whisper, a fearful confession of what everyone already knew. "I already did, so how can you say it couldn't happen? It did."

The last part was slightly hysterical, loud enough to cause students nearby to look around before hurrying on their way.

"Just because I didn't do it on purpose doesn't change the fact that it happened."

Staring at the other boy, Sean knew exactly what he was going through. Without reading his thoughts, only hearing the hitch in his voice and seeing it plain on his face, he knew what he was going through. The telepath had been there. Deathly afraid because people around him had lost tracts of time that they would never recover. He couldn’t let someone else drown in that isolation, couldn’t let someone else suffocate in the self-loathing.

He shook his head, remaining determined in the face of the warnings. “So worst case scenario, you do something accidentally and then my trainer helps put me back together.” It was that simple in his eyes. While he’d mistaken Robert for the Lord when they’d first met and knew he’d been mistaken now, his trainer still occupied a position close to that in his mind: one of omniscience and omnipotence.

Whatever happened, Robert could make it better. Of that, he was certain.

“It’s not like I don’t know what people like that think about. I hear what Mister Ames thinks.” It was a sin, but it was no worse than anything else Sean knew about. And it could be fixed, if he tried hard enough, but Mister Ames seemed happy enough with his life and it wasn’t Sean place to tell him what to do. He was only a student, and Mister Ames was a good person despite it all. That was what mattered most.

The certainty in the older boy's voice was reassuring, and Josh felt his muscles relax. "Really?" Less caution and more curiosity this time; he'd not heard that any of the trainers could reverse the effects of his abilities. That idea was heartening.

It was less heartening when Sean brought up his trainer, and his face fell. "Yeah, but it's my fault." Not that he had ever asked; he'd simply assumed, too afraid of what would be said if he started questioning whether or not his abilities had caused Mr. Ames to eye Mr. Goddard the way he did and if maybe he'd left a wife. He'd made that happen to Donald's father. "Too bad he didn't get your trainer to fix him, too."

Sean shook his head immediately. “You didn’t do anything to Mister Ames,” he said quickly, giving the other boy a surprised look. He supposed he could understand that fear, but if Sean were the other boy, he would have asked first. And in his rush to explain, his cheeks reddened because he was explaining something uncomfortable. “He chaperoned a school trip last year and he was...um...he was flirting with the tour guide. Another guy. I heard everything...” his voice trailed off since he didn’t want to go into further detail.

The telepath then shrugged. “Besides, he doesn’t want to get fixed so I don’t think he’d ask my trainer for help. But he’d help me.” Sean was sure of that.

And he hoped that his faith in Robert might rub off on the boy sitting across from him, so that he would be less nervous. He smiled reassuringly, a small smile but genuine. “Anyway, so you shouldn't worry."

"....oh." Knowing that his trainer had been interested in other men before he'd ever set foot in Hammel was comforting in a way; comforting because it meant his power hadn't screwed up his life. Uncomfortable, because he still wasn't sure what to make of homosexuality. He knew what his mother made of it, and that was enough to make him squirm because he wanted her approval more than anyone else. "Oh. I guess that's....that's good."

He caught his lower lip between his teeth, thoughtful. "Your trainer must be really talented." He sighed wistfully after a moment. His experience with his own trainer hadn't lead to the sort of unwavering trust Sean was showing in Robert, though he was sure that Mister Ames was good enough at what he did. He simply hadn't opened up to his trainer, not because the adult wasn't nice, but because he was terrified of his power and didn't want to use it or talk about it or acknowledge that he had it, particularly not after his roommate Mitchell Vick had been seen kissing another boy in the halls. He had half-expected the rest of his roommates demand he be kicked out after that.

"I'm glad you're not afraid of me..." He decided, returning the older boy's smile for a reserved one of his own. For a moment he could almost pretend that his life was normal and he wasn't a danger to the other students.

And maybe with Sean's trainer's abilities to help out this would be true.