[Ganzfield 2] Adversary Read Online Free

that. We were “real” people out at Ganzfield—just “gifted,” as Dr. Williamson called it. However, I decided not to rattle her. We found the town clerk’s office and Grace had a few words with her. Soon, we were back in the car with four signed letters of residency.
    Grace grinned smugly. “That was too easy.”
    Rachel rolled her eyes and Grace’s pleasure evaporated with her smile.
    Over the past month, I’d enjoyed training with Grace, but as a minder, I was immune to her “Jedi mind trick.” Grace’s presence reminded Rachel of unpleasant memories and the others still felt uneasy around her. Still, I wished they’d just get over it.
    The closest DMV was nearly an hour away in Berlin. The name of Berlin, New Hampshire, was pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable: “BURL-in.” I’d been told this had started with a burst of patriotism during the First World War and they’d never bothered to change it back.
    We’d been throwing the idea of this trip around since mid-December. I’d asked my mom to bring my birth certificate and passport when she’d come at Christmas so I’d be prepared for today. My mom’s Christmas visit had been memorable—literally. She had taken the information about G-positives well, which meant Dr. Williamson hadn’t been forced to have someone charm her to forget before she’d gone home. She’d even gotten the healers to test her—she was a G-positive, too.
    She’d smiled at the news. “That explains a lot.” She’d become a psychologist, after all. People paid her to have insights into their mental states.
    My mom on dodecamine? Yikes. People who first started using the drug as adults usually developed weaker abilities, but Dr. Williamson had been over thirty for his first dose, and he was a very strong telepath. There was no way to tell how strong my mom’s ability would be—if she was a telepath at all. It was a good bet; relatives often had the same abilities. The best example was Drew’s family; the McFees accounted for more than half of the known sparks.
    The thought made me a bit uncomfortable. I really didn’t want my mom to hear all of the things I was thinking and feeling—particularly when it came to Trevor. She’d met him at Christmastime and all had gone well for the first few hours. She’s a good judge of character and Trevor had been eager to make a good impression.
    Then she’d found out that we were living together in the old church.
    I winced at the memory. She’d glared at me, up at Trevor, and around the sanctuary in turns. I’d felt like I had when I was five years old and she’d caught me coloring the dining room wallpaper with crayons. Her fists had balled on her plump hips and her green eyes had flashed with as much anger and dismay as her mind. With her round face and dark-brown hair wisping out around her, she’d looked like a fairy godmother in a tizzy. I know those separate beds are just a ruse—a rather obvious and pathetic one.
    Her feelings about Trevor had shifted in that moment. The crush Maddie has on this boy is too intense. It’s a distraction that could keep her from getting into a good college. She still hadn’t accepted that a traditional college experience was no longer a real option for me. She believed that I was giving up on that dream in order to be with my boyfriend. But if I make an issue of it, she’ll just hold onto him harder.
    Ugh. I’d suspected that hearing my mom’s thoughts might be disturbing. At least everything at Ganzfield had looked pretty, all covered in snow. It meant that the frosty attitude my mom now had for Trevor fit right in with the scenery.
    Completely unfair.
    Trevor was so eager to please, and his relationship with his own family was so strained and complicated. He didn’t want to cause problems between my mom and me. And the main thing she held against Trevor was false—we weren’t having sex. Trevor had given Dr. Williamson his word on that and had been adamant