Telepath (Hive Mind Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

my
obsession with him had controlled my life for five solid years.
    It had made me become
Shanna’s best friend. It had made me take up swimming. It had made me spend
endless tedious hours at the Level 50 beach, cheering for Forge as he took part
in the teen inter-zone surfing competitions.
    Having a secret, unrequited
crush on someone like handsome, reckless Forge would have been embarrassing but
perfectly normal. This didn’t seem like an ordinary crush though. I didn’t long
for Forge’s kisses, or want to replace Shanna as his girlfriend. I just wanted
to watch Forge’s face and know he was pleased and happy.
    There was the dream as
well. A weird, repeating dream that had been haunting my sleep all through Teen
Level. It centred on Forge, but it wasn’t the sort of dream I’d expect to have
about a boy I found attractive. The dream didn’t even make any sense.
    The strangeness of my
reaction to Forge had bothered me enough at times that I’d considered asking to
relocate to a room in another corridor, but I couldn’t face being the unwelcome
new arrival amongst an existing group of friends.
    Well, my time with Forge
was over now. Lottery had ended it, like it ended all teen relationships. Once
I’d been given my result and imprinted, I’d go to live on my adult level, have
my work to occupy my days, and a host of new people around me to make me forget
about Forge. As everyone always said, Lottery was both an end and a new
beginning.
    I closed my eyes and
relaxed. As I sank into sleep, the repeating dream about Forge began. The two
of us walked together, hand in hand, through a strange park with impossibly
tall trees. It was hot, far too hot, and the suns in the ceiling were
blindingly bright. I was terrified and desperately looking for the exit door.
    “Good girl, Amber,” said
Forge. “You’re a good girl, Amber.”
    I forgot my fear when he
said that. Forge was pleased with me, and pleasing him was the most important
thing in the world.
     
    When I woke up, I found I’d had ten
solid hours of sleep, and I felt wonderful. That was the good side of having
the Forge dream. I always woke feeling blissfully content, with the echo of his
words in the back of my mind. The oddest thing was that Forge had never said
those words to me outside the dream, and his voice sounded deeper than usual
when he said them.
    I was in a decisive and optimistic
mood about everything now, even Lottery. If the change in assessment centre
meant I was being offered a chance at something special, then I’d do my best to
grab it. If my best wasn’t good enough, then I’d just have to accept it, the
same way that most teens had to accept they weren’t special or high level. Whatever
level I ended up living on, my life would improve. I’d have a proper apartment
instead of a teen room, a proper income instead of the miserly teen living
allowance, and a proper purpose in life.
    I picked out fresh clothes
to wear, ate breakfast hungrily, and left my belongings scattered around the
room. I’d never managed to keep my old room tidy, and there was little
incentive to care for one that would only be mine during Lottery.
    Back at the centre, I sat
watching the display wall, waiting for my name to appear, keyed up for the
magical test where success or failure could mean everything for my future. Five
minutes, ten minutes, and my name was there. I had to go to room 4.
    I hurried there and found
an elderly man with dark skin and receding hair. “We’re testing your reaction
speed,” he said. “You sit at this table opposite me.”
    I took my seat. There was
a partition between us so I couldn’t see his hands. In front of me was a row of
dimly glowing lights in different colours.
    “We’ve both got matching
rows of coloured lights,” he said. “I touch one on my side, and that colour
brightens on both rows. You have to touch the matching bright light on your
side as fast as you can.”
    I frowned. The unquestioning
happiness of the