Campus Life in the Psychic Age

Hey readers, hopefully this is just the first in a series, but one never knows. While this story deals with telepathy, it doesn't involve actual mind control- yet. All characters are aged 18 or over and all that.

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People to some extend had always believed in mind-reading, foresight of the future, or the ability to move things by sheer thought; and maybe they had been right to, but it was only a few years before the beginning of this story that belief in such things became truly widespread- and only then because it suddenly started happening out in the open. There was the judge who could catch a liar on the witness stand by reading his mind, the Youtube footage of a mom heaving a car off her trapped child before getting in arm's reach and others. At first people even started hailing it as a new and wondrous stage of evolution.

Unfortunately for every one person who used such gifts to be a hero, there were a dozen more who used them to steal, to control, to commit mass murder. Predictably those sins birthed such fear in society that newly-dubbed 'mentalists' had to play normal to avoid ostracism, if not outright violence.

Colin Forbes was one of those people. A young man with a handsome face, but regarded as also a bit of a nerd for most of his life. This night, he was at the Steam Tunnels (odd name for a bar, he thought), relaxing after a gruelling first week at the Mignola institute of higher learning. Across the table from him sat Gavin Riley.

Gavin was a friend of Colin's from high school, and the only person outside the Forbes family Colin trusted with his secret; Horatio to his Hamlet, Harold to his Kumar. As Colin sipped his beer, Gavin got his attention, "Check out who's looking your way."

Colin turned his head and saw her, 'Faith' he thought to himself. That wasn't her real name of course (or it would've been a freaky coincidence if it was); Colin referred to her to that in his mind because her looks and bearing reminded him of someone named Faith from an old TV show. Both he and Gavin had seen her around yet neither mustered up the courage to actually approach the woman. Surprisingly, her eyes did indeed gaze in their direction.

"Wonder who she's looking at past us," Colin said as he took another sip.

"What, you just assume she's looking at someone behind you?"

"I learned my lessons from high school."

"Exactly- high school. People are supposed to be more mature now."

"Just because they're supposed to be doesn't mean they actually are."

"I still say you're wrong- but I know a way we could find out for sure."

Colin shot his friend a dirty look, "Forget it. Bad idea now, bad idea always." Ever since learning Colin could read thoughts Gavin had tried to goad him to divine what people around them were thinking. Colin always had to spell out that one didn't just pop into somebody's brain uninvited like that. Not only was it considered incredibly rude, there was the good chance he might not like what he saw in someone else's thoughts- to say nothing of the fact most people were suspicious of psychics at best and such cavalier use of said abilities could end up putting a bull's-eye on the head of the psychic in question.

Besides such intrusions seemed unnecessary, as the woman they discussed got up, walked toward- and right on past their table.

"Told'ja," Colin said as he took another swig of his beer.

With both their backs turned, neither of them saw 'Faith' turn her head to look at Colin, even if only for a second.

A Monday later Colin fought desperately to stay awake during Astrophysics. What could have been an interesting subject- and one that, in an age where businesses and governments were genuinely looking into colonizing the other planets of the solar system- could have actual use outside academic circles, was reduced to desert-dry lectures droned on by a Methuselah who could have retained his professorship only through the miracle of tenure.

Colin had started shaking his head in an effort to keep from drifting off when as it turned he glimpsed the woman he and Gavin had been discussing the Friday night earlier. At first seeing her surprised Colin, but as he started to think about the matter, why should it? It was a big campus, hundreds of faces of students surrounded him, though a good many of those had lost their battle with tedium.

Trying to make another glance as discreet as possible, Colin noticed she kept her head up, but not because she found the lecture interesting. No, Colin had long ago learned to recognize the far-off look of a daydreamer- Hell, he himself could have given many people lessons on the subject. He briefly wondered what she could be imagining right now, and debated having a look-see?

Almost immediately after thinking that he inwardly chewed himself out for doing so. All the warnings that had been drilled into him against probing another's mind in such a fashion- to say nothing of his lectures to Gavin on the matter.

And yet, his curiosity was starting to get the better of him. Besides, would it really do any harm?

'You can be in and out without anybody even knowing you were there,' he told himself, totally ignorant of the Pandora's Box he was considering to open. Taking care not to advertise his intent by looking anywhere but straight ahead, Colin mentally reached out, envisioned his mind drilling into 'Faith's' skull, and staring face to face with- himself?

'What the hell?' Colin thought. He had been fairly certain this woman didn't even know he existed, and for a second wondered if this was just projecting. He decided otherwise though, 'imaginary Colin' had his face, but his hair had been cut differently, and was black instead of brown. Also he wore unfamiliar clothes, namely urban camouflage pants and a black tank top.

'Even in daydreams I'm too scrawny to pull off the tank top look,' Colin sadly observed. Looking past his imagined doppelganger he noticed they were in a locker room somewhere, though he'd been in the one at the U and this wasn't it.

"Did you like what you saw?"

Both Colin and imaginary Colin turned their head's to see 'Faith' (He really should get around to learning her real name one of these days) smirking. She was dressed similarly to Imaginary Colin, a thin metal chain worn around her neck down her top; her hair (also styled differently than in real life) was wet, that along with some damp spots on her shirt suggested she had rushed towelling off after a swim or shower. If she sensed the real Colin's presence she chose not to acknowledge it.

"Well did you?" She pressed the question again.

Imaginary Colin, suddenly looking very nervous, held up both hands before speaking, "Look, I walked in on you totally by accident, really."

"Hm. Sure you did." Her tone making it obvious she didn't believe him- or really care either way. Her expression shifted into one Wile E Coyote might wear had he stumbled on a crippled Roadrunner. Imaginary Colin, seeming even more uneasy, started backing away.

In the space of a breath the girl was on Imaginary Colin with a tackle worthy of an NFL linebacker, slamming him flat on a short bench. She sat up while whipping off her shirt, showing the chain hanging from her neck bore military style dog-tags between two pert, natural breasts, then reached down at imaginary Colin's pants.

Imaginary Colin, not completely registering what had happened from the looks of it, started to sit up before 'Faith' shot daggers at him from her eyes and growled "Don't even THINK about it!" He dropped back down, the ferocity of her yell even made the real Colin take a couple steps back before he remembered that in someone's mind distance was a mutable thing at best.

The woman had yanked down Imaginary Colin's drawers and began manipulating his junk. He didn't look so much aroused as afraid of what she'd do if he tried to stop her, yet she managed to get a stiffie out of him rather quickly. Colin shook his head when he saw how long this woman liked to imagine him.

'Girl, you would be very disappointed if you ever saw the real thing,' he depressingly thought.

She lifted her hips off him to push down her own pants, imaginary Colin made no move to push her off or get out from under her. 'Faith' looked down at him grinning like a jackal; when she finally slammed down on her boy toy the sounds he made could have been either pleasure or pain- probably the latter, considering how rough things had gotten up to this point. Unable to take his eyes (so to speak) off the train wreck inside this woman's skull, Colin watched her bucking speed up, her groans getting louder and more frequent...

And then the scene abruptly zoomed farther and farther away until Colin woke up back in his own head, the student who sat behind him flicking the back of his skull.

"Come back to earth dude, class is over" he heard.

"What? Oh shit, thanks." Colin mumbled as he got up to leave, afraid to even look if a certain woman was doing the same.

Up until that class Colin had figuratively kicked himself many times for being too chicken-shit to approach 'Faith', but after having seen the role he played in her fantasy he wasn't sure what he could've said to her even if he had the guts to do so. Still convinced they'd never met; he wondered when she first noticed him, let alone imagined herself jumping his bones.

'Jump my bones?' he mused as he tried to get some shuteye, 'One would think she was trying to break them.'

Over the next couple weeks Colin saw her in Astrophysics and some other courses they shared by chance. More than one occasion she would be staring into space like she did that first time. The rational part of his mind all but screamed 'Stay the Fuck out of her head' and for the first few days he listened.

Unfortunately as those days passed his curiosity began to win over his common sense and he started to wonder what other of her fantasies he might have played a part in, even as he also asked himself why he would want to, considering how the first one he saw turned out. Was it possible being the guy she tackled appealed to his vanity in some weird way? Or was he just a masochist of sorts and never knew it until now?

Whatever the motivation, during one boring lecture Colin finally gave in and peeked into 'Faith's' thoughts and regrettably was not let down.

He was in an enclosed space, curved like a dome instead of flat walls. A small fire burned in the centre, on the other side a woman stood with her back to him as she peeled fur clothing off a muscular but still feminine form.

'A cavewoman?' He pondered, 'This should be interesting.'

And it was, if for a different reason. When this 'cavewoman' turned to her right Colin barely recognized her with a flat, if tiny nose and two canine teeth poking from her lower lip. It took Colin a second to connect what he saw with the orcs from those computer games his granddad used to tell him about.

'And somehow she's still beautiful- holy shit, even Gavin would think I was sick if he heard that.' Like before this beautiful orc acted as though the real Colin was not there; stalking toward a man lying in the dirt, his hands and feet bound. He wore medieval armour, and a face disturbingly identical to Colin's own.

Deciding he probably knew where this was headed and doubtful he really wanted to see it, Colin decided to bail from this daydream.

Foolishly he came back for more another day. This time his imaginary self was in a jungle somewhere, dressed the way a snooty academic from the 1800's might- complete with dorky spectacles, looking at some monkeys (or were they apes?) while jotting down notes in a book.

Something out of the corner of his eye caught Imaginary Colin's notice. The woman of the hour had finally appeared, swinging down from a vine. Her tanned breasts were uncovered but a thong of leopard skin covered her crotch, though barely. She came forward with a wild look in her eye- and a nasty-looking knife in her hand.

When she pinned her quarry on the grass she started to cut at his pants with that knife, Colin decided not to stick around to see if the knife-play would stop at the clothes.

Over the days Colin found her fantasies would vary from an astonishing range of fantastic settings and situations; what didn't change was her use of- if not outright physical force, some form of intimidation or another toward him. Of course his Psych professor would have probably tried to assure him these fantasies didn't mean she got her jollies from that thing in real life.

'But if she does,' Colin thought, 'God pity the poor bastard she calls boyfriend.'

The last daydream Colin decided to spy on would debatably be the freakiest yet- because it wasn't just the two of them this time. 'Faith' was a bedchamber with rugs on the floor, a roaring fire and several chests overflowing with gold and gems. Her hair here was black and much longer- it draped past her shoulders, and she wore a breastplate that was much more form-fitting than he suspected they were made in real life. She absently picked up a dagger off a table bearing other weapons, including a metal ring close to a foot in diameter with a razor-sharp outer edge.

As 'Faith' used the dagger's point to dig some dirt from under her nails two muscular thugs brought imaginary Colin into the room and left. This time Colin's double wore a kind of tunic people from ancient Rome or Greece might have worn. His face was bruised, his left cheek cut and from the way his arms were behind his back, it was likely his wrists were cuffed as well.

'Faith' waved Imaginary Colin to come closer, as he did he snarled, "You've sacked our village, burned our homes, put collars on those you didn't kill- what more do you want, dammit?"

She smiled as she sliced away Imaginary Colin's clothes, taking surprising care not to cut his flesh, "Oh come now; a woman has a handsome young man brought to her chambers, what do you think she wants?" she asked in a mockingly-sweet tone of voice.

"No matter what you threaten to do to me, my body will give you no pleasure."

'Finally,' Colin hoped, 'Some signs of a backbone.'

'Faith' got a wicked glint in her eye, "Luckily I have someone else to harm."

Colin raised a brow, 'What's that supposed to mean?' when all three turned to sounds of heavy chains. Out of the darkness a girl emerged, a steel collar around her neck chained to a steel ring bolted to the floor. One might describe this girl as 'cute', she was pretty, but rather mousy-looking, timid.

'Who the Hell is this?' Colin wondered, 'Someone from her past?' She didn't look like anyone he had ever seen before.

Imaginary Colin, on the other hand seemed to recognize her, his face paled as he turned back to his captor, "What are you going to do to her?"

"You should be more concerned about what my men would do; that is, if I let them have her."

"No, you can't!" Imaginary Colin's voice cracked in terror.

"Actually, I can. But if you're nice to me, I might decide not to."

All hopes Colin had of his double's defiance sank with Imaginary Colin's head, "Please. I'll do whatever you want, just don't... don't hurt her."

'Faith' grinned, "There see, was that so difficult?" She pushed Imaginary Colin onto the bed, unbuckled the shoulder straps of her so-called armour causing it to fall leaving her as bare as he was, then joined him.

"Wait," Imaginary Colin pleaded as his organ was manipulated to arousal, "Can't we do this somewhere else, where she doesn't have to see it?"

'Faith' turned to lock eyes with the 'hostage', "No. I want her to watch," as she took Imaginary Colin's prick into her mouth.

Colin's eyes bulged, 'Holy FUCK, this has got to be a first.' His doppelganger jerked and flailed like alternating current was running through his body while 'Faith' bobbed up and down, while somehow still able to keep eye contact with this mystery girl who by now had tears streaming down her face yet for some reason refused to look away.

That night, Colin and Gavin kicked back at the Steam Tunnels, though this time they had company. Clive "Moose" Tanner, a self-important Neanderthal who gave stereotypical jocks a bad name, sat with them bragging about how hard he tackled another on the football team when he blurted out of the blue, "Whoa- scope the hottie that's checking you out," looking straight at Colin.

Colin turned his head even though he had a feeling he knew exactly who Clive meant. Seeing her face he turned back to the thug, "You sure she's not checking you out instead?"

Clive paused, then nodded, "Yeah you're right- why would she miss me over you?" before getting up and walking toward her.

Gavin glared at Colin, "Not that I'm not grateful to you for getting rid of that thug, but your methods suck. Was pointing him in the direction of a babe like that worth it? What if for some stupid reason she actually likes him?"

"If he knew what she's into, he might not want her to like him," Colin responded.

Confused at first by those words, Gavin's face scowled as he realized what they meant, "I don't believe it. After all those self-righteous tirades you gave me-" his expression abruptly softened and he leaned forward, quietly inquiring, "See anything good?"

"Sure, if you have a freaky definition of good," Colin laid out the basic details of the fantasies he'd seen telepathically, much in the same way that he, when they were kids, would tell Gavin something he didn't want others to overhear.

Of course this method of sharing secrets was one-sided at best, since Gavin had never displayed psychic talent; still it was sufficient for this situation and Gavin was blown away by what he 'heard', "Whoa," one word that said more than an entire soliloquy.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought," Colin answered.

"This girl from the last one," Gavin whispered, "The hostage, any idea who it could be?"

"Not a clue. It's possible she isn't anybody, just a figment of the you-know-who's imagination, but for some reason I keep thinking that's not the case."

Both Colin and Gavin turned their heads to look at 'Faith'; who put on a show of listening to whatever it was Clive was saying, but one did not have to be psychic to tell how bored she was. She said something to Clive, presumably asking him to get more drinks as he headed for the bartender- then walked away the instant his back was turned, approaching the table where Colin and Gavin sat.

Gavin stood up, "I think I'll leave you two to get acquainted," and walked away. Colin shot him as dirty a look as one could give.

"Hey," the woman said, "I've seen you in Astrophysics- Colin, isn't it?"

"Um, yeah. I don't think I've ever caught your name, though- uh..."

"Alecia."

"Oh- right, Alecia." 'Well at least now I know what to call her, instead of comparing her to some TV character.'

Alecia sat down in what was Gavin's seat and made the first attempt at actual conversation, "So you plan to get in on the corp's space programs too, huh?"

"Pretty much, the old man warned me not to go for one of those- 'liberal arts degrees that turn out to be useless in the real world.'" Colin took a swig of his drink, "Of course the class won't be much help if I can't stay awake enough to remember what that fossil of a professor actually says."

Alecia laughed, "Yeah, I found it hard not to drift off when he starts talking," her face took on a somewhat suspicious look, "Ever wonder what goes through one's head in that sort of situation?"

A suddenly nervous Colin answered out loud, "Haven't really given it much thought before," while thinking inwardly, 'Shit- Shit, she's on to me! What the fuck do I do now?'

To be continued (?)