“What can I do for you, folks?” Mr Fletcher smiled.
“Jessa has something she wants to tell you,” Maggie said quickly.
“Oh? Is everything all right?”
Jessa took a deep breath. “You have to promise not to think I’m crazy.”
“Cross my heart,” he looked earnest.
Jessa explained exactly what had happened at the museum. Mr Fletcher listened intently. When Jessa finished her story, she and both her friends looked to the teacher for his opinion.
“I don’t think you’re crazy,” he reassured. “It could be anxiety, though it’s possible Maggie could be onto something with this intuition idea. It is possible you had an intuitive reaction to something. It’s actually quite normal for many parapsychs, and it’s nothing to be ashamed or scared of.”
“It’s normal? The website said it’s rare,” said Maggie.
“In the full form, it is. You were probably reading about Acute Intuition Syndrome, yes?”
Maggie nodded.
“Yeah, full-on AIS is rare and very powerful. But it’s pretty common for parapsychs, especially young ones like yourselves, to experience some level of intuition. It seems to be caused by your body and brain reacting to your parapsych ability as it gets stronger. People tend to grow out of intuitive episodes in a few months to a year or so.”
“But it’s called a syndrome, so does that mean it’s an illness?” Jessa tried not to sound worried.
“Don’t worry,” Hugo Fletcher replied. “It’s only a syndrome when the symptoms happen outside of someone’s control. However, some psychs can voluntarily induce this kind of intuition, and in those cases, it’s considered a parapsychological skill, you know? It basically means having an intense intuit ability, which is a much sought-after skill among parapsychs. Intuition is very powerful, but when you’re not expecting it, it can bring on the same sort of symptoms as an anxiety attack: increased heart rate, uneasiness, lightheadedness, that ‘fight-or-flight’ feeling.”
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“That sounds like what happened to me,” Jessa said quietly. “So you don’t think I have a disorder?”
“Not at all,” the teacher insisted. “It’s probably nothing. The important thing is not to worry or obsess about it, because that can make the symptoms worse. Your open-mind practice can help train the intuition into something you can control. If it does happen again, try and relax and find a sense of grounding, to bring yourself out of it.” He paused. “It’s going to be fine.”
The three students were about to leave the room when Jessa turned to ask one more question.
“Mr Fletcher? If what I had was an actual intuition—and not just my brain reacting to my parapsychism, or whatever you said happens—does that mean I was sensing something real? I mean, I sensed some kind of danger.”
He looked at her curiously. “In what way did it feel like danger?”
“It was like when you get a feeling that something bad is going to happen. Like when you realise you left your bank card somewhere. Or if you think you lost your phone. That “oh no” moment. That’s what I felt in the museum. A really, really big “oh no” moment.”
He smiled gently. “It was almost definitely nothing, Jessa. Like I said, many young parapsychs experience this. Just be sure to let me know if it happens again.”
What was that?
For the splittest of seconds, it seemed like there was a flicker of concern in his face. As quickly as she noticed it, it was gone.
Is he trying to keep me calm? Is this something real?
The feeling was back. Not nearly as intensely as before, but something way down inside her told her not to entirely trust what Hugo Fletcher was saying.
He lied before…
“So, are you okay?”
She nodded, wondering if he could sense her distrust in him. If he could, he didn’t show it.
The conversation with Mr Fletcher distracted Jessa for the rest of the day.
What was it he said, the night of the accident… The night we found out about his abilities…
He’s part of an undercover teaching assessment?
Something like that.
Her stomach churned.
But wait, think about this logically. What happened at the museum doesn’t have anything to do with Mr Fletcher. He wasn’t even in the room when that thing happened.
But the feeling.
This feeling.
The intuition. Whatever it is. It’s the same.
Isn’t it?
Jessa couldn’t believe how slowly the day seemed to pass, and she completely lost count of how many times Maggie had to jab her with the end of a pencil to bring her out of the daydream haze. But Jessa couldn’t get her mind to quiet.
Fletcher… the museum… intuition… Lynch? Silas Lynch.
Whenever she came back to thinking about Silas Lynch, her stomach turned into a brick.
There’s something about Silas Lynch. What could it be?
The feeling was so real.
Why would Mr Fletcher say this was nothing?
Hugo Fletcher wasn’t a bad person, she knew that much. The feeling wasn’t telling her that he was bad.
He said to try and bring myself out of it.
Why doesn’t he want me to let it happen?
He’s trying to protect me.
From what?
This.