Helena was drawn out of her internal revere when Rean’s fire dimmed and went out again. She was breathing heavily. “Just rest a bit.” Tom soothingly massaged Rean’s shoulders. Again, Tom takes physical action.

“Yeah.” Rean reluctantly agreed between breaths.

“Janice, can you help me with something?” Tom asked pleasantly.

Helena’s body tensed in alarm. What task could he possibly need help with? He already has Rean and Tamie, why not use one of them? Am I his next target to join his group? He seems to be making a hard effort to get the females on his side. I need to check his cognitive activity before going near him. If he was an Esper, his brain would be highly active in the parietal lobe and his frontal lobe would be excited if he was using mental calculations to enhance his ability.

Concentrating, she fed her passive reception Focus and examined Tom’s brain. It was difficult with her headache worsening, but she managed to bring the calculations to flourish. His frontal and parietal lobes were well beyond excited. He has to be using some kind of ability against Rean. I can’t approach him without knowing what it is and I most definitely cannot let him touch me!

West cleared his throat, taking pressure off Helena’s response. “If Rean keeps using her ability, she’ll eat enough food for two.” West also knows the specifics of Esper Fatigue?

“We needed to see. What would you suggest, fumbling around in the dark?” Tom asked in exasperation. “Now, Janice, can you help me, please?” Tom pressed.

West countered heatedly. “I’m just saying. We need to limit our abilities, especially with this Focus drain.”

Helena caught the implication instantly. Tom began to argue back but quickly caught himself. “Look we had—wait, what do you mean our abilities?”

“Don’t play with me!” West yelled. “I’m sure you have some kind of ability that’s helping you manipulate Tamie and Rean. They’ve been following everything you’ve said without question or input.”

It’s true and it seems there are other espers in this room. West, at least, admitted to being one. It all made Helena very nervous. Placing a bunch of espers together in a contained room with these parameters can only spell disaster. Is that what the watchers want, a bloodbath?

“What are you implying?” Tom asked in a dark, threatening tone.

West chuckled mirthlessly. “Let me make this easier for you to understand. What is your ability, Tom?”

“Why are you so suspicious of Tom!” Tamie exclaimed angrily.

Helena warily examined Tamie in the darkness. Her heart was pumping furiously, she seemed truly outraged. She could tell the other members in the room were shocked by their body’s responses.

“If Tom says he doesn’t have any abilities then he doesn’t!” Tamie stated intensely.

Helena’s eyes narrowed at her comment.

“He never said that,” West said with suspicion.

“Didn’t he?” Tamie asked, bewilderment creeping into her voice.

“Of course I don’t have an ability—I’m not an esper,” Tom assured, spreading his palms out to either side as if to show his own innocence in the pitch black room. The impulses in his heart spoke volumes. He’s lying through his teeth.

Peter started to laugh. “How do you feel about Tom, Tamie?” He asked playacting an emphatic tone.

“I care about him,” Tamie replied earnestly.

Helena stood up with a pit growing in her stomach. Honestly pumped in each rhythm of Tamie’s heart as she spoke every syllable. There’s no way I can let Tom touch me. If I do, it’s over. I have to confirm it.

“So you knew him before we were stuck in this room?” Peter asked in a matter of fact tone.

“No, I’ve never seen him before, but I have this warm feeling that he’s important to me,” Tamie said with factual conviction.

Confirmation. “Hormones,” Helena whispered in dread. Tom can use a variation of Biokinesis, Pathokinesis. He can most likely transfer hormones produced in his body through skin contact. He can make his victims completely enslaved, infatuated with him. Hormones have a dominating effect on the mind that overrules reason. By taking leadership, having everyone’s focus on him, he’s been able to use physical contact. This must be having a devastating impact on Rean and Tamie’s psyche.

“Bingo!” Peter exclaimed with delight. “I knew you’d be quick on the uptake.”

“You doped these girls up on hormones!” West snarled, his voice full of derision.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“There’s no way he’d do that!” Rean yelled.

“Yeah, you’re the bad guy,” Tamie shouted.

Their responses sent West backing up with uncertainty.

Helena was frozen, her breath held in disbelief. Her eyes were locked on Peter with horror. Peter’s much smarter than I thought. I knew something with Tom was wrong, but I hadn’t deduced it quite that far. He realized I was smarter than I first let on and also poured fuel on the fire between the two spotlighted groups. However … the largest issue is that he managed to manipulate me into divulging the information, drawing me out of the shadows.

He’s been playing all sides. He must have done something to the Twins, but West could just as easily be the culprit too. Could Peter have manipulated them to sit beside West to throw me off? He seems too knowledgeable about Tamie and Rean’s condition while only seeing one physical touch and being basically blind. He has to have some kind of ability that’s helping him gather information. Telepathy was high on her list.

Extending her perception to examine Peter’s brain, she found it a storm of signals, his brain was on fire. West had confirmed the effects draining him, so how can Peter be so mentally active under these dampening conditions?

Focusing in on the twin’s brains, she found them also at heavy work, but they still weren’t even twitching a muscle. Peter must be doing something to them.

Helena winced as a spike hit her psyche, causing another dampening effect on her mind's vision. She couldn’t see their mental activity any longer, a point behind her forehead begun to throb. She sensed the twins start to move as their bioelectricity picked up.

Helena broke her contemplations as the scene in front of her started to escalate. Tamie and Rean seemed to be nearing violence as Rean’s fingers sparked with flames. Tom’s lost control of them. They’re being overshadowed by their enhanced emotional responses. He must have overdosed them.

Peter had retreated to his corner and Helena was surprised to find his heart racing as his lungs convulsed. He isn’t handling it well. He’s overexerted his ability. An over calculation?

“Hey, what’s going on here?” Liam asked, sounding dazed as his words came out slightly slurred.

“Haven’t you been listening?” West yelled. “Tom’s been controlling Rean and Tamie with hormones!”

“What?” Tacker asked in confusion.

They don’t remember anything. Her eyes shifted back to Peter as he slumped against the wall, massaging his forehead.

“We’re not being controlled!” Rean screeched. Her face clearly flushed as her hand lit with fire, illuminating her furious expression.

“Do you think we can’t like a person just because they’re kind? What have you done, besides accuse Tom!” Tamie snapped, tears of frustration appearing in the corners of her eyes. She appears to be approaching hysteria.

“It looks like things are getting way out of hand,” Liam whispered with irritation.

Helena discerned Tacker twist his right hand upwards, concealing it from the rest of the group. Rean’s fire died instantly, throwing them into darkness. Both Rean and Tamie gasped, holding their hands against their throats.

Helena straightened her composure against the wall as she studied the scene. Tacker’s a Telekinetic, but Liam was the one that spoke. Are they trying to cover up their actions? It isn’t a terrible idea.

“What’s happening?” West asked, confused and frustrated.

Tacker gasp then massage his forehead as if he were experiencing pain. The girls struggled a few more seconds before going limp, dropping to the ground. Helena still felt the faint bioelectrical pulsing of their hearts. Tacker didn’t kill them but knocked them out.

Her vision moved to Tacker. I know something transpired in that exchange, Tacker felt mental pain. Was it the room’s effect, Peter, West, Tamie, maybe a combination or even the drugs?

“Alright, now that I knocked them out, we can discuss this hormones business,” Liam said huffily. He knocked them out. Helena mused as she continued to observe the scene.

Tacker was still rubbing his temple, wobbling unsteadily. Something definitely attacked his mind and fairly hard, but it can’t be Peter. He’s still in the corner repeating the exact same motion as Tacker. Maybe Tamie’s a Telepath, striking his mind before she was knocked unconscious? Two Telepaths in the same room seems unlikely, but I have to keep the possibility open.

“So, they’re alright?” West asked as he fumbled around for the two girls and checked their pulse, a sigh of relief close to his lips. “Thanks, Liam.”

“No problem, now what’s this about hormones?” Liam asked. They didn’t even have a grasp of the situation before acting. Liam decided to knock them out because they were loud?

“Tom was controlling the two girls’ with hormones.” West accused.

Tom had backed against the wall opposite Helena. He was shivering, blindly staring around the room. He’s panicking. Perhaps he really has some fear of the dark? Then again, the situation is closing around his neck.

“We can figure this out quickly,” Liam stated. “If the boys aren’t being affected then we can assume it only works on females.” He at least came up with that reasoning, but he completely left out the possible transfer method.

“Yeah, he wanted Janice to help him with something,” West added while glaring in Tom’s general direction. “He was probably going to infect her next.”

“Janice?” Tacker asked in confusion. He doesn’t remember my name? Peter may have already infiltrated his mind by that time. “You mean Helena?” Tacker continued.

Helena’s eyes widened, vision darting to Tacker. There are three possibilities. Peter could be the mole and implanted my name into their heads. Tacker really is a mole and that put his twin high on the list or Peter found out my name through infiltrating another person’s mind, then implanted it in Tacker’s to throw me off completely.

However, that would require a lot of subtle manipulations and with the room’s draining attribute, I doubt he’d be able to accomplish that much. Every jump to a person’s mind probably has a very harsh, draining effect on his mental state and Focus depletion.

There may also be one more possibility, but it’s not that likely. He could have gained my name by entering my mind, but with my natural resistance … then again, he does seem extremely drained. Possibilities are racking up with every passing second and I only seem to be asking more questions. I need to start narrowing down the many probabilities and get out of here.