Matthew Jones is the only son of Randy Jones, honored deacon of the Church of Genetic Purity. He and his girlfriend, Amy Cox, have been taught from birth that MORFS is a symptom of moral depravity. While they had quietly questioned that doctrine, they were not prepared for the opportunity to find out for themselves.

sex: 1/10
violence: 7/10
profanity: 3/10

Categories: Male to Female, PSI

Timeline: 2060

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Chapter Five: New day, new hope

All too soon, Mom was waking me up. I groggily got out of bed and hit the shower. I dressed without comment in the clothes that Mom had laid out for me. I was about to whip us up a quick breakfast when Cindy came up and invited us to eat breakfast with them.

Larry was putting a plate of mini omelets on the table as Kim set down a plate of waffles. Larry, wearing a smirk, daintily picked up a crystal bell and rang it. "Breakfast is served, gentlepeople."

"Why thank you, kind sir," said Sara.

Cindy giggled. Mom and I joined in. Breakfast was wonderful. The companionship was even better.

I rode to school with the Martins. I sat in the back seat with Cindy and Larry, but I somehow didn't feel squeezed in. Rather, I enjoyed the closeness and companionship.

Once we got to school, I really started to pay attention to my empathic sense. Most of the students were feeling the usual mixture of boredom, interest, worry, and the like. Some were really bored with school, while others were happy to be there. Most didn't react to my presence for more than a fraction of a second as they glanced at me. Some looked at me with curiosity (presumably wondering who I was before), some with interest or even lust, some with sympathy, some with pity, and some with hate. Most of those who looked upon me with pity or hate were from my church -- former church, that is.

When I showed up for my third hour gym class, the teacher directed me to the advanced gym class for testing. There, I met Mister Jacobson. My former compatriots referred to him as 'Mister Monkey,' so I had to be careful to adjust my attitude.

He greeted me warmly and started putting me through a series of tests. Kim, Sara, Larry, and Cindy all gave me the thumbs up. When it was my turn to play on that big jungle gym, they were the ones who led me around. I found that I could pretty well follow them, except for the areas where the bars were too big for me to grasp. They used their claws to get a grip, but my hands slid off. I fell to the floor. Just before I hit, I felt myself being slowed down.

"That was interesting," I said as I picked myself up. "I guess my TK is strong enough to break my fall."

"Be careful about overdoing it," said Mister Jacobson, "But you may very well be able to fly using your TK. We'll train you in advanced gym class."

"You mean I made it?"

"Yes," he replied, "but you still have to finish your testing so that we have a good baseline."

So off I went again to the jungle gym. I quickly learned to use TK to grab the large bars. If I had a long jump, I used TK for a bit of an extra boost.

After the agility tests, I went to the machines to test my strength. Mister Jacobson had to remind me to not help myself out with my TK. "We just want to test your muscles now. We'll work on your TK strength later."

"Welcome to advanced gym class," said Kim. "Mister Jacobson agrees that you should train with us. We're all starting out at the same level, and have similar strengths."

I almost committed the faux pas of going into the wrong locker room. Kim gently steered me to the girls' locker room. "It's disconcerting, I know."

During study hall, I alternated between catching up on my missed work and practicing my TK. It only took me a few minutes to realize that I could get my work done faster by using my TK to write. Apparently, my TK is more coordinated than my muscles, because my TK handwriting (TKwriting?) is a whole lot neater. Soon, I was finished with the work I had brought. It seemed to be easier than it was before I got MORFS, and I did the writing a lot faster. That left me with some time with nothing to do. I amused myself by using my TK sense to 'look' around. I became more familiar with the texture of common materials and objects. I even started to be able to sense color. Perhaps I have a bit of that telepathic sense that generally shows up in people who gain telepathy and lose their eyes when they morf.

I tried to read my books without opening them. It was hard to adjust my vision so that I could see one page and only one page, especially if the paper was bent or wrinkled. Soon, though, I was reading my own books, the books of the other students, and even the books in the library. If I had still been male, I probably would have amused myself by looking into the girls' locker room and through people's clothes as they walk by. As it is, I already have access to the locker room. Sadly, it doesn't hold quite the same interest it used to hold.

As I was sitting back in my chair with my eyes closed, I started to read whispers of thoughts. I focused on them and read them more clearly. I carefully refrained from focusing on my friends. I practiced at shutting out all but their surface thoughts and emotions. Soon, my mind started to automatically do that.

I was startled out of my reverie by the bell. Without thinking, I used my TK to pack everything into my backpack. I felt a stab of hate and fear from across the room, but it was soon gone. I had been getting used to that, so I didn't give it much thought.

I walked into the girls' room on the way to class. As soon as I went through the door, I was grabbed roughly. "Where are you going, freak? This bathroom is for humans."

Another one said, "This is the one who made the police arrest my father. We need to teach her a lesson!" She was behind me, but I could still 'see' her clearly enough. I remember seeing her sitting in the deacon section at church. She came around to the front and cocked her fist back. She took a hefty swing, but she never connected. "You can't stop me with your black magic!" She tried to kick me, but didn't connect. The rage and hatred radiating from her was painful to see. I used my TK sense to find her carotid arteries, and gently pinched them shut. She crumpled to the ground. I released her arteries and broke her fall.

"Do you want to join her?" I growled at the two who were holding me. They gave me a shove and ran out the door.

By the time I was done relieving myself and washing up, my attacker was waking up. I carefully stepped around her, left the restroom, and went to class. My fifth and sixth hour teachers were pleased with the work that I turned in. I told them that I expect to be caught up in a week or less.

I rode the bus home with Cindy and Larry. We're slim enough to sit three to a seat, so I sat between them. I played with my TK and telepathic senses on the way. I closed my eyes and remotely sensed the bus. I could sense the road going by underneath us. I focused on the wheels, then on the motors inside them. The magnets felt kind of different. After concentrating a bit, I sensed the magnetic fields generated by the permanent magnets, and the changing magnetic fields created by the electromagnets. After a while, I could sense the electric currents as they were switched by the electronics of the motor controllers.

I shifted my attention back up to the inside of the bus. A few students were listening to audio players or eComs through earphones. I concentrated on the earphone wires and detected the current. After concentrating, I could 'hear' the music through my TK/TE senses. I concentrated on the moving air inside their ears and similarly heard the music. I felt for their emotions and detected a variety. The emotions of some of the students reflected the music, while others didn't. I tried looking into their minds, and saw what was making them feel the way that they were feeling. When I looked into the minds of those who's emotions reflected the music, I heard the music itself. It was different, but it was recognizable. It was the music as they heard it, not as I heard it.

I was startled to see myself in the minds of some of the boys. Some saw me as I was, while others were 'undressing me with their eyes'. I was really annoyed, but I soon realized that I had done the same thing when I was male. If I'm to be entrusted with the ability to read others' thoughts, I need to learn not to judge. I need to think about how embarrassed I would be at times if my thoughts could be read. I felt a hand on mine. I focused closer and 'saw' that it was Larry. I opened my eyes and smiled at him. He really is kind of cute.

Where did that come from?

"A penny for your thoughts," he said.

"I was using my telekinetic, telepathic, and empathic senses to look around. It's a whole new way of seeing the world. I'm still getting used to the novelty."

"What can you sense from me? Can you read my mind?"

I blushed. I can read his emotions just fine. I can tell, for instance, that he likes me -- and not quite the same way that Cindy likes me. Also, my remote sense sees right through his clothes.

"Well, I can read your emotions just fine. I can also feel your physical presence." No sense being too specific about that. "I can't read your mind, though. I haven't tried, but I can always sense the presence of someone's mind even when I don't try to look inside."

"Can you try to read it? What if I try to open up and let you look?"

"OK," I said. "I'll try."

I focused on his emotions, then tried to see what was under them. I got a faint glimmering, but it seemed distant and weak. I touched his hand, and it got stronger.

"I can tell that something is there," he said.

"Concentrate on letting me in. Or, maybe, concentrate on the feeling that something is there."

I closed my eyes again. His mind became a bit clearer. *Can you hear me?* I sent to him. I felt his hand twitch in surprise.

"Yes," he said.

*Try answering me with your mind.*

*Hi Cara. Can you hear me?*

Suddenly, his mind opened up wide. It was if we were both suddenly on the same wavelength. In his mind, I could see an image of my face. It was more beautiful than I have ever considered myself to be. I had to stifle a sob.

*Cara! Are you all right?*

*Never been better!* I told him truthfully. I opened my eyes and concentrated on his handsome face. *Look into my mind and see what I am seeing,* I told him. I saw a smile form on his face.

Cindy cleared her throat. "All right, you two! What are you up to?" I sensed amusement and something else in her.

"Larry is helping me with my telepathy," I said innocently.

"A likely story!" she snorted.

*I think you have some telepathic sense. Why don't you try 'looking' around the bus for a bit while I try to read Cindy?*

*OK.*

I turned to Cindy and took her hand. "Concentrate on letting me into your mind. When you feel someone knocking, concentrate on that."

I could read her better than I read Larry. *Can you hear me, Cindy?*

*Yes! This is wonderful!*

I opened my eyes and looked into her face. *Try to read what I am seeing.*

I saw my image in her mind as I see her -- that of a close friend; almost a sister.

*The way you were google eying my brother, we may end up being sisters in law!* she snickered.

*I heard that!* Larry said.

I blushed. Somehow, that went through the telepathic link, too.

*Let's look around the bus,* I suggested.

*Ewwwww!* Cindy said. *That guy is undressing us with his eyes!*

*Get used to it,* I replied. *It's what guys do. Besides, how many times would you have not wanted to have someone read your thoughts? We have to be careful with our attitudes or we will end up being disdainful of the whole world.*

Larry focused our attention on another passenger. *That guy thinks that I'm so lucky to be sitting with two hot babes,* he chuckled with amusement.

I'm still more used to being the observer than being the observed. The fact that I have been concentrating on so many other issues doesn't mean that I'm totally comfortable and accepting of my new gender.

*You'll get used to it,* Cindy said with sympathy. *You can talk to Dad if it helps.*

*I can't pretend to know how you feel,* Larry added. *I have a pretty good idea, though, since you have allowed me to look into your mind."

Cindy lightened the mood a bit. *What he isn't telling you is that he likes you better this way.*

I thought about it a bit. *I can't say that I prefer to be female, but I definitely like who I am better than I did before all of this happened.*

*We like you just fine,* Cindy said, *but you can tell that just by 'looking.'*

*It's still nice to hear,* I said.

"Look at those freaks! They must be up to something!" one of the students whispered to another.

*I'm so tempted to say something nasty to them, but it would do nothing but confirm their suspicions and add to their fear and hate,* Larry commented.

We sensed another telepath on the bus, but quickly broke contact with him. He used his telepathic sense to look around, but he couldn't see us. He then tried to hide himself, but wasn't totally successful. We were tempted to see if the three of us together could break through his block, but that would have been rude. We continued to look around the bus. I found that I was able to pipe my telesense through the link to them. After some practice, they developed their own sense. It wasn't quite as detailed as mine, but it was usable.

We were shaken out of our reverie when the bus came to our stop. We were still communicating telepathically as we walked toward the front. I smiled and waved at the telepath as we passed him. He looked at us suspiciously, but smiled back.

Mom, Kim, and Sara were sitting in the living room sipping sparkling fruit juice when we entered.

"You guys look like the cats that ate the canary," Sara said.

"Me?" I asked innocently. "I figured I looked more like the elf that hid the fairy dust."

Kim snickered. "All right, out with it! What have you three been up to?"

"I asked Cara to try to read me," Larry said, "and she ended up unlocking my own telepathic skills."

Cindy asked, "Do you guys want to try it?"

Cindy went to Sara and Larry went to Kim. Pretty soon, everyone was conversing.

"I kind of feel left out," pouted Mom.

*Can you hear me, Mom?*

"Yes!", said Mom.

*Try answering me without speaking out loud.*

*Like this?*

*Yes!* everyone chorused.

With someone to show them the tricks, Kim and Sara soon got the hang of using their telesensing. Kim, Sara, Larry, and Cindy all had remarkably similar sensing abilities. They think that it's that way because they all got hit with the same bug. They all have some TK ability, but can't control it as well as I can. None of them can write with it, unless they use large letters. They had very fine control within an inch or so of their bodies, but couldn't do the drawing trick from across the room. They did, however, have plenty of power. None of them had any trouble lifting three or four people. We figured that we would all talk to Mister Jacobson about it tomorrow.

Kim looked over at Sara and Cindy. "Are you girls going to drag Cara out to the spa the way you dragged me? She's the only changeling girl here without a perforated belly button."

"Beauty salon, dear; it's a beauty salon," Sara replied. "A beauty salon is where we girls go to look beautiful. A real spa, like Mrs. Tabor's, is a full-service rest and beauty resort that will make a new you from top to bottom," she said wistfully. She added with feigned disdain, "Now, what you have been erroneously calling a health spa is one of those sweaty smelly testosterone-laden places where you used to push weights and grunt and build up those bulky muscles."

"I don't recall you complaining about my bulky muscles. In fact, I seem to recall you spending considerable time studying them -- supposedly for anatomy class."

"Especially your gluteals," she smirked, "and I don't recall too many complaints coming from you."

"Alas," he sighed, "my new body doesn't seem capable of amassing such bulk."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. You are still one fine piece of tail!" Sara grabbed Kim's tail and started stroking it. Her eyes were half lidded as she leaned back into the love seat.

Cindy rolled her eyes, then started giggling. "Daddy's purring."

"If it's any consolation," commented Larry, "I don't think I'll be building any bulk, either."

"I guess you'll just have to find someone who loves you for your mind," said Sara as she continued to stroke Kim's tail.

"Yes," said Cindy, "Perhaps someone who has already looked into his mind, and likes what she sees."

Larry blushed.

OK, I blushed, too. So sue me!

Cindy must have 'said' something to Mom, because she looked at me and raised her eyebrows.

*Larry is a sweet friend. Cindy is reading a lot into the fact that he and I shared thoughts as we practiced our telepathy.*

*Yeah, right* snickered Cindy.

*Hey! That wasn't aimed at you. How did you read it?*

*I was talking to your mom at the time, so I saw it flash through her mind,* replied Cindy

*Obviously, we have a lot to learn about this stuff,* I commented.

Larry piped in, *Alright, what are you guys plotting?*

*Nothing, dear brother,* Cindy smirked.

Discretion being the better part of valor, I decided to change the subject.

Kim and Sara were curled quite comfortably in the love seat. They were draped over each other like... well, like a couple of cats. They had their mental shields up. Actually, they seemed to be sharing a single shield.

*I think your mom and dad are purring,* I sent to Cindy and Larry.

I could tell that Cindy was trying to come up with something to say. Finally, she decided better of it. *Thanks for resisting temptation,* I sent to her privately.

*You don't know how hard it was. You owe me one.* Out loud, she said, "Hey, who's in for a swim?"

Taking my cue, I went upstairs to put on a swimsuit. I studied myself critically in the mirror. The aquamarine color of the suit contrasted well with my sea blue eyes and hair and my light skin; like a tropical white sand beach where the aquamarine shallows fade out to the blue depths.

Now where did that come from? I don't recall thinking like that when I was Matthew. I sighed. Well, if I have to be a girl, I might as well start thinking like one.

"Very pretty," my mother said, startling me. I really must have been out of it if I didn't sense her approach. "How is your homework coming?" she asked.

"I'm ahead of schedule," I said proudly. "I can write faster with my TK, and I also seem to be retaining what I read better."

She gave me a hug. "I'm proud of you, darling!"

I leaned into her hug and give as good as I got. I never did that when I was Matthew. This girl stuff isn't too bad. I bounded down the stairs and ran out to the pool. *That's not very lady-like,* my mother thought to me.

*It is if you're an athletic girl!* I replied.

She rolled her eyes. I couldn't see her, but I could sense that she rolled her eyes. I giggled.

I dove in and did some laps, reveling at the way my new body glided smoothly through the water. I angled down and swam underwater for a space. I experimented with a few different strokes, but ended up with a simple flutter kick. I blew out air as I swam up. I surfaced, took a deep gulp of air, and went back down. I did a few flips, kicked off of the bottom, angled to the edge, and climbed out the ladder.

"You're quite the fish," said Larry. The image of me in his public mind was flattering. I smiled.

"Thank you," I said. "I have always liked the water, but my new body almost seems to be made for it."

"Almost," he agreed. "I have seen people with fins and gills, but I like you just fine the way you are."

I blushed.

Then, I changed the subject. "That on line course I downloaded said that liquids are particularly hard to TK."

I concentrated on the water at the center of the pool. Soon, I had a nice fountain gushing up. I played with the stream, widening and narrowing it, forming it into graceful curves, sending it in a spiral, and making it widen to a spray at the top and fall. This isn't so hard, after all.

Larry managed to get a good spout going, but didn't have anywhere near the level of control. I noticed that the raw amount of water was quite a bit greater than I could manage, though. I joined with him, increasing the volume and control. Soon, we had a huge river of water flowing straight up, into a spiral, through a couple loops, and straight back down through the center of the spiral. Cindy added her power to the display and the river got thicker and faster. We were working almost as one mind.

I noticed that Mom, Kim, and Sara were watching from inside the house. *Come on out,* I sent to them.

They came out. Kim and Sara added their power and control to the display. We sent the water even higher, and through several more loops.

It occurred to me that heat is nothing more than the motion of the individual molecules. I separated a side stream from the main river going down and broke it into small balls of water. I concentrated on sucking the heat out. Ironically, it took power to remove the heat. Soon, the pool was full of balls of ice.

"Setting the pool up for polar bears?" asked my mom.

I stopped making ice balls and, instead, heated the water as it went down. I also concentrated on heating and melting the ice balls. Soon, we had the entire pool warmed up to a comfortable eighty-eight degrees.

I could feel fatigue in all of us. Of one accord, we stopped pulling water from the pool and let the stream run out. It was fun watching the tailing end of the stream go through all the loops and spirals.

*I think we all need some energy drinks and power bars,* said Doctor Kim.

*Where are they?* I asked. Cindy visualized the drinks and bars, so I felt for them with my senses. As one, we picked up the food and drink and floated it out to the pool, setting two bars and a drink by each person, including Mom.

"It's a good thing that the power used to move that water didn't come solely from our food, or we would never be able to replenish it," said Sara.

"We're still trying to figure out where the energy comes from when people use TK or elemental powers," agreed Kim.

I took a bite of power bar, washed it down with some pep juice, sighed, and laid back in the chaise lounge. The sun shone red through my eyelids as I laid there. I idly sensed the area and noted that everyone else was reclining, too. Kim and Sara shared the same lounge. I finished up my snack and laid back again. I retracted my senses and let my mind wander. Before I knew it, I was asleep.

"Wake up, sleepy head. Time for dinner." Mom smiled down at me as I yawned and stretched. The sun was lower in the sky than it was before.

"How long have I been out?"

"Oh, about two hours. Everyone else got up a few minutes ago, but you didn't stir. We decided to let you sleep until the table was set. Go upstairs and change."

I launched myself up the stairs and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Everyone was getting seated as I scooted to my place and... was about to plop into my seat, but remembered to sit like a lady. Mom smiled and winked at me. Cindy sent me a telepathic giggle.

After dinner, Larry and Cindy got up to clear the table and do the dishes. I remained in my seat and levitated all of the dishes over to the sink area. I put the dishes that would fit into the dishwasher, and placed the rest into the sink. Then, I turned on the water and guided the stream, along with some dish soap, to each large dish in turn. Finally, I rinsed and dried them. Pushing the water off of the dishes was tricky, but I soon got the hang of it. I could sense the difference between the solid dish and the liquid, so I was soon able to push the water off by feel.

I went up to my room and got further ahead on catching up on my school work.

Does that make sense?

OK, I have a schedule for catching up on my school work, and I'm ahead of that schedule. In other words, I'm ahead at catching up from behind.

I think I ought to run for congress.

Anyhow, after getting ahead at getting less behind, I laid out my clothes for tomorrow and prepared for bed. I decided to do some light reading, so I dug one of Mom's old Asimov paperbacks out of the boxes. I found it easier to lay it on the nightstand and read it with my remote senses than to sit up and hold it.

Chapter Six: Another day, another adventure

The next morning, I tried using my TK to dry off. It was a little tricky at first, especially on my hair. Once I got the hang of it, it saved me a bunch of time.

With all the time I saved, I got down to the kitchen before anyone else. By the time Larry arrived, I had breakfast pretty much prepared. We chatted while he set the table.

"Looks like someone got up early to beat the rush," commented Cindy. "Don't you know that we girls have to be fashionably late? We have a reputation to maintain!"

"Gee, sorry about that," I said. "I guess I should sleep in tomorrow. I'm just not used to the fact that I can dry everything, including my hair, in about three seconds using my TK."

"I wish I had your level of control," Cindy said wistfully.

"I recall you doing some very fine manipulations yesterday. You just had to have the object in question within a couple inches of your body. Try pushing the water away from the hair that's near your scalp, then running your hands down the length of your hair to get rid of the rest. Or, lean forward so that all of your hair rests right on your body."

"Great idea!" Cindy said. "I think I'll try it after gym."

After breakfast, Mom went to her job, and I rode with the Martins to school. Larry, Cindy, and I went to class. Kim and Sara took their tablets to the study hall to take care of whatever writing or research they needed to do, then met us for our third hour advanced gym class.

We had a great time training together. Mister Jacobson noticed that we weren't talking to each other, but were still coordinating everything just fine. *Managed to find your telepathy powers, eh?* he sent to us. Apparently, he is used to working with telepaths.

*Not only that,* Sara said proudly. *Cara also helped us all unlock our telekinetic powers.*

*I'll arrange to have you all trained by someone with TK powers, then,* he replied.

After gym, we showered and quickly dried using our TK. Everyone was well pleased with the time it saved.

Since Kim and Sara are now enrolled in the advanced gym class, they can eat cafeteria food with us peons -- I mean students. Lucky them. Good company makes the meal, though. After lunch, they went on their way. I went to the study hall and more catch-up work. Now, I'm way ahead on my campaign to not be behind.

I felt an icy stab of fear. I was confused at first, but soon realized that someone else was feeling the fear. I reached out with my senses and saw the same three 'purity' types harassing a sweet looking girl with squirrel features.

*You'll be OK,* I sent to the frightened girl. Then, I reached out and gently compressed the carotids of the perpetrators. They fell to the floor, leaving the squirrel girl confused.

*Just walk away from them,* I said. *They'll be up and around in about thirty seconds.*

I contacted Cindy and Larry and told them what happened. We all agreed to keep tabs on them, and anyone else who might show violent tendencies.

*We need to be discreet,* I said. *If we can protect the victims without hurting anyone or tipping our hand, we might actually make a difference around here.*

*We'll need to figure out how to harmlessly take them out,* Larry said. We don't have fine enough control to do what you did.*

*Just physically block them from attacking and give me a shout,* I said. *If I'm not around, you might have to come up with something else, like pushing them fifty feet down the hall.*

Cindy vented a telepathic snicker. *I might actually enjoy that.*

I monitored the hall as the attackers slept. They got up without incident and quickly left.

The bell rang, so I went to my next class. Fifth and sixth hour passed uneventfully. The teachers were pleased with the work I turned in.

*I'll save us a seat on the bus,* Larry said. *I'm glad it's Friday. It's been a long week!*

I sat between Larry and Cindy. I leaned back and closed my eyes. It might have looked like I was snoozing, but I was actually looking around the bus.

*Don't look now, but that other telepath is knocking on our door,* I said. *We can't really fault him for being curious, can we?*

I focused my remote sense on his face and adjusted the image in my conscious mind to make it look as much like ordinary vision as I could. Then, I dropped my shield back so that he could see my public mind.

He jerked in surprise as he saw his own face appear in my public mind. Then, of course, he got to see himself jerking in surprise. Larry snickered and looked at me, allowing a picture of my face to enter his public mind.

I like the way my face looks through his eyes.

Cindy and I giggled. We all introduced ourselves to him. He introduced himself as Jim Reynolds.

Soon, we were all chatting like old friends. It turns out that he had morfed a couple weeks ago, and was just getting used to his changes. We compared notes and arranged to meet each other some time this weekend. After the bus let us off, we carried our stuff to our rooms, changed, and hit the pool. I could really get used to having a pool. What I was having a little trouble getting used to is the fact that I was more interested in looking at Larry than at Cindy. While I never lost my appreciation for the female form, I was noticing things like Larry's well-muscled back and shoulders, the feline grace of his movements, and the way his face had a kind of exotic yet rugged handsomeness.

*I think you're pretty cute, yourself.*

I blushed. He gave me a warm chuckle. *You have only yourself to blame, you know. You're the one who unlocked my TE.*

He looked at me and allowed a picture of me to form in his mind. It wasn't just a factual photograph of my appearance, but an image colored by what he feels for me -- an image tinged with warmth and affection.

*It's natural for us to hide and avoid being vulnerable, but Mom and Dad taught us from a young age that life is better when you allow others to know how you feel about them.*

I smiled and formed an image of him in my mind -- an image that carries the same affection.

"You guys making google eyes at each other?" Cindy asked out loud.

"Oh hush! I saw the way you were looking Jim on the bus," I replied. "Maybe you should invite him over for a swim so you can get a better look at him." Now, it was Cindy's turn to blush.

Larry called Jim telepathically. It took him about ten minutes to get changed and come over.

It seemed to me that I saw him somewhere else besides on the bus. Perhaps advanced gym class.

*Are you in mister Jacobson's third hour advanced gym class?* I sent to him.

*You mean you don't remember seeing me there?* He tried to pout, but didn't quite pull it off.

I watched as he climbed to the high board and gracefully dove off. He has the same athletic but not bulky build that many MORFS survivors are blessed with. Other than that, there is little that screams post-MORFS. He has silver hair, and his light blue irises are veined with a color that's somewhere between cobalt blue and indigo. Taken together, one might surmise that he has gone through MORFS, or that his parents or grandparents have. Still, he could easily pass in a pures convention by hiding his hair and maybe wearing tinted glasses or contacts. I could certainly see why Cindy is attracted to him.

The four of us had a great time swimming and lounging around the pool. Sometimes, it's great to forget all your cares and worries and just enjoy the moment.

*Now who's making google-eyes, Missy?* I sent to Cindy. She blushed. She was about to say something back when the phone rang.

Cindy answered, talked for a while, then turned to us. "Mom wants us all to get ready to go to the mall. They'll be by to pick us up in half an hour." She asked Jim, "Do you want to come with us?"

"Let me check with Mom and Dad." He concentrated for a second, then said, "OK, I can come."

I sent a telepathic smirk to Cindy. *What?* she asked innocently.

We all rinsed off and changed. Jim had brought some clothes for the trip home, so he changed in Larry's room.

I was relaxing on my bed when I sensed the approach of Mom, Kim, and Sara. We all went downstairs and walked out the door just as they were pulling into the driveway.

*Get out of the driveway so I can pull into the garage,* Kim sent. *We're not all going to fit in this car.*

(end of part 02)

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