"Focus." I heard Savannah's voice behind me. "See it moving."
I steadied my gaze and watched as the vase floated into the air, about a foot above the table.
"Now let it down gently."
I slowly lowered the vase back to its original spot. "Ha! I did it!" I looked at Dustin, triumphantly.
He smiled, approvingly. "I can't believe you have learned so much in such a short time. What's next?" He questioned Savannah.
"I think we should try mind control. We won't know what else she's proficient in until we attempt it. Dustin, you can probably help with this one, since you are trained in mind manipulation."
He nodded. "Anything I can do to help."
Dustin had been home for two days, and it was the first time he had seen all the progress I had made while he was gone. I had pretty much conquered elemental manipulation, and with my focus back on my studies and not my broken heart, I was making even faster progress on telekinesis.
Savannah turned to me. "Mind manipulation is all about energy projection. The key is to link your mind with theirs, by linking your eyes, and looking into their mind. Mind reading, and mind manipulation go hand in hand. You need to access their core mental images, and be able to imprint on them to create the new reality you want them to have."
My jaw dropped. "I didn't understand any of that."
Savannah looked at Dustin, helplessly. "Would you like to take a stab at it?"
"Okay, Katie, do you remember during the storm at school when you had that vision of Dani and the guy yelling at her? Remember how you projected the images to me? That's essentially what you are doing when you imprint on someone's conscience. But instead of sending images, you are sending commands."
I nodded, slowly. "Okay, so I project a command. How am I going to test this? Don't you guys have some sort of Supernatural block?"
"Unfortunately, no." Dustin replied. "Most Supernaturals are susceptible to mind control, but I believe that Magic Casters can resist most forms of mental manipulation." He looked at Savannah for confirmation, and she nodded. "You can practice on me. I trust you."
I glanced at Savannah nervously. "I'm not sure I want to scramble my fiancés mind."
"There isn't any long-term damage if you use short term imprints. When Kaitlyn commanded you to sleep, it wore off in a few hours. If you need to completely alter someone's memories, to protect them, the projection must be very advanced. We will start with short term and work from there. Dustin?"
He stood up and faced me. "Why don't you try to put me to sleep? I'll sit on the couch, so I don't get hurt if you are successful." He took my hand and led me towards the couch. "Now, look in my eyes."
I sat beside him on the couch and linked my eyes with his. I imagined him sleeping, his beautiful face in peaceful rest. "Sleep." I whispered.
He didn't move. "You need to push the energy into my mind. Force the image."
I took a deep breath and looked in his eyes. I felt the power of my mind conjure the image of him sleeping. "Sleep." I repeated.
His eyes instantly closed, and he slouched back onto the couch.
"Oh, my God." I jumped up.
"Relax, Katie, that's what we wanted. He won't be out very long, since your energy projection is still weak. Practice will increase the length of the effects." Savannah put her hand on my shoulder. "This is cause for celebration. You are making remarkable progress."
Dustin stirred on the couch. A moment later he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "I'm guessing it worked."
I nodded, joining him on the couch. "I'm sorry."
"Katie, don't apologize. I'm happy to help any way I can. Wanna try it again?"
"I don't think so. I'm not sure I want to be messing with people's minds. I think I'll stick to playing with fire and shattering vases."
Savannah laughed. "It's okay. We know you can do it, and if the need ever arises, I think you will be able to handle the situation. Let's switch to mind reading. It's much easier, and less invasive. You and Dustin already have a telepathic bond, so you should be able to see what's going on in other people's heads with little effort. Why don't we ask Kaitlyn to help us with this one?" She turned and headed out the door. "I'll go find her."
I leaned over and hugged Dustin, resting my head on his shoulder. "The more I learn, the more confident I feel, but I still hope I don't have to use these things on someone to protect myself. It seems like an invasion of privacy."
He laughed and brought my hand to his lips. "I know it feels weird at first, but you don't have to use it often. It's like knowing a martial art. It's there when you need it, but it doesn't have to be part of your everyday life."
I smiled at him. "Have I told you how much I missed you?"
"Actually, you showed me." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
"Shhhhhh!" I looked around, embarrassed.
"Don't worry, our personal life is just that, personal."
"Thank you." I felt the color recede from my cheeks.
"Okay, let's try this." Kaitlyn followed Savannah into the room.
"Are you sure you're alright with this?" I stood up and crossed the room to stand in front of her.
"I've been in your head before." Kaitlyn reminded me. "I don't mind returning the favor."
I looked in her bright blue eyes, and tried to focus.
"Clear your mind, and link your eyes with hers." Savannah instructed. "Let yourself wander through her thoughts, just like you do with Dustin."
I struggled for a moment. I had been communicating telepathically with Dustin for months, and had never once stopped to figure out how until now. I pushed my way into Kaitlyn's mind, searching for her stream of thought. Her blue eyes twinkled as I heard her voice in my head. "Katie, can you hear me?"
I jumped, startled. I projected a message to her just like I did when Dustin and I were talking. "I can! This is crazy!"
She smiled, as she continued. "It's easier than it looks, huh? As long as you keep eye contact, you should be able to hear thoughts whenever you want. Luckily, you have the ability to choose who you hear. When I was learning, I was inundated with unwanted thoughts from everyone I was in close proximity to. Guardians don't have to maintain eye contact to read minds, so my first few months were filled with headaches, and unsolicited voices."
I nodded, feeling her pain as I remembered how intrusive the visions were before I learned to block them. "I never thought I would be able to have mental conversations with anyone but myself. So much has happened in such a short amount of time."
Savannah moved between us, breaking the eye link. "How do you feel, Katie?"
I smiled at Kaitlyn. "Kind of awesome."
Dustin laughed out loud. "This from someone who called my telepathic messages 'mental chatter'."
"Katie, I think it would be good if you work with Kaitlyn on your strength training for a while. Dustin and I have some things to discuss."
I caught Kaitlyn's eye and smiled. "Let's do it."
A/N-Katie is really coming into her own, thanks to Savannah. If you could have a magical gift, what would it be? Comment below!! Luvs as always!! AM