Mind Games

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Hailey looked at him, thinking about it, how to answer. What to say. In a way she felt very disturbed by the thought of not having her thoughts to herself - who knew, maybe he knew more than he said he did. Maybe he lied to her? She tried not to think of it in that way, since all it did was to scare her. She reminded herself that all he had done up to this point had been nice and caring, not at all to take advantage of her. She tried to push those thoughts away as she thought about an answer. She hadn't thought that much about the past at all - she was rather here and now. She had enough trouble trying to live in the present, and partly in the future, as well.

After a few minutes of thinking, she finally spoke. "It's been... a while", she said, trying not to get emotional about it, as she thought of how it had been at first. "I think it started pretty early", she said, not feeling like going any further at that point. "Pretty sure I was still a child", she added. She looked even more thoughtful as she thought about his other question. "Honestly, I'm not sure of what I see", she said, feeling slightly embarrassed about how little she knew about it all. "Sometimes I see myself as a child though... things I don't remember... glimpses", she said and bit her lip. "Scary things, most of the time. I've probably blocked them out... if it wasn't because of the fact that I'm younger then, I'd assume it was - is - the future", she said, shrugging.
 
Drejan watched her as she spoke, watched the emotions play across her pretty face, watched each nervous habit. Everything told him something about her and he didn't need to read her mind to start understanding some of the things she didn't say. She was still nervous about him, still unsure she should trust him, but she was fighting with herself over it. The fact that she hesitated over answers, didn't look at him directly but rather watched his movements spoke of skittishness to him and he was careful to keep his own actions slow, to keep his voice even.

Oh, and there was the fact that he was constantly catching snatches of her emotions without even trying. His empath gift was something he only had sporadic control over and even when Drejan didn't want to use it, sometimes it flared up anyway.

So she saw the future and the past...but it sounded like the past might be mixed up with memories. Hmm.

"In many of the things I saw, you were being chased...or you thought you were being chased. Are you being followed now, in the present?" He knew it might be a topic she wasn't willing to talk about, but he figured he'd try it anyway. After all, he would like to know if he was going to have someone trying to break down his door at some point.
 
Hailey bit her lip and looked away, out the window, at the tea, anything. Why would she lie? What would she gain if she lied? Lying wasn't really an option - but she felt quite scared about telling him. Talking about it. Being that vulnerable. This was so not her, talking to a stranger about these emotional things. Well, Drejan wasn't really a stranger any longer, was he? She glanced at him, realizing that she didn't know much about him. He knew more about her than she knew about him. She looked away again, trying to get an answer, at least in her mind, and then make it into words for her to speak.

"I am", she said, glancing out the window, as if someone would be standing there, looking at her. She made an attempt to look at Drejan. "Not sure of by who though... they're looking for me", she said, looking at her tea. "They want me because of... my ability, you know", she said. She glanced at him before glancing towards the door. She bit her lip and looked down in her lap, not sure whether to say anything more or to keep quiet. She swallowed and then opened her mouth again, slightly hesitatingly as she spoke. "You know... being... held down... forced..." she said quietly and curled up in the chair. "I think it's them", she said, hugging herself. "Could be both the past and the future... I hate it", she said, almost as quiet as a whisper now.
 
Her demeanor melted his own shields slightly and Drejan found himself wanting to sooth her, to comfort her, but he knew how she'd reacted yesterday to touch and he didn't want to make her anymore upset than she already was. He knew what it was like to be that scared, to be that distrusting that you avoided people, avoided touch, avoided any situation that reminded you of the terror and the pain, the helplessness...

Drejan shook his head, finding that his own memories had started to trickle into the forefront of his mind and he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, erecting the wall that kept his past separate from his present once more. It was the only way he knew how to function - not even letting himself think about what had happened unless it be in a detached, impersonal way. Who he'd been back then was almost a completely different person than who he made himself be now.

"I know the feeling. They want me, too, though, perhaps not the same people. It's hard to tell." He sighed and ran his hand back through his brown hair, leaning back in his chair. His headache was finally starting to ease a bit and Drey found it a bit easier to think now. He tilted his head, watching Hailey, wishing he knew how to put her at ease but right now settling for the fact that she hadn't bolted for the door.

"They've caught me too, a few years ago. You're not alone in your fear of them, Hailey, and if I can help keep you out of their hands, I will. I promise."
 
Hailey looked at him, all of sudden suspiciously, as he spoke. She listened to what he said, carefully, not letting go of him with her gaze, as if she feared that he'd hurt her. She looked down as he looked at her. She had her hands in her lap, watching them, and then she looked at him once he was done. She looked down in a matter of seconds, obviously nervous at this point. "No", she said, shaking her head slightly.

She went it through in her mind. It couldn't be true. He couldn't have been chased. He having an ability, and her, that was true, no doubt, but both of them being chased? No. He was obviously fooling her, wanting to know as much as possible. And he had succeeded, she thought, digging her nails into her her hands, quietly. She bit her lip and looked at him. "You're lying", she said, glancing towards the door, just to make sure that nothing had changed, then she looked back at him. "You don't know. You're just making things up, are you?" she said, but not waiting for an answer, she stood up, quite shaky from the anxiety and fear that she was feeling.

She made her way to the hallway, although it wasn't that fast - she didn't want to fall - and she leaned towards the door. She tried to open it, but finding it was locked, it was too hard for her to unlock it because of her lack of focus and her shaking hands. She let out a frustrated scream as she kicked the door before sinking down in front of it, leaning towards it. "Don't come near me!" she screamed, as if she feared that he was already next to her, even though she hadn't even looked for him yet.
 
Drejan watched her as she freaked out, watched as she walked away from him - well, stumbled more like - and he calmly followed her as far as the couch which was probably about six feet from the door where she sat. He moved a little bit closer despite her screamed warning and stopped about four feet away before he sat. He just sat, legs crossed, no threat, no sudden movements, no words as he waited for her to calm, to stop shrieking at him.

When she finally did, that was when he spoke and there was no anger in his voice but neither was he overly soothing as he was pretty sure she would only read deceit in that right now. "I'm not lying and you're fortunate I don't take offense at being called a liar. What reason would have I have to lie to you, Hailey? I know it's hard to think right now, but use your brain. If I had any alternative motives, I've had plenty of opportunities to take advantage of you. It's not like you could fight me off either mentally or physically."

Okay, so maybe he wasn't really being soothing at all, but really? He understood she wasn't fond of him, didn't know him, didn't really trust him, but to assume he was lying and to treat him like he was a monster who was going to lash out at her at any moment? That was highly unfair and uncalled for.

Drejan gave her a hard look when his piercing gray eyes met her own blue-gray ones, but even as he was cold, he wasn't cruel. His eyes didn't glint or glitter with malice or evil intent the way those who wished harm did.

"I have been captured by those who wished to control me. I've been tormented by them and used, and if you'd like me to show you that to prove it to you, I can. I'm not going to hurt you, Hailey, because I know what it feels like to be hurt and I am not going to turn my back on you unless you insist it because I know how it feels to be alone."
 
Hailey watched him as he spoke, even though she at first didn't really thought about what he was saying, since she was assuming they were all lies. But as he, once again, brought up the fact that if he had any alternative motives, he would already have taken advantage of her, she listened a bit more closely. Those words didn't make her less scared - no, him telling her that she wouldn't be able to fight him off either mentally or physically scared the shit out of her - but at least they were true.

When he stopped talking, she had calmed down quite a bit. Her heart wasn't racing as fast and she didn't shake as bad as before. She looked at him thoughtfully, then remembering her nails that were still digged into her hands, she stopped. She glanced down at her hands, quite marked after her nails, and then she looked at him again. "I don't want to see", she said, although she knew seeing him being tormented would be proof enough. She feared that it'd be too much for her. She closed her eyes for a moment, putting her forehead towards her hands.


Thinking about it, she realized that he was right. If he was planning on hurting her, he could easily already have done so. And if he wanted to take advantage of her ability, or just get to know more about her, he could easily do that as well, without having to pretend that he wanted to help her. She felt a bit uncomfortable about it though, knowing that she had nothing to put up against him if he decided to hurt her - as he had said, she wouldn't be able to fight him off, at all. Maybe the scary part was that she had to trust him. At least enough not to run out the door.


She took a deep breath before looking at him again. "I'm sorry... I... it's just... I'm not used to people not wanting to hurt me", she said.
 
"I know."

Drejan sighed and he leaned back on his elbows, taking a look at the ceiling so that she wouldn't feel like his eyes were boring into her. He got that complaint from people a lot...or at least they thought it even if they didn't say it out loud. Hmm...he should paint the ceiling...

"I used to be a lot like that, too. I'm still like that in a way. I mean, I help certain people, but at that point I have some control over the situation. I'm choosing to help. Doesn't mean I trust them, though. That's harder. When they stick around...that's when I have to start trusting, too and for people like you and me, that's not easy."

He glanced over at Hailey and offered a small smile before turning slightly and getting to his feet. He approached her then, but didn't crouch. No, all he did was disengage the lock...well, four of them and then step back before he turned around completely and started back toward the kitchen. "If you want to stay, to learn from me and try your hand at trusting me, you're welcome to, Hailey. And if you want to leave, I won't stop you. It's your choice."
 
As Hailey listened to Drejan, she felt more and more certain about the fact that he understood things. Things that she wouldn't expect him - not anyone - to understand. Even though she'd never say it out loud, she felt like he understood. As if he had also been as vulnerable and scared. That front she always put on with strangers, that cold and distant one, had seemed to disappear. It was scary to her - she had never opened up like this to anyone, especially not a stranger - or, someone she didn't know that well - and she certainly didn't let anyone this close. But, on the other hand, she had never met anyone like him. Anyone who knew - who understood. He seemed to understand more than what she had thought at first. The fact that he was willing to prove it to her by showing her made her believe him even more.

She watched him as he unlocked the door - four of them? - and then stepped back, walking towards the kitchen. She listened to him, not sure of what to do, at all. Just a few minutes ago she'd run out the door without thinking about it, but now, she didn't know. It was such a mix of feelings. She looked thoughtful and a bit confused, trying to get a hold of her feelings and thoughts, as he went into the kitchen. She could leave. As she had thought of doing, even before she had her tea. She hadn't had any thoughts on staying - up until now.

After thinking about it, she realized that it couldn't do any harm, just to stay a little longer. Just to find out what this was all about. Because, even though Hailey might not admit it, even to herself, she felt curious, wanting to know more. If what Drejan said was really true, she had a lot to gain, she realized. Or at least, nothing to lose, she thought, as she stood up and walked into the kitchen. She sat down where she had been sitting before. "I think I'll stay, then. Just to see what happens. And maybe I'll leave later", she said and looked out the window.
 
Drejan found himself smiling, really smiling and that startled him so much that he turned away, wondering just where that burst of happiness had come from. Wow. Was he that grateful for company? He needed to get out more...oh right. There was a reason he didn't do that, not that he'd actually forgotten, but sometimes his mind wanted to act like it was that simple, like he could just go out and hang out with people, make friends and there would be no consequences. Yeah, he wished. Well, no...not really. He wasn't that sociable. But was that because of his power? Would he be different without it? Not really a question he could actually answer...oh, for heaven's sake WHY was he thinking about this?

He needed to eat. And paint.

Drey shook the thoughts away and glanced back at Hailey as he opened a cupboard. "If that's what you want to do, then that's fine with me. If you're going to stay, though, you might want to bring some clothes over and anything else you might need for a few days. Until you make up your mind completely."

His gray eyes scanned the near empty cupboard and Drejan sighed, putting his pounding head on his hand where it held the wood door open and he forced himself to breathe in deeply for a moment before straightening, the pain disappearing from his face like it had been wiped clean, hidden once more behind a well-crafted mask. "And I need to go shopping." He gave her a small smile. "Actually, that's what I was attempting to do when we met."

He closed the cupboard door and ran his hand back through his brown hair, messing it up even further as he headed over to where he'd kicked his shoes off earlier. "You're welcome to come if you'd like. Or you can stay here...or you can go back to your place for your stuff. Choice is yours."
 
Hailey nodded thoughtfully, he was right. If she was going to stay there for a few days, she'd have to bring some clothes - and maybe some other things as well, like toothbrush etc. She felt relieved that he'd actually let her stay there, even if it wasn't for long. After all, she didn't really know what to do, and that he gave her time to think about it, made her feel better. Then it didn't feel so rushed - finally she'd have some time to breath. Up until now things had been happening too fast, all at ones. She hadn't really had time to understand it - but maybe that was a good thing? She wasn't sure of what to think.

"I'll go back to my place ang get some things... like clothes... and you could go shopping meanwhile", she said, feeling as if she was planning the day, as if they were a family. Maybe on a trip somewhere. 'What are we going to do today, kids? Oh, you want to go to the market? Well, first, mommy would like to go to the ocean.' She smiled slightly at the thought of it. It wasn't anything like she had experienced herself, but from movies and such, it seemed like that was one of those things that families did, from time to time.

Soon, she was out the door, down on the street. She walked, careful not to walk into anything, making sure not to walk too fast, although she felt like running. It wasn't that she felt like she was being followed or anything like that, it was just that she didn't like being outside on her own sometimes. She sighed in relief as she got to the front door, unlocking it.
 
Drejan had left when Hailey did, parting with her on the street as they both had separate ways to go, but she didn't leave his mind as he headed toward the store. He honestly was unsure what he was going to do with her. Sure, he knew how to help her, in a way, but they'd need to come up with something quicker and more effective to gain some control over her visions. The time it had taken and the pain, panic and distrust involved last night was not something he wanted to repeat, even as he knew he probably would until something else was figured out.

She needed to learn how to control the visions HERSELF. He couldn't always do it for her. Even if she chose to stay for months, even if they became friends, he couldn't be there during every attack. And what if something happened to him? No, she needed to learn to ground herself, to know her own mind, how to erect shields, to filter. It wasn't something most people could learn easily, but Drejan had some faith that since she already had a type of mental ability, she might be able to pick up faster than most, especially with someone like him, someone else with a mental ability, helping her.

Drejan sighed, his head starting to seriously hurt again as he walked into the store, into the noise and thoughts and desires of the people in this place. His gray eyes flickered, coming back to the present and he forced his tired mind to bring his shields up completely. Right. He would make this quick. He did, too, and left the store carrying the groceries, relieved when the many voices stopped pounding at his mental walls and things quieted a little.

He got back to the apartment before Hailey did and put away the food, making himself something, but only eating about half of it. He got out his supplies then and the sight Hailey would come back to would be Drejan sitting on the floor, paint supplies scattered all around him - and probably paint on him - as he drew.
 
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Hailey went inside. Her home wasn't big - it was rather small, with a bedroom, kitchen and a small livingroom. She liked it there, though. She didn't feel the need to have anything bigger, since she was by herself most of the time, and it was very rare that anyone got invited to her - and if they did, it was only for a couple of hours. For a quick chat, she thought, as she went into her bedroom getting some clothes that she put in a bag.

After putting some clothes in the bag, she got her toothbrush and other things that were necessary. Then she went to the kithen, taking a quick look in the fridge, realizing that it was just as empty as it had been when she left it. She usually didn't have that much food at home, since she knew that she wouldn't be able to finish it all before she had to throw it away. Now though, she found an apple and a soda that she put in her bag. After that, she closed the fridge, taking one last look through the rooms. She reminded herself that she wouldn't be gone for long, and if there was anything that she needed, she could easily go back and get it later. She had this feeling though, of leaving things behind, starting something new.

After maybe an hours, Hailey was back at Drejan's place. At first she had had a little trouble finding it, but it only took her a couple of minutes to figure out where she had come from - she wasn't that lost. Although she had been, when he had taken her there for the first time, she thought, as she went up the stairs.

Opening the door and stepping inside, Hailey felt surprised as she noticed him, sitting on the floor, paint supplies everywhere, him partly covered in paint. She smiled slightly at the sight. "I'm back", she said, waving at him slightly before walking into the room where she had been sleeping, leaving her bag on the floor. She went back to Drejan, sitting down, leaning towards a wall, watching him. "What are you painting?" she asked.
 
Drejan didn't seem to notice Hailey when she came back, even when she'd spoken, and it was only when she sat close - though, he would note not too close - that he finally registered her presence. He looked up and his gray eyes, obscured by his brown hair, were clouded over almost looking whitish as they struggled to focus on her. Words made sense slowly to Drey and when he realized she'd only been asking about the picture beneath his hands, he turned his attention back to it.

"Thoughts. I'm painting thoughts." he answered absentmindedly, brushes and fingers, special pencils working furiously on the large canvas. It was mostly swirls of color, bright spots of blue and greens, yellows; happy things, but on this picture they weren't as numerous and the darker colors of gray and black and dark shades of deep blue; bad things, dominated the art. Most of it wouldn't make sense, but then Drejan started drawing images amidst the swirls, a forest and bright shades of red, fire. Buildings and rain and in the background a dark shadow lurking. Words, seemingly random ones were his hands quick to write in scrawling print. Things like 'help me', 'I'm scared', 'Leave me alone' and 'Go away'.

All these images seemed to go together, belong to one mind and Hailey might realize it was HER thoughts he was drawing, the ones that had overwhelmed his mind last night. Random things were thrown in too, random colors like purple, pink and orange and snippets of a scene with a woman and a dog, a grocery store. Odd words that had no meaning out of context were spattered everywhere and Drejan finally seemed to start slowing about an hour later, his eyes clearing of their fog as the memories and thoughts stopped rushing at him, escaping through his fingers.

He finally sat back with a groan and cracked his neck and back, leaning against the couch as he finally seemed to come back to himself and he looked up, his eyes catching on the numerous paintings all over the place before he started wondering what Hailey might have gotten up to.
 
After some time of watching Drejan paint, Hailey realized that it didn't matter if she sat there or not - he didn't seem to notice her, anyways. She watched his fingers painting, it was as if he wasn't really present. In a way it was fascinating to watch, it was as if he was somewhere else. Thoughts, she thought, trying to make sense of the painting he was doing. She soon gave up though - she didn't want to think about it, Drejan and his reading minds-ability, and all of what that meant. In a way she felt it'd feel better if he wasn't that... different, but on the other hand, she knew that it made him know things that others didn't. She didn't really want to think about him being tormented and used by them, whoever they were. In a way she was curious though - what did it look like, what had he experienced? She did her best not to think about it, but she couldn't help but to imagining him going through similar things as those that she experienced. At times she even wondered whether it was better to have gone through it already - as he had - or to experience it over and over again, not even being sure of whether it was past or future that she experienced. Maybe she didn't even want to know. Memories must be hard though, she thought, thinking that Drejan probably remembered it in a different way than she did.

In a way, Hailey felt safe where she was, at his place. It felt weird that she, not long ago, had been sitting in front of the door, desperate to get out as she thought that he was going to hurt her. The fact that he knew more than she at first had thought that he did, and that he related to some of the things that she experienced, made her feel more calm than before. Knowing something about the otherwise stranger made her feel at least a little more in control. Just enough not to feel like she would lose it all, being too vulnerable to him. The fact that he shared things too made her feel like they were more like equals than before.

Hailey sat in the room where she had been sleeping at night, the room that she felt like, in a way, belonged to her - at least for now. Having some sort of privacy felt good. She was sitting with a notebook that she had brought along with those other things in her bag earlier. She was writing in it. She didn't write that often, but from time to time, she did, if anything that wasn't the ordinary would happen. Maybe a vision that she hadn't had before. She usually wrote down her visions, or at least a note saying that she had had one, and a few words about what it was about. Writing things down made her feel easier once she was finished, as if she was leaving those hard things behind when she closed the notebook.
 
Drejan left the painting on the ground to dry. He looked over it with a critical eye now, wondering where he'd hang it...if he hung it at all. He didn't tend to hang many of the darker paintings. It would have been incredibly stupid of him to do so, actually. Every single painting around him was a thought, were multiple thoughts from hundreds of people over time and he only had to glance at a painting to know what every single color meant, every swirl, every scene, every random word. To hang dark pictures up, would only remind him of the darker times and he didn't need reminders to remember them perfectly well all on his own.

The male sighed and made to turn away from the dark depictions on the painting at his feet when something caught his eye. He crouched, head tilting as he studied the dark figure in one of the scenes he'd drawn. Drejan felt a chill go down his spine after a moment and he stood quickly, leaving the living room and going down the hallway until he found his own room. He opened his closet and then the wood chest that was in it, riffling through the paintings piled in there until he got to the bottom where one large canvas was rolled up and tied that way, ensuring he didn't see it unless he wanted to. And right now, he really, really didn't want to. Drejan grabbed it anyway and took it to the bed. He took a deep breath before unrolling it with shaky hands, feeling his headache spike with the sudden stress that wracked through his body. He tried to ignore it, just as he tried to not really look at the pictures and swirls, thoughts of the darkest colors that appeared as the painting was opened to his eyes.

No, he was looking for one specific thing. He didn't want to remember the rest. He dreamed about his torment often enough, he didn't need to look at the painting he'd made of it. No, he just needed one particular....there. Gray eyes locked on to the dark figure, the lurking presence in the background of a scene and Drejan knew immediately that they were the same type of man even if they were not the same person. Same pose, same presence, same feeling...

He swallowed hard, feeling an old, unwelcome fear trail across his skin and Drey was quick to roll the painting back up and replace it back in the chest with the other unpleasant things he kept locked away. If only he could so easily do the same thing with his mind.

The male left his room, running a trembling hand back through his hair as he took a deep breath, forcing himself to stabilize as his piercing gray eyes looked toward Hailey's room - odd how he was already thinking of it that way. He wouldn't tell her. Not yet. She was scared and she was lucid, stable at the moment. He didn't want to trigger anymore attacks in her right now by mentioning the same people were chasing them both. No, he'd tell her, he would, but not today.

Drejan went toward Hailey's door and he knocked gently, not wanting to startle her, speaking through the wood. He wouldn't open it unless she said he could. "Hailey, it's past lunch. You hungry?"
 
Hailey wanted to write it detailed this time - what had happened, what it had felt like, everything. She wasn't sure whether it was a good idea though. When she had been at home, she knew that no one would disturb her. Now though, she couldn't know for sure. Although Drejan was busy with his painting, she didn't know how long that would last. And honestly, she didn't know for how long she usually wrote. It could be an hour or two, maybe more. She sighed as she turned the page in the notebook. She wanted to write it down but she didn't feel that comfortable doing that, in case Drejan suddenly decided to come in, or in any other way, disturb her. Thinking about what she had felt like and what had happened usually triggered her some, but she felt like it was needed to get it out in the right way. If there were no feelings writing it, it wouldn't matter whether she wrote it down or not. She glanced towards the door.

I was frightened. I don't know what's wrong with me. All of sudden I'm so sure that he's out to get me, to hurt me. And the next, I believe him. These mood swings are too much. At least right now. Don't know how to handle this. So many mixed feelings about everything. I feel like running away, things going back to normal, but at the same time, I know they'll never be. If what he says is true, I can't just walk away from it. I have to get to know it more. If he has really been through all of it. Maybe I'd feel less lonely. I'm scared though. Of everything.

As Hailey heard Drejan's knock on the door, she flinched slightly, closing the notebook quickly. To her relief, he didn't open it. She put the notebook and pen back in her back as she cleared her throat. Was she hungry, really? She hadn't thought about it. She didn't usually eat on specific times - she ate whenever she felt hungry or when she got some time over for it. She looked at the door thoughtfully, as if she was really looking at Drejan, walking towards it. "I think so", she said, not sure whether she was or not, but not quite remembering when she had eaten the last time, she thought that she was probably pretty hungry. She opened the door slightly, looking at him. "You want me to help you with it, or are you doing it on your own?" she asked.
 
Well, he was glad he hadn't just opened the door. Sure, he usually needed to be looking at people to get their thoughts - it took a LOT of effort any other way - but emotions were easier to pick up even through a door and the startled feeling and then relief he'd felt from Hailey told him she wasn't yet okay with this whole arrangement and it would be wise for him to keep giving her a lot of space, privacy and understanding until she was. It wasn't that hard to do. Despite being a Mind Reader, Drejan actually wasn't that nosy and now he gave the blond a small smile, blowing his hair out of his eyes before he answered.

"I was planning on something simple like a sandwich. I don't know what you like, so..." He took a few steps back, walking down the familiar hallway backward. "You might want to come make your own unless you'd like something that appears like it came from outer space." There was a wink to along with that statement before the male turned around and headed off into the living room and then into the kitchen. He trusted that if Hailey was interested she'd follow and if not he'd leave her be.

On his way to the kitchen, Drey paused to lock the door, a slight frown marring his features. He'd have to explain that rule to Hailey. The door always stayed locked. Always. And the windows, too, unless you were awake and in the same room the open window was in. If you left the room, even for a moment, you closed and locked the window. It sounded paranoid, but Drejan had a good reason for it. It had kept him safer than he could have been many times over and in many places.

He'd address it later, though. Right now...he needed food. His headache was finally under control and the last thing he wanted was a flare-up for normal reasons. He already had enough abnormal ones to think about. And that now included Hailey by his own meddling.
 
Hailey smiled a little as she heard Drejan's choice of words - "like it came from outer space." Did it mean that his sandwiches were different than what sandwiches would normally look like? Or maybe it's just an expression, she thought, not thinking about it too much. It was a joke, okay, she thought, noticing that he locked the door as they went into the kitchen. Her first thought was that he'd lock her up somewhere, that maybe he wasn't as friendly as it seemed. All of sudden, those paranoid thoughts about him got to her, how he'd planned on this all along. It didn't take long though, before she realized how stupid she was. He had told her that he wouldn't hurt her or anything, and that she was free to leave whenever she wanted. She felt pretty guilty, realizing what thoughts she had just had about him. "I'm sorry", she murmured, just in case he had been aware of her thoughts. She bit her lip, she still didn't feel that good about not having her thoughts to herself.

She took a slice of bread, put some butter on it and then looked in the fridge. She caught sight of cheese and cucumber, and got it out. She put on a slice of cheese before taking a knife to cut the cucumber with. She looked at it, thoughtfully for a moment, picturing herself hurting herself with it. Too late though, she glanced at Drejan, realizing that he had probably heard those thoughts, too. Damn. Why couldn't she just remember that he could read other's minds? She felt quite annoyed at herself as she began to cut the cucumber. "It's not what it... looks like", she said, biting her lip. "It's not like I'm actually going to... do it", she said, picturing blood running down her pale skin. What the hell is wrong with me, she thought, shaking her head. She only made things worse. "I'm sorry. Really", she said, looking at Drejan for barely a second, before putting the pieces of cucumber on her sandwich. "Don't worry, I'm not..." she said, not really knowing how to end the sentence. What wasn't she? A psycho, a weirdo, a nutcase? She swallowed, realizing that most people would describe her with those words. "Fucking shit", she said, quietly but in a frustrated tone, as she let go of her sandwich. "I can't do this. Not even a simple thing like this!" she said, walking out of the kitchen, unlocking the door to what she felt she could almost call her room, closing it and kicking the door in frustration.
 
Drejan hadn't been reading her thoughts - in fact he'd actively been blocking her out considering how much she liked her privacy - but at her mumbled apology he reconsidered his restrictions on himself and as they started making the food, he lowered only the shields that would let him see her strongest thoughts, the ones that would shoot outward like arrows. He wouldn't see any musings, anything quiet or fleeting, but the stronger thoughts would be loud enough for him to hear.

And the first one startled him a bit so that he was looking at Hailey even before she started talking. The surprise faded almost as fast as it had come, though. He'd seen such thoughts before, wasn't terribly disturbed by them if he was honest with himself, but still he remained quiet, seeing where Hailey's mind would go, how she would react to her own thoughts and the fact that for the first time in her life someone was aware of them.

When she fled to her room, he didn't stop her, calmly finishing his own sandwich before grabbing Hailey's, two small bags of chips - putting the food on plates - and two cokes out of the fridge. He migrated back down the hall and sat outside Hailey's door, yawning for a moment before he knocked as he'd done earlier. "Your food is out here if you'd like it, Hailey."

Drey started to eat and in-between bits he spoke in a quiet way but he knew his voice was deep enough that the blond would hear him anyway. "You're not a psycho or a nutcase, Hailey. Weird, sure, but so am I. You have a power you can't control yet, that doesn't make you a freak." He leaned his head back against the wall behind him and looked up at the ceiling, looking for words. "I don't hear your thoughts all the time, you know. I have shields that keep them out. That's what I am going to try to teach you. I understand how everything can get overwhelming, though, even when you have good control, and you don't have any."

The male sighed, pulling his knees up a bit and resting his forearms on them, holding his sandwich in one hand and just looking at it for a long moment. "You aren't the only one who's thought of hurting themselves. It's actually a very natural response to have to so much stress. Not saying it's the right one, but it's not abnormal."
 
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