Awakening Book One of the Trust Series

chapter 7

The weeks flowed by and Garrett and Caitlyn fell into an easy pattern. They met in the mornings to train, working all day, and several evenings a week they would get together to have dinner or watch a movie. Caitlyn enjoyed the time she spent with Garrett; not only was he a good mentor, but she liked him genuinely as a person.

There were times that she felt the lines of friendship blur. It was obvious to note that while Garrett was a flirt by nature, he never actively pursued any woman he rained his attentions on. As far as Caitlyn knew, she was the only person that he spent any quality time with.

When they were in the training facility, he was overall professional. But outside of it, Caitlyn saw the Garrett that she met back in North Carolina return. He was relaxed and fun. The evenings they would have dinner, there were often seemingly innocent touches or hugs, as she would leave. Lately, she had been finding herself trying to make those hugs linger or finding ways of accidently brushing by him.

It was a strange kind of dance she was performing, and she was not quite sure why she was doing so. She was attracted to Garrett’s looks and had been from that first night she saw him. But he was her mentor, and she did not want anything getting in the way of that most crucial relationship.

Caitlyn’s success on the first day of training continued. She could tell that Garrett was bewildered by the fact that she could so readily pick up on the things he was teaching her.

First, it was levitation. After that first day, Garrett spent that primary week, honing her ability to lift the ball. He was right about rewiring her brain. The more she practiced, the more levitation became second nature. By the end of the second week, she could lift the ball without closing her eyes and concentrating. She simply thought that she wanted to raise the ball, and the ball lifted to her will.

Garrett then moved her to objects with a higher density. Again, he warned her that this would be a more difficult task than the cork ball. And at first, it was. The block was more difficult to break through. But once she had a fundamental understanding that the she needed to think about the object more abstractly, it was extremely easy for her. She thought of the objects that Garrett gave her as a group of atoms, nothing more. Once she did that, she was able to lift anything that he threw at her-Styrofoam, Steel, and Gold.

One afternoon, as she lifted all three of those objects as if they were as easy as the cork ball, he had sat down with her. He placed his arm around hers.

“Caitlyn, you know that you’re special, right?”

“Well, I’m an Actual, so obviously I’m different.”

Garrett looked to the ceiling quickly before glancing back down at her. “I’m serious. What you have accomplished in a month with levitating, it’s astonishing. I’ve met with Councilmen Riley on several occasions about your progress. I’ve shown him what you are able to accomplish and he is, needless to say, very, very impressed. The Trust is extremely lucky to have acquired you. If the training continues progressing the way it has, I already know that they are going to immediately try to immerse you into their culture, working for them.”

“Really?” Caitlyn could not help but be pleased.

He gave her a small squeeze. “Really. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all of this, especially someone who is as talented as you are. I’m just saying, a lot of people are going to tell you how wonderful you are, how extraordinary you are-”

Caitlyn interrupted him. “Garrett, I’m not one to get a big head. I have too many self-esteem issues for that.”

“I know you won’t. Just remember that there is nothing wrong with you being proud about what you can accomplish. But that wasn’t the point I was trying to make.”

“Sorry! Please continue.”

“The point I am trying to make is that there are going to be a lot of individuals that are going to try to rush you into a career or a certain path. Being an Actual does not mean that your life needs to be solely dedicated to the Trust. There are a lot of different options out there, a lot of various things you can do with your life. I just want to make sure that you consider all your options, do not let someone woo you with a million compliments and then make you choose something you are not sure you want to do. Not everyone who trains with the Trust works for them or even necessarily associates with them.”

“If you feel that way, why are you working for them?”

“I am working for them because I choose to. I just want you to make your decision yourself, not be influenced by myself or anyone else. It’s very easy to get swept up in the Trust, especially when they are so actively recruiting someone like you for different departments. Okay?”

“Okay. I’ll think long and hard before I make any decisions.”

After that particular conversation, Garrett then moved Caitlyn to blocking thoughts and projecting them at will. Caitlyn again, picked up on blocking thoughts within the first day. Once he had explained the basic concept to her of what she needed to do, she was able to block her thoughts from him. They spent the next several weeks perfecting the technique before she requested that they begin telekinesis.

With the knowledge that Caitlyn was naturally gifted at these talents, she found herself pushing harder and longer. Being capable was not simply enough for her. If she trained hard enough, she could be one of the best, be one of the elite. She was in charge of her own destiny and it was only limited by her own will. Caitlyn demanded more out of herself. She liked to think that she was making her mother and her sister proud with what she was accomplishing, that they would forgive her for not being good enough back when she was a teenager. When there was a concept she did not fully grasp, she worked at it till she did.

She knew Garrett was not pleased by this. Garrett was laid back by nature, and she knew he felt that he indulged her insane drive more than he thought he should. He had voiced his concern about her drive on more than one occasion, making a remark here and there. But it wasn’t until one day, when it was well past sunset and Caitlyn had not taken a break the entire day that Garrett finally stood his ground. She had been contorting a piece of metal when Garrett paused.

“Enough.” His voice rang loudly in her mind.

Caitlyn look at him confused. “What?”

“I said enough. You are burning the candles at both ends. We have been going at this for ten hours now, with only a quick break to eat. You cannot keep going at this intensity.”

“But I want to. Garrett, this piece of metal is not contorting right.”

Garrett sighed at her. “Wanting to and what you should do are two completely different things, Caitlyn. I should be setting up training for a maximum of seven hours at a stretch, and I’ve already been going way beyond that at ten.”

Caitlyn looked at him irritated. She widened her stance, crossing her arms. “Garrett, I am not tired at all. When I get tired, I promise I’ll let you know.”

Garrett copied her stance and glared at her. “No. I am the mentor and I say training ends now. You may not be tired, but I am, and if I am tired, I cannot mentor you effectively. Caitlyn, I am ordering you to leave this facility, go home, eat, and rest. In fact, I am declaring tomorrow a day off.”

“What? Are you mental? I am a couple of months into training!”

“No, I am not mental. I’ve indulged you time and time again and I won’t let it continue. You need a day off from this; I need a day off from this.”

Caitlyn walked around him, beginning to exit the door. “Fine Garrett. Oh excuse me, Mentor Garrett.”

Garrett grabbed her by the shoulder, spinning her around until they were face to face. His stare was intense and her heart picked up a little. “I think I’ve earned more respect than that from you, Caitlyn. Have I ever led you astray? Have I?”

Caitlyn felt ashamed; she knew he was right and she was acting like a petulant child. She needed to trust him and believe that he did know what was best, more so than her. She hung her head slightly. “I’m sorry. You’re right. It was not fair of me. It’s just I feel such a rush when I am learning, it’s hard for me to stop.”

He took a deep breath before offering her a smile as a means of truce. Garrett placed his hand on her shoulder. “Caitlyn, you are really something else you know that? Most of the potentials that have awoken find this frustrating and are relieved when the day is done until they have mastered the techniques. But you… you find it exhilarating.”

“Well, I never said I was normal did I?”

“No…” Garrett said leading her down the corridor. “No, you did not.”