Outcasts

| 6 |

"Look! Over there," Walter shouted. "There's another one that's been transformed." Fifteen yards downstream where the river became more shallow, the young deer struggled to heave itself out of the water. When it gained its feet, it stood awkwardly as if it was orientating itself, and then turned sideways. They could see the wide gash in its side was healed. The deer tossed its head, shook water off itself, and then powerfully bounded into the forest.

"Oh my, God," Gemma whispered. "It's true. The deer metamorphosed in the water. I felt it healing itself." Like a magic portal from The Witch, The Lion and The Wardrobe, the green vortex calmed and disturbing pool grew still and clear again.

Walter looked at her closely. Gemma grew alarmed. "What are you looking at?"

"This is really affecting you. Are you tied to the natural world on an energetic level?" He looked at her with an intense interest.

"Stop staring at me." She clasped the collar of her hoodie tight around her chin.

"I'm sorry, I didnt mean to be that forward. I guess I've lost some social skills living out hear alone for all these moths.

"I'll say. Yes, that's my dilemma. I love animals and plants, but the world doesn't. I could never dissect a living creature. That would be like dissecting myself." Creed nodded in agreement.

Walter smiled. "I agree. Living dissections are unnecessarily cruel." Gemma's face softened a bit. He looked at Creed. "What's your ability? Can you feel magnetic forces in the earth too?"

The dark-haired teen grimaced. "If you ask me, it's more of an affliction than an ability. Not like Gem. I don't have her skills." He smiled at her. " I wish I did." He looked at Walter. "If it's quiet, I can often feel what people are thinking. I think they sense it and it makes them uncomfortable. It's not hard to tell what someone's thinking once you know how a person feels."

"No wonder Kinsey sent you here." He frowned with distaste.

"What do you mean?" Gemma asked. Uneasy, she and Creed glanced at each other.

"The government's studied your kind in order to weaponize their soldiers. If I'm correct, your science teacher's an old nemesis of mine."

"What do you mean, our kind? Mr. Kinsey's a good person, not some sort of Dr. Frankenstein. He's different than the other teachers. He's a high sensory person like us."

Walter emitted a low, dry chuckle as if he hadn't laughed in a while and had forgotten how to use those muscles. "He's different alright. He's one of the most cunning narcissists I've ever met. They feed off of empathic energy like vampires."

Gemma and Creed stared at him.

"He had me fooled for years. He mirrored me, analyzed my emotions and then betrayed me. He's the reason I'm hiding out here doing research while he's in charge of the program." He pointed at them. "He set me up and he's using you as bait."

Creed looked doubtful. "What are narcissists?"

"They're the opposite of empaths. Unfeeling predators. A cunning, human cancer on society."

"You mean like a sociopath?"

"No, they're worse. Much worse. An empath will scan your emotions and experience your happiness or pain, but a narcissist will assess your emotions to use against you. They have no feelings. They enjoy your pain. They're demonic."

"I don't believe you." Gemma's jaw hardened. She turned to Creed. "Do you?"

Creed grew thoughtful. "Why is Mr. Kinsey interested in this area? And why didn't he do these experiments himself?" He waved his hand towards the pool. "This was more than a high school science experiment."