Clockwork Twist : Dreamer by Emily Thompson Read Free Book Online

asking me all of this?”  Somehow, asking the question directly only sharpened his discomfort.
    “I've never heard of anything like it,” Malik said.
    “Neither have I,” Yumi added, looking at Twist with thoughtful eyes.
    “And you're certain that he's the only person your Sight reacts to like this?” Malik continued, sounding quite eager now.
    “Completely.”
    “Maybe you just haven't found the others,” Yumi suggested.
    Twist stared at her for a moment as the implications ran about in his mind, setting fire to things.  He then shook his head, rejecting the idea. “No, there can't be anyone else.  I'd feel them, too.  I've only ever felt him.”
    “What do you mean, feel?” Malik asked.
    “Can't we talk about something else?” Twist asked. “I'm not very good at this.”
    “At what, sharing?” Yumi asked with a slight smile.
    Twist could only look back at her helplessly.
    As Malik and Yumi shared a glance, Twist felt the buzz in his neck grow on its own.  It rose to a warmth in a moment, before two hands fell on Twist's shoulders.  He didn't have to look to know that it was Jonas, and he let his gaze fall to the floor a moment before the contact washed bright, cool, and numb, over his Sight.  A deep breath flowed out of him, taking away all of his tension as the white fog filled his mind with calm.
    “Much better,” Jonas said softly beside his ear, standing behind his chair. “My neck was really starting to ache.  What's going on over here?”
    Twist looked up to see Malik and Yumi watching him and Jonas.  Twist finally realized why the cold, curious, unsympathetic look in their eyes was so familiar.  He'd seen it before when he was very young: when the other boys at the orphanage began to realize that Twist wasn't normal.  Once someone looked at him like that, the chill never left their eyes again.  In the silence and calm of the fog in his mind, Twist realized that he had made a horrible mistake in coming here.
    “You're wise beyond your years,” Twist said, turning just slightly to Jonas. “I'll never doubt you again.”  It felt refreshing to know that he didn't have to explain his meaning to Jonas, even with such vague terms.
    “Took you long enough to figure that out,” Jonas said back, a smile in his voice.
    “How's it going over here?” Daniel asked, stepping closer. “Jonas?”
    “I'm just proving a point,” Jonas said, his hands falling away from Twist.
    The fog receded, letting Twist's nervous and awkward tensions begin to build back up.  The dim, cold, and uncomfortable energy of the world around Twist was so different from the bright calm that he had to stop himself from reaching out for Jonas immediately.  Instead, he focused on the buzz in his neck, pulling what solace he could out of the familiar vibration.
    “Relax, Twist.  Try to get something out of it,” Jonas said, before he moved away.
    Twist didn't respond.  He instead stretched his neck and took a breath.  Daniel was smiling at him, Malik, and Yumi in turn, expectantly.
    “So, how is it going?” he asked. “Are we finding similarities in our world views?”
    “Daniel,” Malik said, still watching Twist, “have you ever heard of a pair of Sights, from two different people, that cancel each other out?”  Twist looked at Malik sharply, feeling somehow betrayed.
    While Daniel put on a thoughtful expression, Yumi leaned closer to Twist to whisper, “Daniel is writing a book about people with Sights.”
    “No, I've never heard of anything like that,” Daniel said after a pause. “Why do you ask?”
    “Because it seems Twist and Jonas are in exactly that position,” Malik said.
    “Wait, what's your Sight again?” Daniel asked Twist.  Twist took his glare off of Malik to glance up at Daniel.
    “I sense damage.”
    “In people too?”
    Twist gave a sigh and crossed his arms. “Yes.”
    “Like, injuries..?” Daniel asked, but Yumi caught his eye and shook her head with a meaningful