OH NO

Ten years later.....

"Tasha, Amanda come on you can't be late for your own birthday."

"Alright Janet they won't start without us."

" Well hurry up anyway, I hear they have a special announcement or something."

"Oh, what would that be? We have been here for eleven years and no one has taken us yet."

" I didn't say that. I said they had a special announcement or something."

"Okay let's just get this over with."

The three girls walk down the hall and into the dining room. As they walk in thirty-seven kids and twelve adults start singing.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Amanda and Tasha, happy birthday to you."

Then while everyone was clapping the cooks brought out a huge cake. Everyone yelled

SURPRISE!

"Is this the big surprise Janet?"

"No this is the surprise." And all of the sudden a tall good looking guy pops out of the cake. The girls screech in surprise and turn bright red. The guy gets out of the cake and starts dancing for all the girls. Sadly before it got really good Rysta comes in to the room and stops everything. Everyone was very depressed. But they did have a lot of fun. Everyone had cake and ice cream, then they all had to go to bed as punishment.

Ten a.m. Tuesday morning, everything was back to normal. Rysta would not let anyone talk about the night before. Unfortunately this was the day that the girls secret becomes known.

At ten thirty a.m. a new batch of children came to the home. As the kids were getting off the bus it started rolling. The driver tried the brakes, but they didn't work. He was such a self centered jerk he pushed the last little girl out of the way and jumped off the bus. Well Natasha couldn't restrain herself any longer, just as the bus was about to hit the wall she stopped it. Rysta came running out of the office and stopped when she saw the bus. A very scared eight year old little girl came slowly off the bus screaming, "He pushed me, He pushed me!"

The poor girl ran to the closest person she saw and that just happened to be Tasha. Rysta got on the bus to make sure no more kids were hiding, then she checked on the rest of the problem. She pressed the brake and the bus started rolling again. This time it hit the wall, but the impact was not as bad as it would have been. So Rysta didn't get hurt by it. She got off the bus and went to check on the kids. Everyone was fine, they were just a little scared. Then the little girl looked up and asked, "Who stopped the bus?" Rysta looks at her and says, "First what is your name? Second I think the brakes managed to freeze up temporarily so it stopped."

"My name is Kelly. But who stopped the bus. Someone told me to hold on and said I was safe."

"Come now Kelly everyone was telling you to hold on."

" But, someone was there I swear."

"Calm down Kelly your scared and shaken up, let's talk about this more later when you have had a chance to relax."

Rysta waves to one of the other adults. She comes over and takes all of the new arrivals to the infirmary. Meanwhile Rysta tells everyone, "The show is over and go back to your choirs." Rysta then finishes the inspection on the bus.

Tasha, Amanda, and Janet all started going back to class when Dillion came up to them. The girls stopped dead in their tracks because of the look on his face. After a minute or two passed he finally said, "Well I guess you had to grow into your talent didn't you Natasha."

"What are you talking about?"

" I know you stopped the bus, I felt the kinetic energy you used to stop it. I also heard you mentally tell her to hold on and that she was safe. You do realize you showed Rysta that Kelly is a receiving telepath to say the least."

" I'm sorry I don't know your talking about, I was just as helpless as everyone else. I didn't do anything."

" I'm sorry I have to tell Rysta. I can still feel the power rolling off you. Since you opened yourself up you can't seem to close it off again. And that is understandable considering what you just did. How long have you known you can do this? And don't play dumb with me."

"Okay fine, I have known for about six months. But since neither one of the girls said anything about it I figured I would keep it to myself."

"Well that at least was a good idea since neither one of them show any signs of talent even now."

" Wait a minute how can you tell any of this?" "That's easy I am what you call a searcher talent. I am called in whenever Rysta gets new students to see if anyone is gifted. I can't do anything else but this. But I am good at what I do."

" So does this mean the last time you were here you were actually testing us?"

" Yes Janet I did test all of you at that time and all I found is basic telepathic skills between the sisters. It happens when talented, semi-talented, and slightly talented children grow up together. It was easy to see in the girls and normal because they are twins. It's called a fetal link. But, since you can hear them to I would say it's because you have grown up together, your very close in age, you have been through a lot together, and not to mention both your mom's were talented. Those are the main reasons you can hear them."

" But mom never did anything like that!"

" Janet once in a while it will skip a person or generation in a family. And your mother was the one who got skipped. Now are there any more questions? I will have to tell Rysta about this."

Now the whole time this conversation was going on Amanda was standing back quietly watching. Now she walks over to Dillion and signs the question they all wanted to know.

"Dillion why do you have to tell Rysta anything at all?"

"Because little one , I have no choice."

"What do you mean?"

"Amanda you won't understand."

" TRY ME!"

" Fine Amanda if you really want to know, here it is. Like you and the rest of the kids here I am an orphan. And I was dumped here. The only difference is my parents didn't die, they dumped me. Rysta used this to her advantage. You see my mother couldn't handle the fact that I could feel others that were gifted around me."

" So how did Rysta use this to her advantage?"

" My father told her all about it, and she decided she could make money off me. So she went and adopted me herself, and now she uses it against me all the time so I will do her bidding. She makes me carry a beeper, a pager, and a cell phone."

" But your an adult?"

" Yes but I am considered legally blind, so I have to have a guardian. And I live with her."

" How is that possible? You don't have a cane, no stick, and no seeing eye animal."

"Well Amanda that's the other part of my gift. I can see without seeing."

" So this is the hold she has over you. But why don't you tell them she is lieng about your sight?"

"Because she has dragged me into an optometrist just to prove her point. Plus I don't want the whole world to know what I can do."

" Okay Dillon this all sounds good, but don't you think someone will figure it out. You use nothing to aid you. Plus until you told us five minutes ago I believed you could see."

" Well no one but you three and Rysta know the truth. And she will only say anything if I mess up. Besides there is always a loop hole when it comes to total strangers."

" Loop hole, you make your life sound like a court case. Besides people these days are by no means stupid."

" Girls, girls you have a convincing argument but don't you think I have already thought about all this. First of all I have this entire complex memorized. After all I have spent most of my life here."

" Ok at I'll give you that, but what about when you go into town? The only people I knew in town died years ago. And I know they wouldn't tell anyone."

" And why is that?" Janet asked.

" Don't get sassy Janet. There are two reasons really. One, he is both deaf and mute. Two, he was very crazy. He did one little thing wrong and was labeled for the rest of his life. No one would ever believe anything he said. Even if it was the truth. So you see I am covered as long as I do what Rysta tells me to do. So now do you understand why I have to tell Rysta?"

" But Dillion didn't you test us when we were younger?"

"YES! But like I said at that time there were no signs."

" And you told Rysta this right?"

" Yes Amanda I did."

" Then if she believed it why tell her anything different now?"

" Look girls I don't want to tell her, but she will know I am keeping something from her. I'm sorry but she will find out one way or the other. If I give her the information openly then it will be less of a problem."

" You mean there is no way for Tasha to get out of it?"

"No Amanda, and I can guarantee that Rysta will want her tested further."

"Who will test her? What if it was a one time thing? I mean if something wasn't done those kids might have died."

"Well Janet I will have to test her and believe me it wasn't a one time thing. The accident just brought her abilities to the surface. What surprised me is that neither one of you show any signs of talent. Amanda I just figured you would since you and Tasha are twins. But I guess it's only going to me one of you. Janet nothing will happen to you. In the eleven years since I tested you nothing has changed with you except the fact that you can hear us better, am I right?"

" Yes Dillion that's true."

" And Natasha I am sorry to say you are the strongest one. I don't know everything yet, but I do know you are strong."

" But how can you be sure I'm strong?"

" You stopped the bus didn't you?"

" Yes but right now all I want to do is sleep."

" Its okay that's normal for the first time."

" How do you know what is normal?"

" Because I have seen it many times before. I told you I am the one who trains all of the talented children."

" But still how do you know? You said you can't tell what we are learning, you said so yourself."

" That's true but I can feel it when your powers get stronger. That's how I can tell when you are learning things. Because I have seen it many time, always the same thing time after time. And besides you are tired because you did a very big thing today. You should have started out small to build up your strength. It was probably the absolute need that pulled it out of you in the first place."

Now during the whole conversation Rysta had been listening right around the corner. Now she walked out in front of them with a big smile on her face. She looked at the girls and says, "Well I guess Tena wasn't crazy after all. Perhaps I should bring her back, she could be useful. After all she did tell me eleven years ago that you were gifted."

" Now Rysta Natasha is the only one that is gifted."

" YES, yes I heard the whole thing I know it's just her. Now let's get to work shall we. Girls you can go to your room for the rest of the day."

" But what about our choirs?" Janet asked.

"You don't have to worry about them. I will take care of everything. Now go to your room. Dillion come with me we need to talk."

Rysta and Dillion go to her office to have a nice long talk. As they sit down Rysta says," When will you be able to fully test Natasha?"

" You have to give her a few days. She must be fully rested to get a true reading."

" Fine then you have to stay for at least two weeks. For the next few days you can test the new arrivals. I heard you said that little girl, What was her name.... Kelly is a telepath."

" Now I'm not sure she will have to be tested properly, it may have been because of the stress. We will have to see. Look don't push. If you push these kids, no matter what their age is you can cause damage."

Meanwhile, in the girls room...Tasha why did you do it?"

" I'm sorry Amanda Kelly was in danger, I couldn't see her getting hurt because Rysta won't fix anything."

"Oh I know but we are in a lot of trouble now."

" No, you two are safe they are only after me. Don't worry nothing bad will happen. We have been practicing what mother had taught us. And Dillion only saw what I wanted him to see. But now that he knows you will have to train. He will know when you get stronger."

" Come on Amanda we have been training since we were two. We know more than they ever will."

" Are you bragging now Tasha?"

" No I'm not that stupid. I know there is more to learn, and that's why I am willing to do it. Then I will pass on what I learn to both of you. Just relax nothing bad will happen, I promise. Remember what mom said, I will protect you and that's what I am doing. Don't worry about me okay. As long as you to are safe that's all that matters. By the end of the week we will know what Rysta has in mind. Now if you don't mind I need to sleep. I have never been this tired before. Dillion was right about one thing though. I should have started with something smaller."

" But like you said Kelly could have been hurt if you didn't do anything."

" I know and I have no regrets about that. I am just beat."

" Okay go to sleep. Amanda and I will watch over you."

" I don't think we have to worry, Dillion won't do anything for at least three days."

" How do you know that?"

" That's easy it's what Dillion was thinking, I'm to worn out for them to get a proper fix on my talents so he is going to give me three days to rest."

" But we have hid them for so long you can't get a proper fix on them no matter what, even if you are properly rested."

" I know that and you know that, but they don't know that. And that is what's going to keep you to safe."

" So you have a plan?"

"Yes Janet, I do. But that will have to wait. Now, I need to sleep. Wake me for dinner okay."

" No problem, go to sleep."

Tasha goes over and climbs into bed, she is asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. And the girls kept their word. No one was able to enter the room as long as Tasha was asleep. They woke her long enough to eat, then she went back to sleep. She slept till noon the following day.