Adrian had been about five years old when he realized there was something different about his mother. She would answer his thoughts instead of his words. It took him a while to realize that it was her and that he wasn't crazy.
None of his friends at school could answer his thoughts. Before kindergarten he hadn't been exposed to other people enough to notice the difference.
"Mommy, why do you hear my thoughts but nobody else does?" he asked one day.
Rosa Marquez gave him her usual hollow look and laughed wryly. "It's not just you, niño. I can hear everybody's thoughts. I'm a telepath and this is my curse."
Adrian hadn't understood what she meant by a curse. Wouldn't it be more convenient being able to hear other people's thoughts? You could answer their questions a lot easier and always know the right thing to say. He didn't see what the problem was with it.
