The next day we have training again.
"Today we'll be focusing on honing your telepathy instead of your telekinesis," the teacher explains. "Like shapeshifting for an extended period of time, reading minds from an extended distance is extremely tiring. That's why you need practice."
Everyone in the room looks excited. I'm incredibly nervous. I've never read minds before. "Pick a partner," the teacher commands. "They'll move out the door and farther and farther away. The pair that can hold a conversation from the longest distance will be rewarded."
Andromeda and I look at each other and nod, tacitly agreeing to pair up. She walks out the door. Her echoing voice asks, "Do you hear what I'm hearing?"
I rub my ears. The almost completely clear sound of her voice while she's not in the room is extremely disconcerting. "No one would notice if one of us was to read the files and telepathically communicate them and the other was to copy them."
"Yeah," I reply tersely, too disoriented for more than one word answers.
We have small talk as Andromeda's voice seems to echo more and more until it fades to static.
The winning pair was able to communicate from 250 meters apart, which is about a fifth the length of the palace. Their reward is the privilege of having desert on weeknights this week. We were able to communicate from 100 meters apart, which is about a fourth of the distance between the bedrooms and the file room. It would be more convenient if the person who copied the files copied them in the library, but the library would carry a much higher risk of discovery. I raise my hand and ask the teacher, "What type of exercises would you recommend for increasing the range of your telepathy?"
"Depends on the circumstances."
"What if you wanted to increase the distance from which you can talk to a specific person?"
"The best way would simply be communicating with them more often."
Andromeda and I give each other a look that says, "What have we gotten ourselves into?"
—
"So…to be honest, I'm very socially awkward," I admit telepathically to Andromeda later that day.
"I can see that."
"So what are we supposed to talk about?"
"How about you let me copy your notes?"
"How about we start with our favorite colors," I reply, somewhat shocked to hear my own laugh being transmitted along with the words.
"Fine. You're no fun," Andromeda replies with a laugh. "Mine's purple."
Along with the words I see the image of deep, rich purple flowers.
"Mine's blue," I reply, transmitting the color of the ocean on a perfect day with the words.
—
We make talking to each other a part of our daily routine.
Andromeda asks, "Favorite foods?"
Images of seafood, steak, and arroz con frijoles are transmitted from my mind along with the question "Yours?"
Andromeda transmits images of chicken pot pie and hamburgers. "You're becoming a lot more verbose by the way," she adds. "And sending a lot more images. That's good."
"Hopefully we can copy the files soon."
"Have you thought about what we should do once we have them? You've talked about getting them out into the world but what's the end goal?"
"This sounds incredibly ambitious and you're probably going to laugh at me but…what if we could use the files to gather people to take down the current system of government? When's the last time the king and queen have been seen anyway?"
"That's a good point. No one even knows where they live anymore."
"I think they were non-Nova. Do you think it's possible that they…"
"Maybe. I wouldn't rule anything out."
"We certainly don't have any sort of proof."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there I guess."
"Speaking of bridges to cross…how far apart are we right now?"
"About 200 meters I think. We've doubled our range in only two weeks."
"That's great. We'll be able to copy the files soon," Andromeda says as her voice fades into static.
—
The next day I get a letter.
Hey Aurum.
I just wanted to say that I miss you and I often think about what could've happened if you'd stayed, but I'm sure that the way things turned out is better for you. How's the palace? Is it as amazing as it always seemed? I always knew you were special, but I never imagined you were this special. Haha.
Anyway, things at home are pretty normal. You're not missing anything, don't worry. It would be great to catch up though. I'll be at Cafe Azul on Saturday for lunch at around noon if you want to join me and catch up.
I hope to see you then,
Argentum
I stare at the letter for a long time. I honestly have no idea what I should do.
—-
At lunch, I decide to get Andromeda's advice on the situation. I ask, "I've never seen people leave for the weekend yet. Are we not allowed to?"
"Well, technically we're under the protection of the teachers here but usually you can get permission to leave simply by asking a teacher."
"That's good to know."
"So what exactly are your weekend plans?"
"I'm meeting a friend."
Andromeda lets out a laugh. "A friend? I wasn't aware you had those besides me."
I reply with a laugh, "Why wouldn't I have friends? I have such a magnetic personality."
"That's true I guess. So tell me about this friend a bit."
"Their name is Argentum. We like a lot of the same things so we never run out of things to talk about. They're really funny and basically they're the type of person that most people want to be around."
"I see," she replies with a wink.
I ask a teacher the next day and receive permission to meet Argentum on Saturday.