Abbi dropped to the ground, leaves sticking in her hair, "by the goddess, Cyn. You nearly took my eye out!"

"Sorry! I guess my aim still isn't that great." The two other knives fell from thin air to the ground with a soft thud. 

"Okay, so we can officially mark telekinesis as a do have," Abbi said as she picked the leaves out of her hair. "Very useful if you're going to take that offer."

"Abbi-"

"She's right. It would be very useful. If properly mastered, it is one of the most powerful abilities a Mentalist can possess."

I had almost forgotten that Neal had shown up to the practice session with how completely quiet he'd been inside and out. After three weeks of working on narrowing down which abilities I had and honing the ones I found, I finally gave in and agreed to let him watch. 

"You know hovering isn't going to make me agree to help you out." I put a hand on my hip and raised a brow at Neal. 

"Oh no, I was hoping my charm would convince you." He flashed his signature grin. The first time it had ever been aimed in my direction. 

Abbi nudged me and I could feel her smile inside my mind. She knew that Neal had been trying to hold a conversation through our text messages. I'd been using them just as he asked, a way to let him know when I would be practicing with Abbi and where so no one would be alarmed when the systems showed the activity. 

Neal seemed to have other plans however, and Abbi was there for those plans. 

"Well, we will see about that. I'm still no use to anyone yet."

"But, you're getting close!" Abbi chimed in. 

I turned and glared at her. She was not making this any easier. 

"Are you ready to help with the next one? Looks like memory manipulation is up next on the list we made."

"Actually, I have to go home. Mom said something about plans tonight. I'm sure Neal wouldn't mind helping you out though!"

"I really can help," Neal said as he pushed off the tree he'd been leaning against. 

"Abbi!" It was a cry for help. She knew what I had to do for this one. She couldn't possibly make me try this ability with Neal. What about the girl code?

Abbi shot me the smile of a torturer and grabbed the bag, picking up the daggers from the ground and the two stuck in the trunks of the trees. "I'll take these and hold on to them for next time!" Bounding away as fast as she could. 

I sighed. 

"So, how do we do this memory manipulation?" Neal took a few steps closer to me. 

I ran a hand through my hair and gestured to the ground beside me. "Go ahead and take a seat."

Neal sat down, and I lowered myself down, folding my legs under me. 

"The book suggests that when starting out with this one you make physical contact with your... partner. The physical contact is supposed to help strengthen the mental contact when first learning how to use the ability. 

Neal shifted on the ground but tried to put forward his signature smile again. He finally realized the trap Abbi had set for us. 

"Fair warning. I do need to concentrate, but you also can't have your walls as air tight as they usually are." I picked at the grass beside me. 

"Walls?" 

"Yeah, that's what I call it. You know, whatever it is that you do to keep everything locked down tight when I'm around so I can't feel anything from you."

"Right. That. So I have to open up to you is what you're saying." his eyes locked with mine causing me to lose focus. They looked like liquid silver. 

I cleared my throat. "Not entirely, no. You... um... you just have to leave enough wiggle room for me to get in."

Neal nodded, his sandy hair bouncing slightly with the movement. 

"So what is this memory manipulation exactly?"

"Well, from what I can tell it has many different parts. If I have the ability, I could change an existing memory you have, erase existing memories, or implant my own new memories or visions one could say."

"And what do you plan to try?" 

"I was going to start with the least invasive. Implanting a new vision of sorts."

"Shall we begin then?" Neal held out both hands, resting his arms on his legs. 

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, focusing on calming my nerves. Concentration was important. I had to be able to fully visualize what I wanted him to see in order for the transfer of images to work. 

Once the rustling of the leaves quieted, and the new familiar feeling of the magic thrumming through my body melded together, I reached my hands out, laying my palms on top of Neal's. 

That magnetic feeling went from my palms, rushing up my arms and through my body, even more intense than the magic I felt, but I noticed they were a similar feeling. My breathing deepened as my concentration started to falter with thoughts of what his body did to mine with a mere touch. 

I closed my eyes tighter and brought back the image I wanted before working on making my way inside Neal's mind. 

He had definitely listened. There was just barely enough wiggle room for me to get inside. It was like a warmth came over me once my mind made a connection with his. 

Neal let out a short gasp. It was the moment that I was able to transition the image from me to him. 

We were surrounded by the falling of small white flowers from the trees that had yet to start their bloom. I'd captured the image of what they would be in the coming months with the warm sun breaking through the tree tops and the blossoms falling to the ground. 

The image faded with the sudden jerk of Neal's hands as he pulled them away. 

"I'm sorry." I pulled my hands in close to my stomach, rubbing my finger against my palms, trying to dampen the feeling of his touch. 

"You don't have anything to apologize for. It was just..."

"A lot?" 

Neal looked away. 

"I think we should probably talk." I couldn't believe I was the one saying this. It was the last thing I wanted to talk about. 

"About what?" Neal shifted again. 

I sent up a small thanks to the goddess that I wasn't the only one who was nervous. 

"While it's entirely possible that I'm crazy. I'm also fairly certain that I'm not imaging what's going on here. You have to feel it too." I kept my eyes glued to him, watching his every move, his every eye movement. 

"You didn't just give me your number to let you know when I would be practicing, and you haven't been wanting to come out here just to see how far along I am. I can't be the only one who felt that just now, or when you handed me your number, or that night at the party. You were just as hesitant as I was to touch me. Tell me I'm wrong."

He was frozen. And he was closed off. His ability to control everything was really starting to become irritating. 

"You're not wrong."

I let out a breath I hadn't known I was keeping in. It was like his admission had finally freed something in me. 

"But..."

"But you don't know what it all means."

Neal nodded. 

I was glad it wasn't just me. 

The tension continued to grow between us, thick like energy swirling around. The pull was magnetic as if our admission to each other had broken down whatever walls we had been keeping between us. 

Neal scooted closer, our knees touching. Only the fabric of our jeans barred that warm electricity from making it's way through our bodies. 

My breathing came faster, deeper, and so did Neal's. We were both fighting it, but neither of us knew why. I couldn't remember a single reason why I shouldn't close the gap between us. I knew I'd had many... some... at least one. 

None. 

I couldn't think of one. 

I leaned forward, my lips locking with his and that same magnetic energy pulsed through my body, as addicting as the feeling of the magic flowing through my veins. 

Neal's hand went into my hair, tangling up in the long strands, the other on my side. He pushed forward, taking us both to the ground as he kept his firm grip on me. 

His tongue explored my mouth. My teeth grazed his lip. 

I rolled us both until I was sitting on top of his hips. 

His hand wandered from my side, until both of them were holding my face. 

I grabbed his wrists, holding them down to the ground as I bit his lower lip. I pulled back just far enough to look into Neal's eyes. A pure animalistic hunger stared back at me. A hunger I knew all too well in that moment. I needed him and he needed me. 

As I straddled his hips I could feel his desire for me. 

But I couldn't. 

I rolled off of Neal and onto my back beside him. He didn't move, our labored breathing mixed with the sound of the singing birds in the trees around us. 

"That wasn't exactly a talk," Neal said with a forced chuckle. 

"Far from a talk."

"Does this mean we really need to talk now?" He asked. 

"I don't think now would be a good idea."

"That's good because I don't think I can." Silence filled the space between us. "What do we do then?"

I cleared my throat and sat up. Looking around, I found the book and grabbed it before standing up. "Now I think I need to go home. I'll... uh... I'll talk to you later."

I left as quickly as I could before he could say anything. 

*****************

Well alright then! That was an interesting turn of events. 

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