Caleb 72 - Arnie

I actually couldn't believe how nervous I was as I drove to the airport on the Monday afternoon. Sarah was in the car with me, and the nerves were radiating from her as well. What happened over the next couple of hours was likely to have far reaching effects for us all. Not only would Sarah be heartbroken if things didn't go well, but we'd have let a norm into the secret that we were not supposed to be telling anyone. We could be opening up Pandora's Box.

Yes, since both of us were Telepaths, we could actually remove Arnie's memories of what we told him, but that would breach a lot of the restrictions on using powers on Norms. It would also be a violation of his rights and his person. I had no doubt there would be a huge shitstorm if we were to do anything like that.

The authorities preferred to threaten and destroy someone for releasing such information rather than tamper with their minds. I didn't know which was worse but either route would be incredibly distasteful to me and, I'm sure, Sarah as well. She had developed real feelings towards Arnie, and I knew she'd be devastated if things were to go wrong tonight. That, to me, was the most important thing. Sarah's happiness ranked highest in the list of outcomes from this evening. I could see only one way that could be achieved.

Arnie was waiting for me in the office when I entered. He seemed surprised to see Sarah. Since I'd completed all my instructor hours, I guess he'd thought I would be doing some solo pattern flying tonight. The Cirrus was ready to go outside. I wouldn't be able to take Sarah up with me. Danny was nowhere to be seen.

"Hi," he said, a little nonplussed.

"Hi," Sarah responded. Arnie looked to her and then to me.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I think," I said, "that we need to talk."

He looked at Sarah.

"Sarah?" he asked, looking to her for some kind of explanation.

She sighed.

"Arnie," she said. "My situation..." she paused for a few moments and then began again. "Our situation is complicated. More complicated than you can possibly imagine. It puts us all in a very difficult position."

"You want to break up?" he asked, looking hurt.

"No," she said. "That's the last thing I want."

"Then what?" he asked.

"I need to ask you a question," she said after a long pause. "A question that, in truth, I shouldn't be asking this early into a relationship. What makes it worse is that, until you answer, we can't really explain things.

"Also, when we do explain things, you might think we're insane, or members of some strange cult, or something like that."

"Are you?" he asked.

Sarah laughed a little. "If only it were that straight forward," she said.

"So why are you involved in this?" Arnie directed this at me.

"Because," I said, "a lot of the explanations are going to be from me."

He looked backward and forward between us.

"You're not flying tonight?" he asked. I shook my head.

"We need to get this situation resolved," I said.

"I don't think dad will refund you the session," he returned.

I shrugged. Arnie bit his lip.

"Let me go put the Cirrus to bed," he said, "then we can talk."

He left the office and went to secure the aircraft for the night.

"What do you think?" Sarah asked as the door closed.

"I honestly think he's still scared you're going to dump him," I said. "I also think he suspects that you and I are sleeping together. Looking at his aura his thoughts on that are complicated. I don't think he knows himself how he feels about that. There is some negativity, but I suspect that's more about his upbringing than any particular personal feeling. Strangely I don't sense any jealousy, which is encouraging. His aura still blooms with love when he looks at you, although currently that is tempered by fear."

Sarah sighed and was about to say something when the door opened. Arnie walked in.

He went and put some keys into the wall safe and closed it up.

He came and took a seat opposite us. I would have preferred a different setting. It seemed to be quite a confrontational setup and we weren't there for that. I hoped that things would become easier.

"You wanted to ask me a question?" he asked Sarah. She nodded.

"Where do you see us going?" she asked him. It was a question that I am sure many guys had been asked by many girls. It was a minefield. I am also certain it was a question that had been put to guys just before girls told them that their appreciation of the direction of the relationship was wrong, and the girls couldn't see a future for them together. I saw Arnie's fear spike.

He took his time to answer, picking his words carefully.

"I thought," he said, "that we were good together. I really thought that you and I were just right. It may sound stupid, and maybe it is, but you are the first person I've ever even considered when planning my future. I thought that we might have a future, together."

"Is that what you want?" she asked.

He nodded. I noticed his eyes were bright.

Sarah looked at me.

"I think you need to tell him how you feel," I said.

Sarah looked at Arnie and he tensed, ready for the hammer to fall.

"You are right," she said. "We are good together. Just right, in fact. It looks like you think we're here, or rather I'm here to break up with you, but that couldn't be further from the truth. If it were up to me, then you and I would be together for a very long time."

Arnie looked confused.

"But it is up to you," he said.

"No," she said smiling sadly. "It's not."

"Then who?" he said starting to get a little heated. He looked at me, as if I were the one that would break up his relationship.

"It's going to be up to you," I said.

"But I already said..." he began.

"I know," I interrupted him. "But before you say anything more, there is a lot that we have to explain to you. Once you have all the information, Sarah is going to ask you the same question again, but you might have a completely different answer. That's why Sarah is so nervous. She doesn't want to lose you, but at the same time, she doesn't want you to enter into a situation without knowing what you are letting yourself in for."

"So," he said. "Explain."

"Not here," I said. "It's too public a place. What we have to tell you, to show you, needs to be done in private. Also, you need to promise that whatever happens between you and Sarah, whatever you decide, you won't reveal any of what we tell you tonight. Believe it or not, that promise is to protect you, not us."

"And if I choose for you not to tell me?" he asked.

"Then you and I will be over," Sarah said sadly. "The only way that we can be together is if you know and accept us for who we are."

"Where did you want to go?" he asked.

"Back to the Nines," I said.

He took a breath. It would have been easy to use any of my powers to get him to come with us, but once we explained everything, he might have recognised them for what they were. I didn't want him to feel that he'd been coerced into anything.

"Can I ring my dad first?" he asked.

"Sure," I said. "Tell him where you're going, but remember you won't be able to tell him what we tell you, so be circumspect as to what you tell him about what you're up to."

He picked up his phone.

"Hey Dad," he said. "Caleb didn't want to fly tonight. He says he's not feeling well. I've buttoned up the plane. I'm going to go spend some time with Sarah since I have my evening free. No, just at the Nines, I think. Sure okay, I'll see you later."

Arnie led us out of the office, locking the door behind him.

"I'll see you at the hotel?" he asked. I could see that Sarah wanted to ride with him, but she thought better of it. She knew that she wouldn't be able to not reveal anything before the time was right.

If Sarah was the type to bite her nails, I was certain that she'd be down to her elbows by the time we got back to the hotel. I relinquished my truck to the valets and we waited by the entrance as Arnie pulled up. He too gave up his keys and joined us. We rode the elevator in silence.

All the girls knew that we were on our way up and they moved into the second suite, leaving the main suite empty. There were some drinks and snacks laid out though. I smiled quietly to myself at the thoughtfulness of the girls for setting this up.

I closed the door to the suite and Arnie sat on one of the sofa's. Sarah sat beside him, which I think surprised him. Tentatively she sneaked her hand into his. He gripped her hand tight and looked at me, a hint of defiance in his eyes. This was better. I was now the enemy as far as he was concerned. He was certain that Sarah wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her. I was the obstacle. It was them against me. I smiled to myself when I saw his protectiveness toward her.

I grabbed a beer from the table and took a swig.

"Arnie," I said, looking directly at him. He seemed to brace himself. "You know that I consult with the FBI?" he nodded.

"Dad told me about it," he said. "He told me that a few weeks ago you had to fly somewhere to help out."

"I did," I said. "What we are about to tell you, you cannot repeat to anyone. The FBI knows about it, and they do not want the secret to get out. There is a whole department of the FBI dedicated to keeping the secret and, if they find out that you leaked it, they won't arrest you but they will come after you. They will discredit you and they will ruin you and your family.

"This is your last chance to walk away, but if you do that, then you and Sarah will be over. You can't be with her without knowing the secret."

"You're in witsec?" he asked.

I laughed. "If it were only that easy," I said. "No, we're not in a witness protection program. I'll tell you everything, if you're sure that you want to know."

He looked at Sarah.

"What do you think?" he asked her.

"I'm scared," she said, "that once you find out about our secret, you won't want to be with me anymore."

Arnie's eyes went wide.

"You're a werewolf, aren't you," he guessed. I realized much faster than Sarah that he was actually joking. I guessed that humour was as good a way as any to relieve the pressure.

"What?" Sarah said, confused at the sudden change of pace.

I laughed, and Sarah, realizing what was going on, shook her head.

"No," she said, "I'm not a werewolf."

"Then tell me," he said finally looking at me. "If knowing, and keeping, your secret is what it takes for us to be together, then I'm willing to hear it."

Sarah squeezed his hand, and they both looked at me.

"Okay then," I said.

"You know," I began, "that Sarah and I are half siblings. Sarah's father, John Stott, is my father. We have different mothers, although we both grew up with actual parents. I only found out about John a few months ago, but Sarah has known all along her dad Brian is really her step-dad.

"John comes from a bloodline. A family called the Stotts. Sarah and I both bear his blood, but we inherited something else from him. Psychic powers."

"What?" asked Arnie, looking confused. "As in real psychic powers?"

I nodded.

"There are a number of families in the world that have these powers," I went on, "and from time-to-time new people pop up with powers, but on the whole, they run in families. Of course, the families interbred, and some people have more than once power.

"As far as I know, there are six powers. Compulsion, that can make someone do something even if they don't want to; Empathy, that can share thoughts and emotions; Telepathy, that can read and alter a person's thoughts; Telekinesis or TK, that can move things; Pyrokinesis or PK that can start or control heat and fire; and Cryokinesis or CK that can control ice and cold.

"There are only a few people who have all six powers, most have only one. I have four, and Sarah has two."

Arnie stared at me, his jaw set. I could tell from his aura that he believed that I believed what I was saying. What he couldn't figure out if I was just insane or this was real. He was actually leaning toward it being real.

He looked at Sarah. "What powers do you have?" he asked her.

"I have Compulsion," she said, "and Telepathy. I'm not very good with them yet. Although we're born with powers, I wore an amulet that blocked them. The amulet was only removed a few weeks ago, thanks to Caleb. That's a long story, but it meant that I only found out about powers myself then, so I haven't really learned how to use them properly yet."

"Telepathy?" he said. "You can read my mind?"

"I could," she said, "but I haven't. It would be rude, like reading your diary. Most people, though, shout out their immediate thoughts. I can't help but hear those surface thoughts."

Arnie looked at me.

"How about you," he said.

"I have Compulsion, Empathy, Telepathy and TK." I said.

Arnie frowned at me.

"What's Empathy again?" he said.

"It's the ability to read memories and share emotions," I said.

"How is that different than Telepathy?" he asked.

"Telepathy is more targeted," I said. "Let's say I wanted to know something about you, maybe your social security number. With Empathy, I could find it out, but I'd have to find the exact memory in your head where you read it or learned it. With Telepathy I can simply ask your mind the question - and it will tell me."

He turned back to Sarah.

"You can make me do stuff," he asked, "that I might not want to do?"

She nodded.

"Will you show me?" he asked. Sarah shook her head.

"No," she said. "I won't."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because not only is it a violation," I said, "but it can be incredibly disturbing to have it done to you. It might completely change the way you feel about Sarah. Also, and I said this to someone special in my life, Sarah doesn't want to do that to you for another reason. Doing so will diminish you in her eyes. Make you something less. She doesn't want to do that to you."

He looked at Sarah. He seemed to realize that she was still clinging onto his hand.

"Can you hear what I'm thinking?" he shouted from his mind.

"I can," she said. "And so can Caleb. It's like you're screaming out loud when you do that."

Arnie gulped as something occurred to him. Both Sarah and I smiled.

"Yes," I said, "I heard that. And so did Sarah."

"It's one of the things that attracted me to you in the first place," she said. "Your honesty. Both with me and with yourself. You told me almost straight away that you'd been crushing on Caleb, but what I loved more was that you admitted it to yourself. You weren't beating yourself up about it. You saw someone to whom you were attracted, and you accepted that attraction. Maybe if he hadn't had so many fiancées, and I hadn't come along, you and he could have gotten together."

Arnie looked at me and I nodded.

"Yes," I said. "I'm more interested in the person than anything else."

"Do your fiancées all have power too?" he asked.

"To one degree or another," I said. "Melanie, who is also our sister, has all six. The twins are both Empaths. Jules and Ness have a very small amount of Empathy - so small they can't really use it."

"Melanie is your sister too?" he asked, and I nodded. "I thought she was your fiancée?"

"She is," I said.

"But..." he said.

"One of the things you will need to get your head around," I said, "is that there are two worlds. There is the world of Power Users and the world of Norms. Norms are people who don't have power. It's not meant as a derogatory term, just a way to identify those without power. I've no doubt that some Politically Correct Woke person would find some way to take offence and try and impose a long and tedious nomenclature, but we just call you guys Norms."

"I'm sure I can live with that," he said.

"There are also two sets of rules," I said. "One for Users and one for Norms."

"Why?" he asked, not unreasonably I thought.

"First," I said, "power users live longer than Norms."

"How much longer?" he asked.

"Usually about three to four times as long," I explained. "Sarah can realistically expect to live until she's close to three hundred years old, barring accident."

"Three hundred?" he asked.

"She ages slower too," I said.

"So when I'm seventy," he said, "how old will she be?"

"She'll be seventy as well," I said. "But I'm guessing she'll look somewhere around mid twenties."

"What?" he asked. "She's going to be stuck with an old man when she'll look about twenty five?"

"She knows that," I said, "and she still wants to be with you."

He looked at Sarah. "Why?" he asked.

"For the same reason you want to be with me, I hope," she replied. Arnie nodded slightly, seemingly accepting her reason.

"Next," I continued. "We don't get sick. We can still get injured, or killed by accident, but we don't seem to be able to catch any diseases. That includes things like STD's and HIV."

Arnie just grunted at that. I saw a flare of suspicion in his aura. I guessed he could see where this was going.

"Also," I went on, "our genome is pure. There are no defective recessive genes in our DNA, which means that we can interbreed, even with direct siblings, without there being any risk of genetic abnormalities."

"Which is how your sister can also be your fiancée?" he clarified, and I nodded.

"There's more, isn't there?" he asked.

I nodded. "What I've told you so far, is the big secret," I said. "The existence of these powers, which everyone wants to keep top secret. The rest isn't so much about powers, but more about power users.

"You know, I have five fiancées. What you might not know is that it's not me and five girls, it's the six of us, all together. We each love each other, and are all together. The attitudes towards love, and sex, among power users is very different than it is in Norm society.

"Empaths, for instance, have a need. It can cause them physical and mental harm if they don't share, which means exactly what you think it does. They have to find new people to have sex with on a fairly regular basis or they suffer the consequences."

"You're an Empath?" he remembered.

"I am," I said. "As are the twins, and Melanie."

"So you let them go off to have sex with other men?" he asked. "And you have sex with other women?"

"I don't let them do anything," I rebutted. "I don't own them. They have a need, and they go out to meet it, just as I do. And gender is immaterial. It's more about making the connection than it is about the actual sex act, although that is a part of it."

"But Sarah isn't an Empath," he said. "Is she?"

"No," said Sarah. "I'm not. I'm a Telepath. While the need to share is not as pronounced in us, it is still there. I've been protected somewhat by the amulet up to now. That, and moving to a new city and meeting loads of new people has meant that my need to share hasn't been problematic so far. Also, my being a virgin helps a little. But there will come a time when I will have to share."

"I," I took over the narrative, "like Sarah, was brought up as a Norm. I had all the Norm values, and mores and morals, drummed into me, just as I'm sure your dad has done for you. It made me the man I was when I discovered my powers.

"When I discovered that I, and my two fiancées, would have to have sex outside of our relationship, it really screwed with my head. You see, I'd been brought up to equate love and sex. How could I love my fiancées and then go out and have sex with someone else? Equally, how could they, who were supposed to love me, go and have sex with a virtual stranger?

"It caused me no end of trauma and pain. Eventually though, I figured it out. I found that it's not about love and sex. Sex can be used to demonstrate love, sure, but it can also be just a recreational activity, no more important than sharing a meal or watching television together. Without love, sex is a fun activity you can share with anyone, without detriment to your relationship with your partner. That is, you can IF you realize that that relationship is based not on sex, but on love, and trust.