The Empath Cycle: 2010 Carpe Diem - Book 1

She vowed to herself that no matter where life took them, Anne-Marie would never have to face such adversity by herself again.

She shivered when three loud thunder rolls shook the house in quick succession. According to the old Indian legends, it meant her vow had been accepted by Manitou.

Finally, they decided to take the Firebird after a last check on Weather Canada's website showed an unending band of clouds on the radar photo.

Before leaving, they installed the tire rail and straps for a second bike in the trailer. It was only a matter of changing the configuration since the set-up was already available from a trip Anne-Marie had taken to Sturgis with a friend a couple of years before.

They dressed as lightly as they could since the older car didn't have a/c and the humidity was high, so they packed a change of clothes and some warmer clothes, just in case, because St-Jovite was in the mountains.

Anne-Marie told Ann she should drive. Even though the car was fitted with H tires, wide enough for sports driving but narrow enough to be safe on rain-slicked roads, the 396 cubic inch engine she had fitted under the hood took some getting used to. She promised to take Ann to the Mont-Tremblant racing circuit where she could open it up and get used to handling that much power in the relatively light car.

The women were glad for the wind deflectors which allowed the windows to be opened a little and let in some fresh air once they hit the highway.

Again, Anne-Marie had modified the driver seat to accommodate her short stature. Only, in the old car's case, she cheated and put in a complete hydraulic assembly with electric controls. The only exception, she swore, to the rebuilt using only original parts or ones machined to the manufacturer's specification. She explained that she was a member of the American Firebird Club and that they shared sources for parts and service manuals. A former employee of GM had procured a set of original engineering plans for fellow members to allow for the dwindling supply of parts.

At one point, on the Laurentian Autoroute, they decided to have some fun with the passengers of a car they had passed repeatedly by since getting on the highway. They had noticed it only as a quirk of traffic at first. On second look, they saw that there four young women who were in good spirits, singing along full-throated to Bohemian Rhapsody which was blaring on their car radio. A fan of Wayne's World, Ann got in the spirit of things and sang along, cavorting to the rhythm of Queen, to the delight of the women, as Anne-Marie kept their cars side by side until she had to step on the gas because she was blocking the left lane.

As they kept passing each other, they exchanged greetings shouted and mimed. The women in both cars were laughing and carrying on, the crappy weather forgotten. When they neared their exit, Ann asked Anne-Marie to stay even with the other car for a minute.

Once they were, Ann pulled her tank top down and pressed her breasts on the side window. The women in the other car went wild. The three passengers immediately pulled their t-shirts up, two had breasts roughly the same size as Ann's. The third had to reach behind to unsnap her bra to free huge breasts which she promptly flattened on the rear window on Ann's side. They all laughed wildly, then Anne-Marie stepped on the gas and they pulled away.

"I just can't take you anywhere, can I, missy?" Anne-Marie scolded with tears running down her cheeks from laughing so much.

"But, mommy, I was only playing with my new friends." Ann whined in a little girl voice.

They laughed together as they relived the adventure, then Anne-Marie reached over and tweaked Ann's nipple gently.

"You'd better cover yourself. We'll be pulling in the town in two minutes and we don't want your reputation as a wanton woman to spread around since Sylvie lives here."

"Aw, you are such a spoilsport."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

On the road they had been told to take, they wondered if Sylvie had given them the wrong directions by mistake. It was outside the village and it looked more like community rather than a single dwelling. They went nearly a mile, following a split-rail fence before they came to a gate set-up. It was simply the type of barrier one encounters at a toll with a small house beside it. That was unsettling by itself, but what really confused them was the sign below the street number.

"We must have the wrong address." Anne-Marie said. "This is a mental institution."

"That's the place." Ann told her, confused. "Look. Here's the email I printed."

Anne-Marie was already backing up when a man ran out of the house, dressed in a bright yellow rain poncho. He went to the driver side.

"Hello there, ladies. What can I do for you?"

The women looked at each other and shrugged.

"We're sorry, sir. We have the wrong address. We'll be going now."

"What was the address you were looking for?" The man asked with a knowing grin.

When they told him, he started laughing.

"Let me guess." He said. "All you got were the address and directions." At their nods, he went on. "Who were you looking for?"

"Ms. Sylvie Tremblay. We were told she lives here, but that can't be right."

"I apologize for the confusion. It's our way to keep away the people who have no business here. This first part is the residential compound. The Institute is out at the back. Follow this street. We don't have street addresses, so I'll call ahead and someone will come out to meet you. Please respect the speed limit. There are a lot of children living here and they're important to us."

"It won't be a problem, sir. We'll be careful."

"Thank you, ladies. Have a nice stay." He went over to raise the gate, then waved them through.

"Well, this is confusing, to say the least. Why do you think Sylvie lives by a mental institution?"

"I'm stumped, baby." Ann said, shaking her head.

They slowly followed the sinuous street. A few minutes later, they saw two women in tiny bikinis jumping up and down, waving. As they got closer the first impression they got was that they were twins. The second was that they were very sexy women.

"Stop drooling, you pervert." Anne-Marie slapped Ann's arm.

"As if you weren't ogling them with concupiscence." Ann replied, sliding her hand between her girlfriend's legs. She grinned when she felt the heat.

"Stop it this instant, I don't want to..."

She didn't elaborate. She had just recognized Sylvie as one of the two nearly naked women. The car almost stopped when she lifted her foot off the gas in astonishment.

Sylvie's... twin... said something to her with set them both laughing. Sylvie reached over and tweaked her nipple which was answered by a slap on Sylvie's ass. Then, to the two women's utter astonishment, things devolved into what looked like a brawl, but it was almost as if it was choreographed and happening at an incredible speed. Soon they were rolling on the lawn, alternately getting up and being thrown down.

The slack-jawed spectators didn't notice when a car pulled up behind them. The first thing they knew two laughing young women raced by, tearing away their clothes so they were naked by the time they reached the 'fighting' women. They jumped into the fray with abandon. In seconds, all pretense of fighting was set aside as the four expressed their happiness at being reunited in a very... intimate way.

Both women nearly jumped out of their skin when two more young women leaned on each side of the car.

"These four will be at it for a while unless the grown-ups come get them. They must have been away from each other for a while."

Looking up, Ann recognized them as the women from the car on the highway. She blushed when she recognized the woman beside her as the one who had flashed her large breasts.

"Don't worry. Most of us younger ones have a pretty relaxed attitude regarding nudity and sex. Still, they know they're not supposed to do it on their front lawn. It's a good thing there's not much traffic here and the rain will keep people indoors. There they go. They started projecting. You're in for a ride until the others arrive."

Ann realized she was feeling horny. In fact, the intensity of her desire was growing in waves. Looking at Anne-Marie, she saw that she was mesmerized by the sight of the four women who were now making love on the grass, heedless of the rain and the spectators. She was smiling from ear to ear and the hand she had under her mini-skirt was accelerating its movement. She saw that the young woman standing beside Anne-Marie had finished 'undressing'. Her t-shirt was in tatters, her skirt bunched at her waist and her thong pushed aside to allow access to the two fingers she pounded in her pussy.

Turning back, she saw the woman beside her had ripped her sleeveless summer blouse open and pulled her bra over her huge breasts. Her shorts and panties were down hanging around an ankle. She was humping four fingers while viciously twisting one of her large nipples.

Ann groaned and closed her eyes as her first orgasm took her. That's when she realized that, at some point, she had pushed a hand inside her cut-off jean shorts. She heard Anne-Marie moan loudly as she crested herself. Instinctively, she reached with her free hand to touch her lover, to share her pleasure.

"My love... I... you..." Anne-Marie, said, her eyes glazed with desire.

"Yes... I... want... you... now!" Ann managed to croak as she opened her arms.

All she knew was that Anne-Marie was in her arms and that they were kissing greedily. Anne-Marie already had Ann's top down and both hands on her breasts as Ann sent buttons flying when she pulled her shirt open and pushed on her bra's front clasp to expose her beautiful breasts.

Ann reached down and stroked her lover's clit vigorously until she began shaking uncontrollably and screamed at the top of her lungs as she came again. Ann felt yet another wave of passion roll over her and she whined when access to her vagina was blocked. She felt Anne-Marie's hands unfasten her shorts and give her a nudge to raise her hips. Once she was bare from the waist down, she felt the familiar naked body move between her legs. Their breasts pressed together, her beloved began to... fuck her. She humped against her, rubbing their clits together roughly, violently. They were so out of control that their pubic bones occasionally ground on the sensitive clits, mixing pain with pleasure. They didn't care. Their loved one was fucking them.

Loosing herself in a delirium of pleasure, Ann first felt, at the edge of her mind, then of her perceptions, the now familiar soft voice calling to her, joining her again so their separate passions became one. All of a sudden, she remembered the special place she shared with her beloved. The door was wide open and she plunged into it as their shared orgasm took them.

"Come back to me, my love. I need you, I miss you so very much. I love you with all my heart, Annabelle. Don't leave. I'm here with you. I'm here for you. I need you to listen to me. I need to come back to me."

It had worked before. What was wrong this time? Anne-Marie continued to croon to Ann, tears streaming down her cheeks, unheeded, in her desperation to reach Ann, for the other half of her heart to come back to her, to make her whole again.

When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned her head and hissed at the person, teeth bared, signaling in a feral display her visceral need to protect her mate.

Sylvie jerked her hand back. She had recognized Anne-Marie's words. Opening her inner sight, she saw Ann's aura flaring wildly. At first, she didn't believe what she was seeing. That was clearly impossible. It look as if it was trying to split in two. Without a second thought, she tried to gently put her hand on Ann's head. The growl warned her and she barely time to avoid having her hand bit savagely.

The gesture and the sight of Anne-Marie reverting so rapidly to her primitive nature nearly broke her heart. And what of Ann? She was beaming, but she couldn't feel her presence. Or could she? The feeling fluctuated with her aura. What was happening here? Sylvie had gained a lot of knowledge once she had fully integrated Cathy's chi, but a lot of it was still instinctual. She knew much without knowing it consciously.

Without thinking further, she put her hand firmly on Anne-Marie's shoulder and went in the healing trance, doing her best to reach Ann though the contact of their bodies.

She gained much needed strength from the meld as Ryanna and Julia put a hand on her shoulders and her other wives joined by touching them. Even Jocelyne's meager talent helped. She sank deeper within herself, reaching for the mother of her heart. Seeking the knowledge to help her friends. She felt Anne-Marie tense when she touched her. She silently asked her to trust her and to keep talking to her beloved.

Sylvie had no idea how long she worked to reach Ann, to soothe Anne-Marie. One of the first thing she did was to lift the soft memory block she had put on her mind years before. She would need to understand what had happened, what was happening, what had yet to happen.

Along the way, the strength pouring through her to the ailing women grew so smoothly it didn't break her concentration, if it could ever have, as she poured her heart into her efforts.

Sometime later, a gentle voice called to her, gradually pulled her away.

"It's done, Sylvie. You've reached her. She's back. They are both sleeping now. You need to come back to us." Over and over, the voice went on until she opened her eyes.

She should know the face before her. She searched her memory vainly, the voice anchoring her when all she wanted was to retreat to her sanctuary where she would find peace. Repeatedly, the voice brought her from the verge of transfer.

"C... C... Claude?" She finally asked feebly.

"Yes, Sylvie. That's right. I'm Claude. I'm here to help you. A lot of people are here to help, but you must come back to us fully. You have to want to stay with us. There will be time to go to the island later. I promise. Please come back to us."

When she collapsed in her arms with a deep sigh, Claude gestured to the crowd behind Sylvie to release the meld, her smile and nod indicating that the crisis was past. Gradually, as they had learned to do over the past ten years or so, they dropped away until only Sylvie's wives were left. The poured a last wave of love into her before leaving too.

Chapter 8

Annabelle woke in an unfamiliar bed, in a strange bedroom. She didn't even recognize the smells except one. A scent she had come to know... intimately. She also knew the naked body wrapped protectively half-over her. She grinned when she heard the delicate snore.

Where were they? They had left the house and driven in the rain for a while. They had fun on the way. Everything was fine. This she remembered.

Why couldn't she remember what had happened next? She had an excellent memory. Not as sharp as Jean-Luc's. Yes, she remembered the office. Her new job. She had just accepted a full-time position. She had decided to study at her own rhythm. She didn't need to go at their snail's pace. She was now surrounded by bright people, geniuses even. Why, even Sylvie had... Sylvie!

They had gone to visit Sylvie to... To do something... Then when they arrived... Something was wrong... Different than they expected... They had seen something... Something had happened...

'Why, oh why can't I remember?' She wailed silently. 'Have I finally gone over the deep end?' Had all those people who had laughed at her before she learned to disguise herself, to hide in the mediocrity of the crowd been right?

Her internal agitation caused muscle tension which brought Anne-Marie immediately awake. She tried to hide it, but Ann saw the worry in her eyes.

"What happened, baby?" She asked anxiously. "Did we get into an accident? I don't remember."

"Nothing bad, my love." Anne-Marie answered, relieved to hear Ann who sounded like herself again. "Nothing bad, but something did happen and I'm not sure what. I'm told something good occurred, something too good in fact and we were not ready. Then you..."

"Then what? You can tell me, baby. Whatever it is, we'll work through it together. You're not alone anymore. I'm here for you. Always!"

"Do you remember when we were in the bath yesterday and something happened which you didn't understand. Do you remember I said we should talk?"

"Of course I remember." Ann said with a leer. We got sidetracked a little and we forgot."

"A little? A little you say!" Anne-Marie sputtered with indignation. "You took me right there on the hard floor. I still have bruises on my knees."

"If I remember correctly, you asked for it."

"Well, so I did." Anne-Marie admitted, then, with a coquettish look... "Do you think you could refresh my memory? I seem to be s little fuzzy on the details."

Senior Therapist Erikson, a strong projecting empath, was teamed up with Dr. Xavier, who's receiving empathic talent had grown over her years at the institute. For some unknown reason, she had a better contact with some patients. Annabelle Taylor was definitely one of them as they had discovered the previous day.

They had been sitting at the kitchen table, quietly discussing their latest patient's case when Claude had stopped talking and put her hand on Sille's arm, head cocked as if listening to some inner voice.

"She's okay, I think." Claude said, still 'listening' attentively. "She's confused, which is natural when waking in an unknown environment, but she's reassured by her girlfriend's presence... Go Sille! She's heading for an anxiety attack. Go! I'm right behind you."

They were at the guestroom door, Sille had her hand on the door handle when Claude hissed at her to stop.

It was Ryanna and Julia's turn to keep watch on Sylvie, Patricia and Lucia's bodies while they were on Sylvie's 'island'. They were beginning to be worried. The women had been gone for nearly fifteen hours, which could translate for them as anything from a week to three months or anything in between, depending on Sylvie's mood.

For some reason, Sylvie had been adamant about her need to go to her island. When nothing could change or shake her determination, Patricia had matter-of-factly said she was going with her.

At that point, Dr. Morgan had asked that anyone below the ranks of Senior Therapist or Senior Support Therapist leave the premises after thanking all those still present for having rushed over to support Sylvie and her friends in their time on need.

Once they were by themselves, she announced that she would join the women and that Dr. Xavier would be in charge of the team on this side.

When she called for strong empaths, projecting and receiving both, they all volunteered. When no other method satisfied them all, she opted for the default of picking by seniority. Again, she thanked them all for their help and sent them away.

So the three women has stripped and laid down in the huge bed. They relaxed and Sylvie translated them.

The rest of Sylvie's family drew straws to decide which team of two would take the first four hour shift watching the 'sleeping' women.

At each shift change, they had gently coaxed the bodies to the bathroom and sat them on the toilets where their natural reflexes took over. Then they had hand-washed them and had helped them drink some water. At the second shift change, they replaced the water with protein rich drinks, at the third, with juices loaded with electrolytes.

In between, they lay in bed, naked as the women so they could provide the best physical contact as they spooned behind Patricia and Lucia with Sylvie between them. They took turns softly talking to the women on the premise that, like some well-documented cases of coma patients, they would hear them, at least on some level.