The Reluctant Psychic Ch. 15

They all looked at me curiously then suddenly Tiffani smiled and looked to rub her hands. I didn't realize she made the sign for picnic until both of the other girls exclaimed, "Picnic!" together and hugged me from either side.

"It sounds like you like my plan," I said. I glanced around the kitchen, trying to figure out where to begin. "Um, where's the refrigerator?"

Marie showed me the door to the pantry, a second door that lead to room full of refrigerators and a third door that led to the walk-in freezer. We started with the fourth door, which led to a storage room. There was a trap door in the floor which she said led to the wine cellar. But for the moment I was interested in the picnic baskets that were off in one corner.

I pulled down two baskets and started back to the kitchen. When I saw Marie grab two more baskets, I almost stopped her. I realized how much food and supplies we would need to carry outside, and went back to get two rolling coolers. I returned with the coolers, as Susan entered the kitchen carrying a large beach bag full of blankets. She put the bag on the floor and I placed the coolers on the floor next to them.

Tiffani made four lists, and put one in front of each picnic basket. She regarded the fourth picnic basket, tilted her head for a moment and then carried it back to the storage room. She came back with a rolling cooler and but it on the table instead.

As we worked to gather everything for the picnic, my powers started returning. I didn't notice at first, but I realized that I didn't need to puzzle out Tiffani's sign language any longer. She eventually caught on that I was reading her mind instead of her hands, and smiled at me. If I were in her place, I wouldn't have been so eager to have someone read my thoughts, but it was the only easy way for her to communicate with me, since I had yet to learn sign language.

With the return of my powers, I also realized how useless my attempts at helping prepare the picnic were being. I didn't know where anything was, and ended up getting in the way more often than not. The girls found it amusing, and were quite patient with me. Eventually, I just stood off in a corner, trying to stay out of the way.

Occasionally, some of the other girls would start making their way to the kitchen for a snack. Since I wanted the picnic to be a surprise, I reached out with my powers and encouraged them not to come to the kitchen. I hoped there was food stashed elsewhere, because some of the girls seemed particularly hungry.

Claire was the most persistent in trying to get to the kitchen, since she knew lunchtime was approaching and she's the queen of the kitchen. I didn't want to push too hard with my powers, so I wouldn't cause any unintentional side-effects. Eventually, I resorted to just telling her that I had a surprise for lunch and she didn't need to worry.

Tiffany was on her second bag of carrots by the time we, actually the girls, were finished. Since I had done the least work, I thought it fitting that I do the most carrying. I put the beach bag over my shoulder and grabbed two of the baskets. Susan and Marie carried the remaining basket between them and wheeling a cooler each. That left Tiffany with her bag of carrots and the last cooler.

As we trooped out of the kitchen and towards the back yard, I sent my thoughts out to the girls, letting them know that lunch was going to be outside. I didn't include Katia in the broadcast, but made sure the girls let her know. We encountered a few of the girls on the way outside, and a few more were already in the field playing Frisbee. They helped us carry, and when we got to the field we quickly setup the picnic.

The rest of the girls arrived in a wave. They were chatting excitedly and quickly tucked into the food. I was astonished at how quickly the baskets and coolers emptied of food. But after the initial ravenous wave, nearly a third of the food was still left. This was eaten at a more sedate pace as we all sat together in the sun.

* * *

I was lying with my head cradled in Tiffany's lap, her fingers gently combing my hair. Marie and Susan lay on either side of me, using my belly as their pillow. The girls seemed quite happy with the picnic, they even seemed happy with my choice of clothing. I could feel the joy and laughter radiating all around me.

I was just about to drift off to sleep when I heard the laughter fading. I could feel the joy draining from the group. It wasn't fear that I was sensing, but a certain trepidation that slowly changed to acceptance and resolve. Tiffany's hand stopped combing my hair, and Susan and Marie sat up.

I sat up as well, and saw the girls were gathering in front of me. The girls sat in an arc around me and Tiffany moved around to join the others. She sat in the front row, and I realized there was a bit of space between the girls in the front row and then rest of the girls who were sitting in a group rather than a neat row.

The only one left standing was Katia, who was off to one side. She seemed the most anxious, and I got the impression she was the cause of whatever was about to happen. I looked over the girls and sensed something, and realized Katia wasn't the cause, she was the catalyst. Whatever the girls wanted to say would have been said eventually, but Katia got them to do it sooner.

Gwen, Betsy, Claire, Tiffany, Bambi, Melodie, Stefani and Magda sat in the front row. They conferred with their eyes to see who would actually do the speaking. I wasn't surprised to see the consensus shift to Betsy. But Betsy turned to Gwen, put her hand on her knee, smiled and gave her the nod.

Gwen glanced at the other girls, turned to me with pride and said, "Daddy, I'm going to be a mommy! I'm pregnant."

Betsy said, "You'll have another grand-child, I'm pregnant."

Claire, Tiffany, Bambi, Melodie, Stefani and finally Magda also said, "I'm pregnant."

They were all beaming with happiness, but each pronouncement left me feeling number and number. By the time Magda finished, I could barely hear, let alone see their angelic faces. One of them said that they wanted to keep it secret a little longer, but Katia convinced them they should tell me now. I felt love pouring out of them more strongly than I ever had before. They were also proud, and relieved that they weren't keeping it a secret any longer.

I felt horror. The girls' loving words were slowly being drowned out by the word "no." Over and over I heard the word in my mind, growing louder and louder. First it drowned out the girls' words, then it drowned out my own thoughts, the voice's terror mirrored my own.

I passed out hearing Anna screaming the word "NO!"

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I hope you enjoyed this installment. As always, I appreciate your votes and comments, they have really helped motivate me to write. I especially enjoy hearing your thoughts on how the story is going and where it's headed.