Gray Matter

Written By:
Shadow “Kite” Kitsune

Prologue

Three Months Ago...

Alex’s head was pounding like a drum beating in a symphony orchestra. It felt like he could burst at any moment. His thoughts were in disarray, his vision was becoming blurred, and his stomach was twisted into a knot. It felt as if his body was being torn apart from the inside. He was in complete, agonizing hell.

Sweat beaded up on his forehead, running down his neck and back. He screamed in pain, pleading for relief. The ails that his mother had offered him had done nothing to soothe his aching pain. Right now, all that he felt like doing was being put out of his misery and dying. Of course, fate never had been much in his favor, which became suddenly apparent now. He had always wondered why he had been cursed with this misfortune, this “gift” as people called it. He hated having telepathy, and he always had, ever since he was kid. He wasn’t able to learn how to control it until he was about fourteen, but by that time, his powers had already started to grow at a faster rate, so he still found himself losing control every now and then.

Then came the headaches, the pulsating, throbbing, head pounding headaches that ailed him so. He didn’t know if they were related to his telekinetic abilities, but all he knew for sure was that they started when his powers began to develop further. He hated it more than anything. If only there were some way to relieve himself of this agony...

“Alex, honey...,” his mother said, softly and gently, coming into the room to check on her son.

Alex wrenched and writhed in his bed, screaming out in pure agony. His mother, Shana, felt powerless, helpless to ease her son’s pain.

“Honey, is there... anything you’d like that might make your headache better?” she asked.

“GET OUT!” Alex screamed, uncontrollably. A wave of psychic energy swept across the room, knocking his mother off her feet, and out into the hall against the wall. His bedroom door slammed shut, and papers and nick-knacks on his dresser and desk flew off as well. He began to scream, louder now, as the pressure in his head grew stronger, more fierce. He could hardly hear the beating of his father, Stephen, beating on his bedroom door, trying to get it to open. He didn’t even notice the fact that the entire house’s foundations were beginning to quake. Papers, pens, chairs, and even his bed and he himself were levitating in the air. It seemed as if the pain was only getting worse when his father finally burst through his bedroom door.

“Alex! Calm down!” Stephen called in a vain attempt to calm his son. But by that point, Alex had lost all control. He turned his head, and closed his eyes.

“I said get OUT!” Alex screamed.

A strong pulse of psychic energy emitted from his body, and suddenly, it all went white...

—

“Any change?” a nurse asked the doctor when he came to check up on Alex, who rested peacefully in a hospital bed.

The doctor shook his head.

“No, unfortunately not. But his vital signs seem to be stable, as do his brain waves. That’s a good sign.”

“What about his parents?”

The doctor hung his head, and shook it solemnly.

“Oh, God,” the nurse said. “You mean they’re...?”

“I’m afraid so,” the doctor said.

The nurse put her hand over her mouth in disbelief.

“Dear Lord! How did this happen?” she asked.

“Kid lost control of his telepathy. Destroyed his house, and killed his parents in the process. He probably won’t remember a damn thing when he wakes up, which can be both a good and bad thing. But it’s going to be hard on him either way. I’ve dealt with him before, and it’s just going to tear him up to know that he was responsible for his parents’ deaths,” the doctor explained.

“But it wasn’t his fault, right? He couldn’t control it.”

“Correct, but naturally, he’ll blame himself for it,” the doctor stated. “Anyway, I’ve called a specialist in to see him. Hopefully he can help him.”

“Therapist?”

“No. Telepath, like him,” the doctor responded.

‘I’m here,’ a voice said into the doctor’s mind.

As the doctor turned around, he saw an older man in his mid-sixties with snow white hair standing before him, a cane in one hand.

“Ah, Dr. Lombard. I’m glad that you could make it,” the doctor said.

“Yes. When I heard about what had happened, I came right away. Now, where’s the boy?” asked Dr. Stewart Lombard.

“Right this way, sir,” the nurse said, showing Dr. Lombard to Alex’s room. Once there, Dr. Lombard went in, and the nurse closed the door behind him. The old man hobbled over to Alex’s bedside, and called a chair over to him telekinetically to sit down. As he sat, he closed his eyes, and delved into the boy’s mind.

Stubborn, are you? Well you can’t keep me out, no matter how hard you try, Dr. Lombard said. Fighting against Alex to get inside his mind, he finally made it through. Strong little bastard, aren’t you?

‘What the hell do you want? Who are you?’ asked a displeased voice.

‘I am Dr. Stewart Lombard. You must be Alex, correct?’

‘You read my mind,’ Alex replied spitefully. ‘What do you want?’

Dr. Lombard remained calm.

‘I’ve been called to come talk to you, to help you. Do you know what’s happened?’

‘Of course. I fucking whited out, that’s what.’

‘I’m afraid you did much more than that, my boy.’

Alex paused.

‘What the hell do you mean?’

‘Alex, you discharged a dangerous level of psychic energy before you whited out. Do you not remember anything before that?’

‘No. Why?’

Dr. Lombard hesitated.

‘Because your parents... are dead.’

A great deal of discomfort passed over Dr. Lombard. He could feel Alex’s emotions swelling up as he tried to force him out of his head.

‘No. No! You’re lying to me! You’re fucking lying to me!’

‘I wish I were, but I’m afraid that what I say is the utmost truth. When you discharged that wave of psychic energy, you not only obliterated your home, but you also killed your parents in the process. I’m deeply sorry for your loss. Though you should not blame yourself for their deaths, for you could not have prevented this misfortune if you could have. You have not yet harnessed your psychic abilities, and I believe that I may be able to help you achieve that.’

‘What the hell do you think you can do? You’re just an old man! I could turn you inside out or turn you to dust if I wanted to! So what do you possibly hope to think you can do for me?’

Dr. Lombard didn’t lose his cool. He paused, and responded calmly.

‘I made it through your mind blocks, didn’t I? I’m still here talking with you, am I not? While I may not be nearly as strong as you are, I am still capable of assisting you in harnessing your abilities. Do you know what you could be capable of doing if you were able to have complete control over your powers?’

Alex paused for a moment, and finally replied.

‘You really think you can help me? Do you really believe that I can learn to control my powers?’

‘With the proper guidance, and training, you could learn enough control to wipe a persons mind clean of all memories, and replace them with all new memories. Hell, you could even give them an all new identity. And you wouldn’t even have to be near them to do so. You could do it from the opposite side of the world if you desired.’

‘You’re kidding.’

‘I wouldn’t dream of doing that, Alex. I’m just trying to prove to you how dedicated I am to helping you. I specialize in helping people like you, and me, learn to gain control over their abilities. If you allow me to help you, I assure you that we can learn the full potential of your abilities, and help you learn to control them. That is, if you’ll let me.’

Alex paused for a long while, contemplating the decision. Finally:

‘Fine. If you really think you can help me, then so be it. But I warn you, I can’t be held responsible if someone ends up getting hurt again.’

‘You needn’t worry about that, dear boy. For now, you focus on recovering, and coping with your losses. I’ll arrange for you to begin as soon as you’re ready. Farewell.’

Dr. Lombard opened his eyes, exiting Alex’s mind. The boy remained asleep, resting peacefully in his hospital bed. Rising to his feet, Dr. Lombard went outside, and met back up with Alex’s doctor.

“So, how did it go?” the doctor asked.

“Better than I could have hoped for,” Dr. Lombard replied, smiling weakly. “He agreed to allow me to help him.”

“Excellent. I’m glad to hear that,” the doctor said. “I’m confident that you’ll do everything in your power to help him with his gifts.”

Dr. Lombard nodded, and closed his eyes. He could hear Alex’s voice echo in his mind.

‘Its not a gift... it’s a curse.’

Dr. Lombard opened his eyes, and moaned.

“We can only hope,” he said.