Read Mind Secrets: A Science Fiction Telepathy Thriller (Perceivers Book 1) for Free Online

past.”
    “I heard,” said Otis. “Caught fire as he ran out.”
    “They could have killed that boy,” said Jennifer, her voice trembling. “They could have killed all of us.” Michael saw the tears forming in her eyes, but she held them back.
    “They could have killed you,” Otis said. “Why did you go back, Jen?”
    “My bag,” said Jennifer. “It had everything in it. My phone. Everything. I had to get it. It was stupid, I know. I wasn’t thinking.”
    “I’ll get you a new phone,” said Otis.
    “It wasn’t the skanking bit of tech, it was what was in it!” said Jennifer. “Contacts for the other perceiver groups. Passwords. Aliases. All of it. I don’t believe I deleted our online backups! After the other group got their stuff hacked, I thought it was safer. I don’t believe I could’ve been so stupid.”
    “You’re not stupid,” said Otis, gently wiping a strand of her hair from her cheek. “I’ve got some of the details, we should be able to get it all back eventually.”
    Jennifer clearly wasn’t in a mood to be soothed, and batted his hand away from her face. “Eventually? If we’re gonna fight this thing, Otis, we need that information now.”
    The bedroom door banged open and Jack emerged wearing a black and white striped T-shirt two sizes too big for him. “What d’ya reckon?” he said, twirling in a clumsy imitation of a catwalk model.
    “Is that all you can think about?” said Jennifer, accusingly.
    “I perceive you’re upset, Jen. I thought I’d lighten the mood.”
    “Maybe some of us don’t want it to be lightened.” She got up from the sofa and rushed off to the back of the flat.
    “Where are you going?” Otis called after her.
    “Shower,” said Jennifer. “I smell like skanking Guy Fawkes.”
    ~
    MICHAEL WENT IN the shower after Jennifer had finished. She had used most of the hot water, but the cleansing sensation was still glorious. It washed the whole week from his skin. The soot of the fire turned the water black as it swirled down the plug hole. Then he lathered his whole body with soap and let the white bubbles strip away the grime of sleeping rough. When, at last, he stepped out of the shower, he no longer smelt like a mouldy sock. He wrapped himself in a towel and started to believe he was a civilised person again.
    Otis made up a bed of sorts for him on the sofa. There weren’t any spare bedclothes in the flat, so he offered Michael a couple of coats to throw over the top of him. After sleeping on a cold, hard park bench, someone else’s lounge, a sofa and some old coats were luxury.
    Jack cobbled together the cushions from the two armchairs and made a place for himself on the floor. He was used to it, apparently. He didn’t say explicitly, but Michael suspected Jack preferred the company of other perceivers to his own family and slept on Otis and Jennifer’s floor quite often.
    Michael closed his eyes and his body sank into the warm softness of the sofa. Days of half-snatched sleep and endless wandering pulled him into unconsciousness. He slept deeper and longer than he had in days.
    ~
    MICHAEL WOKE WITH a start to the sound of a fist banging on wood. He prised open his eyes to see the dawn light struggling into the flat through the window.
    Someone knocked loudly on the front door. “Nathaniel?” a muffled woman’s voice called from outside. “Nathaniel!”
    There was a click and artificial light flooded the room. Michael squinted to see Otis standing outside the bedroom door near the light switch. He wore an unflattering pair of maroon pyjama bottoms.
    Thud, thud, thud!
    “Nathaniel, open up! I know you’re in there.”
    Otis staggered, half-asleep, towards the door. He tripped over the corner of Jack’s bedding. He swore.
    The woman kept knocking.
    “All right, all right, keep your wig on!” Otis complained.
    He stopped at the front door and laid his palms out flat on its wooden surface.
    Jennifer emerged from the bedroom. Her hair was