Zoe could hardly contain her excitement over the discovery of her newfound ability to read minds. She buckled her seat belt as soon as she got in the car and was ready to experiment with her power. She concentrated on her mom for a moment as soon as she got in the car.

I hope she did okay. She has such big dreams. I want her to be the very best she can be. Zoe beamed when she heard this. It felt really good to hear that. 

"So? How'd the test go?" her mom asked. 

"I think I did really good!" she grinned widely. On one hand, she felt a little guilty that she had basically cheated on the exam, but on the other, she was seriously excited that she had taken down that test. Hopefully that guy was as good at the English and language parts of the test as he had sounded in her head. Her own skill in math had always been pretty good, so she was only mildly worried about that part of the test.

"That's great, sweetie!" 

Zoe sat silently most of the way back and practiced listening to her mom's thoughts.

I don't understand why they couldn't just have these tests be on a school day. Now I have to rush back home and then back to work again. Today has been so hectic, but it's great that she seems confident about how she did on the test.

It only took a few minutes to get back home and then her mom sped off to work again. She worked over in Medford, which was about twenty minutes away. Adam and Lily were at a babysitter for the day, so she had the house to herself until about 6. I wonder why this is suddenly happening to me. I didn't get bit with a radioactive spider or get exposed to some sort of cosmic radiation. I'm just an average girl. There's nothing particularly special about me.

She went inside and headed to the kitchen. I'm starving for some reason. I wonder if using my power takes any kind of toll on me. I feel fine so far, though. Well, other than feeling like I haven't ate all day... I wonder if we have anything good to eat that's easy to make. she glanced around the fridge for options. Ultimately, she decided to go with a turkey sandwich. She grabbed some rolls that were on the counter in their bread basket and slathered on some condiments before adding meat and cheese. She found a tomato in the vegetable drawer and sliced it up and added it to the sandwich. I wonder what Kim's up to... Should I tell anyone about my secret? Maybe I'll just keep it to myself until I know for sure that I'm not just having a complete mental breakdown. The last thing I want is to be sent off to a mental hospital.

Zoe plopped down on the living room couch and turned on the TV. She scrolled through Netflix for a while but didn't find anything that she really wanted to watch. Ugh... I'm so bored. she glanced over at the clock. It was already almost 1, which meant that Kim was probably done with her morning basketball drills. She grabbed her phone and sent her friend a text.

"Hey! What'cha up to? I just got back from the SAT a little bit ago. I think I managed to do pretty good."

She waited a few moments and then the phone vibrated with a reply.

"Hanging out with some girls from the team. That's awesome! I need to study! I'm taking it for the second time soon. My first go at it didn't work out so well. Hopefully I can just get in to a school on a basketball scholarship or something, because these standardized tests are just brutal for me. lol"

"Wanna come over later? Lily and Adam are at a babysitter and my parents won't be back until late. It's super boring alone over here."

"I can't today. Got a date with Brent. We're going to dinner and a movie. Sorry. =("

Zoe couldn't help but feel a bit down. She felt like she never got to see her best friend anymore. She was always busy with basketball or with her boyfriend that she felt like she was being pushed out of her friend's life. So much for that. I know that I should be happy for her, but it feels bad being left out all the time. I need to find a boyfriend of my own already. Zoe sighed to herself at that thought. She didn't know when it happened exactly, but once she hit middle school she had become socially awkward. She had to work all day tomorrow, so she sent Kim the only acceptable reply that she could think of: "Okay. No worries! I'll see ya at school on Monday!" 

"Okay. C'ya."

Zoe decided that it might be fun to get out of the house and read some more minds. It was fun being able to hear people's thoughts. "Thor! Where are you, boy?" she whistled and the dog came trotting down the hallway from the laundry room. He must've been outside. There was a dog door leading out to their back yard, which they always left accessible to the dog so he could get out and do his business on his own. Zoe crouched down and rubbed Thor behind his ears. "Good boy! Wanna go for a walk with me?" she asked and patted the dog on the head. Thor's response was to give her a lick and wag his tail furiously. Even though she was bummed about not being able to hang out with her friend, her dog always had a way of cheering her up. Thor loved going for walks and tended to drag her around relentlessly. I swear, someday I'm going to teach him to heel. I wonder... She had an interesting idea. Zoe focused her will on Thor and after a moment she heard just one word. Walk! 

That's awesome! I can actually read my dog's mind! I'm literally a dog whisperer! She laughed aloud in excitement. His 'voice' wasn't human but somehow she understood anyway. She got back to her feet and headed over to grab the leash off the hook by the door. She snapped it on to Thor's collar and told him, "Let's go for a walk!"

She opened up the door and Thor dragged her outside. "Woah, boy! Just a second," she took a second to lock the door before letting Thor drag her off toward the street. There should be some random people downtown around this time of day. Let's go see what they're thinking about! With a destination in mind, the two of them began walking down the street. It wasn't too far and she was happy to be outside. It was a nice spring day and was neither too hot nor too cold. All the trees had just recently gotten their leaves back and flowers were beginning to bloom in people's yards. Everything was green and full of life.

One of her neighbors saw her walking the dog and waved to her. She returned the wave but didn't stop. Mrs. Tanaka used to babysit her when she was little and always waved at her when she walked by with Thor. Before long she had reached her target location, the local deli. As expected there were some people in there getting food. Steve's Delicatessen was a popular place to grab barbecue on weekends in her little town. Steve, the owner, had a huge barbecue station set up to the side of the building and the smell alone was enough to drive customers to his business. I should have thought ahead and ate here instead of at home. She thought as the glorious smell of barbecued ribs wafted toward her.

She focused on Steve, trying to hear his thoughts, and without much effort his voice flooded into her head.

Just a couple more hours and then I will be able to go watch the game. I think the Trail Blazers have a real shot this year. The Timberwolves are going down!

It worked! I know almost nothing about pro sports, but I know that the Trail Blazers are an NBA Team out of Portland, thanks to Kim. Now to confirm. Zoe made walked a few steps closer to the smoking grill and addressed the man who was busy flipping several racks of ribs in quick succession. "Hey, sorry to bother you, but do you know if there's a basketball game on tonight?" she asked tentatively. I won't be satisfied until I know for sure if I'm crazy or not. So far, though, everything I've heard has turned out to be true. Not that I can know for sure about the guy at the SATs though...

The older man gave her a weird look for the briefest of moments before replying, "Yep! In just a couple hours the Trail Blazers are going to stomp the Timberwolves. I can't wait! Is there anything I can help you with? You'll need to go inside if you want to purchase something."

"No, it's okay. I was just wondering about the game, that's all. Thanks," She gave him a friendly smile and headed back to the front of the store with Thor. She tied him to the blue mailbox out front where she'd be able to see him through the big glass windows that lined the front of the store and went inside. The dog whimpered a little as she went away, but he knew the drill, she had done this lots of times. Zoe entered the little deli and wandered down the isles. There were about five people waiting in queue over at the hot case and a few more at the register. He must do really well on weekends. Everyone around here knows that he's got the best barbecue food.

There was a lady at the back of the store by the drink cases. She looked like she was deciding what kind of beer to buy. Zoe decided to test the range of her powers. She was about 20 feet away and tried to focus on her target. Nothing happened. Okay. So I need to be closer.

She took a step closer and tried again. Still nothing. Zoe repeated this process until she was within about 10 feet of the woman and then it worked.

I can't believe I just cheated on my husband! What was I thinking? I might have just ruined my life. We have problems, but I love my family. So long as he never finds out, it'll be okay. I just need to never see Mike again.

Wow... that sounds pretty bad. I feel a little guilty for prying into her thoughts. Zoe had never seen the woman before and even though she lived in a relatively small town, the stereotype that everyone in little towns knew each other was far from reality. She supposed that it might be more true in small towns than in large cities, but nothing like on old TV shows where everyone knew everyone.

She moved on to the next target. A little boy running up and down the snack isle excitedly. She read his mind, even though it was obvious what he was thinking.

Candy! I really, really want a Snickers! I wonder if Mom will let me have one. To her surprise the boy ran over to the woman who had cheated on her husband and tugged at her hand. "Mommy! Can I have a goodie?"

"Sure, sweetie. Grab something. We need to get home."

"Okay!" The boy excitedly ran back down the candy isle and grabbed a Snickers bar. 

I think I can say for sure that this is real and not just some delusion that I have created out of stress or something. She grabbed a Gatorade from the cold case and got into line. She practiced her power on each person in the line and heard snippets of what each of them was thinking about. Nothing really stood out as interesting though. Suddenly she felt light headed and a little dizzy, however. What the⁠—

Zoe collapsed to the floor but was able to catch herself a little. She felt a small trickle of blood coming out of her left nostril. Patrons crouched down beside her instantly after seeing her fall. "Are you okay?" one person said.

"Should we call an ambulance? She's bleeding out of her nose!" Another person asked.

"Sweetie, are your parents here? Can you tell us your name?" the woman with the little boy asked. 

Oh, no! What's happening to me? Did I use it too much? Her vision got a little fuzzy her heart felt as though it was going to pound right out of her chest. A loud ringing noise started going off in her ears and a few seconds later she passed out.