The Enlightened (Mind Dimensions #3)(28)

“I understand what you’re saying, but it’s still hard to believe,” I say slowly. “If I could do something like that, something so big, wouldn’t I know it by now?”

“I have no idea,” Hillary says. “But I think your grandparents were fools to dismiss you and focus on your future offspring.”

“They’re fools for many reasons.”

She smiles. “Agreed.”

“So if true, then what?” I ask. “What do your rumors say about the practical aspect of it for a Guide? My grandfather said the ability would allow a Reader to Read another Reader.”

“I’m not too sure,” she says thoughtfully. “The rumors don’t reveal much, but everyone fears the Elders who can do this. Some of the rumors echo what your grandfather said, though. They say these special Elders can actually Guide anyone, even a Reader or a Guide, which is why my parents said this kind of power was ‘abominable.’” She sighs. “Then again, they found a lot of things abominable.”

“It would certainly explain their fears. Who would want their mind manipulated?” I glance at frozen Bert as I say this.

“Exactly,” she says, ignoring my hint. “And who would be more afraid of it than the people who know the full extent of that power?”

“Especially anyone who’s ever abused what they can do.”

“Have you ever tried to Split while in the Mind Dimension?” When I shake my head, she asks, “Can you try?”

I examine myself. I’m so excited that, were this the real world, I could’ve easily phased into the Quiet. But this is the Quiet, and I’m not sure how phasing works here. I try to phase in, though ‘try’ isn’t the best word to describe it. I can’t pinpoint what it is that I actually do to phase in. I consciously control it only to a very small degree. Phasing is more of an instinctual process, like blocking a punch became after Reading Haim. Yes, I knew how to block a punch before, but while practicing with Caleb, I was relying on instinct rather than conscious thought. And because I was relying on instinct, there were many times when I couldn’t block his punches. This is similar to the result I’m getting now as I try to phase into an alternate level of the Quiet. Because I don’t consciously know how phasing works, I hit a mental wall and nothing happens.

“No luck,” I say.

“Are you sufficiently stressed?” Hillary asks.

“Well, no.” Then I remember something. “You know that time on the bridge, when Sam was basically murdering us all? I did feel something.”

She looks excited. “What did you feel, Darren?”

“Well, it was a lot like what I feel before I phase out, or Split as you call it. Time slowed down, but then it felt as though I was hitting a brick wall.”

“I’ve never experienced anything like that,” she says. “So that has to be good news.”

“But it still didn’t work.”

“Have you ever tried the Bellows Breath technique?”

“The what?” I stare at her.

“It’s a breathing exercise that puts your mind in an excited state. We teach it to our young people to aid in the Splitting process,” she explains.

“I never learned anything like that. I learned to Split the old-fashioned way, by nearly dying a few times.”

“Damn,” Hillary says. “I’m still amazed by your story. That you managed to tap into your power on your own is incredible.”

“You flatter me,” I say. “But didn’t Thomas do the same thing?”

“I’m just as impressed with Thomas. I had a lot of trouble with Splitting in the beginning, even when I was told about it explicitly and taught how to bring it about.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize.”

“Yeah, so that’s actually good news for you. Just because you haven’t already Split from the Mind Dimension—and we need to call that something else, by the way—doesn’t mean you never will. And the breathing technique is how I learned, so it’s worth a shot.”

“Okay, tell me what to do,” I say. “And what do you think of ‘Level 2’ for phasing in a second time?”

“I hate it,” Hillary says. “But we can come back to that later. For now, let me show you how to do the Bellows Breath.”

She proceeds to teach me the technique, which derives from yoga, though she made it sound as if the ancient yogis learned it from the Guides. The short version is that it’s a lot like purposefully hyperventilating by pretending to have a panic attack. You’re supposed to take very quick ‘in’ breaths and release them just as quickly. This is how I imagine the big bad wolf exercised his lungs before he confronted the three little pigs.

When I think I have the hang of it, I say, “Okay, let me try.”

I start breathing, in-out, in-out, as quickly as my diaphragm will allow. It’s an odd thing to do and reminds me of how I’d breathe after getting chased around the schoolyard by bullies.

“Is it working?” Hillary asks.

“I feel a little more awake and energized, but no, nothing. Not even that almost-phasing-in feeling I got on the bridge.”

“Oh well. Maybe I’ll need to scare you shitless one day while we’re in the Mind Dimension.”