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The Child - Nine said. “All the information was just plain obvious. Surely there’s no special talent needed to see that.” “Tt is a talent, believe me,” Maya continued, “a very spe- cial ability. Your friends down in the Lodge cannot do these things, but you can. How long have you been able to do this?” “All my life, I guess,” Ted replied, bewildered. “I just know things about people sometimes, it’s true. But, heck, I thought everybody else knew the same things, too, and just didn’t feel like saying anything about it. So I didn’t, either.” In the back of his mind, Ted heard his grandmother’s words and her warning: “Stay away from such things.” His balance was still shaky, but he was beginning to recover. “Psychic, huh?” he said. “Are you talking about psy- chics like that woman up in Washington? You know, that Dixon woman in the newspapers, psychic like that?” “Yes, I’ve heard of her,” Maya told him. “But this is different. Your psychic talent allows you to read people’s energy fields.” “What good is that?” Ted asked, puzzled. He had never heard of an energy field, no one he knew had ever talked about psychics, and he wasn’t sure what any of this meant. “That is something I’m certain you will find out,” Maya said. “Today, it’s enough that you simply know and recog- nize that you’re psychic, Ted.” “How do you know about these things, anyway?” Ted asked. “Where did you learn about psychics and energy fields, and outer space, and all those other things you’re always talking about? Who are you, Maya, really? What kind of people do you live with, up in those mountains?” “Why, people just like Lyra and me, of course,” she laughed softly. “We talk about a lot of things, and we study, too, like you used to do in the university, right? There’s so much to understand in the world. Isn’t it fascinating?” She rose and gathered up the album. “I'd love to stay longer and talk some more,” she said, “but I really can’t. It’s getting late. I’ll see you later, Ted.” Maya waved and then headed off down the trail before he could answer. Masquerade of Angels &4 The Child - Nine Ted sat there, amazed and bewildered, and watched her fade out of sight. Not only had Maya led him to a new recog- nition of himself, she also had triggered a sensation of emo- tion that he hadn’t felt since Jill’s departure. It felt good, intri- guing and enticing, but this time it was different. His emo- tional response wasn’t obsessive or controlling, it was uncon- ditional. Masquerade of Angels 85