LORENZ

…

« This is not possible This is not possible This is not possible » Daniel kept repeating, while circling around the kitchen table. Lorenz was standing still, trying not to faint from the shock and muster up whatever thinking power he had left to try and rationalize what was happening. But it was impossible.

« Would you shut up for a second? I cannot think! » Lorenz erupted, to try and calm down his friend who was having a meltdown.

« What do you mean calm down, my best friend can read fucking minds! That's outside of this world! Wait, have you always been able to do this? Oh my god have you been reading my mind all these years?? » the brown-haired student made a horrified expression.

« Of course not! Do you think I'd be this shocked? » there was really no point in trying to appeal to reason in those circumstances. His friend sighed in relief. « But I can read them now! ». Apparently, Daniel had started thinking of all the things he hadn't told Lorenz those past four years. « My toothbrush? Seriously? » the blond guy screamed. He seemed to remain loyal to his hygiene obsession even in that situation.

« That happened just once! » Daniel tried to justify himself, backing down. « Aaargh this is a nightmare! » he realized that lying was useless.

« What the hell is going on in here… » a girl had suddenly appeared in the kitchen, visibly still half asleep from the scruffy hair and the dozing eyes. « …it's nine in the morning, can you guys keep it down?...». Daniel didn't seem to take it too well.

« Keep it down? Keep it DOWN?? This man has just found out that-- »

« DANIEL! » nothing made any sense, but it was still not a good idea to tell a random girl that he had developed some weird psychic powers.

« Right, right… » luckily he understood « …listen, you need to get out of there. Now! » and goodbye to the chivalry and the "magic".

For the following few minutes Daniel kept repeating the girl that she had to leave immediately, citing a supposed emergency but without giving much else context. The poor girl rushed to get dressed and abandon that house of madmen, not before thinking (which Lorenz confirmed he could hear) and then shouting all kinds of insults to the students. Yeah, for some reason also Lorenz got screamed at. But finally, the two boys were alone in the small apartment they shared.

« Ok, so now it's just us… » said Daniel, weirdly satisfied of having sent off the girl. As if step one of their "plan to understand what the f*ck is going on" was finally accomplished. What was step two though?

The two boys stayed in silence for a while.

« Are you sure that you can-- »

« Yes » interrupted Lorenz. « I can read all your f*cking thoughts. I can hear you freaking out about what's going on, I can see that you are starting to regret how you sent off that girl and now I see that you are thinking that you should have asked her how last night was…so that I could confirm whether she was in fact faking it or not… ».

The other boy sat down on the kitchen chair, flabbergasted.

« Ok…so what now? » the brown-haired asked.

« I have…I have no idea…I think I have to find that guy…that guy who shot me! » Lorenz said, finally starting to connect the dots to what he thought had been a nightmare.

« You got shot? » Daniel asked. At this point, was there anything to be surprised by?

« Yes, yes…last night after you stepped aside with that girl I started talking with this man…he was something like a middle aged business man, I don't know…he was dressed really well... »

« Wait, why did you start to talk to a random middle-aged man at a cocktail bar? » fair question.

« I don't know! I just sat on the armchair, and he saw I was not in great shape so he asked me if everything was alright…and then we just started talking ok? I don't remember everything, but he was very polite and nice… » and I was drunk. Daniel didn't seem very satisfied with his friend's answer, but he didn't speak up.

« I can read your mind… » reminded him the blond one. « …anyway, I was telling him that I live a boring life and that I wished I could live a more exciting and adventurous life, or something like that…and he asked me what would I need to have such a life, and I said a superpower, and he asked which one…and I said… »

« And you said Mind-reading? » asked his best friend, very involved in the story at this point.

« No I said invisibility-OF COURSE I SAID MIND READING! Why would I be telling the story otherwise! » snapped Lorenz. They were both not in their best state of mind. « The point is that when I was telling him why I chose mind reading, this dude pulled out a gun and shot me in the head! And then I woke up. That is the "nightmare" that made me scream this morning! ».

« He…shot you?...but that's impossible, you are still here! »

« Yeah like it's impossible that I can read minds right? »

« But still, someone would have noticed if you got shot! There would have been the police and witnesses and that guy would have been arrested…»

« You are thinking that maybe I dreamed the whole thing? » Lorenz asked, anticipating the next words of his friend.

« It could be right? Something like a vision or some otherworldly stuff that gave you these powers…after all when I found you last night you were passed out on that arm-chair but without a scratch…and I had to carry you back here, thank god that I met some friends that helped me, otherwise you would have…wait a second, I did see a well-dressed man when I found you! He was looking over you, he told me you weren't feeling so well and I had to bring you home! » Daniel seemed to have had a realization. But he immediately retracted his "eureka" smile, as he realized that « though it could have been another dude…maybe if you describe it well to me I can tell you if-».

« There's no need for that » Lorenz interrupted, looking his friend in the eyes. « It was him. »

« How do you know-…wait, did you just looked into my memories? »

« Yes I did. It was that guy. He exists for real. »

He could still not believe what was going on, but one thing was certain: they had a clue. They had to find the mystery man who apparently gifted him with mind reading abilities.

« Let's go » the neo mind-reader said.

« To "De Jem". » he answered his friend's question before he could ask it. Apparently they were heading back to that same cocktail bar. « If that guy left any clue, that's where we can find it ».