THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

talk to friends? Yes?
    The child really couldn’t fathom that Gabby wasn’t communicating with others this way already. She shook her head. Nope. Never met anyone who could do this until now.
    Be’tallia screwed up her face in that funny frown that kids had when they thought an adult was trying to joke with them.
    Gabby couldn’t stop grinning. She’d never been so happy as in this moment. Do you talk to your friends this way?
    Yes. Be’tallia looked away, sad. But not here. I call out, but no one answers. I miss them...and my mother.
    Gabby felt moisture pool in her eyes. Be’tallia sounded so lost.
    Having spent the majority of her life feeling lost herself, Gabby wished she could fix this for the little girl.
    And Gabby yearned for the world Be’tallia lived in...until she realized this child hadn’t lived in a perfect world. Certainly not a safe world.
    Be’tallia’s gray gaze lifted to peer at the top of Gabby’s head. So many hair spools.
    Out of knee jerk reaction, Gabby lifted her hands to her hair where she’d fixed her ponytails as well as she could and retied the ribbons. She grinned. I know it looks pretty funky, huh?
    Funky?
    Strange, Gabby explained.
    Not strange. Beautiful . Be’tallia’s awe brushed across Gabby’s mind like a gentle breeze. The child had a cherub’s face and innocent mind filled with tranquility.
    Gabby wiped a watery eye and said, Thank you. I’ve never been called beautiful.
    Jaxxson looked over at her for a brief moment, a small frown creasing his brow, but he said nothing.
    Be’tallia’s eyes crinkled with humor. Do they not see you?
    From the mouths of babes, as the old saying went. People are different where I come from. None are special like you.
    Be’tallia’s mouth spread wide in happiness.
    Gabby had no way to thank this wonderful child who’d allowed a perfect stranger to speak to her telepathically. If she could do this with a child maybe she really could train herself to the point of touching others.
    And have a normal life.
    Wait a minute. Gabby wasn’t touching Be’tallia.
    Sometime while she’d been fixated on talking with Be’tallia, Gabby had moved her hands to her lap where she now yanked them up in front of her face. Then she looked at Be’tallia and sent her a thought. I’m not touching you.
    The little girl shook her head.
    How can we still be talking without touching?
    Babies touch. Big girls don’t have to, Be’tallia explained, her telepathic voice sounding wry.
    Unbelievable.
    Then Be’tallia added, You made my head better.
    Did this child mean what Gabby thought she meant? Turning to Jaxxson, she said out loud, “Be’tallia said I helped her head to feel better.”
    “Uh huh.”
    “I’m not a healer.”
    “You sure?”
    How could she answer that? “I don’t...can’t...never have...”
    Patting Be’tallia’s cheek that made her giggle, Jaxxson said to the child, “Your skin is no longer red. You’ll be fine and you will be safe with us.”  Then he sat back on his knees and crossed his arms, facing Gabby. “You work very hard at proving you can’t do something. Perhaps you should try figuring out what you can do.”
    She didn’t react to his not-so-gentle verbal smack. Even though she’d heard that often from instructors, psychologists and her father... you don’t try hard enough .
    Jaxxson hadn’t meant that as a criticism so much as an observation. But he was certifiable if he thought she could heal anybody. She could accept the telepathy part only because she’d struggled her whole life with hearing other people’s thoughts. And even now she had a hard time believing she’d just spoken to someone mind-to-mind.
    But a healer?
    If she’d been a healer she could have saved her mother from being a destructive alcoholic. Or healed her own wrists. “I think Be’tallia was confused because you were working on her the whole time we were talking.”
    “Perhaps.”  He shrugged. “Now for the next stage of healing.”
    “Why? Isn’t she better?”
    “She’ll be fine. In fact, her throat is healed.”
    Gabby glanced over at Be’tallia who had the sly I’m-hiding-a-secret-from-you look. “So now you can talk?”
    “Yes.”  Be’tallia’s grin exposed a gap in her teeth.
    Nice to see that children in other worlds still grew up with some of the same issues like losing their front teeth.
    Returning to Jaxxson, Gabby opened her hands. “I’m confused. What’s this next step?”
    Holding her gaze