Yesterdays Gone: SEASON TWO (THE POST-APOCALYPTIC SERIAL THRILLER) (Yesterday's Gone)

you’re like some sorta magical wonder. You heal people; you can hear people’s thoughts; you turn into a 25 year old man. What else can you do? Can you leap tall buildings in a single bound, or at least get us out of here?”
    Luca was quiet for a second, “No, but I know someone who can.”
    “Who?” Desmond asked.
    “I’m trying to reach Will. If I can get to him, he knows where there’s some guns and might be able to come back and save us.”
    Desmond liked the idea, but wasn’t sure if Will could pull it off on his own, even if he were 20 years younger and a bit less weird. “You can talk to Will?”
    “Yes, before he left he told me to call him when we need him. He seemed to know we would need him soon. I think he dreamed all this. I’ve been trying to reach him for a little while. I’m not sure if he’s too far or maybe he needs to be asleep, but I’ll keep trying.”
    “Good,” Desmond said, “Thank you.”
    Then after a moment, Desmond asked, “Can you reach out to Mary and Paola?”
    “I can hear their thoughts, sometimes, so I know they’re okay right now, but they can’t hear me if I try to talk to them.”
    Desmond sighed with relief that they were okay, though he wished Luca could converse with them. Then he felt a twinge of doubt, and thought maybe Luca was only imagining that he could hear people’s thoughts. Desmond didn’t really doubt, so much as he wanted to know for certain.  
    He thought in Luca’s general direction, “ Say Amen if you can hear me .”
    Nothing.
    He repeated the thought, this time louder.
    Nothing.
    One more time, and this time Desmond screamed it in his thoughts.
    A moment later, Luca said, “Amen.”
    “ You heard me? ” Desmond thought, “ What took you so long to answer? ”
    “What do you mean?” Luca said.
    “ I said it three times, ” Desmond thought.
    “I wasn’t tuned into you,” Luca explained. “I can only hear if I’m tuned in, and I don’t like to tune in on people if they don’t know it. But I heard you the one time, when you screamed.”
    Oh shit, I wonder if he heard all the things I’ve been thinking. I wonder if he knows the things Mary and I have been thinking about him and Paola. Shit, Desmond, stop thinking, he’s gonna hear you.
    Desmond tried to change his thoughts, almost certain Luca had heard the last few, if he’d not heard them before. He decided to hedge his bets, and try to think good things.
    “I like you, Luca. We all love you. You’re family to us. Yeah, you’ve spooked us a few times, but we still love you. Mary was just worried. You know how mothers can be, right? Paola’s her baby girl. Even though you’re eight in real life, you’re a teenager, well, hell, now you’re 25. You can understand how protective she feels, right?”
    “It’s okay, Mr. Desmond,” Luca said after a minute of silence. “I understand. I’m getting out of your head now, so don’t worry.”
    Desmond wondered if Luca really left, and felt a flush of shame and guilt, but also a bit violated. How long has Luca been able to listen to their thoughts? How often had he spied on them?
    Everyone thought things they’d be ashamed for others to pick up on, from petty to perverse. Any number of times Desmond might have mentally told someone in their group to fuck off, or wished them dead, even if he didn’t really mean it. He was certain he’d thought of Luca as creepy any number of times, and even wondered if the boy was a threat, a time or two.
    Desmond’s unguarded thoughts probably made him seem like a monster to an eight year old, especially one so sheltered and innocent as Luca had been. Hell, Luca could’ve picked up on Desmond thinking Paola looked pretty, and misinterpreted it as him being a pervert, even though he didn’t think of Paola in that way . Perhaps worse, Luca had picked up on the dirty thoughts Desmond had about Mary, who he did think of in that way , thoughts that had grown dirtier the longer they were separated at The Sanctuary. The things he thought about doing to her.  
    Oh God, he must think I’m the biggest pervert ever.
    He hoped Luca saw through the stray thoughts to the real Desmond, the guy who was loyal and kind; the guy who loved them all like family, and would die to protect them. He hoped Luca would judge him on his actions, instead.
    Desmond felt invaded and ashamed, but at the same time, he had to take Luca at his word. The boy was a kind, gentle soul, and if he said he wasn’t