Caleb 6 – Back to school

The journey back to school took the same amount of time as my journey home, minus the stop for pie. We even shared the driving, so I was in far better shape when I got back than I expected to be.

Initially, we went directly to the girls’ dorms, taking Amanda to her new room. Mary went to speak to her current roommate to tell her she would be moving out.

Amanda and I ran into Louise as we were taking some stuff up to her room.

“Hey Caleb, you’re back,” she said, looking Amanda up and down. I guessed that she thought she was Mary. I was certain that even if they knew Mary was a twin, they would know – or ‘know,’ now, since it was no longer true – that her sister went to a different school.

Louise did a double take, looked at Amanda, and then back to me. Then she grinned.

“Good for you,” she said. “One down, one to go.”

Amanda and I both understood her meaning immediately. I blushed, but Amanda grinned back at her.

“How was it?” Louise asked Amanda.

“It was beautiful,” Amanda answered immediately, beaming. “Just as I always imagined.”

“Wait!” said Louise. “It was your first time too?”

Amanda nodded.

“That is so cool!” Louise exclaimed, hugging Amanda. “I guess you pair are an item now then?” she asked a little cautiously.

“Well,” I said, “not exactly.”

“Why ‘not exactly?’” Louise snapped at me. “I didn’t take you for the type to fuck and run.”

“Oh,” said Amanda, “we’re an item all right.”

Louise looked at me, confused.

“But not exactly a pair,” Mary said from behind Louise. She had approached unseen.

Louise spun around and saw Mary, did yet another double take, looked at Amanda, then back to Mary, and then to me.

“You lucky bastard!” she grinned. “Seriously? Twins, and you… the both… are…”

We led Louise into Amanda’s new room.

“It’s kind of complicated,” I said, “but yes. Mary, Amanda, and I are together, the three of us.”

“How does that work?” Louise asked. “Do you all.. you know.. together or…”

“We share,” Mary, Amanda, and I said simultaneously.

“Well, that wasn’t creepy in the slightest,” said Louise.

Amanda giggled. “You would know all about sharing, I guess,” she said.

“You told them?” Louise asked, astounded.

I shook my head. “Mary figured it out, I guess in much the same way you figured us out just now. She saw us at my party and put one and two together.”

“And I guess we kind of owe you some thanks,” Mary said. “Caleb learned some things that will definitely benefit us.”

Louise smiled at her. “I’m pleased for you guys. A little jealous if I’m honest. I was hoping for a repeat performance.”

“That sounds like fun!” said Amanda.

Louise stared at her, then at me. “You mean...”

“We share,” said Mary. “As long as everyone is on board, we have no issues having a little fun.”

Amanda moved toward Louise. “Do you like to play just with boys, or would you like to play with us too?”

Louise seemed lost for words, but since her nipples were, at that moment, attempting to poke their way through her shirt, I guessed her answer.

“Not unless Josh is here,” I said firmly. “We are not seducing Louise away from her boyfriend.”

“That wouldn’t be possible,” Mary said. “I’ve seen them together. I see marriage and kids in their future. But I also see a lot of fun along the way. What do you say, Louise?”

“Hell yes!” Louise said enthusiastically. “I don’t have a huge amount of experience with girls, but you two are so hot - doubly so because of the twins thing. I’ll bet anyone, boy or girl, would give anything to get with you.”

“Do you have plans for tonight?” I asked, having checked with the girls through our bond that they were up for some fun.

“Josh and I had plans,” Louise said. “They involved trying to get you into bed again. He - we - were hoping you would be back tonight.”

I grinned at Louise. “How would you feel about playing a little prank on Josh?”

She looked from me to Mary and then to Amanda. I saw the light come on. An evil grin played over her pretty face. “Oh yeah, that would be sooo cool!”

+++++

Louise had taken Josh to her room on some pretext, which meant that our room was vacant when I got there. Amanda went and hid in the bathroom. She would have to stay there for a little while, but she was up for it and didn’t mind.

I was lying on my bed when Josh and Louise got back a few minutes later.

“Hey Caleb,” he said as he walked through the door, Louise right behind him. “How were your parents?”

“They were good,” I replied. “As I suspected, it was something and nothing.”

He sat on the edge of his bed, eyeing me. Louise took the chair at his desk. That put her behind him, which I was glad of because she was grinning like a maniac.

“Listen,” he said, “about the other day...”

“Josh it was fine,” I said. “More than fine, in fact. It was an amazing experience that I will cherish.”

He smiled. “Would you like to…”

There was a knock on the door. Louise got up to answer it.

Mary entered the room; I sat up and she took a seat beside me on the bed. I put my arm around her.

It was incredible to see. Josh’s eyes lit up, and simultaneously his face fell. I wasn’t aware that was even possible.

“Mary!” he said, “How are you?”

She smiled at him. “I’m good,” she said.

There was a short silence. Louise was enjoying watching Josh spin in the wind.

“So,” he ventured, “you and Caleb?”

“Yes,” she returned. “We got together on his birthday... although we didn’t ‘get together’ until yesterday.” She giggled, and for a moment, I almost didn’t trust my special power to tell the two twins apart.

Josh’s eyes widened. “You mean?” He grinned at me “Way to go, buddy!” He offered me a fist bump. Louise rolled her eyes.

“Where’s your congratulations for Mary?” she asked him a little acidly. “It was her first time too.”

“Wait, what?” he said, looking at his girlfriend in surprise. “How do you know?”

“We ran into each other in the corridor,” I said, “as we arrived back.”

“You never said,” he said accusingly to Louise. “We were just talking about asking Caleb if…”

“Are you saying,” Mary asked sweetly, “that you would object to me joining you?”

Josh’s jaw almost literally hit the floor.

“You…” he began, “You… I… we…” Even sitting on the edge of his bed, I could see the erection tenting his trousers.

Mary stood and held her hand out to Louise, who stood also. They closed and kissed. It was long, slow, and sensuous. I damn near creamed my pants myself, but Josh couldn’t tear his eyes from the pair.

I stood up and took his hand, pulling him to his feet. His eyes were still glued to the two girls. As they kissed, they slowly undressed each other.

I started on him. Standing behind him, I nipped at his neck as I undid his shirt, running my hands up his hard body. He shuddered and I saw goosebumps. His nipples were stiff peaks as my hands skated over them. I didn’t linger. Josh stood transfixed as the girls put on an amazing show, stripping each other as they continued to kiss and caress each other too.

Josh’s shirt was gone now, and I had undone his belt and trousers. I kissed down his back, caressing his sides, and then, when my hands got to his hips, I eased his trousers and boxers down in the same movement. I continued to caress down his back, over his ass, and down his legs. Unconsciously, he raised each of his legs to allow me to remove his pants and socks.

I stood back up, pressing myself against his back while continuing to caress his body. He pressed back into me, but his eyes were still fixed on the girls. They were both gloriously naked and kissing with abandon while their hands explored each other. I’ll admit, it took a mighty effort to focus on Josh. The physical contact helped, though. He was a sexy guy.

Gently I reached around, and, while holding him against my still-clothed body, gripped his erection in my hand, squeezing gently.

Through our bond, I told Amanda it was time. The bathroom door opened, and Amanda slunk in, as naked as the other girls.

I could see Josh’s face in the mirror on my dresser. I saw his eyes widen, then dart wildly between all three girls. When he hit a twin, it was disbelief. When he hit Louise, it was suspicion and a desperate search for some reassurance. All he got, though, was more titillation.

Then he came, pumping his cum out onto the floor in thick, creamy spurts. I held his cock in my hand and squeezed, trying to make it even better for him.

He slumped back against me.

I heard Louise start to snigger, then laugh, and then all three girls were giggling uncontrollably.

“I guess he liked that,” I said.

Josh groaned. “I damn near had a heart attack,” he complained. “I thought I was hallucinating.”

I smiled at him. “Josh, this is Amanda,” I said, “Mary’s sister.”

Amanda came over and wrapped her hand around his still-stiff erection.

“I can see you are pleased to ‘meet’ me,” she said, grinning at her own little joke. She milked his cock until a pearl of cum appeared at the end, and she scooped it up on her finger. Gazing into his eyes, she brought it up to her mouth and licked it off.

Josh shuddered.

I had moved from behind him, and he slumped down onto his bed.

“You knew?” He looked at Louise accusingly.

She nodded, grinning. “Was it a nice surprise?”

He groaned and then grinned. “I seriously thought I was hallucinating.”

“Are you okay?” I asked him. I didn’t want to overwhelm him. The tables seemed to have turned.

“Okay?” he asked, incredulously. “Watching Louise and Mary together is one of the hottest things I have ever seen. Having you undress me like that was also amazing. But when Amanda walked through that door, it blew my mind.”

“That wasn’t the only thing it blew,” Amanda said with a giggle.

Josh blushed, but chuckled.

“You want to carry on?” I asked. “Are you okay seeing Louise with Mary or Amanda?”

“Hell yes,” he said. “If she is good with it, I’m all for it. She already saw you and me together, how hypocritical would it be for me to object to her having some fun?”

I smiled at him. “Okay then,” I said. “We will need to talk after, but for now no fucking. Anything else goes. Is that okay?”

Josh and Louise both nodded.

I stood. I was still the only one in the room who was dressed.

Louise came over to me and started to rectify that situation, giving me a lingering kiss as she worked. Amanda went over to Josh and pulled him to his feet, locking lips with him, as Mary moved behind him, much as they had with me in the shower. They began to double-team him. The poor guy didn’t stand much of a chance.

When I was naked, Louise whispered in my ear and my eyes widened. I looked at her. “Is he sure?” I asked.

She nodded.

I looked across at where Josh and the twins were entangled, but I could see that Amanda was whispering in his ear, and he was nodding. He said something to her, and she smiled.

Taking his hand she pulled him over to me, his face flaming.

“Caleb,” he said, “last time, Louise taught you how to…”

“I enjoyed the lesson,” I said, “and at some point, I might like some more practice.”

I saw his cock twitch.

“Well, this time,” he went on, “I was hoping that she, or one of the other girls, would teach me. That is, if you think that would be okay?”

I had been watching his aura - both his and Louise’s, actually. I could see that Louise’s was a rich, deep purple; there were no other colors visible. She was so horny it was blotting everything else out.

Josh’s aura was also a rich purple, but there were flecks of yellow, which reminded me of fear. I wondered what he might be afraid of. The answer came to me via my bond with the girls.

He is worried you might reject him. I didn’t hear the words, but I felt the meaning so clearly that there’s little sense in making the distinction from now on.

“I think,” I said, looking across at Mary, who nodded slightly, “that Louise is going to be a bit busy with Mary, but I’m sure that Amanda would be happy to give you some pointers. I would be lying if I said that I hadn’t been hoping for this.”

Mary took Louise’s hand and pulled her onto my bed, where they started to kiss and explore each other’s bodies.

Amanda, still holding Josh’s hand, leaned in to kiss him.

After a minute or so, she broke the kiss, then leaned in to kiss me, her tongue gently toying with mine. I felt a hand wrap around my cock, and as Amanda broke the kiss I looked down. It was Josh’s, with Amanda’s over it, guiding him.

Amanda sank to her knees, having pulled pillows from the beds for them both, and pulled Josh down beside her.

I couldn’t hear what Amanda was saying to Josh; I could only feel that she was enjoying her new role as teacher. She was whispering in his ear, and, between them, they slowly massaged my manhood. Precum was drooling copiously from my piss slit, and they covered my cock with it, making it slick. The feeling of both their hands working together on me was intense.

I felt Josh shift, and their hands disappeared. I looked down to see him bring his face closer to me. He looked a little conflicted. I could see there was eagerness there, but I guessed there was also the thought that he was about to suck another guy’s dick, something he had never considered doing until very recently.

I groaned at the sensation. His mouth was warm, and he started to gently massage my glans with his tongue.

I looked down at him again to check he was still okay, and he locked gazes with me. I had not noticed how blue his eyes were before that moment. I also noted his aura, which now was completely purple. All the yellow was gone.

I looked across at Mary and Louise to see that Mary had Louise on her back and was kissing and licking her breasts. Her hands were stroking her belly and working their way south. I had no doubt where that was leading. Louise, in turn, was holding Mary’s head to her chest with one hand whilst exploring her back and ass with the other.

I felt Josh shift forward, and moaned as he pushed himself about halfway down on my cock. His tongue worked against the underside, providing some amazing sensations. He applied suction as he drew back and then pushed forward again. I shivered, knowing that I wouldn’t last too long if he continued. Amanda was constantly whispering in his ear, but I also noticed that she had his erect cock in her hand and was wanking him as he was sucking me. Her other hand was on his ass, but I couldn’t see what she was up to back there. I knew she was having a wonderful time, though. The room was awash in purple. Somehow, it didn’t take away from any of the visuals. If anything, it enhanced them.

Josh had all of my cock in his mouth. He didn’t seem to have any problems taking me to the root. He pushed forward hard and swallowed before pulling back and swirling his tongue around my head. On the out stroke, he would apply suction, and that seemed to be making my cock swell even more, and the head become more sensitive. I could tell that precum was hosing out now, and he seemed to be swallowing it with relish.

He took my hands, which had, until that point, been at my sides. He placed them onto his head before once again forcing me into the back of his throat and swallowing. I was obviously not being forceful enough with him, because his next move was to grab my ass cheeks and begin pulling me into him, forcing me to face fuck him. I remembered Amanda’s wordless nudges to me from before. Josh wasn’t psychically connected to me, but he was sending me signal after signal that he wanted me to take charge and be aggressive. I just couldn’t do it. I was too afraid I might hurt him and ruin the experience for everyone.

It was hardly necessary on my end; I could feel my balls starting to rise, and I knew that I wouldn’t last much longer.

Amanda was still whispering in Josh’s ear and her hand was now working hard on his cock. He was also gushing precum, and she was using that to good effect. I saw that her other hand was moving rhythmically behind him, but couldn’t see what she was doing. Whatever it was, he seemed to be enjoying it as he rammed his face onto my erection, begging me to unload in his mouth.

Mary and Louise were squirming together now. They had moved around and were in a sixty-nine position. I could see Louise’s ass up in the air, and that Mary had fingers in Louise’s pussy while she licked and nibbled at her clit. Louise’s face was buried deep between Mary’s legs. I couldn’t see what she was doing but I made an educated guess.

We were deliberately not sharing using our powers, because we didn’t want to take the risk that Josh or Louise would get caught up in it.

“Josh,” I gasped, “I’m close. If you carry on, I am going to cum.”

I half expected him to back off, but instead, he upped his pace even more, pushing me deep down his throat, using his hands on my ass to pull me in.

Suddenly I felt him stiffen and he grunted. I felt his cum spray over my lower legs and feet as Amanda brought him to a climax. The thought of that, and the sensation of his cum on me, took me over the edge.

He pulled me in deep and held me as my climax hit. I shot rope after rope of creamy spunk into his throat, and he gulped it down, showing no signs of reluctance.

As my climax abated, he backed off, taking the last two or three spurts into his mouth, whilst suckling gently on the head of my cock, teasing out the last of my cum until I had no more to give.

He sighed as he allowed my softening dick to slip from his mouth, but before he could think of swallowing, Amanda captured his mouth with hers, wanting to share what was left of my load.

I heard Louise squeak and knew that Mary had just taken her over the edge. She seemed to redouble her efforts on Mary, who almost immediately stiffened as she reached her own climax.

Josh and Amanda separated, both swallowing the remnants of the load they’d shared.

“Thank you,” I said to Josh. “That was intense.”

“You’re telling me,” he replied, an embarrassed grin on his face. “Nobody’s ever done that to me before.”

Louise looked across at Amanda. “Done what?” she asked.

Amanda just smiled and raised two fingers together, turning her wrist expressively.

Louise grinned at Josh. “I guess we are all learning.” She had turned the right way up again and lay beside Mary. She leaned in and kissed her gently. “About a lot of things,” she said finally.

“We seem to be one orgasm short,” I said, pulling Amanda to her feet. She smiled at me, and I leaned in for a kiss.

I signaled to Josh, and he nodded, lying on his bed and placing his pillow behind his head.

I gently lifted Amanda and carried her over to Josh. I placed her on top of him, her pussy directly over his face.

She squeaked into my mouth as he went to work on her.

Mary and Louise got up and crossed the room, deciding to join the fun. Mary started licking and nibbling at Amanda’s breasts while Louise ran her hands up and down Amanda’s back, kissing the back of her neck before working her way down her spine and to her ass.

Under the onslaught of the four of us, poor Amanda had little chance, and I could sense her climax building; the sensations from all the mouths and hands on her body left her little respite.

Louise was the one who took her over the edge. Josh had pushed two fingers into Amanda’s pussy and was deftly massaging her G-spot while he ravaged her clit with his tongue. She was so wet that I could hear the squelching of her pussy. She was grunting into my mouth as we were kissing, and I could feel the tension building. Then Louise bent forward, parted Amanda’s cheeks, and shoved her tongue deep into her ass.

Amanda shrieked and went rigid, her eyes bulging as the waves of sensation overwhelmed her. She writhed and twitched, and her pussy gushed. Mary nipped and mauled her tits as Josh lapped up her juices. I took a leaf from her own book and used the kiss to control her breath, doing it just enough to heighten the pleasure of her orgasm.

I caught her as she slumped forward. She moaned, twitching from aftershocks.

“Fuck!” was all she could say.

As we relaxed afterward, Mary, Amanda, and I sat on my bed, Josh and Louise on his.

“Guys,” Louise began, “that was amazing, thank you. I hope it won’t be the last time?”

I looked at Josh, examining his aura, and I knew that the girls were doing the same. I didn’t see anything to be worried about. He seemed as interested as Louise did.

“We need a couple of ground rules,” I said. “Yes, it was amazing, and we would love to do it again. But we must be sensible. We are here for a reason and that reason isn’t this. None of us can afford to jeopardize our futures, either our education or our future relationships over this.”

Josh nodded. “I guess. It would be so easy to spend all day every day in here and fuck the classes.”

“That can’t happen,” I said. “My parents, and the girls’ grandmother, would have my hide if we flunked out for that reason.”

“You two also need time for just you,” Mary said, “just like we will need time for just us. It’s no reflection on you guys, but there will be times that we want our man to ourselves.”

“That sounds so weird,” Louise said, “don’t either of you ever want one-to-one time with Caleb? Without the other?”

Both girls shook their heads simultaneously.

Louise’s eyes widened. “Wait. You told me earlier that you took Caleb’s v, and he took yours. What about Amanda’s?”

“He took that too,” Amanda said happily. “It was beautiful.”

“You guys are so lucky,” Louise said.

“Another thing,” I interjected. “We only play together. It feels too much like cheating if only one of you, or us, is there. We are either all there or we don’t play.”

“Okay,” Josh and Louise said together. “That makes sense,” Louise finished for both of them.

“One more thing,” I said. “I’m trusting you guys to be honest with us. The moment this stops being good for you, then tell us. I love both of you and would be devastated to think that we had damaged your relationship for the sake of some fun. Maybe we can carry this on long term. Maybe in 60 or 70 years, I’ll be taking my false teeth out to give Josh a blowjob.”

Josh pulled a face, but the girls all laughed.

“Or maybe,” I finished, “next week you’ll realize that enough is enough. Please tell us. I promise it won’t affect any other aspect of our relationship.”

Josh nodded. “Same goes for you guys. Your relationship is going to be complicated enough. Don’t let what we are doing interfere with that. I have never seen Caleb look at anyone the way he looks at you two, and believe me, he watches every ass that goes by. You guys have something special. Don’t spoil it because of us.”

I sighed. “We should be getting some sleep; we all have classes tomorrow.”

“Caleb is right,” said Louise, “I should be getting back.”

“We’ll walk with you,” said Mary. “We have classes tomorrow too.”

“I don’t,” Amanda said. “I have to go to administration in the afternoon, but my morning is free.”

“You won’t want to stay here,” I said. “Josh snores, and farts in his sleep.”

“I do not!” he exclaimed.

Joking aside, I knew that sleeping arrangements were going to be an issue. The thought of not being with my girls did not appeal, and my bond told me that the girls agreed.

After a rather protracted goodnight, all three girls left to go to their dorms. Josh and I tidied our room and changed his bed. It had gotten kind of wet. Amanda was apparently a squirter – at least when she was getting overstimulated by four people at once.

It was close to midnight, and we settled to sleep.

“Caleb?” Josh asked.

“Yes?”

“Do you think that they are the ones?”

“Yes,” I said without hesitation.

“How will that work?” he asked.

“I have no idea,” I replied, “but we will make it work one way or another. I couldn’t imagine ever being without either of them.”

We were silent for a while.

“What about you?” I asked. “Do you think Louise is the one for you?”

“If you had asked me that a week ago,” he said, “I don’t think I could have said for sure.”

“Why?”

“We were having fun,” he said, “hanging out, making out, having sex. I was never certain there was a real connection, if you know what I mean. It seemed a little superficial. I expected that we would either drift apart, or we would just go our separate ways when we finished here.”

That surprised me. I had thought that they had more than that even before now.

“And now?” I asked.

“Now it feels real,” he said, “and the really strange thing is, that the first time I felt it - the first time that I really felt that I had something special with her - was when I had my dick in your mouth.”

I considered that.

“When you say that you felt it,” I asked, “what do you mean?”

“You had just started,” he said, “and I looked down at you, and her. She was kneeling beside you, talking to you. She was just so gentle and patient with you - with us both. I just felt something swell inside me. Then she looked up and I was staring straight into her eyes, and for the first time, I felt it. I really felt it. I think she did too, because she smiled at me, and she nodded, then went back to teaching you.

“How screwed up is that, that I fall in love with a girl, as she is teaching another guy to give me a blowjob?”

“Just for a second,” I said. “Forget the girl and the guy. You fell in love with someone, who was kind and gentle, patiently helping someone to give you something amazing. Does it matter what she was helping them do? Does it even matter whom she was helping? She was doing something out of love for you. That’s what you felt, and that’s not screwed up at all.”

“That’s you, isn’t it?” he asked after a while.

“What’s me?”

“I guess that’s what you meant,” he said. “I don’t think I got it before. I guess I just thought you just swung both ways. Obviously, I had no problem with that, but now I think I understand.”

I smiled in the dark.

“Goodnight Josh,” I said.

I woke early the next morning to go for a run. Josh was not normally an early riser, so I put on my running gear quietly and left the room, closing the door gently behind me.

I crossed the courtyard and saw the twins warming up at the gate. I smiled.

“Fancy meeting you two here,” I said. They both returned the smile.

We set an easy pace around the park. It had been a few days since I had run so I wasn’t in any rush. The girls easily kept pace with me, and I was certain that I was actually holding them back.

Through the bond, we ‘chatted’ as we ran.

I wondered how often they ran. They remembered running five miles every morning. I resolved to increase my schedule to theirs and they resolved to help and encourage me.

I also remembered I needed to find out about martial arts classes, since Dianna had suggested it. Amanda had an idea that since she was doing nothing all morning that she could find out for us while Mary and I were in class.

Our ‘conversation’ continued until we returned. I had run further than usual. I normally only did about two or three miles, depending on my mood, but running with the twins had been much more fun, and their support had made it easier.

I went back to my room for a shower to find Josh just getting ready.

“Going down for breakfast?” he asked.

“Quick shower first,” I replied, “then yes.”

“I’ll wait for you,” he said. “Louise won’t be there yet anyway.”

I nodded and went into the bathroom. Ten minutes later, Josh and I were walking to the cafeteria and were joined by the twins. Amanda and Mary flanked me, and Josh walked on the other side of Amanda, so to the casual observer it might appear that we were two couples.

We arrived in the cafeteria and queued for breakfast. Louise joined us a few minutes later, a wry expression on her face.

“So,” she said to Josh, “I just heard that you have been cheating on me.”

Josh’s eyes widened. “What? When? Who told you that?”

“I just got a text from Carol saying she saw you and Caleb with two hot girls walking down the corridor.” She grinned at him.

“That’s not funny,” he grumbled. “You know how dumb some people are. If those kinds of rumors get started it can really cause trouble.”

“Chill out,” she said. “I know there’s nothing to it. I set her straight.”

“What did you tell her?” he asked.

“I told her I knew the girls,” she replied, “and they both had a boyfriend, and that you would never do that to me.”

He smiled at her.

“Or I’d tear your balls off,” she finished with a sweet smile.

I chuckled. “I guess that’s what you call motivation.”

We all made our selections and found an empty table.

As I sat down, I spotted Kyle and Jennifer a couple of tables away. I looked at their auras and tried to determine how things were between them. Both had multiple colors visible, including pinks, yellows, and deep purples. I had some idea of what some of the colors meant, but combinations were still too much for me to confidently break down.

I put the question to the twins over our bond. I saw two sets of tawny eyes fix on the pair, then identical smiles.

I got a jumble of impressions and thoughts from the pair, but it all pieced together to form an impression that Kyle and Jennifer were together now, and that they had made their relationship ‘intimate.’ There was relief and love in their auras, but a little fear that things might go wrong.

Inwardly, I sighed with relief. Yes, their relationship could still go in any direction, but for now, it was going the way they wanted it to. One thing was for certain: I wasn’t getting involved again – probably not even if, for some strange reason, they asked me to.

After breakfast, Mary and I made our way to English, and Amanda went back to her dorm.

I was a little surprised when Mary paused at the door. I was halfway into the room by the time I noticed, so, rather than go back and make things awkward, I took my seat, but watched her. All I was getting from her bond was a little amusement.

Once I was seated, she strutted to her seat in front of mine, and spent the next five minutes looking in her bag for something, all the time bent over and pointing her amazing ass in my direction.

I could feel the amusement from both twins, as they must have felt my reaction to the view.

I visualised Mary bent over my lap, being spanked, and her aura spiked purple. Two bolts of arousal assaulted me through our bond.

+++++

I was walking to my next class, which I didn’t share with Mary, when I heard a snatch of a song.

‘But we've known each other since we were nine or ten
Together, we've climbed hills and trees
Learned of love and ABC's
Skinned our hearts and skinned our knees...’

I kind of knew the tune but couldn’t remember what it was. I just knew it was a very old song, like from the 1970s.

I put it out of my mind and went to class.

After lunch, it happened again. Mary and I were walking back from the cafeteria when I heard the song again.

‘Goodbye, Michelle, my little one
You gave me love and helped me find the sun
And every time that I was down
You would always come around
And get my feet back on the ground

‘Goodbye Michelle, It’s hard to die

When all the birds are singing in the sky’

“What is that song?” I asked. “I heard it this morning but couldn’t place it.”

“What song?” she asked me.

“Can’t you hear it?” I asked, listening again, but it was gone.

She shook her head.

“It’s gone now,” I said, “but it’s going to bug me all day.”

I felt her desire for me to share my memory with her, so she might hear it, and see if she knew the song. I recalled the memory and shared it with her. Her eyes widened.

Wordlessly she took my hand, and we walked back to my room. Since we were going to be late for class, I figured there had to be a good reason, so I didn’t press. I did feel her urgent need to see Amanda in my room, so it was no surprise that she was waiting for us when we arrived.

Once inside, we sat, and I looked at Mary, waiting for her to speak.

“Share that memory with Amanda,” she said without preamble.

Puzzled, I complied. Amanda looked thoughtful.

“I agree,” she said. “It feels like a thought.”

“A what?” I asked.

“A thought,” Mary said. “The reason I couldn’t hear the song is that you weren’t hearing it. You were picking it up from someone’s mind. If I’m right, then your unknown power may well be Telepathy.”

I sat and thought about it for a moment. “What’s the difference between that and Empathy?”

“Empaths can see auras,” Mary said, “and can share memories of things that have happened. Most of us need permission to access those, but the more experienced and powerful ones like Grandmother can sometimes force their way in. What they cannot do is truly communicate - as in speak, telepathically, or hear or see what a person is thinking and feeling in real time.”

“What about our bond?” I asked. “That feels pretty real-time to me.”

“The bond is a special case because of the way it was formed, Amanda said, “but if you think about it, even that is not real-time. Think about our conversation on our run this morning. You didn’t speak to us, you just remembered how far you used to run, and allowed that memory into the bond. We, in turn, remembered how far we used to run and did the same. It’s splitting hairs, I know, but it’s different.

“Also, Telepaths can more easily force their way into someone’s mind, and will overhear random and stray thoughts. If that is your new power, you will have to learn to block them out. Initially, I guess you will hear really strong thoughts, but as your power establishes itself you will hear more and more. You’ll need to outrun that growing power with your training regimen. Given how quickly your powers seem to progress on your own… that might be a challenge.”

I felt their concern. I tried to recognize it without letting it become a spiral.

“So, someone really likes that song,” I said, trying to keep things light.

“I’m not so sure,” Mary said. “I think I recognized it. Let me check.”

She opened up an app on her phone and tapped away for a second.

The opening strains of the song played. I recognized it immediately. “That’s it.” I grinned at her.

“Seasons In The Sun,” she said, “Terry Jacks.”

“It has a catchy tune,” I said, “although it’s a little maudlin.”

“That’s my point,” Mary said. “It may be that whoever is running around with this song playing on a loop in their head just really likes the tune, or it may be something more.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“It plays like a musical suicide note,” Amanda said.

“That’s a leap,” I said uncertainly. “Just because someone is carrying a song around in their head doesn’t mean they are suicidal. I mean, I would have been thinking about that song most of the day until I identified it. Isn’t that more likely?”

“It’s possible,” said Mary, “probable even, but if there’s even a chance that it’s something more, shouldn’t we try to help? I mean, how would we feel if we found out that a student had committed suicide and we hadn’t done something?”

“How would we even know if it was even our music lover?” I asked. “It could be completely unrelated.”

“I think we need advice,” Amanda said and picked up her phone.

Dianna, on speakerphone, listened quietly as Mary told her of what had happened, and the discussions we had had concerning what I had heard.

“Caleb,” she said, “I want you to do something. I want you to recall the memory of when you heard the song. Concentrate not on the music but try and feel what you heard. Dismiss the noise, and everything else going on. Search for the emotions behind the thought.”

I sat on my bed and recalled the first snatch of the song I had heard. It had been less than ten seconds long. I opened the bond to the girls also to see if they could get anything I missed. After a few minutes of replaying the memory over and over in my head, I just had a sense of sadness. I relayed that to Dianna.

“But it’s a sad song,” I said. “I often feel sad listening to sad songs.”

“Try the other memory,” she said. “Remember, search for the emotion.”

This memory was slightly longer, but not by much. However, when I replayed it in my mind, concentrating on the emotions rather than the music, I was hit by such a sense of loneliness and desolation I wanted to cry.

The twins looked at me; their faces were bleak. They had felt it too.

“Find that person,” Dianna said. “If what you are feeling is real, then they may be in danger of hurting themselves. Also, given the level of emotion in the latter memory versus the earlier one, they are escalating.”

We left my room and started walking along the hallways. Since I had heard the song after my first lesson and my third lesson, but not my second, I reasoned that the person was probably not on my rota. Mary had been with me both times, so he or she may have been on hers. I explained my theory to Mary and Amanda, and, in the absence of anything better, we went with that. Mary said she should have been in the science block on the fourth floor, and their class would be letting out in fifteen minutes.

We climbed to the fourth floor of the six-story building and walked past the classroom Mary should have been in, ‘listening.’ There was no music, but I was starting to hear a dull roar of voices, a bit like you might hear in a football stadium. There were no distinct words in any of it though.

I turned and walked past the classroom again, but still nothing. Either our mystery music fan wasn’t in that class, or they were thinking of other things.

I saw a small, slim person come up the stairs at the other end of the corridor from us, probably forty yards away. They crossed the corridor and started up the next flight. I hadn’t heard anything, but I saw their aura, and it was black, shot through with yellow.

“There,” I said, and started down the corridor at a fast walk.

By the time I reached the stairs my target was out of sight, but I dashed up the stairs, clearing them two at a time.

I had just reached the last set of stairs when I saw the door to the roof closing gently. I approached the door slowly, not wanting to burst out onto the roof and startle whoever it was. After all, they might have just been going up there for a smoke or something.

I could hear the music when I got out onto the roof, but this time I was actually hearing it - through my ears. Following the noise, I circled the stairway block and found my target.

It was a small, slender person with short black hair, dressed all in black. They were sitting on the parapet of the science block, their legs hanging over the drop.

Their phone was sitting beside them, and the song was playing. I guessed it was about a third of the way through.

I felt Mary and Amanda join me.

I had no idea what to do. I didn’t want to startle this person, or maybe anger them into doing something rash, but I was certain that their plan was to wait for the end of the song and jump off the building.

I knew I could compel them to come down off the wall, and then figure out the problem, but I also knew that it would have to be a last resort. I still had no idea what kind of damage my compulsion powers could do.

Slowly, I walked until I was next to the parapet, about six feet from the person. They still hadn’t noticed me.

“It’s a sad song,” I said, quietly, but loudly enough for them to hear me.

They stiffened and turned toward me.

It was a young man - probably my age, or maybe slightly younger. He was baby-faced though. His hair was collar length and tucked back behind his ears. He had dark brown eyes, which at the moment were wet with unshed tears.

“It’s how I feel,” he said simply, “but at least there is not long left.”

I glanced at his phone. The song was one minute and fifty seconds in. It looked like there was about a minute of it left.

“I’m Caleb,” I said. “That’s Mary and Amanda.”

“Jules,” he said, more out of reflex than any real desire to talk.

“Why are we up here, Jules?” I asked him.

He looked at me like the question surprised him. “Because it’s the tallest building on campus,” he said, as if it was obvious.

I walked forward slightly and leaned on the parapet, which was just under chest high. I looked down. This side of the building looked out onto a pathway between two buildings. Since classes were still in progress, there was nobody on the path below. The building opposite was a warehouse with no windows. At least we were spared the crowd of gawking idiots.

“Is that what you came here for?” I asked. “To end up down there?”

“Yes,” he said. “Why else would I be sitting up here?”

“I didn’t mean up here,” I said. “I mean, why did you come to this university? Did you spend all that time studying to get the grades, so you could come here, and do this?”

He stared at me for almost thirty seconds. I could hear the final refrain of the song and I knew that I needed more time.

“Can we hear that again?” I asked, “It really is a great song, and I missed the beginning.”

He looked down again, thinking, and then reached for his phone, restarting the song.

“Is that the plan?” I asked, “Wait for the end of the song and…” I didn’t finish the sentence.

He looked down again and nodded. More tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Do you mind us keeping you company until then?” I asked. “At least then you won’t be alone.”

“But I will be,” he said, “you’ll leave, just like everyone else.”

I shook my head.

“No Jules,” I said gently, “If you do this, it will be you, leaving us. Which will be sad, because we hardly even got a chance to know you.”

“Probably for the best,” he said. “It’s when people find out about me that they leave.”

“Did somebody leave you?” I asked. “Is that why we are up here?”

I felt anger flare. The flash of red in his aura nearly staggered me. “They ALL left,” he shouted. “Every one of them, one after the other. Why would you be any different?”

“I don’t know the answer to that,” I said, “because I don’t know what you hid from them.”

He looked at me shocked.

“I… hid?” he asked.

“You said they found out about you,” I said, “which implies that you hid something from them when you first met them. Which is perfectly reasonable. I mean, I don’t go up to everyone I meet and say, ‘Hi, I’m Caleb, I get windy if I eat butterbeans.’

“I mean sometimes there is a time and a place, right?”

He smiled slightly at that. “I wish it were that simple.”

“Why not make it that simple?” I asked. “We have a little time left, so why not tell me this secret? I mean, what do you have to lose? If I leave, then you are vindicated and can follow through with your plan, knowing you were right in the first place.

“Perhaps, though, it wasn’t you that was the problem. Perhaps the fault lies with them. It’s easy to blame yourself when others have a problem with you; believe me, I know.”

He looked me up and down for a moment as if to say, “what do you know?”

“Not everything is visible to the naked eye,” I said. “We all have issues of one sort or another. Tell me why I should abandon you up here, and let me - let us,” I indicated the girls, “make the decision. What do you say?”

The song came to an end. Jules stood up on the parapet and turned to face us.

“Please,” I said. “At least tell me why?”

“What do you see?” he asked. “When you look at me.”

I was instantly wary. That question implied that what was inside might be very different from the outward appearance.

“I see a young person, who is very sad and wants to do something drastic to end their pain.”

He cocked an eyebrow at me. “A young person?” he asked. “Boy or girl?”

“Does it matter?” I responded.

“It mattered to them,” he said bitterly. “They thought it mattered.”

“And they were wrong,” I said emphatically. “Who you are isn’t about your gender, it’s about how you live your life, what kind of mark you leave on the world, whom you love, and who loves you. It doesn’t matter if you are a boy, or a girl, or both, or neither.”

“Why would anyone love me?” he asked, shuffling his feet.

“Why would they not?” I countered. “Jules, you are a beautiful person. I can feel that you have a lot of love to give and that, up until now, you have given that love to people who have not appreciated what you have to offer. Don’t let their failings rob you of your future and rob your future love of their chance at happiness.”

“My future love?” he asked.

“There will be one,” I said. “At least, there will be if you are around to meet them.”

I saw a shift in his aura. Some of the black had faded, but there was much more yellow. I also saw threads of green. That made me think of hope.

Then the green disappeared, once again replaced by black.

“They will only leave,” he said, “when they figure me out.”

I decided to be more aggressive.

“Then let me figure you out,” I said, “and we will see when I learn your secret, whether I’m still willing to try to be your friend. Right now I think I could be, and there are two girls behind me who’d also give you a fair shake.”

“Just a friend?” he asked. “Not a love?”

I laughed softly. “At least buy a guy a drink first.”

He smiled a little at that.

“You asked what I see when I look at you,” I said, “which makes me think that people assume something from your appearance that is not true. Please don’t be offended when I tell you that to me you look like a rather good-looking young man, with beautiful brown eyes.”

He shook his head. “I’m a girl,” she said, making me re-evaluate her pronouns.

“You have beautiful eyes,” I repeated, “and part of the reason I thought you were a boy was your style: your hair and clothes. You chose those, Jules, so I’m guessing you wanted to look more like a boy - either because that is how you feel, or because that’s how you wanted others to see you, or both.”

“I didn’t want them to think…” she said hesitantly, “They all want… But I...”

A series of disconnected thoughts and images flashed across my mind. I saw snippets of conversation – an argument. I thought I was beginning to understand.

“Who was he?” I asked.

Immediately, the name “Jasper” sprang into her mind. It screamed into mine.

“Did he want something from you?” I asked gently, and she nodded.

“Did he try to force you?” I asked, wondering if she had been raped. I hadn’t seen that, but the guy had looked pretty angry.

She shook her head sadly, “No, he didn’t force me, He just wanted to… but I don’t feel it. It just isn’t me. I just wanted him to love me!”

I got a melee of thoughts and feelings from her. She had really liked this guy, liked his look, liked his company. He’d made her laugh. She’d also liked it when he’d hugged her and held her. It had made her feel safe and warm, loved even. But then he’d wanted more, and she’d had nothing to give him.

“And when he found out you were asexual?” I asked gently.

“He left me.” Tears were once more coursing down her cheeks. “They always do.”

I nodded sadly.

“I’m sorry Jules,” I said. “Most guys our age have only one thing on their mind, and it isn’t love. Love comes later, if at all. But I will promise you that there will be someone who will love you for you. I know you’re sad right now, but knowing who you are and what you want from your life is a huge first step toward happiness. In the meantime, you have friends right here, right now, who would like to get to know you, and maybe even come to love you. We know your ‘dirty little secret,’ and perhaps one day we will tell you ours.”

“I just… wanted someone to... hold me…” She started to sob.

I moved toward her slowly, not wanting to spook her when I felt we were so close.

“Come down here,” I said, “and I promise, that you will always have someone. Friends, who will be willing to hold you, as often, and for as long as you need. Until you find the one for you.”

She turned on the parapet. There was still a huge amount of yellow in her aura, but most of the black was now replaced with green. I was hopeful that she had decided not to go ahead with her plan.

Then, as she moved to step down, she stood on her phone.

Her foot slipped, and, her arms windmilling, she fell backward over the edge.

Instinctively, I grabbed at her with my mind. Thankfully, that was enough to get things started. I frantically called up all the memories surrounding the time I’d unconsciously kept Mary from falling onto the floor from the bed.

Jules stopped about three feet below the parapet, hovering in mid-air.

I visualized the connection, and saw the white line between us. I pulled up and inward, bringing her back over the parapet and pulling her onto the roof. I set her down, a foot in front of me, and held my arms out to her.

She stood there shivering for a moment, staring at me wide-eyed.

“Perhaps,” I admitted, “you learned one of my dirty little secrets sooner than expected.”

Surprisingly, she giggled, and then, with a huge sob, threw herself into my arms, bawling like a babe.

The girls closed in around her too, and I could feel them bathing her with loving feelings. I decided not to add my own power. I didn’t want to drown her. Besides, I remembered my attempt with Dianna, and I didn’t want to give her the wrong impression.

We stood for a time, just holding her, while she cried herself out.

Eventually, she drew back and looked up at me. I really did like her eyes. A thought occurred to me, and I had to stifle a giggle.

“What?” she asked.

“I just had a really badly timed and inappropriate thought,” I said.

“Tell me?” she asked.

“Not now,” I said, “but only because it is out of context for you. Once you get to know me, ask me again, and I’ll tell you then. I promise.”

“So, now what?” she asked. “You get me carted off to the funny farm?”

“I was thinking of an early dinner,” I said, “and then a long talk. I meant it when I said we are here for you, but you need to know about us first. You might not be so keen when you find out who we are.”

“You are the guy who saved my life,” she said, “with superpowers. Am I supposed to take you to our leaders now?”

I smiled. “Jules, I’m sorry I did that to you. I didn’t mean to take away your choice, but I thought you had decided not to do it, and the fall was accidental.”

“You mean you would have let me…?” she asked.

“If that was truly your wish, then yes,” I replied. “It would have devastated us, but we don’t have the right to tell you how to live or even end your life. Only you have the right to make that decision.”

She regarded me. “You could have pulled me down at any time, couldn’t you?”

I nodded. “It needed to be your decision. I would take it as a kindness if you kept what happened to yourself though.”

She laughed wryly. “Let’s think about that conversation for a moment. ‘I was up on the science roof the other day, just about to kill myself. When I jumped, this guy caught me using only his mind and pulled me back onto the roof.’ I can well imagine how that ends.”

“I would rather,” I said, “that you kept my ‘dirty little secret’ just that, because we are friends.”

“You really want to be friends with the freak?” she asked. “I thought that was just BS to talk me down.”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t want to be friends with a freak. I want to be friends with a beautiful person, with beautiful eyes, and a beautiful heart.” I held my hand out to her, and after a moment, she took it.

I looked into her eyes. “I see you, Jules,” I said. “I know who you are, and I like what I see. Will you be my friend?”

She pushed forward into my arms again, hugging me to her. I think it was so I didn’t see her crying again. Her voice was muffled and it cracked slightly. “I see you, Caleb. I don’t know who you are, or why you have any interest in me, and to be honest you frighten me more than a little. But you, all of you, make me feel wanted, and safe. I would like to be your friend.”

Mary and Amanda once again joined the hug, feeding warm, loving feelings to her.

Mary’s phone rang, breaking up the hug. It was Dianna.

She stood off to the side a little and spoke with her. In the meantime, I got Jules’ attention and offered her a kind smile.

“I wasn’t offended or anything,” Jules said to me.

I looked at her, confused. She shook her head apologetically.

“You know, about me looking like a boy. I know I’m a girl, but yeah, it’s just my dumb way of trying to attract less attention – you know, that attention.”

“So,” I said, “you dress more like a boy so that boys won’t want to have sex with you?”

Hesitantly, she nodded.

“But then, there are boys who want to have sex with boys too,” I offered.

“I know,” she said, grimacing. “I had to deal with some of those too. And some girls.”

“So then,” I suggested, “why not just be you?”

New tears welled in her eyes. “I’m not sure I know who that is.”

I hugged her again. “Then let us help you find out.”

“Grandma wants to talk with us,” Mary said, walking back towards Jules and me.

I held my hand out, expecting her to hand me her phone.

Mary shook her head. “No, she is on her way here. She will be here in about an hour.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Okay then. We can go get something to eat with Jules and then walk her…”

“She wants to talk to Jules too,” Mary said.

Jules’ eyes widened. She looked nervous.

“Jules,” I said, “Dianna is lovely, and she can do a much better job of explaining my little secret. I promise it will be fine.”

She seemed to make a decision, nodded, and then looked around for her phone.

Amanda handed it to her. “I’m sorry, the screen cracked when you slipped on it. I think it still works.”

Jules shrugged. “It won’t be the first screen I’ve changed on it. I’m always dropping the damn thing; I buy them in bulk.”

“You fix phones?” I asked, intrigued.

“I fix lots of stuff,” she replied. “My major is electronics.”

We walked out of the science building with Jules still holding my hand. I had no worries that the girls would have a problem with this. I could feel their understanding for the girl - that she needed someone. They were happy to share, in more ways than just sex. I wouldn’t have believed it possible that I could have felt more love for Mary and Amanda than I had before, but at that moment, I felt it swell to even greater proportions. The intensity frightened me, but once again I felt the bond between us soothing my fears and confirming that their love for me equaled mine for them.

The cafeteria was almost deserted, since most students didn’t eat so early.

I don’t know why, but Jules’ meal selection surprised me. She opted for a burger, as rare as they were willing to make it. For some reason, I had imagined her a vegetarian. See? Even I have preconceptions.

As we sat down, she noticed me looking at her tray.

“What?” she asked. “I like meat.”

I chose a very inappropriate time to take a drink of my OJ because she went on.

“I just don’t like sucking on it.”

Mary and Amanda both laughed. I just got another nose full of juice, and it stung just as badly as the last time.

“Mary got a text,” Amanda said. She looked solemn.

“Grandmother is here,” Mary said. “She says we have to meet her in the counselor’s office.”

Jules paled.

“I thought you said…” she said, a look of betrayal on her face.

I took her hand. “Whatever it is, we will be there with you.”

Reluctantly, she stood up, but I sensed that our budding friendship had taken a blow. She had only just begun to trust us, and now she felt that we, too, had let her down. I hoped we could recover from it, but consoled myself with the thought that, even if we couldn’t, at least Jules would get the help she needed.

When we arrived at the office, the student counselor was sitting in the waiting room. She stood as we entered, crossing to Jules.

“Jules,” she said, “I know this is a shock, but we have a legal responsibility and a duty of care to you. Anyone who tries to take their own life needs to be assessed by a medical professional. Normally I would be detaining you to the local hospital for psychiatric assessment, but your case has been taken out of my hands.

“Whatever happens,” she continued, “my door is always open if you need to talk or vent, or if you are struggling at any point. Take a card off my desk while you are in my office. Call me at any time, day or night if you need to, even if it’s just to talk.”

Jules nodded. She was subdued, but her aura didn’t lie. She was pissed. She felt betrayed.

Just then, the door to the counselor’s office opened, and Dianna stood in the doorway.

She looked at me and I felt her power envelop my mind, asking permission. I shared the memory of the day with her. It took only moments.

She stepped back and indicated we all enter the office and closed the door behind her.

Eschewing the desk, she sat down on one of the chairs set around a small coffee table. Fortunately – or by hasty design - there were enough seats for all of us. Jules sat directly opposite Dianna. I sat to her right, and Mary and Amanda sat on either side of us.

Jules’ aura became overwhelmingly yellow. I wanted to take her hand again, but I thought better of it. The yellow was blotting everything else out, but I knew she was still upset with me – with all of us.

“My name is Dr. Dianna Everson,” Dianna said, looking directly at Jules. “I am a Doctor of Psychology, and a counselor working with the FBI.” She pulled out her badge and showed it to Jules.

Jules’s fear spiked. I saw her fists clench. Her knuckles went white.

“First of all,” Dianna went on, “let me assure you that you are not in any kind of trouble. I am not here in my official capacity, but I admit I used that to help prevent you from getting dragged off to the hospital. I am certain you could do without that.”

Jules relaxed a little and nodded.

“There are a number of reasons I am here,” Dianna continued. “Primarily to make sure you are okay, and no longer a danger to yourself. I got involved because these two tawny-eyed troublemakers here are my granddaughters.”

“Granddaughters?” Jules exclaimed, “But…”

Dianna smiled. “That never gets old, if you’ll excuse the pun.” She paused. “There is, however, another reason I am here, and that does involve my being in the FBI. You see, when you fell, Caleb used power to save you - a power we would rather you didn’t talk to people about.”

I saw Jules’s aura flare even more yellow. It seemed that she had taken Dianna’s words as some kind of threat.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Dianna held up her hand.

“No, Jules,” she said, holding the younger woman’s gaze. “I promise that whatever you do, there will be no legal ramifications. I don’t say this to threaten you. I am asking, as Caleb did, as a friend. Would you protect him? Please?”

Jules looked at me, and I saw the sense in Dianna’s approach. In giving Jules someone to protect, she was taking some of the focus off her own issues. Unfortunately, Jules wasn’t thrilled with me at that very moment.

I didn’t use my actual powers, but I did try applying some charm. I gave Jules a cute, apologetic look. I tried to convey the sum total of our brief acquaintance - which, incidentally, did arguably include me saving her life.

I think she got most of the message. Indeed, it felt like we had a little conversation with just our eyes in the span of a few tense moments. She sighed. “Caleb is my friend,” she said, still looking at me. “I won’t do anything to hurt him, or your granddaughters.”

Dianna’s eyes turned sharp at that.

Jules smiled faintly. “He is not the only one with power. I felt your granddaughters as they were comforting me, and yours when I first came in here.

“My grandmother had a gift,” she explained. “She could sometimes feel other people’s emotions. Not all the time, and she had to be really close, or even touching. I didn’t inherit her gift, but I did learn what it feels like when people are doing to me, what she could do.”

“It's called Empathy,” said Dianna, “and it is not common, but also not as rare as you might think. I use mine in my job as a counselor. There are other powers too, like Caleb’s, and not all the people with those powers use them ethically, or legally. The section of the FBI I work with works to stop those that abuse their powers.”

“Like what happened at Caleb’s birthday party?” she asked.

“You were there?” I asked. I was almost certain I hadn’t seen her.

She shook her head. “I heard about it the next day. They all said that Angela was stepping out on Bob, but when they described what happened, I just knew it was something else. I know those two. She would never do that to him willingly.” She turned to me. “And it was you that stopped him?”

I nodded.

She looked around theatrically.

I frowned. “What are you looking for?”

“Your white horse,” she said, a little smile on her impish face.

Dianna smiled. “I’m happy to see you smiling. I think I can safely say that you are no longer a danger to yourself. The counselor tells me that you don’t currently have a roommate. Is that right?”

Jules nodded. “The person I was supposed to share with just never showed up. I think she got a place at another Uni, but never bothered letting the school know.”

Dianna nodded. “Jules, would you mind giving Caleb and me a few minutes alone? There are some things I need to talk to him about. Mary and Amanda will keep you company in the waiting room.”

I felt the twins’ objections. I even heard Amanda, in my head, saying “What? Why are we being sent out?”

I decided to see if I could give her the answer using Telepathy.

“Because Dianna either wants to chew me out, or she needs to talk to me about my new power,” I thought at her.

She winced. “Too loud,” I heard her think.

“Sorry, Is that better?” I tried to tone down my response.

She smiled at me and nodded.

“Please, girls,” Dianna said. “I just need a few minutes.”

Mary stood and offered Jules her hand. Jules was still hesitant, but she took it, and they walked out of the office together.

Dianna fixed me with a glare as the door closed behind them.

“Right,” she said, all business. “You shared your memory of what happened, so I know everything. You revealed your power to her. Now, tell me what you should have done.”

I racked my brain, working through each stage of what had happened. I considered how using my Compulsion would have gone, and I considered how it might have turned out if I had just used my physical strength. I even considered that I could have just let Jules fall - probably, although not definitely, to her death.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “I just can’t think of how I could have done anything differently. What am I missing?”

“Nothing at all,” Dianna said, smiling at me. “Considering you have had no training in counseling, you talked that young woman down off that ledge almost flawlessly. It was no reflection on you that she slipped as she was climbing down. You made a split-second decision, and it was the right one. You saved her life.”

“Then why…” I began.

“Because you have to learn to critically evaluate the use of your powers,” she said. “By doing that, it is less likely you will become blasé about their use, and therefore, it is less likely they will corrupt you. Part of that, though, is having confidence in your own analysis. Other people might have strong opinions about how you use, or don’t use, your powers. You need to be able to push back on them when they’re wrong.

“You also seem to be developing Telepathy, which was fortunate for Jules. Otherwise, you might not have been able to save her. You will need to learn how to moderate what you hear. I have found a new instructor, whom you will arrange sessions with. He will help you develop and come to terms with your power. It also happens that he is a martial arts instructor. Like you, he was advised to take it up to help him with his mental discipline, and it turned out he had both a passion and a talent for it. That’s a twofer, which works out well for us.

“Finally, we need to talk about your living arrangements. It’s no longer viable for you to stay on campus anymore, especially now that you have Jules to look after.”

“Wait, what?” I said, shocked. “What do you mean, I have Jules to look after?”

“I mean,” she responded, “that she needs someone to look out for her - for a while, at least. You are the best person for the job.”

I thought about that for a few minutes. I ran it past the twins over our bond. Their response was predictable. As far as they were concerned, it had already been a done deal even before Dianne had shown up.

“We can’t afford to live off campus,” I said. “My tuition is paid, and I get enough allowance to live, but I can’t afford anything more than that.”

“The house and all its expenses will be funded by the Bureau,” she said. “Dollars and cents make the world go ‘round, Caleb, and you helped us confiscate quite a few from a certain criminal’s offshore account. That was more than enough to convince my colleagues and superiors that you deserve to be an independent consultant.”

I frowned at her. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet, drawing out my driving license. I handed it to her.

She looked at me, puzzled. “Why are you giving me this?” she asked.

“Just to prove I’m over eighteen,” I said. “As an adult, I have the right, and ability, to make my own decisions. I’m not your grandson, and I don’t work for you. What gives you the right to dictate where I live, or whom with, or to sign me up for a job with the Bureau?

“The answer is NO!” I said. “I will figure out what to do with Jules, unless you use your ‘credentials’ to take that decision out of my hands. The rest is up to me and the girls. Even my parents, who could claim far more right to a say in my life, wouldn’t make all these decisions without even consulting me. So NO, I’m not dancing to your tune.

“And while we are at it, you can tell your pet instructor not to bother. I’ll figure stuff out by myself. Amanda already had a lead on a local martial arts instructor. I don’t need another puppet master in my life.”

I stood, furious. Snatching my license back from her, I walked to the door of the office. “Did you want me to send the twins in on my way out?” I asked. She was still stunned, but she managed to make a face that I took as a ‘yes.’

“Your grandmother wants to talk to you,” I said to the twins as I walked out of the office. “I’m going back to my room. I’ll see you when you finish with her.”

Jules looked from me to the twins.

“Jules,” I said, “can I talk to you please?”

Jules stood and took my hand. We walked out of the reception heading back to the dorms.

“Well,” she said as we walked, “that seemed to go well.”

I smiled at her. “I’m not one for being ordered around. Dianne seems to think that because she is FBI, the girl’s grandmother, and old, I must dance to her tune. If I let her get away with it now, I’d spend my whole life doing it. That is NOT happening.”

Jules contemplated that for a moment.

“What about Mary and Amanda?” she asked, “They told me that you guys were together.”

“We are,” I said, “and that won’t change.”

Jules looked sad.

We climbed the stairs to my floor and entered my room. As I closed the door, my phone rang. It was my mother. Oh, joy.

“Hi Mom,” I said, indicating to Jules to take a seat. She sat on the edge of my bed.

“Caleb, I heard what you did,” she said. I was about to justify my actions when she went on. “I’m so proud of you; we both are.”

“Proud of me?” I said, a little confused. I still had the row with Dianna in the forefront of my mind.

“For saving that young girl,” she explained, as if to a child. “Dianna said you handled the situation better than she would have ever expected.”

I laughed mirthlessly. “I expect Dianna might have changed her mind by now.”

“Ah yes,” she said. “I just spoke to her.”

“So now you read me the Riot Act?” I asked.

“Actually,” she said, “she asked me to broker a truce.”

“A what now?”

“A truce. She didn’t want to ask Mary or Amanda, because that would seem like she was trying to manipulate you using them. But she would like to come to talk to you, to apologize.”

I sat on the edge of my bed, dumbfounded.

“Caleb?” she asked. “Are you still there?”

“Yeah, sorry,” I said. “I was thinking.”

She chuckled. “So can I tell her you’ll talk to her?”

I sighed. “Fine.”

“Thank you, Caleb. Stay safe and remember we love you.” She hung up.

I heard a message tone from outside my door, and then a knock. I went to the door and opened it.

Dianna was there, looking a little sheepish. Mary and Amanda stood behind her, and I was surprised to see that they were both suppressing grins.

I stood to one side, and they all entered my room. It was a good job Josh was still with Louise.

Jules stood, but Dianna said, “Please Jules, stay, What I have to say concerns you too. There are some decisions to be made, and you are involved.”

Jules sat back down on the bed and I sat beside her. Her aura told me how nervous she was, so I took her hand. She didn’t hesitate. I supposed that what she’d heard from outside the office had made her more confident that I wouldn’t just sell her out to anybody higher up than me on whatever food chain.

Amanda and Mary flanked us on my bed, Amanda taking Jules’s other hand, and Mary tucking her arm under my free arm.

Dianna turned my chair away from my desk and sat on it, facing us.

“Caleb,” she began, “I’m sorry. I was so caught up in trying to fix things, I forgot that you are a grown man, with the right to make his own decisions. I guess I got too used to just making decisions and giving orders. I saw solutions and implemented them, without considering your, the girls’, or Jules’s opinions. And I apologize to you all for that.

“Will you let me explain all my thinking? Then we can look at possible solutions - maybe the ones I already suggested, or maybe others, if you have ideas.”

I nodded.

She took out her phone, and before anyone could even blink, she took a picture.

“Wha...” I said.

“Jules,” she said. “As the clinician in charge of your care, I have some responsibility for you. I have a duty of care to make sure that you are safe and not at further risk. I don’t want you to be alone for a while, and for preference, I would like you to at least have a roommate, someone you can trust, someone who understands you and accepts you for who you are. Do you know of anyone who fits that description?”

I saw Jules glance sideways at me, but then shake her head sadly.

Dianne looked at me. “Caleb? Do you have any ideas?”

“One,” I said, “but it wouldn’t be just my decision.”

“Mary,” Dianne asked, “do you have any thoughts?”

“Amanda and I,” Mary answered, “would be happy to share.”

Amanda nodded.

“Then it’s up to you, Caleb,” Dianna said, “but you will need to explain it.”

“But what about…” I began.

“We can come to that once we know the situation,” Dianna said. “There is little point in talking logistics if they will not be needed.”

I looked at Jules.

“Jules,” I began, “you heard what Dianna said. What do you think?”

“I think she is probably right,” Jules said, “but I just don’t know anyone like that.”

“Don’t you?” I prompted. “Don’t you trust me? Or Mary, or Amanda? Don’t you believe that we accept you for who you are?”

“But they said that you all…” she trailed off, too confused to even put her objection into words..

I nodded.

“There are many things that draw me to someone,” I said. “With you, it was your eyes. You have the most beautiful brown eyes.”

“But...” she said.

“Jules,” I continued, “Mary, Amanda, and I have a unique relationship. You know we all have power. Mary and Amanda are Empaths, like your grandmother, but much stronger. We all like you. We are all drawn to you. None of us is going to pressure you to do anything that you don’t want to. If you would like, we would love you to join us. I promise that you will always be safe. There will always be a place for you in our arms, and in our bed, but just for comfort and rest.

“You are not naive. You know that Mary, Amanda, and I have a physical relationship as well as an emotional one, but it is something that you don’t need to be a part of. It’s something we can keep separate, so you don’t have to see it or be involved.”

“There will always be something missing,” she said. “You will have a full relationship with them, and a defective one with me.”

“Okay,” I said, “Answer me this. A man lives in a house with two beautiful women, whom he loves with all his heart, one of whom he has sex with, and the other he has never had sex with, and furthermore would never want to. Whom does he love more?”

“The one he has sex with,” she answered immediately, “She can give him more.”

“So what if I tell you,” I continued, “that the woman he doesn’t have sex with is his stepdaughter?”

I deliberately chose stepdaughter to avoid the ‘she’s his child,’ argument. “He brought her into his house when he married her mother and has grown to love her as his own. Is his love any less for the lack of sex?”

I could see her thinking it over. I pressed on. “Does that not prove that love and sex are not interdependent? Their importance in a relationship is solely up to the people involved. Mary, Amanda, and I enjoy it and enjoy how we can use it to make each other feel good. I would not do something to Mary or Amanda that didn’t feel good for them, because I love them. It would be no different with you.

I leaned across and held my hand out. Dianna handed me her phone. I had figured out why she had taken the picture. I glanced at it to be sure and was.

“Look at this,” I said. “Tell me what you see.”

“It’s the four of us,” she replied, “on your bed.”

“And what are we doing?”

She looked at the picture again. “Holding hands,” she said quietly.

“Look at the way Mary is holding my hand,” I said. “Now compare to the way Amanda or I am holding yours. Do you see any difference?

Jules looked at the picture and shook her head.

“Now look at your face, and tell me what you see there,” I pressed.

“I look happy,” she said, tears starting to leak from her eyes.

“And the rest of us?” I asked.

“The same,” she said.

“Jules,” I said, “even if it is only until you find that someone that I promised is out there for you, assuming that those someones aren’t already in the room, will you join us?”

“But how would it work?” she asked. “Where would we all stay?”

“I suspect,” I said with a wry smile, “That we have just been manipulated into accepting the arrangements that Dianna already made for us.”

Dianna had the grace to try not to look smug. She spoke to Jules. “If we can sort out the logistics, then what do you think?”

Jules looked at Dianna and then at me.

“I…” she began.

Amanda took her hand again and she looked across at her. Amanda smiled.

“I don’t know,” Jules went on. “It’s all so confusing. I don’t want to be there because you pity me. It would destroy me to think that.”

I showed her the picture again. “Can you see any pity here?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Jules?” Dianne queried.

Without looking at anyone, Jules nodded. “Okay.”

Amanda threw her arms around her, startling her. “Thank you,” Amanda said, “I promise you won’t regret it.”

Jules looked over Amanda’s shoulder at me and smiled, a little sheepishly. Her arms closed around Amanda, almost reluctantly, and then she returned the hug. There were tears in her eyes, but she looked content.

I looked at Dianna.

“So, now what?” I asked.

“Now you need somewhere to live,” she replied. “Do you have any thoughts on that?”

“Do you have to draw it out?” I asked, a little irritated. “You’re getting what you want. Do you have to rub it in?”

Dianna’s face fell. She looked genuinely upset.

“Caleb,” she said, “please believe me. I’m not trying to manipulate you. I just want you and my girls to be happy. I knew you weren’t happy living in here now that you were together. I had organized the house even before Jules came into the picture, but it’s even more perfect now that she is.

“The job was needed so I could legitimately let you use the house and give you a bit of income. The trainer I had already spoken to you about. I know I kind of thrust it all on you as a fait accompli, but I really wasn’t trying to control you. You will have enough of that from the three women in your household.”

I grimaced at that.

“I know, I’m sorry,” I said, “Everything that has happened has left me feeling a little adrift and out of control. I guess I got a little spooked that I seemed to be losing even more control of my life.”

Dianne stood up and walked over to me. She put her arms around me and kissed me on the top of my head. “Remember what I said. I love you, Caleb, as much as I love my own granddaughters. I would never do anything to hurt you.”

I nodded.

“When can we move into the house? I asked.

“Whenever you want. It’s probably too late tonight, but you could go look tomorrow evening and maybe take some stuff over during the evenings. Move the rest at weekend?”

“And what about this consultancy?” I asked. “Do I get a badge and gun?”

“No gun,” she said with a laugh. “You are dangerous enough without one.” She fished in her pocket and brought out a laminated card. There was a picture of me, the same as my driver’s license, and the FBI crest. It had my name and the job title ‘Consultant’ underneath.

On the back was the telephone number of the local field office.

“If you need anything, call that number. Don’t forget that your section chief is Frank, and your employee number is under your name on the card. You will get payslips sent by post every month. Don’t get too excited; it’s probably about what you would get doing bar work, but it’s free money, and all the household expenses are paid directly.”

I put the card in my wallet behind my driver’s license.

Just then the door opened, and Josh and Louise walked in. They stopped dead, seeing all the people in the room.

“I think that’s my cue to leave,” Dianna said, standing.

She hugged both girls, then me.

“Josh, Louise,” I said, “This is Dianna, Mary and Amanda’s grandmother.”

Josh and Louise both looked stunned.

“Pleasure to meet you both,” Dianna said. “Maybe next time we can chat, but I have to dash.”

She left.

“Don’t say it,” I said to them as they turned to me.

“Jules,” I said, turning to her, “This is Josh, my roommate, and Louise, his girlfriend. Guys, this is Jules.”

They smiled at her. She looked uncertain.

“What are your plans for tonight?” I asked Josh. It was getting late.

“I just came back to get something,” he said evasively. “Then we are going back to Louise’s.”

I smiled at him. “Okay then,” I said.

He stood, uncertainly, looking embarrassed.

“Oh, for god’s sake! Where are they?” Louise demanded

“Top left drawer of his desk,” I said, grinning.

She stomped over to his desk and retrieved a box of condoms. “Really, Josh?” she said exasperatedly. “Last night we pretty much had an orgy in here. You blew Caleb in front of everyone - except Jules, I guess, hi, by the way, consider this the icebreaker. I don’t think anyone is going to be embarrassed by you getting a box of condoms out of a drawer.”

Josh’s face was flaming. Jules looked both a little shocked and amused. Josh made a beeline for the door.

Louise laughed and went to follow him out. “Nice to meet you, Jules. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”

After they had left, Mary turned to Jules.

“Where are you and Caleb sleeping tonight? Here, or in your room?”

Jules looked stunned.

“What?”

“You heard my grandmother; you shouldn’t be alone. You could always come in with us, but that would leave Caleb alone, which is a little unfair, don’t you think?”

Jules looked at me. I shrugged. “Whatever you feel comfortable with. I will warn you, though. If you sleep in with me, I like to spoon, so you may wake up with my arms around you. I’ll wear boxers and jogging bottoms, so you should be safe from my autonomic nervous system.”

Jules looked confused.

“He means so you don’t get poked in the butt by his morning wood,” Amanda explained. “Well, not quite as hard, or directly, anyway.”

Jules blushed a little, but grinned.

“Can we stay here?” she asked.

“Sure,” I said. “Do you need to get anything from your room?”

“Why don’t we all walk over together?” Mary suggested. “Then you can collect what you need, and you and Caleb can walk back together.”

I spent twenty minutes in the twin’s room getting good night kisses while Jules went to her room to pick up some stuff. When she came back, we left the twins and made our way back to my room.

“Jules,” I said as we walked.

She looked at me.

“When you are ready,” I said, “would you please explain to me what being asexual means to you? From what I have read, it’s different for everyone. I don’t mean now, but when you are ready.”

She nodded.

“Did Josh really give you a blowjob?” she asked.

I nodded.

She considered this.

“So you’re bi?” she said.

“Not really,” I said. “Gender just doesn’t matter to me. I like whom I like, for all sorts of reasons.”

“So what do you like about Josh?”

“He’s a nice person,” I said, “but believe it or not, it’s not really Josh I feel the real attraction for.”

“His girlfriend? Louise, was it?”

“Yes, it was, and no,” I said. “It was them as a couple I was attracted to. They just fit so well together. I just feel something for them. Don’t get me wrong - I like both as individuals, but together they just do something for me.”

“Apparently,” she said with a giggle.

“Not what I meant.” I laughed.

“What about Mary? And Amanda?”

“I met Mary first,” I replied. “I didn’t know she was a twin. I noticed her ass first, but then I saw those eyes, and I was mesmerized. She also is such a strong, yet gentle person - and so giving. Obviously, Amanda has the same ass and the same eyes, but she has a mischievous yet innocent personality, and she is so loving. I am just so lucky to have them in my life.”

“Amanda told me you are an ass man,” she said. “She said even her grandmother noticed how much time you spend looking at asses.”

I laughed. “That’s what made me giggle on the roof. I promised I’d tell you. I had been talking to you for so long, and for most of the time you were facing away from me, and I hadn’t once checked out your ass.”

She laughed. “What’s wrong with my ass?”

I stopped walking suddenly, so she got a step or two ahead of me before she realized. I looked at her ass.

“Absolutely nothing at all,” I said, catching up with her and putting my arm around her shoulder.

When we got back to my room, I went for a shower. Jules had already had one in her room while I’d been saying goodnight to the twins.

I came back into the room, wearing boxers and jogging pants.

“Just boxers are fine if that’s your normal,” she said. “I can handle your autonomic nervous system, as long as you don’t expect me to do anything with it.”

Gratefully, I slipped off the joggers. I would have been way too hot with them on.

Jules wore a long Star Trek T-shirt that came down to just above her knees.

“A trekkie?” I asked.

“Of course,” she said.

We laid in bed. I was on my back, and she snuggled up against me. I had my arm around her.

She looked up at me in the semi-darkness.

“What about me?” she asked.

It took me a moment to make the connection, but I remembered the conversation we had had as we were walking back. I didn’t fault her for not remembering – or, perhaps, for wanting to hear it again.

“Your eyes,” I said. “You have beautiful, rich, deep brown eyes.”

“They look like mud alongside the twins’,” she argued.

I shook my head. “Their eyes are beautiful and unusual, I agree. But yours are no less lovely. You are also really cute. I’m still finding other things, too, as I get to know more about you.”

“Aren’t you going to ask me?” she asked.

“I wasn’t going to; I didn’t want to put you on the spot.”

“You make me feel safe and warm...” she hesitated, “and loved.”

She said the last part quietly, as if she was scared to admit it.

I pulled her closer to me, and she snuggled in. Soon after, I felt her relax, and her breathing became slow and even.

I was just dozing off when the door opened, and Josh sneaked in.

His eyes bulged when he saw me with Jules in my bed.

“Hey Josh,” I said quietly, “I thought you were staying at Louise’s. Sorry; we would have stayed at Jules’ if I’d known you were coming back. Jules had some bad news and shouldn’t be alone.”

“Dude,” he hissed, “What about…”

“Long story, but they are cool with it. We need to talk though, tomorrow?”

“Sure,” he said. “Will she freak if she finds me here when she wakes?”

“Only if you are trying to stick your dick in me,” said Jules, opening one eye. “Otherwise, you are good. I can always go back to my room if it’s a problem?”

I tightened my hold on her. “You are not going anywhere.”

“No,” Josh said. “You are good. We’ll figure out the morning in the morning.”

He went into the bathroom to get changed.

I was asleep before he returned.