Serix waited for Cassie to do as he instructed, and then he did the same thing, leaning forward until their foreheads touched. He waited a moment, trying to calm his racing heart. If he tried reaching out to her mind now, he might accidentally leak some of his emotions to her. He didn’t want her to get the wrong idea. It wasn’t like he was attracted to her, or anything… was he? She [i]was[/i] an exotic female, like no one he’d ever seen before, and he [i]did[/i] catch himself staring at her more often than he’d like to admit. [i]Am I attracted to Cassie?[/i] Suddenly he wasn’t sure what to think.

He tried to ignore the question and focus on the task at hand. He took a steady breath to calm himself, as he had been trained to do as a child. Then, he reached out to Cassie’s mind. Again, the connection felt strange. It must be because of her human side, he decided. The odd feeling would be the neural pathways in her brain rerouting to function according to her Lunairan abilities, allowing for mental interaction.

[i]All Lunairans I’ve ever known learned to use telepathy at a young age,[/i] Serix thought to her. [i]Because you’re starting out so late, it might take you longer to learn how to do it. I know you’re able to hear me, which is a good sign that you’re likely still able to communicate back with me. You just need to learn how to do it.[/i] He hesitated, then reached to take her hand in his.

[i]If you ever start to feel like you’re blacking out, squeeze my hand twice,[/i] he continued, careful to keep his emotions in check. He didn’t want to leak anything to her except for his words. [i]The best way to start is by blocking out all external distractions; hence I had you close your eyes. Now then, we usually start children out by having them imagine a tunnel – visualization helps beginners strengthen the mental bond. Try to picture a tunnel leading from your mind to mine. If you do it right, you should feel a change in how we’re communicating right now. It’s hard to explain… I guess it will feel like an extension? Oh, and you don’t need to try replying yet. I’ll feel it too, so I’ll know when you’ve done it.[/i]