~~***~~
Over the next few days, Jonah’s strength and endurance were tested in various ways. No doubt was left that he was qualified to compete in (and win hands-down) any ‘Strongest Man’ competitions, were that his thing. It wasn’t.
Learning to control and gauge his strength was also taught. In one session, he was given fragile, blown-glass globes to carry while he pulled enormous weights using a chest harness. The first time, his fists automatically clenched and shattered them. Once he’d mastered that, the globes were put in the crooks of his elbows, under his chin, and even between his knees as he performed weighted squats.
The psychic and telepathic exercises and experiments alternated between fun and exciting to a dead bore. A couple of afternoons were taken up with Jonah transmitting messages to people, various distances away. Some of the people he knew—like his uncle, Dr. Quinton, or other instructors he’d met, some were strangers; sometimes he knew their location, other times he didn’t.
Another few sessions were spent trying (and failing) to read other peoples’ minds. The most absurd test, in Jonah’s opinion, was where he had to try to “see” the images on the back of flash cards. He really did try, but no matter how hard he concentrated, the random images that came to his mind never matched those on the cards.
The mental work-outs may have produced some results, though. Jonah began to pick up on other peoples’ emotional states. For instance, he could feel the flash card guy’s frustration building as the test wore on and Jonah’s guesses got wilder and wilder. At first, he’d brushed off the notation, assuming he was projecting his own aggravation. But then, on Christmas Eve morning, he passed a little redheaded girl in the hall whose joy rolled over him and had him grinning stupidly. So startled was he that he turned and followed the girl to a front office, where he glimpsed her launching herself into her mother’s waiting arms. He learned later that her name was Annabelle and she’d been told she was not going home for Christmas only to be surprised when her parents showed up unannounced.
He reported the phenomenon to Jet and Dr. Quinton. He still could not read minds, but due either to the relaxation techniques or psychic-stretching exercises (or both), he was becoming more attuned to others’ emotions, at least when they were pretty strong emotions. Dr. Quinton was very excited, said that this new ability could be heightened and honed, and hurried off to arrange a whole new set of experiments for after the holiday.
Great, Jonah thought disgustedly. More tests. I should have kept my big mouth shut!
Dr. Quinton, who was half-way down the hall turned back, laughing, “I heard that.”
~~***~~
After Christmas, the rigorous schedule resumed and Jonah was glad. All he’d done for two days was think of Lyra and wonder what she was doing or if she was thinking of him. He came close to caving in and calling her, but he didn’t. He was beginning to feel hopeful about returning to Lake Placid and he knew that was dangerous. Until he knew for sure, he didn’t want to give her false expectations.