[Sam’s socks didn’t match today. And he hadn’t noticed that until now, when he stared dow at them and one was a bright, deep pink, a pair he never remembered getting, while the other a maroon colour with white stripes through it. He liked the maroon ones. This morning, however, he’d been in such a rush. He stayed up late and woke up late. And while he sat on this bench, he was lonely. This was normal.]
Katie had been watching Sam for quite some time. It was his foot steps that had woken up in the first place, somehow falling asleep against the wall - she didn't know how she got there, but she found herself leaning against bricks and staring at some atrociously coloured socks. To make matters worse, her hair was a mess and she rubbed her eyes without a second thought. The walk of shame back to her dorm was not happening, not while she looked like this.
She contributed it to her sleepwalking habit and, by extension, her telepathy. Campus was filled with formal event buzz - something she never looked forward to. If anything, it drove her nuts, the way people got excited about outfits and dates and after parties. It all seeped into her dreams and, when her mind couldn't rest with her body, she'd end up all over the place.
Telepathics Anonymous told her the best way to combat this was to focus on an individual; channel everything into one person. She had deliberated practicing on Sam but, the more she looked at him, the less she wanted to. She didn't need to be a mind reader to know that the omniscient had a lonely soul, and her black heart pulsed for the first time in forever. Even with a network of friends and a loyal posse, Katie was lonely too. "Hey, Ellis," she called out, letting her presence known, "I heard this theory that two's company."
