Phil and Alicia follow my scent into what used to be Little Vanessa's room. Alicia is laughing at something he said, his good-naturedness shining through as always. Phil is lovably funny—once his shy attitude becomes at ease in a person's presence. He knows a lot about a lot of things too, which I imagine a lot of us women must find funny.
'What is it, Claire?' Alicia asks, the sight of me just staring at the aluminum wall having made her immediately alert.
'This room blocks out telepathy,' I simply explain.
Gazing through their eyes, I feel too acutely the dumb stares their give my turned back. So I turn and face each instead, staring them eye to eye gravelly, 'Some part of the metal is missing.'
'The wall?' Phil asks as he fixes his eyes on the missing part. He doesn't instantly understand the implications, so I give him a moment. 'If it is made into a helmet of sorts,' he wonders, 'can it block out your telepathy?' At my expression, he says flatly, 'Oh. It can then.'
