'Concentrate'. That’s what I had to keep telling myself, while staring at the nearest human. 'All you need to do is concentrate, come on. Concentrate'.
It wasn’t working; I was too long out of practice.

"You know, you really shouldn’t try that on the normies" said a voice from behind me.
I turned-breaking my concentration and loosing my target- it was my cousin Dianne. Ugh.
I didn’t like Dianne, but she never seemed to take the hint.

"Try what?" I sighed. If threes one thing I hate, its being interrupted.
"Oh please" she said in her snotty tone "you know exactly what I mean"
"It was just once. Leave it alone. “I said dully.
As far as I was concerned the conversation was over. I started making my way towards the parking lot where I parked my car.
Apparently, Dianne wanted to keep the conversation going.
"You know, Just once could get you hurt!" she yelled after me.
I stopped short and turned towards her. Maybe if I entertained the conversation a bit longer she would go away.
"Really?" I asked trying to sound at least remotely interested.
"Yeah" she said. Satisfaction gripping her tone " Your remember what happened to Demetrius and that girl...wel you know the one.
She was really starting to annoy me now.
"Cut it out Dee, its no big deal and I don’t know why you’re making it one."

"it’s a big deal" she retorted angrily" because if you get caught you could be terminated. Or worse, Excommunicated."
Yes because death was way less threatining then not being able to talk to family members.
"Leave it alone Dianne" I said emotionlessly as I walked away.

Honestly I didn’t feel bad for leaving her there. I avoided her, every occasion I could and today was going to be no different.
Dianne was always a real brown nosier, even when we were kids. She was always in everybody’s business and she really like mine.

My names Alexa -
I’m telepathic, which means that I can read peoples minds. It’s something that im not too happy about though.
You see, my entire family can read minds; it’s like a genetic thing or something like that.
I always hear people saying "ohh I would kill to be abel to know what he/she is thinking'
Nope, not me. Try keeping one secret from my family. It’s not possible.
Most of the time I wish that I was normal...but hey i'm sure being telepathic has some advantages, just none that I have come to find yet.

I Live in Jamestown Rhode Island with my Parents. It’s basically a little island, with two bridges connecting it to the main land.
I like it here though.

I’m home schooled because that’s how my "family" wants it, I really don’t mind it though.
I say "family" with the quotation marks because every one that I’m supposedly related to, well, I’m not actually blood related too. Pretty much-except for the excommunicates- everyone who’s telepathic is considered family, because when we "come of age" we have to marry those non blood related relatives.
Yeah, it’s a little complicated and personally i’m not a fan of the rule.
It wouldn’t be all that bad, if we were allowed to choose who we wanted to marry- but we can’t- Our parents choose for us.
I don’t think that ill ever have a real problem with this though. My parents pretty understand about the whole thing.

It took a few times for them to realize this but- well for example:

The last guy they brought home to me was wildly in love with me. I didn’t feel the same. No matter what I did he wouldn’t go away. Finally I had to do the unthinkable. I had to pretend to cheat on him with my best friend Aciro. Now lover boy got angry and threatened to kill aciro. Of course once he found out that Aciro was in fact aciro Dalmatius, one of the oldest and a royal family or sorts he backed off almost immediately.
I had to do all sorts of ridicuals things to get rid of guys. I’m sure if half of them were normal then it wouldn’t have been a problem. Its not that i’m great looking or supermodel is at all, most of the time i’m not even sure why the guys my parents bring home are so interested in me. It might have something to do with the fact that they should be locked in a big white room with padded walls, but hey, I could be wrong.
But anyways, when Dianne interrupted me I was trying to read a humans mind. This is strictly forbidden. It’s not like I do it all the time though. Recently I haven’t. I used to all the time, but it takes so much concentration to her them that I pretty much just gave up.
I don’t think of it as quitting I think of it more as...doing the inevitable.
Just so you don’t misunderstand, I can still read the minds of my own kind. It takes barley any concentration at all. Its just humans that my kind hove trouble with. Oh and not only can we not read their minds, but were not allowed dating them either. Which kind of goes along with the whole "our parents choose our spouses" thing.
It was now around four o'clock and I had left the park way earlier then expected. With only a little bit of gas in the tank going home was really my only option.
I drove home in complete scilence, except for the occasional squeaking of the brakes or a passing car.
I pulled into the driveway noticing that both of my parents were home. This wasn’t entirely unusual but, rarely were they home so early on a Friday night.
I went in through the side door- we rarely used the front - which led into the kitchen. My parents were both sitting at the dinner table and appeared to be engaged in a very serious conversation.
Upon realizing that I was there my father stood up.
"Alexia" he said very cautiously." your mother and I believe that we need to have a talk."
This was going to be wonderful. Any time my dad starts the conversation off with "your mother and I' I know that trouble is brewing.
I rolled my eyes, trying to give off the impression that I really didn’t want to do this right now.
Didn’t work.
"Now don’t you roll your eyes at me young lady" said my dad sternly.
My mother put her hand on his shoulder. A gesture that she used to tell him that she would handle it.
"Honey?" she asked "could you sit down for a moment?"
I let out a little sigh. "I suppose so" I mumbled just loud enough for them to hear.
"Excellent!" Exclaimed my father pulling out a chair for me.
"Wait!" I said quickly. "I want you to promise there will be in mind reading during this conversation"
That’s all that I needed. They were notorious for knowing what I was going to say I said it. They would corner me and shoot down all of my defenses and I wasn’t about to let that happen again.
"Sure sure" my father said waving his hands around "just sit".
I sat. Preparing myself for hell. Or worse if I was unfortunate enough.
"Now" started my father “your mother and I have come to a decision. I want no opposition form you, though I can guarantee you will have some. We have decided its time for us to get you a suitor"
Were they serous? That was so not expected. I was monetarily speechless.
"Dad!" I screamed.” you know how I feel about that!"
It was now my dads turn to roll his eyes.” well honey were not about to break tradition so that you can find you own husband".
Oh, yeah. How silly of me. God forbid should get to choose who it is that I marry.
"Mom!" I exclaimed shooting a pleading glance at her.
I wanted her to help me, but I knew that she wouldn’t. They had made up their minds and that was going to be it. I was done for. I mean yeah sure I could get rid of this guy just like all of the rest, but they would just find someone else. It would be never ending.
"Lexi" my mom said in her sweetest voice. "It’s our job as your parent to pick a suitable spouse before your eighteenth birthday, which is not even six months from now."
I’m not getting married at eighteen like some hick. No offense meant to those we are "madly in love" and get married early or whatever but my circumstances is different. I’m not getting married.
"I’m not dealing with this right now, ill go up to my room." I said picking up my bag and heading towards the living room.
"Just a sec lex" my dad said rubbing his temples "you have to go through the living room to get to the stairs".
I knew this. I’ve only lived here since I was born, it’s not like there was some major construction done since this morning.
I just stared expressionlessly at him.
"He’s in there lex"
I dropped my bag, not taking my eyes off of my father.
"Whose in where dad?" I asked in a hushed and angry voice.
"The boy we picked out" he said very calmly.
I clenched my teeth. "Make. Him. Leave." I said  
"No." he said smugly, picking up his paper.
The conversation was done as far as he was concerned, and my mother was already on her way into the living room.