I had always wondered what it would be like to understand what others were thinking, to connect with them on a level that words couldn’t encompass. But now, with each step echoing down the sterile corridor, it felt more like a curse than a gift. The fragments of stray thoughts ricocheting in my mind were overwhelming: snickers about my past, the guilt of forgotten friendships, whispers of fear about my abilities. I tried to block them out, but they seeped in, taunting me, suffocating the little confidence I had left. I was a pariah in a world of inmates, trapped not only by the prison walls but by the very power that was meant to set me apart. It was ironic, really—transcendence had turned into solitary confinement of a different kind.
As I walked back to my cell, my stride a bit wobbly and unconfident, the other prisoners seemed to stare into the back of my head. It was a rather unpleasant feeling, especially after all that had happened. Something told me the word got around fast. The word being, I’m a freak and everyone should stay away from me. That secrets aren’t secrets around me. In reality, people think they want mind-reading powers until they’re forced to intrude in other’s thoughts, some funny, some weird, some just plain ‘i don't wanna know’.
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As I rounded the corner, the fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting an unsettling play of shadows along the gray walls. I couldn’t help but catch glimpses of the prisoners’ thoughts again, like glimpses through a cracked window. One guy wondering when he’d be able to see his daughter again; another plotting revenge against a rival gang. But deep down, amid the chaos, there were those who glanced at me with a mixture of curiosity and dread, sensing the aura of my unusual burden. It was as if my mere existence had rewritten the rules of engagement in this grim world. I forced myself to look away, focusing instead on the thin strip of light emanating from my cell door. I had to remind myself that I wasn't the sum of my abilities, but every fragment of doubt and disgust they projected at me was a reminder of how alone I truly was. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for another night of isolation, when all I craved was a connection that felt real, something beyond the echoes in my mind.