an attractive but thoughtful read head

I put my book down and was struck with an image more striking and beautiful than anything I'd ever imagined possible. In front of me was an angel of unbelieveable beauty. Dressed in a black long skirt, dark blue sweater and a matching dark blue hat; the long red hair cascaded from her head and drew the eyes. Her soft skin was a unique contrast to so many of the hard living farm women I had known back home. I genuinely did not know they made women like this.

"My name is Jean Grey and the professor asked me to pick you up, Tom. It was a small test, I think," she said softly.

I tried to gain my composure and slowly asked, "What kind of test would that be? Are you some kind of tracker or can you see through things too?"

The creamy skin around her cheeks flushed a bit and she hesitated. It seemed that she was embarassed by the answer that was forthcoming and, as mamma raised me to be a gentleman, I was content to drop the subject when the young woman replied: "I'm... well... I sort of have low level mind-reading. Nothing like the professor but... y'see, he didn't give me a picture of you and sent me out here to find you by your thoughts."

I quickly did an inventory of all the hundred things she could have picked up on. Insecurities, new beginnings, missing the farm... and then I realized she might have heard my mental assessment on her beatuy and my heart fell a bit. As I said, mamma raised me to be a gentleman but if she could hear those thoughts I'm sure this beautiful woman named Grey thought I was anything but gentlemanly. My concern must have shown on my face because no sooner had those thoughts come in to my head than she quickly spat out-

"I'm sorry, Tom. I didn't read anything too personal, as I said I'm still just very low level and not very experienced, I was just trying to narrow you down through broad stroke kind of reading and I never would have done it without your permission except for the Professor said that it wouldn't be an issue and..."

I put my hand up and gave her a look that I hoped conveyed my feeelings. "There's no problem, Ms Grey. I guess I'm still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that there are other people with wierd abilities and, well, how marvelous and varied those abilities seem to be."

She thanked me and we began walking to her car.