“It’s cheating. But, you know,” she went on, a little sadly, knowing she was going to invoke his suspicion all over again, “in a way what I am doing is cheating, too. I know what you’re feeling, so I can tailor my actions to evoke the feeling I want. Without ever actually touching your emotions from the inside.” it didn’t matter than in her fear, she hadn’t, really.
“So you’re basically saying that I should never trust you because you could be manipulating me?” Isaac asked with an unbelieving chuckle. He wasn’t sure why she was telling him this, or about her powers, but he figured that if she’d wanted to trick him, she would have used those powers instead. And the man had looked like a guy to stay away from.
Summer flinched, hands instinctively wrapping about herself and her whole body pulling in. The last time someone had said something like that, it hadn’t been a question, but an accusation, backed by rage like a blow. “Yeah,” she said softly, “I guess I am. And you have no reason now to believe I’m not.” She swallowed against the sick feeling in her gut and forced herself to drop her arms, though she couldn’t seem to make her shoulders relax or her heart slow its hammering.