01.04: Monarch

It wasn’t going to be hard to follow this girl even without a clear psi-tag I had on her, the crystalline trail was as clear as day. Tags are easy to maintain, I know which mind is which, to keep reading her I would have had to have stopped doing everything else I was doing and concentrate. The Professor had tried getting me to allocate colours for various things, as identifiers or emotional states but it all got confusing and ended up like trying to watch a massive gay pride parade in my head. I stuck to sensations and space, it was easier.
I knew she was scared, terrified actually. I saw no reason for that to have altered in the last few minutes. She was being hunted but not by us. I think she was aware of us and that might have spooked her.
She had chosen a good trail as it was through dense undergrowth. Jack is rarely hampered by his disability but I led the way because there was no clear footpath. She was clearly trying to stay hidden but the sparkly trail was all too obvious.
We heard the dog before I knew that there was someone on the same trail too just as I lost all trace of where the girl had gone. I reached out for a scan back the way we had come. I do not indulge in movie nonsense of touching my temple or making gestures when I use my mutant abilities. That was a great way to draw attention to yourself and get a bullet.
“Two men and a dog,” I told Jack.
At the same moment there was a crack above us and a large branch hit the ground a little way behind us. A fine sprinkle of glitter like snow caught in a headlight followed it down.
Up. That is where she had gone. And there was the most beautiful crystal… cocoon was the word that sprang to mind.