Neither I. I have one coat that’s a rather soiled camel-color, and another that’s bright red.
"Now I want you to look at the scene behind you. Get a picture of what the room directly behind you would look like to me as I look around. Then I want you to paint that image on your skin, so that when I look toward you, I see what is behind you."
"What? I don't understand."
An electric shock went through me, as if I had touched a "hot" wire.
"Pay attention! I want you to paint your skin with the colors and images behind you, so that when I look at you, you will be very close to invisible."
"I want you to practice this procedure every time I am in the same compartment with you. I want you to disappear from my sight. If you do it well, you will be rewarded. If you do it poorly, you will feel a touch of punishment. Now proceed. I can still see you, and I want you to disappear."
I looked behind me, trying to visualize what the colors and patterns would have to be on my surface as she looked toward me, and sending out what I hoped were the right thoughts to the correct areas of my skin to display the patterns.
"All right. I can see you're making an effort. To help with your training, I will let you see through my eyes. Think of me, and what I must be seeing. Look through my eyes."
I closed my eyes for a moment, and began getting an image. Soon I could see clearly exactly what Karen was seeing!
Using that information, I worked the skin-image I was portraying in her direction. Soon, I had a moderately decent illusion of transparency working for me.
Then she moved a few steps to the left! I had to recalculate everything! Feverishly, I moved the images around, adjusting for the changed perspective.
"That's not too bad, for a first effort. You'll have to learn to do it with your eyes open, of course. Keep practicing. As you manipulate the concepts, figuring the angles and generating the images, your brain will be growing in capability and developing new powers. That's what I want you to accomplish. Remember, I will be watching, and if you are lazy or inattentive, you will be disciplined."