Painted Blind

by Michelle Hansen

  The fortune-teller’s words floated through my mind again. Love like you cannot imagine awaits you if you have the courage to find it.

  I didn’t have the courage. It was just that simple.

  I was half a block from the Kappa Sigma house when the first string of beads hit my feet. Whoever threw them disappeared into the crowd before I saw him. I picked up the purple plastic stars and ran my thumb over their sharp prongs. Across the street a lanky guy studied me while smoking a cigarette. He came forward. Instinct told me to run, but I froze as he approached. He took his time looking me up and down before his eyes locked on my face.

  He pulled a mass of beads from his neck and draped them around mine. “For you.”

  “Don’t even think I’m going to flash you,” I said icily.

  He shook his head. “A gift.” He dropped the cigarette onto the street and smothered it with the toe of his boot then moved away and was lost in the crowd.

  “Um, thank you.” He didn’t hear me, but someone did. Two more guys passing in the crowd pressed beads into my hand. That familiar, anxious churning started in my chest. I searched for somewhere to hide. I pushed through the crowd, but ran into a solid body. I looked up and cringed.

  “Psyche?” Mr. Darling wore a fraternity sweatshirt. He reeked of beer and way too much cologne. “Couldn’t stay away from your favorite teacher, huh? Let me show you around.”

  “I’m meeting someone,” I replied.

  He took hold of my arm and used it to steer me through the crowd. “C’mon. Let’s have some fun. I’ll get you a beer.”

  All the sirens in my blood went off. We reached the curb. I shoved my weight into him, and his foot struck the cement. Too much beer in his head, he stumbled, and I pulled free.

  I took off into the crowd, but Mr. Darling shouted, “Stop that girl! She’s Venus!”

  All around me, people turned. “It is her,” someone said. “She’s the girl in the billboard.”

  The crowd closed me in. Suddenly I was trapped in a circle of bodies, all shoving and grabbing at me. I felt the breath slipping out of me. My chest constricted. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. Strong arms grabbed me from behind.

  I fought hard. I was not going to be dragged into some frat house.

  “Don’t be afraid,” a voice murmured in my ear. “I’ll get you out of here.”

  I saw the sleeves of a black leather jacket and a hand that bore a single gold band around the first finger.

  Then we disappeared.

  Chapter 4

  “What the…” I stammered, too shocked to believe what just happened. My body, my clothes were just… gone.

  “Shhh,” he whispered. “I’ll take you to safety.”

  People looked around bewildered. “Where’d she go?”

  He kept his arms around me as he pulled me through the mob. I struggled to walk, unable to see my feet. Bodies parted and jostled as we passed, but no one saw us. Some girls on the edge of the crowd stood on their toes to see what happened. We moved past them, hidden from their sight and mine. I felt the leather of the glove as I touched my face, but I could see nothing.

  I struggled against him once we were free of the crowd. “Let me go!”

  “Around the corner here.” We turned into an alley between two houses. Thick trees blocked the light of the streetlamps and the moon. In the shadows my body reappeared, and he let me go.

  I spun around, stumbling away. “How… what did…who are you?”

  “I’m sorry I grabbed you. I didn’t want to lose you in the crowd.” He kept his distance now. He was half a foot taller than me with broad shoulders. In the darkness, I couldn’t make out his face.

  “What did you do to me?” I insisted.

  “I hid you from them. It’s a talent I have.” He spoke softly, an alluring voice that made me want to lean closer and glean the rise and fall of it. But I didn’t dare get within arm’s reach again.

  “A talent? You call being invisible a talent.” I suppose I should have thanked him, but he seemed as dangerous as the mob.

  “I’m not exactly like you.”

  “No kidding.”

  He was unmoved by my sarcasm. “Did you drive?” He was either oblivious to my alarm or he just didn’t care. “I can give you a ride home,” he offered. “You probably don’t want to brave that crowd again.”

  “I came with a friend.” There was no way I was climbing into a car with him. He might disappear after slitting my throat… or worse.

  He moved to a motorcycle I hadn’t noticed before and pulled a helmet over his head. “Climb on.”

  “I’m not going to…” My protest was drowned by the engine, a smooth growl of speed and power.

  “Before they find us.”

  I climbed on behind him, not needing the peg to lift me. When he hit the gas pulling onto Fifth Avenue and nearly dumped me off the back of the bike, I curled my arms around his waist and squeezed tight. “Pinecrest.”

  He knew the way without directions. The street lamp at the end of the block lit my driveway and half the yard. I hoped to finally see his face, but he didn’t take off the helmet, and with the dark visor down, he was completely hidden.

  “Thanks for the ride. I’m Psyche, by the way.”

  He revved the engine on the bike and dropped it into gear. “Good night.”

  I watched him drive away. There was something familiar about him. On the porch steps it hit me. The smell. I almost missed it because of the leather jacket, but it was definitely there, a hint of cinnamon and orange on salty air. It was him. He could make himself invisible, but I could smell him, and so could the gypsy. I had smelled him at school and heard him sneeze. He had followed me into the sporting goods store.

  I stepped into the house and nearly collided with my dad.

  He stood with his arms folded across his chest. “Was that a motorcycle that dropped you off?” He pulled the Subaru keys from his pocket and tossed them into my hands. “Don’t ever let me catch you on that bike again.” Dad started toward the couch in the living room. “Who was that anyway?”

  What could I say? I didn’t even know his name.

  The next day I was zoning in Mr. Darling’s class when a breeze blew by me. The air smelled of cinnamon and subtle but expensive cologne.

  “Are you bored yet?” His whisper startled me. I nearly swallowed my pen cap. After the horrible coughing fit passed, he drew even closer to my ear. “So, that guy is your teacher?”

  Before I could reply, Mr. Darling called my name. Holding out the dry erase marker, he said, “Come up and balance this equation.”

  “I haven’t finished yet,” I said.

  “Come forward,” Mr. Darling insisted.

  I slowly untangled myself from the desk. While I struggled to place numbers on the equation, the student teacher stalked around me like some hungry carnivore. A hand rested on my shoulder, and I cringed, but it was my invisible savior who whispered, “Five H20, six carbon.”

  Mr. Darling paused directly behind me, and I wished I’d worn a longer shirt—one that completely covered my backside.

  “Two nitrogen.” The hand moved away. “I’ll take care of him.”

  The equation finished, I set the marker on the ledge of the board and went to my desk, unable to look at anything but the floor. I slid into my seat and slouched behind Rory.

  Mr. Darling scanned my work. “Correct,” he announced. Then he tripped on some unseen obstacle. His body flung forward with unnatural force and his face smacked the whiteboard.

  The class laughed when Mr. Darling stood, shaking his head like he didn’t know what happened. He sniffed, and his nose dribbled blood. He tried to wipe it away with his hand, but smeared it up the sleeve of his shirt. “Okay,” he said, acting nonchalant, “everyone start on the next problem.” Pinching his nose at the bridge, he managed to stem the tide for a moment, but as soon as he let go, the stream was worse than before.

  Five minutes passed and his nose was still bleedin
g, so Mr. Darling twisted up two tissues and shoved one into each nostril. The ends hung over his lip, making a white mustache that fluttered when he breathed.

  Savannah giggled into her worksheet.

  A moment later the counselor, Ms. Hubble, appeared in the doorway. “Could I see….” She broke off when she saw our teacher. “Michael, what happened to your nose?” she asked.

  “Perfect timing,” came the quiet whisper over my shoulder. The air whipped away.

  “Ah chew!” Mr. Darling sneezed and sent the bloody tissues flying. “Excuse me,” he mumbled. A new red trickle started down his lip. He looked at Ms. Hubble and the expression on his face shocked us all. He eyed the counselor like he eyed me just a moment ago. Then his features softened, and he gave her the most pathetic puppy-dog eyes. “I bumped my nose on the board. It won’t stop bleeding.”

  The counselor stepped forward, all her motherly compassion surfacing right there in front of our class. “You poor thing.” Then, “Ah chew!” and we all gasped as she lit up like a forty-year-old flashlight. “Just come to my office after class.” She winked on her way out.

  “You have got to be joking,” muttered a girl in the next row. “She’s like fifteen years older than him.”

  “Oh, that is just wrong,” Savannah whispered before the bell rang to dismiss us.

  I hurried out the nearest exit instead of meeting Savannah at our lockers. Today was bright and too warm for long sleeves. That was the mystery of fall in the mountains; it alternated between Indian summer and winter.

  I knew I wasn’t alone, but I didn’t want to be seen talking to myself, so I pulled out my phone and put it to my ear. “Hey, are you here?” I asked and sat cross-legged in the grass under a cottonwood tree.

  “You mean me?” the quiet voice answered.

  “What did you do to my teacher? He looked like he was completely in love with Ms. Hubble.”

  “Some guys like older women. They’ll get along fine for the next year or so.”

  “The next year! You’re ruthless.”

  He chuckled a deep, chesty sort of laugh that made my insides do cartwheels. “And I enjoy it so much.” I guessed he was leaning against the trunk of the tree, but I couldn’t be sure. He didn’t cast a shadow. “He deserved it for humiliating you.” He paused, then added more quietly, “and for last night.”

  “Who are you talking to?” Savannah crossed the lawn then stood over me, hands on her hips.

  “Hold on a second.” I covered the phone, like I didn’t want him to hear. At the same time I felt him settle onto the ground beside me. “Just a friend.”

  “Does he have a name?”

  “Who said it was a guy?” I asked innocently.

  “You were grinning from ear to ear. What’s his name?”

  “Oh, his name is… It’s…”

  “Erik,” he whispered in my ear.

  “Erik. His name is Erik.” That tiny bit of knowledge fluttered on my tongue. Erik saved me from a mob.

  “And?”

  I held the phone to my ear. “I’ll call you back.” I pushed the end button on the already lifeless phone. “And what?”

  “Is he cute? How old is he? Is he the reason you blew off Hunter?”

  “Don’t get all excited, Savannah. It’s not like I’m dating him.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Whatever. I saw the look on your face when you were talking to him. He’s probably gorgeous.”

  I shook my head. “He’s not much to look at.” I felt a pinch in my side and tried not to squirm.

  “Then he must be funny.”

  “More like mischievous.” With a laugh that could tilt my world, but that was knowledge better withheld from both of them.

  She sniffed the air. “What is that amazing smell? It’s like… cinnamon …”

  “And the sea.”

  “Yeah.” She inhaled deeply. “With some sexy aftershave mixed in.”

  “Air freshener.” That wasn’t entirely a lie. He did freshen the air wherever he went.

  “You sprayed air freshener outside?”

  “No, I… spilled it… on my backpack.”

  She waited for me to say more. When I didn’t, she relented. “Well, I’m going to grab lunch. You want anything?”

  I shook my head.

  Savannah gave me a strange look, then held up her hands. “Okay, I’m leaving. You can call him back.”

  When she was gone, an awkward silence fell between Erik and me. He was sitting near enough to make the skin on my arm tingle. If I moved even slightly, I might brush against him, a prospect which thrilled and terrified me. His scent jumbled my thoughts. When I was finally able to speak, my words came out accusing. “You’ve been to my school before.”

  Anticipating my next question, he answered, “Looking for you.”

  “And the carnival?”

  “The same.”

  My irritation grew. “Are you stalking me?”

  He leaned closer. His breath warmed my ear as he whispered, “Do I frighten you?”

  My response was completely unexpected. My eyes fell closed, and my head dipped toward the sound.

  He jerked away. “Maybe we should get out of here before you give me away.”

  I snapped myself out of his spell, shocked at my own reaction. I should have felt panic rise in my chest. Where were the sweaty palms and the chest pains? He was a total stranger. And he was invisible. “I can’t…I’m not …going anywhere with you.”

  He stood up. I heard his feet shuffle, felt him towering over me. “I understand.” Then his footsteps moved away.

  It was the right thing to do—letting him go. But, what if he never came back? “Wait.”

  I stood and dug my car keys out of my pocket. This went against everything my dad taught me. I shouldn’t go off alone with this guy, but he’d saved me from a mob and paid Mr. Darling back for last night. I could trust him enough to go somewhere safe and talk. “There’s a trail by the river,” I murmured as I crossed the parking lot. There were always joggers on that trail. I could scream if he tried to hurt me. “I’ll meet you…” The door of my Subaru swung open, seemingly on its own.

  “At the gazebo,” he finished. The door closed after I dropped into the driver’s seat.

  I started the car and backed slowly out of the parking space, then slammed on the brakes. In my rearview mirror, I saw a streak of black. The bike zipped around me. Erik wore the same helmet and black leather jacket. He disappeared before I pulled onto Main Street.

  There were three cars in the parking lot at the trailhead. I pulled into a slot and turned off the engine. A couple of moms with strollers chatted by the gazebo. I walked down the trail wondering how I was going to find Erik, but a moment later he fell into step beside me. His arm brushed against mine and made me jump.

  “You seem to know your way,” I said. “Are you from around here?”

  “Not exactly.”

  I veered off the trail and I sat on a dry log. The sunlight reflected off the water in blinding glory. The river’s steady rush soothed me, which I needed around Erik. “If you’re some kind of alien,” I said, “I’m not in the mood to be abducted.”

  He chuckled that irresistible laugh again. “You don’t want to be the bride of some little green man with pointy ears?”

  I knew he wasn’t little. The green part, I wasn’t sure about. “Why can’t I see you?”

  “Because I don’t want you to.” His voice was matter-of-fact, like there was no use pushing that point.

  I stretched my legs. “You can’t imagine the number of times I’ve wanted to be invisible. How do you do it?”

  “It’s sort of a mental capacity.” Whatever that meant. He was good at being evasive. Maybe he saw the frustration in my face, because he relented and answered. “Our worlds inhabit the same space, but in different realms. We have the ability to block ourselves from your sight when we’re in your realm.”

  “You’re not invisible in your world?”

  “No,
and neither are you. Your kind doesn’t posses the veiling power.”

  “Some sort of magic?” Here we were discussing the impossible like it was yesterday’s lunch menu.

  “More like physics than magic. There are basic laws of veiling. Once you understand the laws, it all makes perfect sense.”

  “Sure it does,” I scoffed.

  “Whatever I’m touching or whatever is touching me when I veil, veils with me. That’s why you don’t see my clothes wandering around without a body in them. That’s why you became invisible at the carnival. I was veiled in the fortune-teller’s booth, but I had to unveil in order to hide you. To the crowd I would have appeared momentarily and then disappeared. Luckily, they were all looking at you, and no one noticed me.”

  “Is Erik really your name?”

  “It’s similar to my name, and it’s common in your language.”

  My mind was doing a weak calculation of the things I knew about him and the things I didn’t. First, I didn’t know what he looked like. The name he’d given me was false. He wasn’t from my world and had the power to hide from my kind at will. But there was one sliver of instinctive knowledge that overpowered all the rest. I liked him. He should have scared me, but he didn’t, and I wasn’t sure why. “How did you get into my world?”

  “We have portals.”

  “Like the Stargate?” I teased.

  “Sort of like that, without the extraterrestrial metal and the weird watery doorway.”

  I was taken aback that he perfectly understood the reference. “And you’re…human?”

  “We live longer,” he explained. “When I was a child, your world was very different. We used to interact with your people regularly, but they thought we’d enslave them, so they attacked our people, and we closed the portals.”

  “But you reopened it? The portal, I mean.”

  The log rocked as he stood. “Let’s walk.”

  It felt like walking alone when he didn’t speak. We wandered awhile, and I lost track of him until he spoke again. Then I was surprised by how near he was. Erik still had not answered the most important question. It took half a mile for me to get the courage to ask, “Why were you looking for me?”