by Aj Estelliam
‘I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,’ I murmured.
‘Why? Because of what my Mum said? Ignore her! She was just joking.’
‘I know, I get that. I think I just need to go and get some fresh air now…clear my head.’
She looked like she was about to argue again but then sat back, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. ‘Will you come back?’
I nodded. ‘Sure.’
‘Would you meet me here sometime?’ she wondered.
I almost gaped at her. Was she asking me out? I felt lost for words.
‘I’d like to see you again,’ she told me, before I could speak.
Again, I stared at her. I must have appeared dumbfounded, because she leant forwards and smile.
‘Annie; you’re sure making me work hard right now. Will you meet me for a coffee sometime?’
‘I don’t drink coffee,’ I replied, stupidly. It was mainly because I didn’t know what to say.
‘Are you already attached?’ she questioned.
I shook my head slowly. ‘No…’
‘So, meet me?’
‘I…I just don’t know whether that’s such a good idea.’
She held my eyes for a long moment and then held her hand out across the table.
‘What are you doing?’ I asked, slightly bewildered.
‘Give me your hand…’
I quickly pulled back.
‘I’m just going to write my number on it…in case you change your mind.’
‘I…’ I felt panicked. The last thing I wanted her to do was touch my hand and come into contact with her. I knew, before trying it, that it would be too much for me. Overwhelming. ‘Here-write it on this napkin,’ I told her.
‘Alright,’ she said, pulling out a pen from her jacket and writing her number. ‘Here…call me when you change your mind.’
‘When?’ I smiled.
‘I’m being hopeful,’ she said, returning my wide grin.
I stuffed the napkin into my bag and stood up. ‘Well, we’ll see…I’m not in the best place to be making new friends right now, I’m afraid.’
‘Oh, I wasn’t talking about friendship,’ she informed me silkily, and stood up slowly, her eyes holding mine captive.
I had to swallow against the intense urge to throw caution to the wind and step into her arms, embracing all the passion and desire I felt in that intense moment. ‘Eve, I…’
She interrupted me by stepping around the table and into my personal space, quite clearly making the statement of her intentions. ‘Don’t. If you change your mind about meeting me, give me a call. I’d very much like to get to know you better, Annie.’
‘But why?’ I couldn’t help asking.
‘Because you intrigue me,’ she said softly, her voice a whisper and her face close to mine.
I lowered my eyes briefly, feeling heat flood my cheeks. ‘I’m nothing special, Eve…’
‘That’s where you’re wrong,’ she told me, smoothly. ‘I’ll let you go though. Talk to you soon.’
I watched as she pivoted and headed back up the aisle before disappearing into the kitchen. I grabbed my bag and left, out into the windy, salt air. I headed down the sand swiftly, desperate suddenly to be home.
When I reached my cosy cottage, I shut the door hard behind me. The wind was fierce and I felt blown about. After dispensing with my shoes and coat, I headed to the kitchen, made a hot chocolate and then turned on the heating. Into the lounge I went, and got comfortable on the sofa.
After switching on the TV, I was so tired that I drank my hot chocolate and lay down. With thoughts of Eve consuming my mind, I drifted off to sleep.
In my dream I was hiding. The bushes concealed me and the dark was my companion. It kept me hidden from all. I looked down at my black gloves which held the heavy gun I had bought. It was loaded and I practised cocking it, back and forth.
Looking up, I saw a light come on in the bedroom window. I knew it was the bedroom because I had walked through it and searched it earlier. A figure crossed the window and I smiled to myself. Target, detected. Eve…nearly time to die, I thought to myself.
I woke up with a start, bolt upright in my seat, breathing hard and struggling to regain control. Typical…I finally managed to sleep only to see a disturbing vision. Eve was in danger. I was in doubt about that. I reached for my phone before I even stopped to think. I fished the napkin out of my bag and dialled quickly.
‘Hello?’ Eve answered, sounding sleepy.
‘I’ve changed my mind,’ I told her, without preamble. ‘Eve…I’ve changed my mind.’
Chapter 3
‘Annie?’
‘Yes, it’s me,’ I replied quietly.
‘What time is it?’ she exclaimed.
I glanced out of the window and saw darkness. It had felt like I had been asleep for minutes but it seemed it had been much, much longer than that. I looked to the clock. It was eleven at night. ‘Oh, uh sorry…it’s quarter past eleven.’
‘You normally call people in the night?’ she questioned.
‘Sorry, Eve…I uh…I’m a bit of an insomniac. I’ll call back another time.’
‘No, don’t. I’m awake now. So, you were saying?’ she encouraged.
‘I…well, I’ve changed my mind. Do you want to meet?’ I asked her, feeling a little panicky.
‘What now?’ she joked. ‘I’m in my pyjamas.’
‘Now could work,’ I told her seriously.
‘Annie! I’m in bed! Are you joking?’
‘No,’ I replied. ‘Can I pop over?’
‘Pop over? You want to pop over at eleven at night?’ she questioned.
I sighed. ‘Yes or no, Eve?’
She paused for a long moment. ‘Come over…’
‘What’s your address?’ I asked.
‘2 Seafront Avenue,’ she replied.
I knew it. Relief rushed through me. ‘I’ll be there in ten minutes,’ I told her, and hung up. I grabbed my bag and ran for the door. I wasn’t sure, but I had a feeling the danger she faced was out there this very evening. I wanted to protect her if I could. I wanted to stop whatever it was happening.
I hurried out to my car and was driving out into the dark before I knew it. I navigated the twists and turns quickly, whilst feeling scared and unsure about what I faced when I arrived.
As soon as I pulled into the drive, I knew I had the right place. The front garden was as I had seen it from the bushes. I got out of the car and went to the place where I had seen the watcher looking into the window. There was no sign he had ever been there and yet I knew he had. I felt it.
I turned and rushed to the front door, knocking urgently. She opened it after a moment and stared at me in confusion.
‘This is very strange,’ she told me, with a frown on her face.
I tried a smile, but it felt tense. ‘I, uh…well, I couldn’t sleep so I figured…well…’
‘No, I’m pleased. I just…’
‘Come in,’ she said, holding the door open. ‘If we’re having an all-nighter, we might as well get started.’
I stepped inside and quickly scanned the hallway, looking for danger. It all appeared fine, however I still felt afraid. I was scared for Eve’s safety and also for my own now. ‘Can I go to the bathroom?’ I asked her.
She stared at me, clearly thrown even further by my request.
‘I, uh…yeah. It’s…top of the stairs and straight ahead.’
‘Thanks,’ I replied.
‘I’ll put the kettle on,’ she told me.
I quickly ran up the stairs.
When I was out of sight, I searched the whole upstairs for intruders. I went from one room to the next as quietly as I could, taking nothing in, just looking for anyone hiding. It was clear…there was no-one in the upstairs. I hurried back to the bathroom, flushed the toilet, washed my hands and headed back down the stairs.
I then went in a few rooms, looking around. It was in the dining room that Eve re-joined me.
‘You alright?’ she asked,
‘Yeah! Show me around! This place looks lovely.’
‘Ur, okay…’ she replied hesitantly.
I knew she was probably regretting asking me out. I knew I must appear positively crazy but I didn’t care if it meant she was safe and protected.
‘So, this is my office. I often have to work from home so this is a base.’
‘Very nice,’ I said. ‘And what else?’ I encouraged.
‘Oh, well through here is the kitchen…’
I wandered through the room, looking for intruders. ‘Nice,’ I said absently.
‘And then through the door is the lounge…feel free to go and sit down in there.’
‘Thanks,’ I replied.
‘I’ll make a drink…what would you like?’
‘Oh, nothing thanks. Caffeine keeps me awake.’
She gaped at me. ‘Annie; you’ve come over to my house at eleven at night, after waking me up and now you’re concerned about getting to sleep? I don’t think we’re going to be sleeping tonight…’
‘No?’ I frowned.
‘Well, what did you expect? To come over and have a sleepover?’ she asked, looking as confused as I felt about everything.
‘I…I don’t know what I expected. I just…’ I exhaled noisily. ‘I just had to come, Eve.’
‘Why? Why couldn’t this wait till tomorrow?’ she wondered.
I met her gaze and felt my resolve slipping. ‘Eve? Why don’t you get yourself a drink and then join me…I have a story to tell you…it might explain everything.’
She looked at me doubtfully.
‘Please?’
She nodded, slowly. ‘Okay.’
I went to sit down in the living room and told myself to relax. There was no immediate danger in this house. I was pretty convinced of that now. I took some steadying breaths to control my nerves. I would have to open up to her, but there was no choice. If it meant keeping her safe, I would do it.
When Eve walked back in, she was eyeing me strangely. I couldn’t blame her; I was pretty sure she was regretting inviting me over. She probably thought I was one sultana short of being a fruitcake.
‘So…’ Eve said, as way of starting conversation.
I gave her a rueful smile. ‘I’m sorry about all this, Eve. I’m not mad. I’m just…troubled, I guess.’
She frowned. ‘That doesn’t make this sound any better.’
‘I know…hear me out? Then if you want me to go, I will. Promise?’
She gazed at me for a long moment before speaking. ‘Okay…you said you had a story to tell?’
‘Yes. One which will explain all of this. I hope,’ I added at the end.
‘Well, go ahead then.’
All of a sudden, I felt very nervous. I wasn’t used to opening up to anyone; especially a woman who was so gorgeous she took my breath away. ‘I, uh…’ I released the breath I was holding. ‘Sorry. I’m not used to this.’
‘What? Talking? Telling a story?’ she questioned.
‘No, talking openly about myself…I’m a pretty private, secretive person, Eve.’
She nodded, scanning my face rapidly. ‘I can imagine that somehow…’
‘Well, here goes…to understand all of this I need to go back a little.’
‘To when?’ she asked.
‘To the day my mother died. My adoptive mother, that is…’
‘Okay,’ Eve replied slowly, frowning ever so slightly, marring her perfect skin on her forehead.
I met her eyes and told myself to just tell her my story as I saw it. If she believed me, so be it. If she didn’t, I would deal with the fall out later.
‘My mother basically died of a broken heart. She didn’t want to carry on after my father died and became ill with a lot of different conditions. To cut a sad story short, she eventually died quietly in bed, while I held her hand. She drifted off into the next world while my hand held hers tightly…’
‘I’m so sorry, Annie.’
‘Thank you…that’s not really the story though. That was where this all started.’
‘Where what started?’
I took a deep breath and then met her eyes boldly. ‘The physical contact of holding Mum’s hand when she died changed me, Eve.’
‘How so?’
I paused, hoping she wouldn’t throw me out instantly. ‘When she went, I had a vision.’
‘A vision?’
I nodded. ‘It wasn’t a ‘I’m having a pretty dream of Mum heading off into heaven’ type of vision. It was bold, clear and exact. I watched as my Mum left her body and returned to my father. I then followed them into the world beyond briefly, where shape and form is altered and I saw them content and happy to be reunited.’
She stared at me, wide-eyed.
‘When I came back to normality, I was shaken. I assumed it was probably grief which had shattered my regular mind. I dismissed it as I dealt with the funeral and the grief from losing her.’
She nodded slowly, but her eyes stayed on mine. ‘But the visions didn’t go away?’ she predicted.
I sighed. ‘Nothing happened until I went back to work, Eve. I’m a doctor. I have to lay my hands on people and use touch all the time. I didn’t realise that since Mum died, things had changed for me.’
‘How so?’
‘Well; the moment I touched my first patient, I suffered what I now think of as a panic attack. The second I laid my hands on him, I was swamped by emotion and barraged by hard life experience. I almost fainted the first time it happened. It overwhelmed me, Eve. Here I was, trying to check if he had broken his wrist and I was close to collapse. The second I removed my hands from his skin, it stopped.’
‘What did you do?’ she gaped.
‘I regained my composure and treated him as I was supposed to. It wasn’t easy though and I was shaken. When the next patient came in, I was fearful to touch them.’
‘And did you?’
‘I had to! It was a suspected ear infection.’
‘What happened when you touched the person’s skin?’
‘Yet again, I was flooded with visions. The feeling was incredible; it took over my system. You know that moment before you faint when you lose control and you know you can’t do anything about it? Well, it felt like that. I felt overtaken and paralysed by what I saw; and the visions raced across my brain like wildfire.’
Eve stared at me.
‘It began to happen often…and I found it began to affect me in negative ways.’
‘How so?’
‘I couldn’t sleep…I still can’t sleep properly. Alongside the visions, I now have dreams. They’re not dreams like fluffy clouds and happy thoughts-they’re dark and sinister and often foretell of danger.’
She frowned.
‘So, as you can expect-my sleep is badly affected.’
‘I can imagine…’
I sighed. ‘So, here I was at work-trying to remain professional-while I’m suffering from insomnia, nightmares and having visions whenever I touched someone.’
‘I see.’
‘It became too much…and I began to lose my professionalism. It ended in me being suspended from work. At the moment I’m being investigated for malpractice whilst suspended on full pay.’
Her mouth opened in surprise as she watched me. ‘What did you do?’
I sighed. ‘Something I shouldn’t have…’
‘You can’t stop there! Come on, Annie! What happened?’
‘I…well…I began to be unprofessional.’
‘You said that. In what way were you unprofessional, Annie?’
‘I began seeing things that couldn’t go unmentioned. I started to give advice or say things which I had seen rather than knew simply through my normal doctor role.’
‘So, what was it that got you in trouble?’ she asked.
I sighed. I seemed to spend a lot of my time sighing lately. ‘Her name was Mary. She was ninety-one years old. A lovely, old lady.’
&nb
sp; ‘And you saw visions when you met her.’
‘I did, yes. They disturbed me, Eve. They disturbed me enough to have to say something.’
‘What did you see?’
‘I saw one of her carers giving her medication which would kill her,’ I revealed.
Eve’s eyes widened.
‘The worst bit about it was, that when I described the person I saw-it turned out to be one of her sons.’
‘No!’ she gasped.
‘Yeah, I know. So I felt like I had to tell her. I knew she was old, and likely to die at some point anyway, but I still didn’t think she should be killed off for money before her time.’
‘Of course not, no!’ Eve exclaimed.
‘So I spoke to her about it…I warned her to be suspicious and that I believed she was slowly being poisoned by her son.’
‘It didn’t go down well?’
‘Well, she’s alive, so in that sense it went well. The son is suing the practice though and because of my actions, my competency and professionalism has been called into question. Also, the state of my mental health…’
‘Because they don’t believe you have psychic ability?’ she questioned.
‘Do you not have an issue with that, Eve?’
‘What? Psychic ability?’
I nodded.
‘I’m open to anything. My beliefs are wide and varied.’
‘That’s good…that’s good.’
‘Why?’ she wondered.
‘Because the reason I told you all that is because my story now leads to you.’
She stared at me with those wide, and beautiful eyes. ‘Go ahead.’
‘Eve?’
She held my gaze.
‘I believe you’re in danger.’
Chapter 4
‘You think I’m in danger?’ she asked sceptically.
‘I’ve been dreaming about you,’ I told her.
She laughed and winked at me. ‘Well, save that line for later.’
‘Eve, please! I’m serious. The dreams are not nice dreams…they’re downright scary.’
‘Why? What happens to me in these ‘dreams?’ she asked, using her fingers as quotation marks.