Oculus

by S. E. Akers

  Nicely done, I smiled silently.

  I figured I would have a little fun of my own. I brushed my finger across the ruby on my cuff as I watched the woman out of the corner of my eye.

  “Kamya,” I called telepathically.

  The woman kept on eating her peanuts while I waited for her psychic response. I was about to reach over and officially bust her when a voice echoed in my head.

  “Yes,” the Ruby Talisman replied.

  “Don’t be cute,” I blasted.

  “Excuse me?” Kamya grunted. “Normally one greets another with a ‘HELLO’.”

  Really? “I know it’s you, so you can drop the act.”

  “What are you talking about?” she asked.

  “I’m talking about you sitting right here beside me,” I replied, refusing to play her little game.

  “Is there someone there who looks like me?!?” Kamya grilled quickly and with a blatant bite.

  Her curt & cross tone genuinely surprised me. “No,” I huffed.

  “Well then Shiloh, my hands are rather preoccupied at the present time . . . and though I am genuinely fond of you, may I suggest you stop being so cryptic before you piss me off?”

  “So you’re not here in Boston?” I argued.

  “No,” Kamya said flatly. “I assure you that I am not.”

  “Prove it,” I insisted and then rattled off my cell number. “Text me a picture of you, right now.”

  “RIGHT NOW?” she posed, sounding riled.

  “Yes,” I demanded, not backing down.

  Suddenly a “beep” blared from my cell. I snatched it up to see a picture of Kamya lying in bed on my screen…and she wasn’t alone. The message underneath clued me in on her mood.

  Crap…

  “That’ll do it,” I rambled and broke our connection immediately. Talk about feeling like a complete idiot, and on top of it, I’d pissed her fiery tail off.

  Now my guilt had me scrambling for some way to make amends for coming across so rude to this woman. “I didn’t mean to offend you . . . I’m just allergic to nuts,” I lied.

  The elderly woman swiftly rolled the bag to a crumpled close and then packed it away. “Oh heavens, I apologize,” she insisted, wiping her hands.

  “That’s all right,” I replied and scooted a little closer.

  “I really should know better. So many people seem to be allergic nowadays.” She nodded to the children. “Especially here.”

  The woman looked at all the children so enraptured by their playfulness. “Which one’s yours?” I asked.

  Her head lowered. “Oh, I only come here to get a little peace and fresh air myself. I lost my child long ago.”

  Way to go, Shiloh… I couldn’t dodge a pile of crap for stepping in quicksand. “I’m sorry,” I said.

  The woman waved her hand. “That’s all right dear. It was a very long time ago, but then there are some days when it seems like only yesterday. That’s why I come here . . . quite often, in fact. I regret not getting to watch her grow up.”

  Just when I thought my heart couldn’t feel any heavier, it morphs into a daggone anchor. I honestly didn’t know what to say, so I redirected my stare to the playground.

  “Though I must admit, sometimes I find watching all the mothers more intriguing than the children. I constantly find myself amazed and astonished by their actions at times,” she remarked. “The things they do out of love.”

  “Me too,” I muttered, thinking about my own mother’s warped emotions over the years.

  “Take Abby over there for example,” the woman said. I followed her finger to a little girl whose precious little face claimed the same silky-mocha hue as Samuel’s. Of course you’d never know what color her skin was if it weren’t for her head and hands. Abby was dressed in a long-sleeved yellow turtleneck and a pair of jeans that stretched down to her ankles. My brow started sweating at the mere sight of her out-of-season attire. It was July, not January.

  “She looks hot,” I sneered.

  “Undoubtedly,” the woman grimaced, fanning her own hands. She pointed to a woman sitting in a patch of grass near the little girl. “That’s her mother, Elaina, the one that’s been running back and forth with water bottles for over an hour trying to keep her hydrated. Abby’s body is covered in burns from the neck down, charred and riddled with splotches. Elaina was making spaghetti for dinner one evening. She was removing a pot of boiling water off the stove and didn’t know her daughter was standing behind her. She ran right into the little thing. She’s never forgiven herself.” The woman gave her head a somber shake.

  I cupped my hand over my mouth. “That’s so tragic.”

  “Isn’t it?” the woman concurred with a curt nod. “For both of them. You know, guilt carries a signature glow of its own.”

  If that was true, I had to look like a lighthouse beaming day and night.

  “It’s easy to spot it hiding within a person’s eyes,” the woman assured. “It mimics fear in many ways. You just have to know what you’re looking for.”

  I turned my head back to Abby, not wanting the woman to linger in my blue pools for too long. They were chocked full of both and running over.

  “Elaina dresses her that way year-round, partly to ease her remorse, but mostly so the children won’t tease her. But I’ve heard some of the little brats out here.” The woman clenched her teeth. “They call her Pinky the Dalmatian.”

  “That’s so cruel,” I gasped. Suddenly the thought of Katie snapping a few limbs didn’t bother me a bit.

  “You’d think the little thing wouldn’t want to come out here and play at all after being subjected to those kind of taunts, but she’s never missed a single Friday since she turned four. It’s refreshing to see a child whose spirit remains unbroken.” The woman’s far-off stare returned to the children. “It’s the way of our world that causes their sadness. All the selfish people who give others no true regard, suffocating in their own insecurities and wanting to inflict their pain on others. Most individuals nowadays think blowing out someone else’s light will make theirs shine brighter, but it doesn’t . . . All it does is contribute to the darkness.”

  Abby’s mother started packing up their things. I couldn’t let them leave, not if I was able to do something to help them. I didn’t have to venture into her mother’s mind. After dipping into Rebecca’s, I knew what anguish I would find.

  “I can tell quite a bit about a person,” she bragged. “And you, young lady are a compassionate soul. You actually look like you would move heaven and earth to help her in any way you could.”

  She wasn’t wrong about that. I was sitting here thinking just that.

  The elderly woman rose to her feet. “I love seeing compassion in people. That’s my favorite emotion.” She extended me a warm smile. “And that’s exactly what I see lighting your eyes.” The woman glanced at her watch. “Well, I must be heading off now. It’s dreadfully hot out here, and I’ve got a ball of yarn sitting next to my air conditioner at home calling my name — but it was a pleasure chatting with you.”

  I nodded to her as I kept my eyes on the mother and daughter who were about to leave.

  The elderly woman nodded to Abby’s mother. “Yes indeed, guilt is something a mother’s eyes can never hide,” she assured and turned back to me. “I suppose that’s because they’re the window to our souls.”

  My eyes swelled, glazing with awareness, while the sock from her remark throbbed in my gut. “That’s is painfully true,” I agreed.

  The woman smiled and then reached out to shake my hand. I’d no sooner extended mine when she jerked back abruptly. She stared at her palm for a moment and then lifted her gaze. “Peanuts,” she apologized with a soft smile and then started making her slow stroll down the lane.

  Her departure now offered the focus I needed to confirm my hunch, as well as the opportunity to start kissing some major Ruby Talisman butt.

  “Kamya,” I called out sweetly. I waited for about a minute without any response.
With Abby and her mother almost ready to make their departure, I needed some stouter bait. “Kamya, you’re the only one who can help me,” I whispered telepathically, hoping an ego stroke proved better than honey.

  “YESSS,” the Ruby Talisman finally hissed. If she had come in any hotter, my ears would have shot off like bottle rockets.

  “I’m sorry about earlier,” I insisted. “I thought Tanner had sent you to check up on me.” I gave her a speedy run-down of my reasons, attempting to stamp out a few flames.

  “Trust me, Shiloh . . . If I was playing spy, you wouldn’t have a clue as to whom or where,” she assured.

  I didn’t doubt it. “Need to ask you something.”

  “No,” she chided. “You’ve had your turn. Now it’s mine.”

  “That’s fair,” I muttered, despite the vision of me stomping around in protest that was playing in my head.

  “Tell me how things are going?” she asked.

  Talk about a mental image that was in there kickin’ up a fit. My rump pressed against the slats as I squirmed around on the bench, lending the air a battery of noisy “creaks”. The kick-ass Ruby Talisman was the last person I wanted knowing about all of my failures. Ugh… Leave it to a fire elemental to throw you into the hot seat, I grumbled.

  “Like right now?” I evaded.

  “Shiloh, my fondness comes with a warning that I wouldn’t normally extend. I don’t tolerate certain responses well. Be advised that dodging questions will only give you a taste of my better bad-side and lying will land you on my not-so-nice one. Believe me when I say it has amassed quite the collection of tongues over the years.”

  I have no doubt. “More crash than burn,” I answered. The displeasure I sensed from her silence blared like a shrill whistle, sending me into a cringe. The only thing missing was a pack of dogs howling at the moon with their snouts stuck in the air.

  “I see,” Kamya replied, clearly in a strain. “So what is the problem?”

  “I just need to recalibrate my focus,” I assured. “That’s all.”

  “In regards to which creature exactly?”

  “All of them,” I admitted.

  “That’s not what I asked. My question is about your struggles in general, is it the monsters?” she probed. “Or the man?”

  My head fell straight into my hands. Not her too. “I really need you to answer a question I have,” I pressed.

  “Then answer mine,” she grumbled.

  “The monsters,” I replied, hurried.

  “Remember what element I reign over, Shiloh. I’m guessing all I have to do is merely throw open a window to pick up on the fiery trail blazing from the tail of your pants . . . even thousands of miles away.”

  “My question?” I resubmitted firmly.

  “Proceed,” Kamya sang.

  Finally… I knew a ruby could heal burns caused by a flame, but I wasn’t sure about ones resulting from another source. “Can a ruby heal someone from a burn caused by scalding water?” I asked. Please say yes… Please say yes…

  “No.” Hearing her answer sent my heart plummeting straight back to the doldrums just as swiftly as her reply. “Not alone,” she added. “You need a powerful water stone to accompany it, and your hands must be wet when you lay them on the afflicted area. Your moonstone is the perfect choice, though your amethyst would work too — if you haven’t lost it.”

  I was so buoyant after hearing her admission I couldn’t have cared less about her spank. Then again, my skin had thickened several layers over the past few weeks, courtesy of one house bastard.

  “So all I have to do is splash some water on my hands, focus on both stones, and kick-start my diamond?”

  “See how easy things come to those who possess a clear head,” Kamya confirmed.

  At least she went a little more passive on that one.

  “Anything else?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” I muttered. “What about autism?”

  “Now there’s a treasure hunt in the making,” she assured. “Healing something like that requires such a mixed bag of gemstones . . . More than simply your diamond.”

  “Like which ones?”

  “A ruby, an amethyst, a citrine,” she rattled off. “There are quite a few more, but the two toughest to obtain would be an iolite and a larimar. Your diamond may heal their minds, but an iolite imbeds its magic in their creative cortexes. It’s not like most mental conditions where you’re bringing a fully-developed mind backward. An iolite expands their abstract thinking and pushes it forward. And of course, larimars are crucial when it comes to balancing their senses.”

  Knowing that larimars were only issued to men had me wondering why an iolite was so equally out of reach. Tanner never mentioned its exclusivity when he’d gone over it.

  “Why is an iolite so hard to get?” I asked.

  “Because Tanner is your mentor,” Kamya revealed. “Maria would never part with one without an enticing enough bargaining chip. He has something she wants and refuses to trade it. It’s left a little bad blood.”

  Is there anyone he hasn’t ticked off? I remembered there was a “Maria” that had dropped by Tanner’s during the tail end of my orientation tour. That could have been her.

  I spied Abby’s mother leading her towards the small structure that housed the restrooms. “Thank you, Kamya, but I need to go.”

  “Shiloh, I want you to truly think about your problems,” she added. “One can never truly master anything they desire if they let their emotions rule them. I turned mine off long ago for that very reason. I trust you will heed my advice and put my offering to use.”

  Why do lectures always come at the most importune times? “All right,” I blurted, officially signing-off, and then quickly followed the little girl and her mother into the bathroom.

  I peeked around the corner cautiously. There were only three stalls. Two of them had been blocked off with “Out of Order” tape, so I immediately knew which one held my mark. Now I just had to turn invisible and wait.

  One flush later, the door swung open, and the little girl bolted out of the stall. “Abby, please wait beside the sinks,” her mother instructed.

  “Okay,” Abby replied and then stuck her hand underneath the automatic faucet for a magical round of on & off.

  I had it on good authority that her mother was going to be in there for a while. Hearing her rip out a toilet seat liner and a few telltale gurgles were all the clues I needed — no telepathy required.

  I lowered my veil as I approached the sinks. Abby flashed me a curious smile as soon as she caught my reflection in the mirror. Given that green-light, I pressed my index finger against my lips and made a silent “shush” as I knelt beside her. The way her big brown eyes connected with mine with such an unquestioning innocence struck an evocative note. Now here was someone—no matter how naïve—that I knew in my heart had complete trust in me. And she didn’t have to give me any life-saving crystal to assure me of a thing.

  I summoned my gentlest of smiles and then prepared a mental whisper aimed directly at her precious little head. “What if you never had to wear those long-sleeved shirts and pants in the summer anymore . . . Would you like that?” I posed.

  I didn’t think those doll-like eyes of hers could get any bigger, despite the stretch of her imagination, but they sprang open in a blink like two tiny firecrackers. I was simply relieved she didn’t boom out a scream.

  I placed my finger back up to my mouth and gave my head a soft shake when she started to speak. She moistened her baby-pink lips and then extended me several bashful nods.

  I placed my hands under the faucet for a few seconds. Once they were nice and wet, I opened my arms and motioned her towards me. “How about I hug them away?” I asked, my mouth still closed and eyes fully engaged.

  Abby glanced back at the stall. I thought she was going to call out to her mother at first, but then she charged into my chest like one of Silas’ iron cannonballs. While one of my hands wrapped around her tiny frame, the oth
er lifted up the tail of her shirt. I felt the rush of welling tears as soon as my brain registered just how extensive her injuries were. Abby’s skin had more bumps and ruts than a backwoods gravel road. My lids fell to a close as I willed the ruby and moonstone’s healing abilities to blend, right along with my calls to the diamond. Though I knew she wasn’t in any pain, Abby’s squeeze steadily grew tighter. Something wonderful struck me at that moment, something even more awesome than the feelings I’d had healing mental patients the other day. I could actually feel the magic her soul was emitting. It was pure and innocent… Warm and bursting with hope… But the sweetest thing was sensing all the genuine love she felt for others. Her soul hadn’t been warped by anyone, no matter how hard their cruel words had fallen on her ears or how many tears she’d shed from insensitive stares. Again, I felt so blessed to give someone such a miraculous gift.

  And I hated Katie wasn’t here to witness Abby’s hug in person, mainly because I wanted her to see what a “real one” looked like. It totally blew the one she’d given me in the car earlier straight out of the water.

  I pulled out of our embrace as soon as all the marred patches on her little body had completely vanished. I didn’t want to let go of this precious moment, however, the sound of the toilet flushing drove my speedy departure. I only got a glimpse of Abby’s dazed little face before I dashed out of the restroom. It was probably for the best. I would have flooded the piped sanctuary all by myself knowing she couldn’t remember a thing about me now. I let out a sigh as I searched around for Katie. This would always be the bittersweet part.

  I soon spotted my BFF carrying two cones, both dripping chocolaty streaks down her hands, clear to her elbows. “They were out of vanilla,” my bosom friend insisted.

  “That’s okay,” I said and relieved her of the sticky mess. “It’s so hot out here, I’ll take anything.”

  Katie let out several giggles. “Really?” she said and nodded for me to turn around. “Would you take to streaking?” I spotted Abby instantly, running through the park while she stripped straight down to her Disney Princess undies. Her mother was running after her frantically, scooping up her clothes and pleading for her to stop and come back.