by Rene Folsom
All I could hear was Jay’s manic breathing through the phone. He was speechless for once in his fucking life and I didn’t blame him. I just dropped a huge bomb on someone who is not of the soul-seer world. I had to be careful what I shared or face retribution from the council.
“Jonah,” Jay finally spoke. “I don’t know what the hell is going on and now I wish I wasn’t going out of town. Are you going to be okay? I know we men like to bottle up our feelings, but this is serious shit, dude! Do you need me to stay?”
“Hell no. Go have fun with your family. I actually think I will visit my dad tonight. He knows of my dreams and he has already seen the drawing. As a matter of fact, he told me he went to school with a woman who looked like the girl in the drawing, which is why I was demanding to know her name. He knows Delphina.”
Just as the words spilled out of my mouth, I realized I said way too much. He’s a mortal for Christ’s sake and I just told him my dad knows the mother of the girl I obsess about in my dreams? Yeah… even I have a hard time following it and I expect a mortal to understand.
“Ok… this is, like, weird John Edward type of shit. You know, that psychic dude?”
“I’ve heard of John Edward and if I were dreaming about a dead person, then I’d say you’re right. But, she’s obviously alive and well and I don’t know how the hell I’m going to approach her,” I said with all honesty. I’d already put so much on him—what’s one more admission to seal my fate?
“Well, don’t start your introduction off with the fact you dream of her. Just be your charming self.” I could tell Jay was actually trying to be helpful for once.
“Thanks, Jay. Drive safe, ok? I’ll text you later to update you.”
Later that evening, I cursed myself for not approaching her. I couldn’t believe I was such a nancy. In my defense, every time I followed her in my dreams, she up and vanished, leaving my mind in an emotional state of panic. What’s to say that wouldn’t happen in reality?
I was pacing in my father’s study, waiting, dying, for him to get home. I needed to talk to him. He was the only one I could talk to.
Finally, his study door creaked open and he walked in. About fucking time!
He looked tired and a bit rundown, like he had a hard day at work.
“Dad!” I yelled, hearing my voice crack like an adolescent boy going through puberty. I cleared my throat to suppress the anxiety that was obvious in my voice. “Dad, you look tired. I’m sorry to surprise you like this, but it’s important.”
“I could tell by the million text messages and missed phone calls I received from you within the past four hours. I am sorry I did not respond. Today has been long and… just… long.”
My dad hardly ever lost his words. He really must be tired. But, this was way more important. I couldn’t help but force my emotional issues upon my dad.
“I’m sorry, Dad, but this is really, really important. She is real. She exists. I met her today. Well, I didn’t really meet her. I wussed out. I was scared and confused and… she… Oh my God, Dad. She is so much more beautiful than even my dreams could convey. She…”
He cut me off. “Wait a minute! You saw her? You really saw her today?”
Now the life was showing in his eyes again. Now he’s getting it!
“Yes! Her and her mother came into the studio. They’re new members. Jay only got her mother’s name. It’s Delphina Hugh, Dad! Her daughter was with her today. Oh, how I wish I didn’t have this mental block going on. I wanted so badly to hear what she was thinking.” I finally quieted as I saw my dad staring at me. “What?”
“This is the happiest I have seen you in many, many years, Jonah,” he said, with emotion oozing from his tone. Oh, boy.
“I am happy. Well, I will be even happier once I get the guts to approach her. But, the fact that I’m not cracked? The fact that she’s actually real? Oh, that makes me practically euphoric!”
“I bet,” he said with a smile.
“So, I take it you didn’t get in touch with Delphina Hugh since you’re just now hearing this from me?” I asked, worried my dad would probably fall over from exhaustion right where he stood.
He shook his head as he sat on the small sofa. “No. I did try to look her up but only came up with her sister, Sybil. She was always a pushy person and way too overly-promiscuous for me to be comfortable around her. If I reached out to Sybil, I would never get rid of her. Plus, I really wanted to contact Del directly instead of through her family. From what I recall, her family does not know of her gifts. She was a rare child that had to find out about her clairvoyance on her own because neither of her parents possessed the soul-seer genes.”
“Well, that’s odd. That’s not… uh… is that even possible?”
“No, which is why Del found out later that her mom must have had a fling. The last I spoke to Delphina, she did not know who her father was.”
I just nodded. That must suck to find out one of your parents was unfaithful and resulted in your birth. Of course, Delphina looked like a strong person. I’m sure she handled it with grace and beauty. She really was beautiful. But, not nearly as beautiful as her daughter.
“So, did you find out her name?” my dad asked, bringing me out of my thoughts and back to the present.
“Ahh, no. Not yet anyway. But, I’m determined to find out soon enough.” Then I remembered what happened with Jay and thought I should ask for my dad’s advice. “Um, Dad? Jay was there when Delphina and her daughter showed up. Let’s just say, I didn’t handle it well. He saw the raw reaction I had and demanded to know what was up. I’ve never really told him about… her. He knows I dream of purple eyes on an occasion, but he never knew the extent of it. So, when I clearly wore my heart on my sleeve, I told him to go home and look at the drawing from the other night. I think he’s a bit freaked out now.”
At that bit of information, my dad let out a roaring laugh and grabbed his belly as he chuckled. “I bet he is freaked! You pretty much just told him you dreamed, in detail, about a girl that you have never met until today. He is probably packing his things right now!”
“Damn it. Don’t say that,” I said with a sigh. “You don’t think a slip like that would get me in trouble, do you?”
“You know that boy would never leave you over something like this. I was just joking, Jonah. But, you need to explain to him to keep a lid on this. You do not need to go into detail about your abilities, especially since you cannot prove them at the moment. But, at least explain you would like the dreams to stay quiet, especially with your increase in recognition within the art world. Do not mention any of our hierarchy and laws. Play the dumb card.”
“You’re right. I didn’t even think of that. He’s visiting with his parents tonight, but he’ll be back tomorrow morning. I’ll talk to him then.”
My dad just nodded and I could tell how tired he really was. I told him he should get some rest and that I would check in with him tomorrow. He also surprised me with the fact that my mom bought me two new pillows, already cased and waiting on my bed at the apartment. I realized then I hadn’t been home since leaving my mom with the feathery mess the day before.
That night, in my apartment, I framed and hung the drawing of my love. At the bottom, I wrote the only word I could think of. The name I gave my studio in her honor. Lavendine.
Chapter Three
We were out for a joy ride. Of course, Jonah looked breathtakingly handsome while driving his sexy Charger. Wind blew our hair wildly as we sped through the winding roads of the mountains. I’ve never been to the mountains before, but it was like Jonah was completing my thoughts and imaginations of what I believed it would be like.
He didn’t speak. During the silence, I took the time to stare at him with reverence and admiration. His silky dark hair was a raging mess as the wind from the sunroof blew through the strands. His glittering green eyes held promises I was only too willing to discover. His lips pursed slightly as he concentrated on the road, then split into a ful
l-on cheesy smile when he caught me staring. I didn’t bother to look away. I wasn’t embarrassed of my admiration for this man.
My first vision of the West Coast was perfect. The sun was setting over the Pacific Ocean causing the sky to swirl with the most beautiful pinks, oranges, and yellows my eyes had ever seen. Streaks of tiny, puffy clouds broke the gradient of colors, causing an abstract pattern across the afternoon sky.
Jonah reached over and grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers through mine, and bathing me with goose bumps all over my skin. His hand was warm. Tender, yet strong. I wanted his hands all over me, exploring every inch of my body and making me writhe with excitement. Just the mere thought of his hands touching my tender skin caused the blood to whoosh through my ears with every beat of my heart.
I suddenly wished the center console of this car was nonexistent so I could sit closer to the man who took my breath away.
Brazenly going where I had never gone before, I leaned over and ran my hand up his leg, slowly tracing the hard muscles from his knee all the way to his groin.
A sharp hiss was all I heard as he sucked in a ragged breath, obviously affected by my forward advances. I leaned further, practically stretching out of my seat belt, and gave him a light peck on the cheek. I continued my assault by trailing my lips across the light scruff on his jaw. Making my way to his ear, I used my tongue to let him know how divine he tasted.
Deciding to excite him even more, I lightly nibbled on his earlobe with my teeth, grazing ever so slightly and sucking the soft tissue into my mouth. My advances were rewarded with a low grumble of pleasure as he brought his hand up to grab the back of my head in an attempt to keep me steady. He was enjoying this.
Still, he said nothing as he stealthily navigated the mountainous roads ahead of us. But, I didn’t need words to know I was driving him wild. His reaction alone told me I affected him just as much as he did me.
Out of nowhere, a dog limped in front of the car, causing Jonah to swerve frantically in every attempt to avoid hitting the poor mutt. He tried to gain control of the car, but ended up fishtailing. You would think I’d be able to hear the screeching of the tires, the rev of the engine, or the sound of my screams as we plummeted over the side of the cliff. Yet, there was no sound—only devastating horror as we watched each other die.
My lungs gasped for air as I sprang up from my pillow, grabbing my chest in a desperate attempt to close the gaping hole in my heart. Sobs began pouring out of my throat, causing tears to splash unforgivingly onto my quilt.
Reality set in once more, as it did every time I woke up from one of my nightmares. Part of me wished it could be real, if only for the fact it would mean Jonah was also real.
God, I wish he were real. I don’t know how I planned to live my life without knowing whether he truly existed or if he was just a figment of my sad, pathetic imagination.
I looked out the window to see it was still dark. The clock glowing through my darkened room told me it was only five-thirty in the morning. My mind was telling me to go back to sleep. My heart was saying how absurd that idea was as it pounded on my chest.
Knowing full well I would never be able to get back to sleep after the nightmare that plagued me in darkness, I decided to get up and do some of my stretches to help recover my muscle flexibility. Atrophied beyond belief, my legs were still very weak and caused me to struggle constantly with even the simplest of tasks.
Today, I would challenge myself. Today, I would go for a walk. I needed to do something to gain my strength back. I was way too independent of a person to be relying on my mother all the time. At least now I could wipe my own ass.
Once it was light out, I decided to text Jesse just to see what she was up to today.
What are you doin?
About a half hour and a cup of tea later, I finally got a text back. Wait… make that two texts, back-to-back.
Crushing on some very sexy fictional characters.
Um, I mean, reading. You?
I began to laugh at her witty response.
Bored. Couldn’t sleep.
After I sent the text, I realized just how pathetic it sounded. But, one thing I’ve learned from Jesse’s mind, she didn’t judge. It was probably her most admirable quality.
Another nightmare?
Ahh. She knew me too well. I let her in on my nightmare secrets, but not in detail. She doesn’t know anything about the fact that all my nightmares involve one particularly handsome, green-eyed god. All she knows is I am plagued with them and have been ever since I woke up in the hospital a little over a month ago.
Yeah, but I don’t want to talk about it.
I felt stupid for even bringing it up now that I was effectively cutting her off from the subject. I felt a little relieved when the phone buzzed again.
Want me to come over? We could do breakfast…
Mmm. I loved having breakfast with Jesse. She was a great cook, probably because her parents left her alone to fend for herself so often. According to my mom, Jesse would come over for breakfast quite often while I was in the hospital.
I would love that.
She responded saying she would be over in a few and the idea of a blooming friendship with this girl made me smile.
Once Jesse came over, we busied ourselves by making breakfast. Poached eggs, turkey bacon, and mixed fruit were artfully splayed out as my sleepy mother rounded the corner.
“Good morning, ladies,” she said with a smile as her eyes sparkled in the morning sunlight. “A girl could get spoiled with such wonderful meals every morning. You two are keepers.”
“You know it was all Jesse, Mom. She’s the cook,” I said as I poured my mom some tea and pushed the cream and sugar toward her.
“Oh, yeah, right. Don’t let her fool you. What Ella fails to mention is she poached the eggs this morning. I just put on the bacon and sliced fruit,” Jesse said as she sat next to me and nudged me with her shoulder.
“Regardless of who did what, you two are spoiling me. Keep this up and I might just have to treat you girls to a ride later this week,” my mom added with a wink as she bit into a melon, causing juice to dribble down her chin.
I haven’t ridden Cora or Skip yet. Well, not really. Unfortunately, the memory of my riding excursion with Jonah would be way too intense at the moment. But, my mom thought it would be great muscle therapy to begin riding again. So, we planned to sometime soon. Jesse has never been riding before, so she would likely ride along with me or my mom.
“I would love to go riding!” Jesse squealed, clapping her hands together and smiling broadly as she bounced in her seat.
“Well, okay then! We’ll go tomorrow afternoon,” my mom said with a wink.
The thought of Jesse being with us was probably distraction enough to keep my mind somewhat clear of Jonah memories. At least, I hoped.
That day, I decided to go to Lavendine by myself. It was only a few blocks from my house and the walk would do me some good. Plus, I haven’t sat at a wheel since I was fourteen and I wanted to try it alone. No pressure of onlookers… I was really hoping the studio would be fairly empty today. I thought about inviting Jesse, but I just needed the solitary hours to myself for now.
My mom and I played around a bit yesterday, but not on the wheels. We just got our hands dirty making some simple pinch pots and fooling around a bit. We didn’t even keep what we made. It was just an attempt to relax for a while. We spent great time together and it helped me familiarize myself with the substance again. I also needed to refresh my memory with all the tools. They had some community tools at the studio, but I felt the need to get my own. So, I was thankful to learn there was a small art store just a block away from the studio. With a little huffing, I successfully walked the distance and stopped by the local art store on my way to Lavendine.
As soon as I walked in the glass doors of Lavendine, my stomach flipped and my heart began to race… almost like I was nervous about something, or someone. My body was reacting to something, turn
ing over like the rev of a crotch-rocket. But, the only person around was the studio monitor, Jay. He was nice and all, but he kept staring at me and smiling like he had some hidden secret. All he kept thinking was, Wow! Her eyes! and Man, the boss flipped over her.
I thought this was a community-run studio, so whoever “the boss” was remained a mystery to me.
After introducing myself to Jay and making some small talk, I decided to dive in headfirst… or, hands first… and throw myself a small mug or vase.
Jay seemed to hover precariously close, constantly touching my arms and asking me if I needed help. I really was beginning to feel uncomfortable around him when he finally received a text message and excused himself.
Thank god!
I gathered some clay and set out all my new tools, knowing I would need them. It took me quite a while to lay everything out, not because I was a degenerate or anything, but because I was nervous. My over-organization of the area was my way of stalling. Finally deciding to brave it, I straddled the wheel basin and threw a small wad of clay onto the bat, attempting to get it as close to the center as possible. As I began centering some porcelain and familiarizing myself with the smooth, buttery feeling between my fingers, I couldn’t help but shake the feeling I was being watched again.
I could hear Jay’s thoughts and it seemed he was telling someone I was here. It was odd because his were the only thoughts making a sound in my brain. Then, his thoughts were becoming rather graphic with ideas of how he would “take me” as he kept putting it in his mind.
I rolled my eyes at the idea. Not gonna happen. Not interested one little bit. It’s not that Jay wasn’t cute or anything, he just definitely wasn’t my type. Most of the time, his thoughts were just a little too graphic for me to ever like a man like that. Maybe graphic isn’t the right word. Maybe, offensive?
Then, I heard Jay’s thoughts as he uttered the one word that would surely get my attention… Jonah.
Chapter Four