“Dude, what the hell? Do you have a hearing problem kid?”
My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. Startled and smitten, I found no words. My loner attitude kept most of my fellow students away, so my peer interactions had been limited recently. Never mind chatting with hot boys.
The guy laughed. When I continued staring, he smiled and waited for a response. His smile slightly crooked to the right.
“Excuse me?” I asked, hating how my voice projected like a mouse, soft and uncertain. I raised my own eyebrows, managing to muster a semblance of attitude.
“It’s cool, I feel the same way. Pointless introducing myself to everyone. Freaking sucks being a senior transfer,” he said with a shrug. His black t-shirt complimented his olive skinned muscles of his arms. With charcoal cargo shorts and well scuffed black Birkenstocks, the outfit played it cool like him, like he didn’t try to look hot.
He leaned so close I could see the golden highlights of his dark blonde hair. Sun rays in honey. A single wink from a long lashed golden brown eye and my world went from chaos to clarity.
The auras disappeared. No waves of anger or happiness or snootiness or any feelings whatsoever. For the first time since my aura challenges started, I felt at peace. I felt normal.
Ever since the end of my freshman year, other people’s emotions had affected me. I’m not talking your run of the mill empathetic response. I felt feelings and absorbed them in a physical way. Whatever emotions surrounded people, their emotional auras hit me hard, whether they shared their feelings out loud or not. When they were excited and happy, their emotive waves would lift my own spirits. When a person near me was depressed about a breakup, I would feel their sorrow as if it were my own.
My fear of getting locked into the regional psychiatric ward was confirmed when I confessed the psychosomatic onslaught to my Aunt Meredith. First, a doctor analyzed me, then a psychiatrist.
The shrink identified my problem as an anxiety reaction manifesting from hormones and unresolved parental issues. He gave me Xanax, with a stern warning not to take too many or I could get addicted. After these visits, to prevent confinement in a looney bin, I miraculously cured myself and assured Aunt Mer that I felt like myself again. She looked so relieved. I couldn’t bear to discuss the issue again. Instead, I experimented with different ways of dealing with the energy bombardments and the ensuing migraines without professional consultation.
But on that day, at 16 years old, my reality shifted. When the senior surfer with the magical eyes winked at me, he gave me control. Control I had lacked the past few months. Back then, I assumed he could somehow command my unwanted empath power. And the stupid part was, I didn’t care. Back then I would have taken any control I could get.
I gasped but didn’t dare take my eyes from his. His breath on my ear sent shivers to my toes.
“What do you think blasting this folk music will accomplish… silver girl?”
Sail on silver girl, sail on by, your time has come to shine, harmonized Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in our ears, All your dreams are on their way.
Our eye contact broke, along with his magical control. A kaleidoscope of feelings slammed into me, my empath antenna re-activated, sending needle sharp pain through my temples, making my eyes burn.
What the hell?
Pain I could handle. I had been for several months. But he provided respite. How? Why? Had someone found out what was happening to me? What if he was CIA, or FBI, or a super secret acronym no one knew about? Sent to snatch me and use me for some nefarious purpose.
I tapped my toes nervously inside of my Doc Marten boots, looking across the lawn to where Seema and the blobby crowd had talked. Seema was gone, but Heidi glared at me. I shook my head. Her shitty-mood aura got on my nerves, but I had bigger issues. I snatched the ear bud from his ear and shoved my uneaten carrots into my backpack.
“Excuse me,” I said in a firm tone. “I’m late for class.”
Leaving Dan in the courtyard, I placed the earbuds back in and arrived at my first class, ten minutes early. Too much time. Regret tugged at my conscious. What the hell was I doing?
Instead of kidnapping and studying me, what if he could explain what was wrong with me? What if I reacted like I did to him because he knew. He might have an empath antenna, too. He could make me feel normal again. And I ditched him. He might be my chance at discovering how to get rid of this unwanted ability. If he could help me, I could get through the school year without losing my mind. Perhaps fate delivered me a chance at respite, and I snubbed the offer.
I rushed to the courtyard. Our bench sat empty. My shoulders slumped with disappointment.
Our bench? I shook my head. Why did I wear this stupid black t-shirt today? And my boring denim jeans did nothing to compliment my figure. My goal to blend in today achieved. Surfer boy would not be turning my way again.
Maybe the relief I sensed from hot mystery surfer boy was caused by lust. He was hot. When I was attracted to a guy, did my ability become muted? Before I could debate further, fingers brushed my skin as an earbud flew from my ear for a second time.
“You do have an interesting taste in music for a kid,” said surfer boy. “I’m Daniel Levi, by the way. New to this farm town. How about you?”
“Oh thank god… wait, what?”
The relief I felt as I heard his gorgeous voice again turned defensive. Kid? Farm town? Who did this guy think he was? Maybe 18? Not any less of a kid than me. And he grossly mislabeled my hometown.
“Oh don’t thank Him quite yet, kid.”
I struggled to meet his unusual amber eyes again. But Dan was eyeing the ‘in’ crowd, with Heidi in his line of sight. Figured.
“Chelsea Shephard. And no, I’m not new to this city,” I said, “I’ve lived here my entire life, actually.”
“Your high school is surrounded by corn fields,” Dan said, winking at Heidi before turning towards me.
His eyes wondrously found mine again. Once more, I felt powerful and full of hope. A feeling of awkwardness and butterflies filled my stomach, as I stood face to face with magic Dan, sharing earbuds. The air around Dan grew fuzzy, and I rubbed my eyes as Dan broke eye contact. His eyes darted away with a confused expression. Energy around our bodies pulsated and danced. The energy swirling fell, as if getting sucked towards the ground beneath us. My stomach sank with it, before my heart rate slowed to a regular pace. I closed my eyes.
“Hey, silver girl, you okay?” he asked.
I blinked, shaking my head. What the hell? Normally my own energy reached out to others, then bounced back at me. This caused my pulse to race (hence the anxiety diagnosis), and a massive headache followed. But when my energy combined with his, fuzzy waves surrounded us. I could see the energy. And my body felt no pain.
“I-I’m fine. Nervous, I guess. You know, first day of school jitters.” I shivered. “Actually, I’ve gotta go.”
Dan handed me my ear bud.
“Yeah, I know. You’re late.”
Chapter Three
You say potato
IN LINE AT the campus Starbucks, I gave myself another pep-talk.
I will not run away from Flagstaff.
I will not run into his arms.
I am an independent woman.
“Grande Americano, please,” I said to the barista. I smiled, inhaling the delectable scent of coffee beans and sugared breakfast sweets. Already dozens of other students filled the coffee shop, their excited greetings adding to the atmosphere.
Fia stood at the other end of the counter, already accepting her green tea. One more difference between us to add to the ninety-nine I’d already figured out in the last 12 hours. Tea tasted like grass to me. Give me earthy coffee beans brewed to perfection with creamy steamed milk instead of boiled grass any day.
Even without a shower or makeup or hair styling, she looked fabulous. She wore a hot pink Juicy Couture t-shirt with black skinny pants that looked as if they’d been painted on her legs. My superior time mana
gement skills in the morning were wasted on someone like Fia.
Earlier, I had shaken Fia awake, concerned she was unconscious. Our Public Health internship orientation started at 9am, and at 8:15, she was still sound asleep. Turned out Fia liked to sleep in.
I smoothed an invisible wrinkle from my ivory silk blouse trimmed in black lace.
Fia rolled her eyes at the barista, who spilled a little tea down the side of the to-go cup. Blushing, the barista wiped the side of the glass before apologizing to Fia. Fia ignored her, and turned to me.
“Ugh, have I told you I hate mornings?” she said.
I nodded. “Like five times.”
“Why are you all dressy, anyway? You look like you’re going on a date.”
Looking down at my black skirt and flats, I shrugged. “I like to start new adventures in style.” And make sure I look good if I run into my ex.
After accepting my Americano, I wrapped my fingers around the warm paper cup and we stepped out into the fresh mountain air. A slight chill held on from the night before. As we hiked the pine lined hill towards campus, I tried and failed to engage Fia in conversation. Her eyes never left the phone screen, apparently engaged in a heated text-a-thon. My mind wandered to Dan.
What if I confronted him? Let him know how hurt he left me.
No. Bearing my true feelings will not make me feel better, it would be embarrassing. Besides, after five years, how pathetic was it that feelings lingered?
My hormones and my brain were still arguing when we arrived at the Allied Health building. A well-dressed guy with a shock of black hair covering his forehead sat on the stairs, engaged with his iPad.
“Oh lord, it’s Kate. Asian dude, ten o’clock,” Fia said. She retrieved another cell phone from her pocket and busied herself again.
I refrained from asking her if she was a drug dealer or something.
The Asian dude smiled with excitement. He stood, waving in our direction. I grinned.
Extending his hand, he said, “My name’s Kim, Kim Lu, but my friends call me Gabe.”
“Hey Gabe, I’m Chelsea. Nice to meet you,” I said, returning his firm handshake. We turned towards the building’s entrance.
“You’re a nursing student like Fia right?”
I nodded. “And you must be the pharmacy intern?”
“Yep, I’m the drug pusher of this intern cartel. I’ll be helping deliver medications to patients with you guys,” Gabe said, holding open the door for both of us.
“Kate here is a freakin’ genius, or whatever you call someone about to graduate pharmacy school at 21 years old,” Fia said.
Leave it to Fia to be throw out back-handed compliments. I raised my eyebrows, but bit my tongue.
“Call me Gabe.” He smiled patiently at Fia. “Fia is really good at vaccinating, she practiced on me at the immunization training last week. Too bad I didn’t get to stick her.”
I choked on my coffee, trying to suppress a laugh. Fia shook her head, muttering something about book smarts. Gabe didn’t notice our reactions, and chatted with excitement about our the internship.
When Fia and Gabe started gossiping about a mutual friend, I wandered to a wall adorned with a timeline of the public health program at the university. Black and white photographs gave way to more colorful pictures as the decades spanned from the late 1940’s to present. Breathing deep, I turned back to the duo and set my empath antenna to low.
“So, Gabe, are you from Flagstaff?” I asked.
“Ever since I can remember,” he says, “My Mom owns Lu’s Nail Spa at the mall.” He reached into a pocket of his black slacks and handed me a crumpled piece of paper. “Here’s a coupon, she’s the best.”
“You must be here for the Public Health internship.” A woman clad in purple scrubs emerged from the hallway. “I’m Carmen Cruz, your advisor for the next five weeks.”
We shook hands and introduced ourselves. I snuck a metaphysical peek at her aura, which felt warm and compassionate.
“This is the Allied Health building, but most of your duties are on the reservation.” Her accented reminded me of Fia’s drawl. She tucked a stray bit of chin length black hair behind her ear as we followed her down the hall into a conference room.
“Have a seat. Now, we need to get paperwork squared away, watch the always exciting HIPPA and environmental safety videos, and review the syllabus,” she said, setting a thick stack of paper in front of each of us.
“Count yourself lucky to be accepted for this internship. One hundred applicants applied for only three positions. We expect professional behavior and conduct, of course.”
Fia studied her nails. “Do ya’ll have more hours in the afternoons? This schedule is pretty heavy on the AM side, and I’m not a morning person.”
Carmen tapped the stack of paper in front of Fia with an electric blue nail.
“The schedule is final, and I expect it to be followed. I don’t care if you’re afternoon people, or night people, or whatever the case. What matters to me and to the people we serve is that you are respectful, above all else.” Carmen turned to smile at Gabe and I. “Now, let’s each share a little bit about ourselves before we get lost in the paper jungle.”
Gabe raised his hand. “Carmen, I just want to thank you for such an amazing opportunity to expand my horizons. I am so thrilled to be able to work on the Hopi nation.”
Fia rolled her eyes. “Well, if all you’re after is a ticket to the rez, I could call my friend Kale. Maybe he could get you into a village with an ass-kissing permit.”
Gabe turned with wide eyes to Fia. He ignored her insult. “No. Way. Your boyfriend works on the rez? You like the dark skinned guys, eh Fi-Fi?” He winked at her. Fia raised her eyebrows.
“He’s just a friend,” Fia muttered.
Ka-lay? And Frank? Fia dated two guys at once? With my empath antenna, it was difficult enough for me to get close to one man.
I cleared my throat and smiled at Carmen. “What will our duties involve during the home health visits?”
“You know, the usual tasks. Some patients will need help organizing their medications- that’s where Gabe will come in. Others will need help with things like changing their wound dressings-“
“Oh my lord. I will not be touchin’ anyone else’s wounds or diseases. I didn’t sign up for this sort of exposure to infections,” Fia said.
“Now wait just one minute,” Carmen said. “Did you or did you not sign up for a Public Health Experiential internship in order to decide if nursing would be a good career, Fia? Because that’s what your very eloquent essay said. Your father was generous in his support of our internship, but that will not stop me from choosing another qualified applicant, if you are not up for this task.”
Fia’s cheeks flushed. Even with her disrespectful behavior, I felt sorry for her. Living under the shadow of a crazy rich father had to be difficult, especially when someone rubbed it in her face. Her ballerina pink manicured fingers tapped steadily on the peeling veneer of the table. Carmen tapped her own nail on the schedule. Fia’s lips pursed together. It didn’t take an empath antenna to figure out she held a motley of angry feelings under the surface.
“All right, all right, settle down,” Fia said. “I’ll reacquaint myself with alarm clocks and stock up on sanitizer.”
“Okay, now before we get to the paperwork, let’s talk. It’s important for you to know each other. You’ll be working closely together, practically living together half the week, and you want the patients to feel comfortable with ya’ll as a team. Now, why don’t you all tell each other what made you get into healthcare, and also one goal you have for yourself for the next year. Gabe, why don’t we begin with you?”
Gabe shuffled his feet, and wiped his palms on his slacks. Clearing his throat, he smiled wide, as if he was going to give a presidential address.
“My name is Kim Lu, but everyone,” he said, clearing his throat again and glancing at Fia, “Everyone calls me Gabe, it’s my American name.”
I returned the smile he gave me with a nod of encouragement.
“My parents have the typical American immigration story. Their cousins settled in Phoenix and captured an American dream. But my Dad has a low tolerance for heat, so he chose a town a few degrees cooler, north of Sun City. As for why I chose pharmacy, well… I’ve always loved chemistry and people so it seemed as good a fit as any. I’d like to learn about the Hopi culture and history, and how their beliefs impact their practice of medicine.”
“Wonderful,” Carmen said, nodding her head. “How about you, Chelsea, what made you decide to get into nursing?”
I smiled outwardly, but inside my stomach churned. My mouth dried as I filtered for something appropriate to say. I hated talking about myself. I couldn’t talk about my empath ‘gift’, and I hated talking about my home life. What would I say? My Dad’s a deadbeat. My mom committed suicide after giving birth. My Aunt stifled me in a suffocating security blanket my entire life. At 21 years old she still worried about my safety and whereabouts. And instead of confronting her neurotic behavior, I left because I didn’t know how to tell her although I had a weird power we never discussed, I’d survive.
“Oh, you know the usual,” I said with a bright smile, taking a sip of cool water. “I enjoy helping others, and I admired the work the nurses did at the nursing home.”
“Ah, the usual.” Carmen winked at me. “Tell me now, what is a goal that you have for yourself for the next year?”
“I’d like to meet new people and find a good running trail here in Flag. As for nursing school, I hope to widen my patient experiences. So far they’ve been limited to the elderly at my grandfather’s nursing home.”
“You are definitely going to get a variety of patient care settings with this experiential. While the majority of patients you’ll visit on the rez are elderly, here in town we’ll be participating in youth health fairs. So we’ll see all ages.” Carmen turned to Fia, who slouched in her chair staring at the ceiling. Carmen tapped her nails.
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