“Fia, it’s your turn,” she said, giving her a disapproving eye.
Fia sighed, and cocked her head at Carmen.
“Come on, why do you need me to explain why I’m here? It’s in the freakin’ essay.”
Carmen crossed her arms. I could feel she was losing her patience with Fia.
“In order to work with your fellow interns, it’s important to share at least why you are here, Fia. I may know, but please, enlighten them.”
Fia crossed her own arms, and smirked. “All right,” she said with a huff. “But I do not want to hear any pity. I used to be a gymnast, but there was a freak accident one day during practice. My L2 vertebrae burst, I was hospitalized. No one thought I’d be able to walk again. But a nurse there, she helped me out. When physical therapy about gave up on my stubborn ass, that chic… she rooted me on. And here I am, with ya’ll here. I thought it wouldn’t be horrible to work with the injured.”
Gymnastics. That explained the glory room.
The rest of the morning and afternoon we filled out countless forms and listened to orientation lectures of computer security awareness, patient confidentiality, and health safety. Carmen assigned a group project to be completed as part of our final before the Fall semester began.
I listened as she described the expectations of the internship. Although wary of working in groups, every year my degree of control over my empath antenna increased. Most days I could mute the auras. Still, I avoided group work in high school and most of college. But, now I attended a new school, in another state. Time to step further out of my comfort zone. I could do this.
Carmen explained where we’d meet on the Hopi reservation on Monday. We would be staying on the Hopi Wellness Clinic compound, where several small apartments were available to the hospital workers. Since it was a 2.5-hour drive from Flagstaff to Polacca, we would be staying overnight Mondays and Tuesday, then drive home on Wednesday after our last home visit.
“Chel-ster, what do you say we grab pizza downtown and talk about our group project?” Gabe asked as we made our way out of the building.
“No,” Fia said, shaking her head and turning to Gabe with what I now considered the Fi-attitude pose, hand on her hip. “Listen Kim, or whatever the hell your name is- if you call her Chel-ster or me Fi-Fi one more time, I will kick you in the face. Some of us like going by our given names.”
I giggled at Fia, and gave an apologetic shrug to Gabe. “I think Gabe is a cool name. And yes, I’d love to checkout downtown Flag.”
We exchanged numbers and agreed to meet downtown later.
Chapter Four
Reality, illusion, confusion
I SANK ONTO the sofa at the apartment and closed my eyes. Fia retired for an afternoon nap. For the hundredth time that day, my thoughts returned to Dan.
Dan had broken my heart. But for all my bitterness about Dan leaving when he did, I was grateful he appeared in my life at all. He taught me how to deal with the empath antenna. There were definite obstacles in feeling other peoples joys, fears, sadness as my own. Even when I didn’t use my abilities overtly, the inundation of other people’s auras exhausted me. Sometimes I imagined my mother had a similar ability, that she could also feel emotional auras but had no one to teach her to control the power. Thinking along these lines helped me to accept the fact she left this world the way she did. The explanation I allowed myself to believe. She didn’t have a guardian like Dan.
Dan. My aura guardian, he saw through my attempt at being a moody teenager when no one else could, not even Aunt Meredith. I pretended to be pissed off at everyone when my abilities emerged, so they would leave me alone. Dan told me once he knew I had an ability, but lacked control. When I asked how he knew, he just winked
And then he disappeared. His behavior as erratic as the first day we met.
Was the uncertainty of teenage love too much for us to handle back then? And where the hell had he gone? Why had he appeared in an act of pure fate, then left just as I learned to accept my ability?
That we developed a relationship in the first place was a miracle, considering all of our obstacles.
“Need a hand?”
Startled, I turned from my fumbling attempt at unlocking the driver's door of my rusty red ’85 Chevette. My heart stopped.
“What?” I breathed.
Hot senior transfer Dan stood beside me, in all his sexy surfer hair glory. I attempted to open my mouth and say words but instead dropped the keys. The metallic clank on the asphalt shattered my momentary daze.
“Crap.” I knelt to get the keys, but surfer Dan did the same. His head slammed mine, sending a searing pain through my head.
“Ouch!”
Dan crouched next to me, dangling my keys. “Do you always speak monosyllabically when you’re nervous?”
“I’m not nervous. You surprised me. I’m not used to people creeping up on me.” Usually, I could feel their approach.
I huffed and grabbed the keys from his hands. Dan smirked, his teasing grin pulling slightly to the left.
“I’m actually pretty noticeable with my natural good looks and stature. I don’t exactly blend in.”
I stared at Dan, still crouched on the ground, and shook my head.
“Well, your humility is hard to miss, that’s for sure.”
He laughed, grabbing my hands and lifting me to standing. Electricity flared as his thumbs brushed my own. I shivered. No, I didn’t feel his emotions, and I hoped to God he didn’t feel mine.
I stared at the car to avoid meeting his gaze.
“You could try glaring the door open. But a little elbow grease might be faster,” Dan said. He stood next to the driver’s door and knelt down. I tilted my head. He tapped the door with one hand and leaned in as if listening for something.
I snorted. Dan stood up and winked at me.
With a click, the door swung open. He raised his eyebrows and gestured to the car. A lock of highlighted hair partially covered his right eye.
I silently thanked my Aunt for forcing me to drive a twenty-year-old junker. Being saved by a surfer in shining armor had a certain appeal.
“Thanks,” I said, smiling.
“No worries,” he opened the car door, motioning for me to get in. As I moved to sit in my car, his fingers brushed my collar bone. Goosebumps covered my neck as his electric shivers jolted me again. But I narrowed my eyes, mentally grasping for my pride. I straightened.
“Um, what are you doing?” I said. He cleared his throat.
“Your necklace is unique. Might I ask, where on Earth did you get this?” His eyes glazed, jaw clenched.
Dan’s demeanor lost all flirty fun. As if my choice in jewelry offended him.
“Uh, thank you? It was a gift,” I said, raising my eyebrows. Dan held my necklace in his fingers, staring at the silver and turquoise charm. I reached up to brush his hand away just as Dan released me and the necklace.
Before I could kneel to sit in the driver's seat, Dan’s gaze caught my own. Light brown eyes with golden swirls narrowed on my own.
Gesturing to my car, he said, “Was it the same person who gifted this relic to you, because both your car and your necklace look ancient.”
“Yolanda’s in her twenties. She’s hardly ancient. My necklace may be older, but I’m not sure.”
“Yolanda?” Dan shook his head. “What kind of name is that for a rust bucket?”
“She’s mature… and sassy,” I said, crossing my arms. I stood inside the door he held ajar.
“Unlike her owner. You’re the quietest girl I ever met. Why do you keep to yourself, Chelsea?”
“None of your business, new kid.”
“What if it were my business? Have you ever heard of the third eye or the second sight?” he asked.
I blinked. What? Nice segue. Surfer Dan had ADD bad style. Time to stop flirting.Why couldn’t I feel any aura energies from him?
“Yeah, it’s a little too early in our relationship to be discussing religion,” I said. “Thanks again
for getting old Yolanda to cooperate. See you around.”
Dan leaned close to me. “In fact, I’m speaking of spirituality, and clairvoyance.”
“Ohhhh-kay, whatever you say. I’m not exactly into that stuff, either,” I said.
“Seriously?” Dan raised his eyebrow in challenge. “You’re not alone, you know. Let’s talk at your place. We could hang out. And… talk.”
Crap. Nerves wound around my lungs, and I couldn’t breathe. Could I do this? Talk to someone about my ability? No way could I invite a strange guy to my house. Aunt Mer would ground Yolanda and me for months if she found out.
“Look,” I said, but my breath caught. His amber eyes seemed to pierce through my own straight to my soul. A puzzle piece I didn’t know was missing from my heart fell into place. My heart rate followed a prescribed rhythm and my aura warmed, and expanded in response to something familiar. Dan narrowed his eyes before glancing away.
“How about more neutral territory- there a place to get coffee in this farm town?” His voice was rough, but he tried to cover this with one of his carefree grins.
I snorted. “Our cosmopolitan city offers a variety of choices,” I added with feigned haughtiness, “But Scooter’s is actually my favorite.”
After giving him directions to the coffee shop a few blocks from my house, I climbed into the worn but clean drivers seat. I patted the dashboard.
“Yolanda, I think you set me up on a date with a super strange guy.”
Scooter’s was a few minutes from the school, but my forehead dampened with sweat during the short drive. Yolanda’s air conditioning probably stopped working around the time I was born. After taking a quick glance around, I sniffed under my arms. My deodorant was holding firm. Satisfied, I climbed out of the car.
I noticed Dan getting out of a late model Range Rover. He didn’t wear sunglasses, despite the unrelenting August sun. With his hands in his pockets, he walked with the easy confidence of a millionaire, or a prince. Definitely not like a teenage boy who’d finished with his first day of school in a new town.
We walked in and ordered our drinks. I chose a table under the biggest air vent. After several minutes of small talk, the only information I gleaned from Dan was that he grew up in San Diego, and liked to surf after school. Dan seemed genuinely interested in me, steering all conversation to my background.
After finishing his tea, he handed me a book.
“‘Ascension and Awakening,'” I read aloud. “Wow, deep stuff.” I sighed. “Listen, I told you, I’m really not religious.”
“God, Chelsea. Relax. This isn’t about a church. And your aversion to the topic is quite intriguing.“ A chirp interrupted his thought.
I set the book on the table to grab my phone.
“Looks like Mer is working late again tonight,” I said, after checking my latest text. “Apparently, there’s a big sales opp out in Gretna.”
Dan’s eyes hardened. His lips set into a thin line.
“Oh. My Aunt Meredith, she’s like my mom. I live with her… she’s a real estate agent.” I rambled on, unsure of his reaction. You’d think I said she was a gun smuggling gangster.
“Hey it’s been fun, Chelsea, but I gotta go. Catch ya later?” he said without a smile and without waiting for a response. At the coffee shop door, his eyes softened as he took a last look at me. I watched as he climbed into his Range Rover and sped away.
I shook my head. Guess we weren’t talking about second sights or third eyes this afternoon. What a strange guy. At times, he spoke like he was a well educated foreign prince and others like a beach bum. Placing my earbuds in, I cranked up the volume on my iPod. Dan’s proximity soothed my reception of other people’s energies in a way. With him gone, however, the overpowering feeling from those nearby returned. Dan and I shared a commonality, but what? And what about the cryptic “You’re not alone” statement. And the strange book.
He knew about my ability. He had to know. Why else would he share the book and ask about ‘the second sight’? Tomorrow, I’d confront him. Maybe he knew how to get rid of the issue for good. Even if he was CIA, the chance of gaining new information was worth the risk. I couldn’t live the rest of my life crippled by migraines.
Although the sun sank low on the horizon, the air still felt sticky and hot. I drove the few blocks home, through the tall oaks standing watch throughout my neighborhood. Desperate for icy air, I gunned Yolanda into my section of the two car garage.
I walked outside to get the mail before closing the garage door. Fanning myself with the mail inside the kitchen, I sighed. Much better.
I hopped onto the black granite countertop and set the mail next to me. Untying my black Doc Marten’s, I hummed along to the Beatle’s.
Since Aunt Meredith wouldn’t be home until late, I opted to make a salad for dinner. Chopping the chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, the music of the 60’s quieted my mind. My mouth watered and my stomach growled. The last time I ate was breakfast. As I turned to put the leftover veggies in the fridge, my heart slammed one last beat before freezing in fear.
A shadowy figure stood near the end of the gallery kitchen.
A flash from the intruder brought attention to the shiny object in his hand. I blinked. He gripped a knife. Wait a minute. Was that my knife? My heart restarted with a lopping beat. An irrational feeling of rage filled my chest.
“What the hell are you doing in my house?” I yelled, hoping the volume of my voice would mask my fear. It was Dan. I retreated to the other end of the counter. Ten feet separated us.
Dan’s eyebrows drew together, and he looked more than a little confused.
“I break into your house, I’m holding a weapon, and you ask me what I’m doing here? You should be running far, far, away, silver girl.”
My eyes narrowed. Although I didn’t fear he would hurt me, his fingers remained clenched around the knife. I edged closer to the garage door.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I forgot to leave the ‘religious’ book with you,” he said.
What?
Again, I tried to reach out to his aura. Nothing I could sense. I shook my head.
“Listen, I know this looks sketch. I dropped the book off on the doorstep, but I noticed a dude in a mask shuffling around the house. I chased him away. Thank god you weren’t here first.”
I shook my head again. “First of all, why would risk your life for a stranger, with my Ginsu knife? And how in the hell do you know where I live?”
Dan placed the knife on the counter and held up his hands. He gave me a wide smile, but it was too even.
“I took mixed martial arts several years ago. And I feel defensive about you, for some reason,” he said. He closed in on the space between us, a few inches away. Tropical Jamaican breeze hit me. When had he walked over here? His eyebrows pulled together as his amber eyes stared into my own. He moved a strand of hair from my face, and despite myself, I closed my eyes at his touch. My skin tingled.
What had I been asking? Was the room spinning?
“You’re a public listing,” he murmured, his fingers light as feathers brushed my neck.
My eyes flew open. I edged along the counter until gaining a respectable distance between this virtual stranger and I.
“Okay, well thank you for your help.” My heart thudded fast. An exciting sort of nervous. We met a few hours ago, yet he knew too much about me.
“This is unreal,” I said, not realizing I was speaking aloud.
“Reality is a persistent illusion,” Dan said, leaning away and crossing his arms.
“What’s that?”
“Just remembering something I read.”
“Okay, well. You probably need to get back to your house, you know, to unpack.” I gestured towards the doorway.
Dan grinned and leaned against one of the kitchen barstools.
“I’m not leaving you alone now, silver girl. Let’s wait until your Aunt gets home. Then we’ll go from there.”
&nbs
p; Leaning against the counter, I shook my head.
“Really, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. But I can protect myself. Aunt Mer won’t be long.”
“You know, it’s okay to be scared of whatever feelings you’re having, with your abilities,” he said. “You don’t have to hide them from me. It gets easier when you know how to control them. You won’t need to wear those giant boots to insulate yourself from the energies.”
I turned from him to hide my widened eyes, staring at the untied laces of my boots. My hands trembled as I filled a glass of filtered water from the fridge.
“Doc Marten’s happen to be quite comfortable.“
“In 90-degree heat and 100% humidity? I seriously doubt that.” His fingers grazed my elbow, urging me to turn towards him. To face what he said. I shook my head and walked towards the garage.
“It’s energy, Chelsea. It’s invisible to most people unless you are… in tune with the forces. Once you understand the basic principles, it’s actually a useful gift.”
The glass of water slipped from my hands. Dan grabbed it before it shattered on the tile below. Again, he surprised me, approaching me without a sound or feeling. Dan set the glass on the counter, then gently turned me around. He gazed down, towering above and offering the protection I didn’t realize I craved. He put his arms around me, and with natural ease, I rested my head on his chest.
His heartbeat soothed me into a relaxed, hypnotic state. We stood wrapped in each other’s arms for minutes, or hours. Time fell away. After a while, I realized I wasn’t the only one being comforted. Dan held me tight, anchoring me to his body. He kissed the top of my head and whispered in a foreign language I didn’t recognize. Like his arms, his unknown words wrapped my confused soul in a comforting embrace.
No, we weren’t a public listing. Aunt Mer had paid to make our address private. But my instincts told me to hold onto this surfer boy, and never let go.
Chapter Five
Meditation, mediation
SITTING UP WITH a sigh, I texted Seema. I needed a distraction from my trip down memory lane.
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