Naomi -

An entire weekend had gone without hearing from Yuki and Will, which at this point I had gotten accustomed to. Unfortunately, this meant more time to think about what happened. A lot more time.

It was at this point, on a bright and early sunday morning, that I decided to listen closely to everything that happened.

“Mother, are we going to gathering today?” I ask softly before gulping down some orange juice.

“No, we can’t. Mother Greta is at the hospital today, so we’ll be going to the meadow instead.”

I nod to her answer, noticing how quiet sundays were for our family. We weren’t particular with religion, and instead visited a ‘church’ that celebrated nature and people as a being. A lot of them had helped me develop my sense and supported my family when I was losing my sight. They covered our hospital bills even now, though I didn’t have to go as often as before. But even so, sundays were our quiet times to think about our week, how we spent it, and how we can improve on our own lives.

“Why the meadow?” My sister whines, probably refusing to eat her scrambled eggs as well.

“Because we still need to meditate, you know it helps all of you.” She quietly responds, and I nod once more.

It helped my anxiety, and how to cope with isolation, it helped Carter with his anger issues, and it helped Maya become a bit more in tune with herself in general.

~

After a long car ride of curb hopping, near death encounters, and a slow crawl across a bridge made of the rotting bones of a tree from the cretaceous era (as Carter described it), we had made it our usual spot. It was a small meadow by a bubbling creek, the ideal place to nap and meditate.

We set up our blankets so sit on, and made sure the snacks were locked in the cooler, away from relentless ants.

“Okay everyone, you have an hour or so, and then we can get gelati.” My mother announces, and the entire meadow seems to go silent.

~

My mind had always been a picture book for me, full of voices and foggy auras that mesmerized and enchanted me. Occasionally to collect all the information from this mess, I used my ability in a different way than usually intended. Instead of sifting through someone else’s memories, I sifted through mine to see the unbiased truth as best as I could, without formed opinions.

~

I was back at the pizzeria. Yuki was distressed, Zayne was angry. I had read his mind and saw his victims. I cried in the shower at home, not sure how I could possibly help any of them, or what I would do if that happened to me.

A prominent thought forms,

Why would a guy even go after you, you’re twice the size of any pretty girl. Fatty.

But I shake it away, trying to focus.

After that the house had been quiet. Everyone felt discontent with everything. Maya cried a lot, my mother skipping work to help her out. I felt very alone. Carter went to the gym a lot. All I had were my audio books, and my instruments. I spend a lot of time with them.

I dove a little further.

I found myself in my classroom, meeting Yuki. The weird feeling of touching her, how it felt so right and perfect and warm. How my skin burned even when her hand had moved. The comfort of being nurtured by sweet dear friend WIll, how his touches were maternal, and safe. He fixed my hair, and even offered to cut it for me if I ever wanted. His mother had taught him. I don’t ask why he talked about her in past tense.

I remember re-reading -well, listening- to my favourite series in order to calm my nerves when Yuki disappeared. How my ribs ached in an odd unfamiliar way, that I didn’t quite favour. Each romantic moment between the characters, each touch that meant more, every whisper of reassurance, left me wanting more.

Then I went further, to the doctor’s appointment before my first day of school. My health was deteriorating at a faster rate, and there was no cure.

~

I shake my thoughts away as my mother calls us to the car, and Maya grabs my hand to walk me there. I wasn’t sure if I had answers to my problems, or just more questions. Either way I felt more settled in the knowledge of understanding my feelings. Sort of.

And that I didn’t have all the time in the world to sort them out.

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Hey guys, I'm gonna start releasing chapters only once a week, since my buffer is running out. I've been so busy, it's hard to figure out what I want to write! I love you guys, and thank you so much for the support, it means a lot. If you have the time, please check out my insta!

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- Ari (*‿*✿)