Grim Echoes

Chapter 7 - Maeve

Maeve closed the window she'd been typing in and rubbed her temples. Another long day. Her phone vibrated. It was her dad again; she let it go to voicemail. Probably to check to see how classes were going. Couldn't force herself to sound excited about the progress she'd made. At the current pace, her masters was still years off.

Alan needed to show up. She'd agreed to cover for him because he was running behind, but it was past seven and she didn't want to admit another patient. If he didn't get there soon, someone else would arrive, and she'd have to start the evaluation and get stuck until all the paperwork was done. Maeve evaluated people that checked themselves in or were forcibly admitted by police or family for mental health treatment. After working there for over two years, she'd gone from enthusiastic with a deep desire to support those in need to desensitized to the environment and bizarre individuals she met.

She stared down at the papers but didn't see them as she held her head. Her long dark hair fell around her and blocked the bright overhead lights and the world. Her thoughts lingered on the two men she'd seen earlier. It'd been months since her last experience. To have it occur twice in one day with two complete strangers unnerved her. What did it mean? Would it happen all the time now? She squeezed her eyes shut. No way, she couldn't handle that. Tapped out from the encounters; the only reason she'd told Alan she'd stay late was to avoid going home. Tired as she was, the thought of returning to her quiet apartment with nothing to distract her was agonizing. Even as busy as it'd been admitting four patients, her mind strayed back to the two strangers.

The rules dictated she'd help them. After all, there'd been a reason she'd met them. This time so unusual from every other soul touch. There was always suffering, no escape from that. Part of being human was to suffer, but these two men, such exceptional pain, both physical and emotional. The images and impressions she'd perceived were horrible, out of a nightmare. Monsters weren't real. It had to be some type of coping they'd done to deal with past trauma. The strange part was they'd both had frightening images. Curious, considering they didn't know each other. She rubbed her chest and recalled the searing pain. She picked up her water bottle, reminded how thirsty he'd been in the desert.

Not confident she could aid them, psychology background or not. More than that, she just didn't want to. Over the past year, she'd done everything possible to isolate herself and reduce the chance of her ability triggering. Maeve couldn't handle it anymore. Not just the initial assault of the soul touch, but connecting with a damaged person, befriending them only to have them gone in a few months. Not one person had ever taken the news about her power well. They'd always felt violated.

Even if she'd managed not to reveal the truth, the relationship never lasted. Her ability revealed what was necessary to help them, but nothing else. Her social skills weren't the best from years of avoidance of any intimate relationship. Friendships were tough, and anything more intense was sparse to non-existent. Thanks to her job, she'd learned the psychological aspects of behavior and thought patterns which helped with day-to-day interactions. But a genuine bond? No.

She put her head on the desk. The color of their eyes popped into her mind. The younger male with stunning green eyes was hard to forget, his green so bright it looked unnatural. The other male with wild short hair had stormy grey eyes that commanded respect. Something about his steely look sent shivers down her spine. Her eyelids slid closed.

"You really asleep?"

Maeve bolted upright and saw Alan lounged in the doorway. She shook her head no.

"No, I got a headache and wanted to block the light for a while." She hoped he didn't catch the lie. She'd definitely been asleep and didn't know what time it was or how long she'd sat there.

"Suuuure, well your secrets safe with me, after all I'm two hours late." he plopped in the chair in front of her and picked up the laptop to study the reports. "Seems quiet, but you were busy."

Maeve nodded and went over the four patients she'd processed, exchanged pleasantries, and then clocked out.

As she hurried across the parking lot, the hair stood up on her arms, images of monsters still fresh in her mind. Great nightmares for weeks, thanks to those two. The air was heavy and humid, made it hard to catch her breath. Focused on her compact car, she ignored the dark figures near the tree at the edge of the parking lot.