Blind

Chapter 3

The hardest part is waking up in the morning, remembering what you were trying to forget.-Anon

I awoke with a start, shooting up in the bed. The constant darkness still shocked me, and I wondered when I'd ever get used to it. Reaching my arm out to the side, I swept my hand carefully from side to side, before locating the soft material of my bandanna. Folding it over my eyes, I tied the knot tightly at the back. Sighing, I stood up, and wobbled slightly, then, arms in front of me for guidance, walked out into the kitchen. She'd said she would come at 8...I realised I had no way to find out what the time was.

Sighing, I located the nearest chair and just sat, placing my head in my hands. Apparently, I hadn't woken up too long before 8, because it was only a couple of minutes before I heard a knock at the door, three short raps. Standing, I made my way towards it, opening it with a little difficulty.

"Good morning Farris-Why are you only wearing your boxers?" I raised my eyebrows, and patted myself down. It was true. I was only wearing my boxers. I was about to ask her what she was holding, when my mouth opened in a 'o' of surprise. An excited barking had suddenly started, and I felt fur brush against my leg. Torie closed the door quickly, and I leaned down shakily, the dogs wet nose brushing against my hand.

"That's a guide dog! You need one after all. And I've got a couple more things as well." She put the leash in my hand, and I felt it gently tug me along, calming down. Following the nurse probably.

"What's...it's name?"

"Ah. His name's either Bouba, or Koki. I haven't decided yet." She spoke cheerfully, and I couldn't help but grin at the odd names she'd chosen.

"I think his name should be Bouki then."

She laughed, before making me sit down in a chair. "Alright then. I'll make you some breakfast, while you get to know Bouki."

Reaching down, my hands found his soft fur, and I laughed in surprise when he jumped into my lap, nose snuffling at my face.

"Down Bouki, down!" After a whine of disappointment, he sat obediently, albeit on my lap. A delicious smell started to waft into my nose from the kitchen, and I sniffed appreciatively. Bouki seemed to share a good taste in food, as he yapped excitedly.

"Haha, sounds like you two are looking forward to my cooking!"

I chuckled, and patted the excited dog affectionately. It wasn't long before a plate of food was set before me, and I took a deep breath in, sighing as the delicious smell of bacon wafted towards me. I heard the nurse sit beside me, the chair scraping slightly against the floor. Her arm brushed past me as she reached for the cutlery, then stopped as Bouki did...something.

"Haha, no, down Bouki! Down!" A small whine of disappointment, before ball of fur leaped down off my lap and onto the floor. The soft swish of his paws on the ground made me assume he was walking around the house. Something clicked against the plate and I turned my head again, and opened my mouth, for the bacon, egg, and toast combination to deposit itself in my mouth. The delicious greasy flavours spread over my tongue and I hummed in appreciation.

It wasn't long before the food was all gone, and I wiped my mouth. I turned my head to the left, and asked curiously,"So. What was in those bags?" "Oh yes! I forgot to tell you. Just wait a minute while I get them." She pushed the chair back, and hurried away. The rustle of bags accompanied her soft steps, and she sat again. Placing the bags onto the table, she took something out, and placed it in my hand.

"Alright, so this is a leash for Bouki. All you have to do is clip it to his harness and he'll guide you wherever you want to go." I ran my hand up and down the coarse material and nodded, placing it back onto the table to look back at her expectantly.

"What else?"

"Well, I thought you might like to learn Braille, so I enrolled you in some classes. Got you a watch too. Here, I'll put it on for you, then teach you how it works." I held my wrist out obediently, and she clasped it around my wrist, not too tight. "Now, you just have to press this button, hold it up to your ear, and it should tell you the time." My fingers fumbled for a moment, then managed to push the button, holding it up to my ear as instructed. A robotic voice recited the time, and I felt a delighted grin spread over my face.

"See? Thought you'd like it. Now, we have to go to the braille reading class. Then after that, just turn left, and walk to the end of the street, until you make it to a cafe. Bouki should take you there."

"Okay." I stood, and stretched languidly, before stopping when the nurse chuckled again. "What?"

"You're still only wearing your boxers." A flush covered my cheeks, and I grinned self-consciously, coughing to cover my embarrassment.

"Ah. Well, I'll just go get changed then. Bouki!" The excited dog ran up to me, and I reached for the leash, clipping it onto his collar with only a little difficulty. He tugged at it lightly, and I followed, finding it much easier to walk along, and not bump into anything.

Reaching my room, I walked assuredly towards the wardrobe, and pulled open the doors, finding the knobs in a matter of seconds. Brushing my hands over the various fabrics, I located a shirt, and pair of pants, as well as a jacket. Slipping the clothes on, I hoped that the colour somehow went together.

"Torie! Can you check that what I'm wearing is alright?"

"Yup! Just washing up, be there in a sec!" In no time, she ran into the room, stopped, and burst into laughter. "Ha! Well done! You have a pink shirt, with a black jacket, and grey pants." I laughed as well, and wiggled my eyebrows.

"What, you mean to say this isn't the height of fashion?" She seemed to stifle her laughter, and tried to say in a serious voice.

"Of course. It'll have girls falling all over you." The edges of my smile tightened slightly, and I forced myself to keep laughing. Ah. Of course. I'd almost forgotten I'd only known her for 2 days. Well, she'd been looking after me for a couple of weeks, but that didn't really count, did it?

"Farris?" I snapped back to attention when she said my name in a concerned voice.

"Hmm?"

"You just looked like you were completely out of it. Here. A shirt. You need to make a good impression after all."

I felt a bitter scowl contort my face, and I spat out condescendingly, "What's the point? We can't even see each other."

"Farris..."

I snatched the piece of fabric from her, and changed quickly, holding my arms away from my body with a sarcastic smile on my face. "There. Happy?" Not waiting for an answer, I brushed past. I wasn't angry. Not really. Just disappointed in myself. On the way to find where Bouki had run off to, I thought back on how I'd acted, wincing guiltily. There was nothing I could do now, except hope she bounced back. After all, she was quite optimistic.

Bouki managed to take me there, with only a little help from Tori. I decided I wanted to walk up the stairs, and that proved to be a little more difficult. I could tell she was shadowing everything I did, like a concerned mother.

"Wait there." She walked past to push at the door, and I shuffled my feet impatiently, Bouki standing beside my restless legs. "Come in!" I walked forwards, letting the dog take the lead. A warm voice came from in front of me.

"Hello! What's your name?"

"...Farris. Farris Spiers."

She took my hand and shook it gently. "You can sit at the front there. We're learning how to read braille, so here's a sheet...."

AN: Well, here's the update! I hope you like it, although I think it isn't as good quality as it could have been. The love interest may or may not be introduced in the next chapter :3