Eyes: The Story Of A Blind Heroine

Chapter 11

My heart was still flipping in my chest from the events that took place earlier, as miss Leilo and I sat, side by side on a bench in the parking lot. I still couldn't get Phoebus's words out of my head. The damage done to your café will seem like child's play in comparison to what we have in store for you. I did not like that at all. That guy was serious, and I've seen it today.

"Are you all right?" came miss Leilo's concerned question from my left.

"Yeah," I replied, "I mean, neither of them technically touched me, so I suppose I'll be all right. Things could have gotten worse." This was a lie. I felt like shaking, and  my fingers were clenched around my cane as it leaned against my right shoulder. I was ready to use it as a weapon if I had to.

"Okay," she said, "I can promise you that this seldom happens at my café. I mean, this seldom happened in the past." That horrible chill had returned to her voice, which made me even more uneasy.

"Are you okay, miss Leilo?" I found myself asking.

She paused for a  moment, followed by an audible, deep breath. "Sorry," she apologised, "between you and I, Brigid, I confess myself somewhat upset about this whole incident, not only for the breakage of my equipment, but for what it means. Yes, that machine cost me fortunes and those cups ... Don't get me started on those cups! Each and every  piece of equipment and accessory of my café has been especially ordered and made. The milk jugs? The sugar- and honey containers ... Oh, nevermind! I'm not upset! I am completely ryled up!"

Without any warning whatsoever, both miss Leilo's hands clasped my left wrist. It was probably an involuntary gesture, but I was startled nonetheless. I yelped, and instinctually wanted to withdraw, but the ring on my left hand heated up again, and the word, don't! echoed through my mind. So I didn't. Instead, I found my right hand closing over hers, lightly squeezing it.

The effect was immediate. I was hit with a wave of sadness which I had not anticipated at all. It felt like one of those hormonal flare-ups, one moment, I was sitting there, just trying to console my boss, then, the next thing I knew, it was as though something had been drained out of my very soul, a pain shooting from my throat, right towards my heart, plunging itself into my stomach, where it immediately hardened and swelled into a stone-like bitterness, which was so palpable, its acrid taste permeated the inside of my mouth, as though someone had forced me to drink pure iced aloe vera juice. My body began to shake, as a telepathic sound echoed through my mind. Once, Amelia showed me a video of a king cobra being rescued from the abuse it experienced in a human dwelling. As the snake rescuer approached, the snake, who had wrapped itself around one of the posts supporting the washing line, made the weirdest, most awful noise, alternating between a fearful hiss and enraged growl, by, apparently, blowing air through a wide-open mouth, while its tail seemed to vibrate with these mixed emotions. That was the sound I heard, except that it was accompanied by words. Why doessss thissss keep happening to ussss?

No ... No, no, no ... I had to make a conscious effort to snap myself from this vision. I gasped. "Oh, gods ..."

"Brigid?"

With a shriek, I jerked my hand back.  "Oh, gods ... I'm so sorry, miss Leilo! I have no idea what just happened!"

Help ussss! the voice, no, voices, hissed in my mind, ssssshow usss the ssssun! Sssshow usss the light!

I had no idea what the hell they meant or even who they were, but I was not going to stick around to find out quite yet. I breathed, counting, one in, one out, two in, two out, three in, three out ... Only then did I relax.

Gently, she placed her hand on mine, lightly squeezing it. "You are an empath too, aren't you, Brigid?" she asked quietly.

"Yep," I replied, "sometimes I wish I wasn't. Anyway, isn't that an Apollo thing? I mean, healers need to be empaths sometimes, especially when they do spiritual healing, right?"