Eyes: The Story Of A Blind Heroine

Chapter 14

*Trigger Warning:* Mentions of physical torture

My arrival home was in complete silence. I put my handbag on my desk, promptly plopping down onto my bed. Even though I was in a flat panic about my friend's abduction, I felt drained, somehow. I took a deep breath and tried to relax. I needed to use everything I possibly could to try and find her, and  my racing thoughts were not helping any. I needed to concentrate on trying to telepathically communicate with Elise, try to help her to reach out. The problem was, although I knew how to use telepathy, well, kind of, enough to psychically know how many fingers a little girl was holding up without seeing her, I didn't have enough time to hoan my psychic skills. Now, however, was not the time to feel sorry for myself, because I had to do a crash course. "Many demigods had their fate thrust upon them," miss Leilo had said. Oh, how right she was.

I  picked up the Medusa statue from where she perched on my nightstand, and I always did when I felt upset. I pressed the figurine against my heart. "So," I said, not knowing whether I was talking to the statue or to myself, "I am Brigid Somerville, a blind demigoddess who still needs to find her feet in this screwed-up world and I still don't know what to expect and what is expected of me. Insult to injury, now I have to deal with one of my best friends' abduction, using my powers, which, in actual fact, I have no fucking clue how to use! The police are coming to my house tonight, guaranteed, so, there's that too." My heart thumped in my chest like a trapped animal, and in my hands, the statue had started to grow hot as I held it in my shaking hands. That ever-present snake in my stomach was writhing in  what I could only imagine was agony ... or was it causing me agony? I didn't know. Either way, I felt like I was going to vomit.

Just as I put the gorgon figurine back on my nightstand, the ring on my left hand heated up. Demigoddess, its silent voice filled my mind, a delivery of ambrosia and nectar approaches.

What?

Your employer had arranged their arrival. Be ready.

As if on cue, I heard something just outside my window. Jumpy as hell, I perked up, my ears pricked. A vehicle was pulling up just outside the gates, then stood there, idling.

Open the gate and get the door, the  ring instructed me. Your mother has not returned from work yet, and she would be held up for a few minutes, so time is still in your favour.

Oh, boy, I thought as I fished my gate remote from a drawer, pressing the admission button. As expected, I heard the buzzing and clicking of the lock disengaging, followed by the gate sliding open. I then heard the vehicle crawling closer to the house, coming to a stop.

Laboriously, I retrieved my cane, left the bedroom and headed for the front door just as the doorbell churchbell chime echoed through the house. This was promptly followed by Ovchid screeching from the living room, flapping her wings and rattling her cage. Somewhere at the back of my mind, I knew I haven't fed her yet, but I would see to that later. I then took my keys off the hook and unlocked the top half of the door.

"Hello?" I called uncertainly, "can I help you?" Even in my own ears, my voice was quiveringly low.

"I  am so sorry," a man's voice came from the other side, "I have a delivery for miss Brigid Somerville."

"Oh, yes," I sighed, "thank you, Sir. I am her."

The packages rattled near my right ear as he reached over the top of the door, still a good while away. I gingerly took the two parcels. The one was box-shaped, the other one feeling as though there were three tall bottles wrapped in a bag. "Thanks," I said quietly.

"No problem," he replied, "please remember to hide these, all right? And ... best of luck for your journey, young demigoddess. A daughter of Apollo, are you not?"