Shards of Sanity (Book 6, Forgotten Series)

Chapter Three

A few days later

"Unca Mikey, see trees?" At the small but confused statement I looked down at Amelia who was clutching my hand, her sightless eyes looking around as we continued our walk.

I stopped walking as I watched her tilt her head as if she could hear something I couldn't. I crouched down in front of her as she tilted her head once more as a breeze blew passed us. "What do you mean, Amy?"

She gave a heavy sigh of frustration. "Trees, Unca Mikey." She gestured with her hand in the direction where the trees were even though I knew she couldn't see them.

I nodded slightly as I held her hand. "Yes, the trees. What about them?" I narrowed my eyes as I looked past Amelia to where Heidi was attempting to sneak away. "Heidi, you get back here!" I pointed at her, doing my best to give her a stern look even as she giggled hysterically and rushed back towards me. I was watching them for Luka and Shey, they were out training together. May said it would help them work out some of the negativity to train against each other, she stated it would be a healthy way for them to work out their stress. I couldn't say I disagreed with her, there was nothing quite like mindlessly going through the motions to exhaust your brain to the point you couldn't think about anything else.

Amelia tugged on my hand slightly, bringing my attention back to her. "The trees, Unca Mike, you see the trees. I can't." She looked so confused and I was stumped at what she wanted. "I can't see dem. Don't know them." She frowned and tilted her head again and my heart clenched in my chest before I gently pulled her closer, giving her a small hug. It was always so hard for me to see her understand the realization of her condition. She was blind and there were moments you forgot she was but she never did and when she would say these things it always made my heart ache for her.

"That's okay, Amy." I rubbed my chin on the top of her head as I gave her a comforting squeeze before slowly letting her go. Heidi slammed into my shoulder with a laugh, attempting to scurry up my side and to my shoulders. "Heidi!" I frowned at her as I disentangled her from my side. "Amelia was trying to tell me something. It's not nice to interrupt." I set her down on her feet and she shoved her little hands on her hips and tossed her hair from her face.

"She'll tell me!" With that she turned to Amelia and rapidly started speaking that strange little language they had but whatever their conversation was it seemed to brighten Amelia up as she hastily responded. I sighed and looked around yard, my eyes scanning the trees out of habit. You could never be too safe, even when on pack land. Children were so vulnerable and if one wanted to take out a pack they went for the children. It was a horrid and cowardly move but that didn't make it any less a threat.

I knew I was being a bit too paranoid but I couldn't help it when I was tasked with looking after the twins. I was continually reminded of just how fragile they were, especially Amelia, but they were small and defenceless. They were this pack's future and nothing could be allowed to harm them.

Heidi pulled me out of my musings as she tugged on my wrist slightly. "Ahme wants to see the trees." She looked up at me and I blinked, unsure of how to respond to that.

"Honey, Amelia is blind." I knew that Heidi understood that Amelia was different than her, that she couldn't do certain things or lacked in certain areas, so I didn't understand what she was trying to say.

She nodded, her curls flying around her face. "Yah. See with hands." She grabbed Amelia's hands, smoothing her own over her sister's palms. "She sees with hands. We show her a tree." She kept hold of one of Amelia's hands as she pointed to the tree line.

I frowned, I understood what she was saying now but I didn't like the idea of taking them out to the treeline. It was too far from the house. "P'ease, Unca Mikey?" Amelia shifted her head, her cloudy eyes gazing in my direction and I sighed, knowing that I couldn't tell her no.