Blinded

The park in the summer was always full of life. People strolled hand in hand, dogs barked, and children laughed. Today it was busier than ever. We watched a few street performers. Lucas, out of sight from others, decided he had to show me real magic and made a flower bud bloom in the palm of his hand. I question how he had the ability to do that when he controlled canines and not nature. Lucas refused to justify that with an answer. I dropped it and let Lucas place the fully bloomed flower in my hair. The white matched the green and white I had chosen to wear for the day. We had roamed for a few hours when I felt my feet wouldn’t carry me too much further. The gravity on Earth was a bit more than in the immortal realm. There were added nutrients in the air that made me less tired. Being back home I would tired more easily. Lucas found a stall that sold chicken battered in bite sized cubes and deep fried. They were sold in paper cups with your choice of sauce and a side of fries. Lucas led us away to a small bench that was oddly unoccupied and we ate in piece while I rested my feet.

“We can leave if you aren’t up to the rest of the day.”

“I’m fine,” I told him.

We walked along the edge of the woods and I was reminded of the old man. I asked Lucas about him as we walked. It was an odd feeling, walking hand in hand with Lucas when my hand usually held his leash. “He’s not of this world and yet he is. I know that doesn’t make sense. I promise if you stay with me I will explain it all.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s quite capable of taking care of himself. It will be interesting to see what future lies before him. For now we watch.”

A flash of light played in my mind. It hit a form and a body fell. Another came and I fell with it. I shook my head. Looking up I could see the sky darkening. We were a good distance from the lake where most of the activities were taking place. There were fewer bystanders now that most of the day had passed. I pushed Lucas, it took a lot of strength to get him to move, and fell to the ground myself just as wind picked up and something passed over my head. Lucas looked at me curiously before his gaze turned to the woods. A figure was emerging. She wasn’t hiding the pale green of her skin and her hair matched that of a summer time maple leaf. I recognized her as the woman I saw at the hospital. This was Shazi. The woman who had poisoned me and left the doctor and Lucas preoccupied with my care.

Lucas jumped to his feet and blocked my view of her. I could hear him growl out for me to leave. He didn’t want to place me in any danger. I wondered how angry he would be if he knew I had placed myself in this position on purpose.

“The lake Lucas, you need to head to the lake,” I said when another of the strange visions hit me.

“I never thought you’d be stupid enough to bring her back here,” Shazi screamed.

“To think you’d attack with innocent souls around.”

“No one else will be harmed if you pass that worthless bug over. Lucas, you deserve much better than her.”

“Answer me this, you’re so proud of your work, how’d you manage to poison her in front of me.”

“Check your pockets lately?” she asked.

I had worn my coat, it was the only thing that was mine, not that I understood how it came to be in Luca’s realm, . I reached in and found a small stone, flat with a center of many shades of green. Lucas didn’t look behind him. “It’s a rock,” I said.

“A blessing, or in this case a curse, it’s been poisoning you slowly, seeping into your clothes.”

I ripped my coat off and dropped the stone. “Lucas we need to get to the lake,” I repeated.

“Go,” he mumbled.

I grabbed his arm and forced him to come with. I wouldn’t leave without him and he was going to need help if what I saw came true. Shazi shrieked and I could feel something pass us. I didn’t look back. “Please just trust me and keep running.”

“You knew about this. Planned it, with father!”

“I wanted you to be safe and worry free.” I collapsed by the lake just as a geyser burst upwards. Ike rose with the water and I knew why he was so good in medicine. Water. It made up most of the world, most of the human body.

“Shazi plans to manipulate the insects. She wants to make them large enough to attack.”

“How do you know that?” Lucas asked.

Ike didn’t seemed shocked. I watched as he bent down and began sending the water to cover the ground. It would block the insects, preventing them from soaking up the energy she would send off. The defense didn’t come fast enough. Some insects began to grow. Their minds were being controlled and as they turned to focus on our small group Lucas whistled. He had his eyes set on Shazi and I knew, for now, he wasn’t mad at me for my choice. A pack of dogs came to Lucas’s aid. In groups of two and three they set forth to take down the bugs. Lucas rushed at Shazi and they traded a blow to each other, dodging and missing. Lucas was fast, he darted around to try again and Shazi barely ducked in time. The third hit landed in her shoulder and she threw up a tree branch to take the fourth hit. Lucas was furious and I was impressed he was contemplating each more. It wasn’t a fury of motion but planned out hits.

“So, you are the one everyone is fussing over,” I looked up to the brown hair and eyes of Lucas’s brother. This one didn’t hide his eyes. He was clearly the flirt.

“Not the time!” Ike shouted as he walked across the water and send a wave to bring down a cricket larger than me. The older brother was already in the distance. He had some form of stick in his hand that glowed blue and waved it around to hit his enemy. With each hit I could see a spark and realized it was lightning. He was carrying a bolt of lightning. The other brother held a bow and was shooting pure fire in the shape of arrows. I could see I was going to be able to help very little and that annoyed me. Except another vision passed before me.

“The ground is going to open up. Something below is trying to tunnel upwards.”

I looked to the older brother who stared at me for a moment before shouting to his father without his eyes leaving my face. “I think we have a molle coming! How come no one warned we had a seer on our side?”

I turned to Ike and pointed to the space between him and Lucas. He nodded and pointed at his son and then to me. “How wonderful, I get to save the damsel in distress. My name is Fringe.”

“I am not in distress,” I growled out. “Who names their son Fringe?”

Fringe let an arrow go and looked at me. “I will have you know I picked that name. Violet says it will be trendy in a few more decades. I want to have it first.”

I wasn’t paying attention. I looked behind me. I had a bad feeling about how open our backs were. I looked over to see a man dressed in white. His hair was white and beside him stood three large dogs. One of them looked like a slightly smaller version of Lucas in black fur.

“He’s with us. He’s can’t interfere with our battle at the moment. If Shazi slips up, cheats as you humans call it, we can have him assist.”

“Why can’t he help?”

“It’s an honor thing. Just never mind, you won’t understand.”

The entire time Fringe didn’t stop firing arrows. I stared at the man behind us. His face was familiar. I wanted to ask him if he knew the girl I saw in my dreams. I turned back in time to see another vision. This one wasn’t soon enough. I looked up with Fringe to see a black form fall upon us. I was suffocating. The mass was flattening me to the ground, wet with the film of water Ike had set to decrease the number of enemies. I pushed and pulled to get away. I realized it was a plant when a piece of it torn off in my hand. It felt like moss. I was blacking out when the grey sky greeted my vision.

“Sorry about that,” Fringe mumbled. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

I said nothing as I pulled myself to my feet and pointed to another of the moss monsters taking to the air. “Maybe you could take care of that one? Enough warning?”

Ike saw the new trouble first and when he rose his hand up water fell from the sky. He was draining the water from the moss and it stopped the thing in its tracks before it shriveled up to a dried mess. He took care of each of them before Fringe burnt them up with one of his arrows. Shazi was screaming angrily, as she threw an orb in Lucas direction. I saw it in my head dart around him and head in my direction. I pushed Fringe out of the way and flew into the lake. The orb grazed my side and I dove deeper causing it to fizzled out. I was running out of air and kicked my legs out in an attempt to move to the surface. I was losing strength and flinched with each movement. Surely Ike wouldn’t let me drown. I pushed myself anyway. Bobbing to the top I noticed Ike at the edge looking down.

“More than some mere seer,” he said.

“What?”

“You should be dead.”

“But I’m not,” I remarked as I crawled over the edge and back onto land. The water on the ground was still there. I assumed Ike wasn’t taking the chance. Then I remembered that even grass could be manipulated by Shazi, covering the grass would prevent her access to the vast vegetation. The fighting had died down. The last of the insects were gone. Shazi didn’t seem to be tossing up any other surprises. Ike had taken care of the molle, whatever that was, before it had even a chance to arrive. Fringe was sitting, or rather casually floating, in a cross legged position, chatting with his older brother standing a few feet away. “Why are you not helping Lucas?”

“This is his battle now. He has enough encouragement to win on his own,” Fringe said.

I turned to Ike and he nodded. “What if he loses?”

“What do you see?” Ike asked instead.

“I see him struggling to overcome the power she has over this area. He’s clearly not in his element here! This was your idea Ike you need to do something.”

“No, Kale what do you see.”

I looked at him and didn’t understand. What was he expecting me to say? I remembered what I had seen. If he was talking about visions I wasn’t having any now. I shook my head. Seer. That’s what Fringe had called me.

“How long have you had dreams that are more than dreams?” he pressed.

“I don’t remember my dreams. Just voices. Since I was little,” I admitted.

“Seers can’t control their visions. They see images in dreams, day dreams, nightmares, and decipher them. You are no seer. An oracle perhaps. You see the actual event, sleeping or awake, and can use that information to change the path we are on.”

“An oracle. Now I wish I had imprinted on her,” the silent brother said.

“Imprinted... who?” Fringe asked. He looked from his father to his brother. “Lucas?” The older brother nodded.

“I don’t understand,” I groaned, trying to ignore the not-so-helpful brothers.

“Seers see a singular image, a raven for death, a stork for life, you get the picture. They can’t see it exactly as it is. They have minimal power and can’t control it in their waking hours. Mediation and sleep are the only things that bring about their visions. You see things while you are awake, as they are.” Ike explained.

“Plus you see immortals and no seer can do that,” Fringe added.

“That’s not a seer thing?” I asked.

“Seers have a tingle that there is something more. Oracles know there is something more. You can see our world. That’s because what happens in the immortals world affects what is happening on Earth.” The older twin wouldn’t look at me as he explained.

“I’m not human?”

“You are,” Ike intervened. “You could say you have received a rare gift.”

“How?”

“Immortals have relations with humans sometimes and their children can acquire gifts that may not be seen for generations. You wouldn’t be able to tell a demi-god human, from a human because they don’t receive long life in most cases and they are susceptible to other hazards of human life. It is quite possible one of your ancestors was one of these demi-gods.”

“What happens to me now?”

“You have a difficult choice to make. While Lucas fights his battle you need to decide which path you will walk down.” Ike stepped forward and touched my forehead with two fingers. I felt warmth gather in his finger pads. I tried to step away and couldn’t. I didn’t like the pressure being released in my head.

“What are you doing?” I managed.

“The human world is standing still while Lucas and Shazi battle. This could take months, or years even. You shall sleep during that time too. I will wake you when it is all over. By then I hope you have made your choice.”

It came over me quickly, the darkness. I stood in it, for it felt like I was standing. I didn’t know quite what to do for a while. I stood in that one spot looking around, trying to see things in the blackness. My feet moved forward on their own accord. I felt I had to do something. Who just stands doing nothing? I couldn’t bear it any longer. I wasn’t one to laze around. It was funny how I couldn’t remember what had led to that point. There was an inkling I may be lost. I stopped. When lost you were supposed to stay in one spot. As time passed I couldn’t linger any longer and took another step forward. I wouldn’t wilt away and depend on someone else. One step followed another and one more; I picked up the pace and found myself jogging. I couldn’t tell if things were getting lighter or if it was my imagination.

Eventually black gave way to gray and then to a dull white. As the white became lighter it blinded me. I pulled an arm over my eyes and continued to jog forward. I needed to keep moving forward. I was slower now and trusting my feet to know the way. The brightness dulled away and I peeked to see I had walked into a hallway. Everything was lacking color. A world of black and white. I looked at my hand and could see the bright pink skin that made me. I still had color. The world didn’t. The hall had no doors. Windows here and there. I peered in to see scenes of gray, white, and black. Like old film, I knew of these kind of movies from my mother’s grandmother’s collection. We didn’t even have devices to play the tapes any longer. As I looked closer I realized they were not films. These were memories and they were mine. I stopped in front of one window and couldn’t place it.

“I had a bad dream again.”

“You did,” a younger Skylar said to me. I had my hair in braids, two of them, one over each of my shoulders. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I shook my head.

“Sometimes talking about what we dream helps us feel better.”

“I wish father could come home soon.”

“We both do,” Skylar said and patted my head.

“I dreamed he was going to have to stay. He won’t be able to come home.”

I gasped. I suddenly remembered. I turned back and looked through another window. I was lying in bed screaming my head off. I had a dream my cat would die. A few days later he had been hit by a car. I moved back a few more windows. I was no more than six. My mother was cradling me, rocking me in a chair. I told her Basil was awake and would climb out of the crib. She didn’t believe me. Mother wasn’t one for supernatural events. I stopped talking to her about them. I turned back and ran forward. I searched the windows. Looking for a specific scene. It didn’t take long to find. I had hidden it away, refused to think about it.

“Dad, you promise you’ll come home.” I was frantically speaking into the phone. Mother was in the kitchen. Basil, on his game console, had no interest in my conversation. “Please be careful when you are in the city. Don’t go down any alleys.”

My father reassured me. Told me he wouldn’t. He didn’t. I tried to change things. I warned him. He believed the things I told him and he listened. That night I would dream his death and I knew that it would come to pass. Father, hands up, trying to negotiate the release of the young man under his care. I watched and then forgot. Forgot them all. Every dream I had ever had. I spoke to no one about them. The only other person who knew, Skylar. I talked with him when I couldn’t talk to father. When I stopped talking about my dreams Skylar stopped asking. His concern over the last couple weeks told me this was what he wanted to bring up. I could tell him anything he had said this because he believed, like father, there was something more to my dreams.

When I had enough of my past I moved on. I peered through windows to check dates. My first Christmas without father, Basil’s birthdays, mother crying over a pot of tea. I caught a glimpse of graduations and knew I was getting close. I slowed and looked through the images of the large white dog that had become so much a part of my life. The last window I looked through showed me laying still in a fountain of water. I was being kept asleep. I suddenly remembered. Lucas’s battle. Ike and his words. I needed to choose. What path would I choose?

I looked down the hall. I could continue forward and I appeared to have two paths. I needed to choose. To choose I needed to see. I picked a path at random. After a short time walking I came to the same looking windows. Beyond one I saw a dozen or so doors. It was the hall leading to my office. I passed a familiar face. A large amount of white, compared to his current gray, riddled Skylar’s hair. He blocked my path and I looked up.

“Kale, what did you do this weekend?”

“Nothing fancy,” I mumbled.

“Want to come to the BBQ this Saturday?”

I shrugged.

I watched Skylar frown with worry. “I’ve been wondering. It’s been a few years since Lucas was lost. Why not get another dog? Anything at this rate to get you out and about is better than nothing.”

“I’ve got work to do. I will talk to you later.”

“Just don’t work yourself too hard,” he grumbled as I walked away. I didn’t know if I had even registered what he was saying.

Another window a few feet away showed my future self in my apartment. I had a takeout box on the counter and ignored it. I could see the dust on the television. My laptop on the desk had charts, records of the children I was helping. I was sleeping on the couch, work clothes crumpled. More windows showed me the same routine. A possible future. No Lucas. No significant other appeared to follow even years in the future. I had my family. They took up a large part of my heart, only I wasn’t sure it was worth it.

I ran back, to the fork, and took the other path. I noticed that I didn’t have to concentrate on breathing. The lack of air never came. I ran faster and pushed myself beyond my limit and it didn’t slow me in the least. I whirled around the corner. It took longer to reach the first of the windows. For the briefest of seconds I thought about turning back, what if there was nothing down this path. I knew better. All choices had an outcome and I needed to know the effect of this choice. The other path had shown me what I would be like if I picked family. I had to see a glimpse of what woud happen if I chose Lucas. Unlike the other path I did not see windows. I came to a dark room; a curtain over the window gave off the only light. I searched for the door for only a moment. It lead to a hall and I followed this to the end. I reached the last door and put my hand on the knob to see it turn. Lucas was on the other side. Just like everything else he was in various shades of gray and black, his hair was the purest of white.

“There you are, I’ve been worried. What are you doing down here?”

I couldn’t respond. I opened my mouth and nothing came out. Lucas didn’t seem to think this was odd and pulled me to his side to guide me through the door. We ascended stairs into an open living room and kitchen. There were windows everywhere, letting in the natural light. A patio door by the kitchen led out to a garden. The island in the kitchen was covered in baskets, containing various fruits.

“Father sent gifts.” Lucas approached the kitchen and pulled at a drawer. He retrieved a knife and turned. “Take a seat silly woman,” he said. I sat and pondered about why I could participate in this view. Lucas began to peel something that looked like a mango and handed me slices. “I really wish you would eat more without my reminding you.”

I couldn’t apologize and instead accepted the offered slice of fruit. I couldn’t taste it as it hit my tongue. I didn’t know how to describe eating and not feeling at least the texture of the food in my mouth. I swallowed the nothingness and put my hands in my lap to feel them hit a mass in the way. I looked down and saw my belly bulged and swollen. I was pregnant. Lucas was concerned about my eating because I was pregnant. The blackness enclosed around me suddenly. I didn’t need to see any more.

I wanted to see one more thing. I didn’t know how to go about it and I stood in the darkness for a while thinking about it. I hoped my thoughts alone would make my wish come true. I became more attentive to this idea. Lingered on it with every conscious thought and soon I could feel a swirling sensation around me. I concentrated on my one question until it formed in front of me. The windows were back. This time I couldn’t hear any sound. My answer shimmered in a single window before me. I stepped forward and peered in.

Lucas was walking in the rain. He was in what I couldn’t only guess was a jungle, I hadn’t seen one personally and based the observation on a movie depictions. There were large flowers, vines, and green hanging everywhere. I couldn’t tell if this was Earth, another planet, one of the garden’s in the immortal realm. I knew it was the future. I had asked for the distant future. The dense foliage would have made it hard for me to move, Lucas walked with grace, dodging, moving branches as needed, or jumping over large fallen trees with ease. He wasn’t running, just walking, and he glanced over his shoulder with displeasure in his eyes.

The progress continued and I realized when Lucas moved his jaw he was growling. Someone was talking to him, or shouting, and he was refusing to respond. At last someone came into the frame, his older brother. He grabbed Lucas’s arm and pulled him around. Lucas pushed him away but it barely budged him. The brother was carrying a piece of paper, pointing to it, screaming at Lucas, who paid no attention. As Lucas continued on I saw the brother vanish with a sigh and furrow in his brows. The scene changed. Lucas was sitting in a library. He was tearing books off the shelves. Ike was there the next instant. I could imagine the doctor was yelling at Lucas about the purpose of his visit. Lucas was searching for something, and in the process aimed each book he could at his father. I could see Ike grow angry. I wish I was able to hear what was being said. Whatever Ike was demanding, Lucas wasn’t hearing any of it. The family I loved wouldn’t help Lucas keep his. Who was to say I didn’t keep these immortal men together? Perhaps I prevented Lucas from changing sides?

I took a deep breath, forgetting I didn’t need air here. I let the darkness sweep over me again and knew I had made my choice. I had to admit Lucas was a great part of my heart. My family could move on without me. They had each other. Lucas needed me. I needed him. If I wanted to grasp what these powers I held were I needed his help. I also had to stop finding reasons that prevented me from admitting I loved Lucas. I couldn’t hide it forever.

The space around me became cold, unbearably cold; I wanted to find something to warm me up. If this was a normal dream I would be able to think about a cozy fire, warm sweaters, or a comfy bed. Those thoughts were useless. This wasn’t a usual dream. I needed to think willpower. That would get me what I needed. When mere thoughts of waking didn’t work I took a seat. I expected figuring out how to progress would take time. My thoughts then moved to Lucas again. I wished I could just check on how he was doing. I wanted to ensure he was okay, not hurt, and had someone cheering him along on the sidelines. In that instant everything around me grew warmer. The darkness was brightening and sound returned. Muffled voices were speaking around me. In the distance I could hear a shriek and right against my ear was the sound of running water.

Once I was able to separate my mind, from the darkness of sleep, to my location in the real world it was easy to see the barrier that tried to contain me. I didn’t know how, I simply passed through it and sat up as soon as my eyes were open. Water was encasing me, or had been, it kept me safe. The dark clouds still riddled the sky and the sun behind them held the same position as before. The world really had halted. I pondered how this would affect the Earth but ignored that thought as I prioritized.

I reached out and the water around me collapsed. I paid no attention to what was being said and turned to look at Lucas. He was looking a little worn, otherwise he was in one piece. I smiled at that before I confirmed Ike was next to me.

“You should be asleep,” he grumbled and reached out.

I shimmied out of the way. He wasn’t going to be getting close to me any time soon.

“Don’t put me back to sleep,” I ordered, “I will just break through your little barrier again now that I know how.”

Ike stopped, his hand hanging in the space between us. I rose to my feet and stretched. I paused long enough to see both brothers staring at me dumbfounded. I was guessing no one told their father what to do. Only I wasn’t going to be a puppet any longer. They probably needed me and I wasn’t stupid enough to consider I didn’t need them.

“How long has it been?”

“A few months,” Fringe answered, “maybe three or four.”

“You do realize you will die before this has finished if it continues as it has,” the older brother pointed out bluntly.

“Anile, that’s enough.” Ike turned to me and in his eyes I saw sympathy.

I kept my face blank. Or I hoped it was. I didn’t want to show emotion to them. I wasn’t scared. Still, there was a lot I didn’t understand and I wouldn’t let them think it was getting to me. I had no real sense of time in my visions. I couldn’t believe so much of it had already passed. I wasn’t sure why Ike was giving me the look he was but it wasn’t helping. I adverted my eyes to the forest, there was little left of it on this side of the park and that which was standing had been dried out and drained. That had to mean Lucas had the upper hand. It would weaken Shazi while Lucas had the energy from the animals living in the area and the canines hovering about, most asleep as they lent him their power.

“I won’t be taking a stand at the sidelines,” I announced. “This is my fight too.”

Anile was being uncharacteristic, he stared at me and was the first to speak. “What, pray tell, do you think you can do?”

I admitted the question didn’t have an answer. I was silent for a while as I thought it over. I hadn’t gotten that far into planning yet. I was reacting to instinct and it had gotten me this far so I intended to continue to do just that. Voicing that structureless plan was not going to win me any points. Clearly Anile was not like is father and brother. However, he created humans, surely he knew how persevering we were. Instead of answering I followed the tug to an area a short distance away. In the short grass, covered in water, it glistened, the flatten stone that had started everything. A blessing turned curse. I would use this against Shazi.

I knew what I was. I saw it in flashes and filled in the blanks. I was connected to the one, the creator of all immortals. That being gave me this gift to help balance the world, the universe and the vast space beyond our knowledge. I would fulfill the task I had been set to do because if Shazi was set free everything would crumble and a greater evil would be let loose upon the gods.