Eyes of the Soul (4 page)

Just as I thought I couldn’t take the piercing noise any longer, it stopped. It all just stopped. Every thought I was hearing suddenly went silent, like everyone’s brain had been shut off simultaneously and I was the only person left on earth. Then, I heard and felt the vibration of footsteps rushing toward me as I knelt on the sidewalk, completely confused about my current state.

“Jonah! Jonah, are you okay?”

I looked up into the face of a worried museum director. Her brown eyes looked sincere, but I couldn’t hear her thoughts. Nothing. Which was odd, because her thoughts were usually full of animation and detail. I enjoyed reading her and it pained me that I couldn’t do so at this moment.

“Ahh, yeah,” I answered as I stood, wincing as I straightened my body. I clearly bruised my knees during the fall. I also bruised my ego with the fact that I fell to the ground in unexplainable pain in front of people I was supposed to be doing business with. “Sorry, yes. I’m okay. I just suddenly had a migraine attack. I should… maybe I should head to the doctor.”

“I’ll take you to the hospital, Jonah. You shouldn’t be driving,” she said as she held onto my forearm and tried to lead me over to a nearby bench.

“No, no. That’s ok,” I assured her, shaking my head and sucking in a hissing breath at the sudden barrage of dizziness that overcame me. She was right, I shouldn’t be driving.

“At least let me call someone?” she begged with worry in her voice.

I just nodded at her concerned face. “I’ll call my dad. Thank you though.”

We made our way over to the concrete bench nearby and it felt good to sit for a moment. If I would have stood any longer, I thought for sure I would have puked. She sat with me until my father came around the main circle to pick me up. I felt like a little kid needing to be picked up from the school clinic.

I was able to hand the frog over to her and let her know I would discuss the idea in more length when I felt better.

“I love it, Jonah. The gems are a perfect addition to an amazing work of art. The detail it adds is impeccable,” she cooed.

Holding both sides of my head in any attempt to make sure it didn’t split in two, I said, “Hold it up into the sunlight and change the angle slightly.”

She did as I suggested and I heard a sudden gasp come from her lips. “Oh, Jonah. That’s even more breathtaking! I love it!”

“I thought with the skylights you have in the lobby, the sun shining through would hit these gems just right at different times of day, causing the wall to come to life like no other. I know some other sculptors have done similar exhibits, so I wanted to make yours unique and put my little signature on them as well,” I explained, not even attempting to look at her or open my eyes in the process.

She patted my back as she said, “Well, I think it’s brilliant.”

Even though she said she absolutely loved the idea and welcomed it, even offering to pay extra for my costs, I was still skeptical about her sincerity because I couldn’t read her thoughts. Everyone’s thoughts were completely silent. So, I had no way of knowing if she was genuine or just felt bad for me because she could tell I was in obvious pain.

I was safely in my father’s BMW when he started probing. “What the hell happened, Jonah?”

“I have no idea. It was so sudden. One minute, everything was fine. The next, it was as if everyone’s thoughts had been turned up to maximum volume. My ears began to ring and if it were real sound waves, I’m sure they would have been bleeding with the piercing noise that was assaulting me. I tried to block it all out, but it wasn’t working. I thought for sure I was going to scream… I may have screamed actually, I’m not sure. But then, it all stopped. Everything stopped. I can’t read anyone now. No thoughts. No voices.”

“I am taking you home and will have Dr. Jessen come check on you,” he said while his eyes stayed focused on the road ahead. When he said home… he meant his home. Luckily, I still had a room there. So, the idea of possibly staying there for the night didn’t bother me much. Especially since I now needed to go out and buy a new pillow for my room at the apartment.

“Dad, pull over,” I demanded. Luckily, he didn’t ask any questions and made his way to the shoulder just in time for me to spill from the car and throw up the once-delicious lunch my mother had made for me. I don’t know how much time passed, but I was sure as shit I would die right there on the side of the road. I felt THAT bad. The last thing I remember was my father’s broad arms scooping me up and dragging my ass back to the car. After that, it was lights out for Jonah.

Later on that afternoon, I woke up in my bed at my parent’s house. Wincing as I glanced at the nearby clock, I realized it was only an hour after my dad rescued me from the museum parking lot. God, just the thought of him having to pick me up in front of a client was enough embarrassment to last me a lifetime.

As if he knew exactly when I would wake up, likely because my dad could foresee the time that would happen, the doctor walked in to talk to me about my issues.

Dr. Jessen was a soul seer as well, although he specialized in psychic mediumship, more specifically the ability to speak to those who had passed on. But because he had a special gift, it was easier to talk with him about our ailments than a mainstream doctor, especially since he dealt more with psychological aspects of medicine. It wasn’t like we could walk into a hospital and say ‘Oh, you wanna know what’s wrong with me? Yeah… I can’t read minds anymore.’

The doctor said I should just rest. He thought my blocking technique actually did work under the sudden duress and that it may eventually wear off when I let my guard down. As far as why the increase in volume happened, he had no idea. But if I noticed any other changes in my gifts or if I noticed it coming back, I needed to call him right away.

As my dad escorted Jessen out of his home, I meandered down to the kitchen and found my mom’s worried form hunched over the sink.

“Mom? You ok?”

“Oh, Jonah. You should be in bed! Go. Go back up and I’ll bring you whatever it is you need,” she scolded as she tried to shoo me out of the kitchen.

“Mom, I’m ok. Really. I just needed to check on you. And, maybe get some more water,” I said with a shy smile, knowing she would like to hear me drinking water over soda.

“Well, I’m worried sick about my baby boy, that’s all,” she said with a sarcastic flick of her wrist.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Please don’t be worried. I’m okay. The doc says so,” I tried to assure her.

“Well, get your ass up to your room right now. I’ll bring you some water and we can talk more,” she ordered. I obeyed and climbed my way up to my old room. I decided it would be a good idea to heed the good doctor’s orders and just go to bed.

That night was the first in over six years I didn’t dream. I actually woke up in more of a panic than I would have with the most intense of dreams. I thought for sure with my nonexistent dream of amethyst eyes, I was likely dead. And if I wasn’t dead, I wanted to be.

Without my visions of her, I was nothing but a pathetic shell of a man.

You know the saying “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone?” Well, I had no idea how much I enjoyed and relied on my gift until it disappeared. I couldn’t read a single soul and the quiet in my mind was near maddening.

“Sill nothing?” my father asked as I was headed out the door.

“Nothing,” I said angrily, avoiding eye contact at all costs. I didn’t look at him as I spoke. Even though I felt very emotional, I would be damned if I lost control, especially in front of my father.

“Jonah?” My name from his lips was full of pity and sorrow, which caused a bit of rage to begin simmering in my veins. I didn’t need anyone to feel sorry for me. He could tell I was hiding something. As always, my dad could tell. He had a sixth sense about this kind of stuff. Either that, or his precognition abilities gave me away.

I turned and struggled to look at him, angry tears threatening to emerge at any moment, which I would ultimately hide with an outburst of fury. God. Why was I being such a pussy? I was contemplating whether I needed to share my despair with him or keep it bottled up. Sharing my sorrow, if for no other reason, would be to keep my sanity. So, I spoke from my heart and hoped he would understand. Hoped he wouldn’t push me to the brink of sharing my deep and bottled up emotions with the world. Not today. Not now. Gritting my teeth, I spoke. “Not even a dream, Dad. Not one dream. This is the first time I haven’t dreamed of her in six years.”

He walked over to me and held both of my shoulders so I would look him straight in the eye. He had to stoop down slightly just to get my attention enough before he spoke.

“It will come back. She will come back. You do not just lose a gift you have had your entire life. I am certain you will be ok,” he said with conviction.

“How do you know?”

“I just do.” He enunciated every word in staccato as if it made his promise more permanent.

I knew what that meant. That meant he had a vision. As a precog, he was always very private of his visions. Especially when someone was as close to him as I was. But if he said he was “certain” of something… then he had a very good reason to be so confident in his words.

His confidence that everything would be ok lifted my spirits a bit. However confident his encouragement was, I was still a basket case.

“Oh, your mother and I went and got your car for you. She hated me for taking her away from you while you were ill, but at least now you’re not stuck here.”

“Thank you. I actually didn’t even think about the fact it was still at the museum. Shows how on top of things I am. So, I appreciate you thinking ahead for me,” I said with sincerity.

“You sure you’re okay to drive?” he asked, still holding on to one shoulder as if he needed to keep me in place for a moment longer.

I just nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m fine now. I was fine shortly after my little episode and sleep seemed to help.”

After a quick man-hug with my father, which consisted of a shoulder bump and a single pat on the back, a kiss for my mother, and sheer willpower not to break down like a nancy, I left my father’s house for the studio. Lavendine was like my sanctuary. And my heart was calling out for my safe haven.

To keep my mind occupied, I decided to start laying the frogs out and planning the pattern they would be mounted in. Taking up an entire classroom, I pushed all the high-top tables together and spread several sheets of drywall out onto them to make up the ten-foot by twenty-four-foot space the piece would occupy. This way, I could organize and trace them with a pencil to plan their positions carefully. Considering I had Jay taking care of the studio and member sign-ups again today, I was able to delve into my work uninterrupted.

After several minutes of prepping my area, I made the verdict I would place a sign on the classroom door, claiming the room as mine until this project was complete. The members had three other workrooms they could utilize, so it would likely only mess with the workshop schedules, which could easily be transferred to other classrooms temporarily.

Sitting down, I began gluing more amethyst eyes to each frog, using the appropriate sizes for each and holding them up to the sunlight to test their shine.

I heard Jay talking with what must have been a new member because I would have remembered that voice anywhere if I had heard it before. Songs of angels paled in comparison to her mesmerizing voice. I was half tempted to peek out and see who this woman was, but thoughts of amethyst eyes made me shake the thought from my head and stay put.

I needed to stay focused anyway. Reminding myself it was just a random person, I decided to keep at my task and ignore the conversations going on in the main room.

As the moments passed and a few more eyes were glued in place, I cursed myself for not being able to read the minds of those in the building. For the first time in a long time, I wanted to go meet the girl whose voice piqued my interest. I usually always let the girls come to me, and even if they did, I wouldn’t give them the time of day. This time, I felt like a magnet was pulling me to the other room, but my stubbornness kept my feet planted in front of my project and my mind set on amethyst eyes.

“Jonah?” Jay called several minutes later as he lightly knocked on the open door of the workroom I was occupying.

“What’s up, Jay?” If I could read his thoughts, I wouldn’t have to listen to him stammer.

“I, ahh… I thought you might want to come meet one of the new members,” he said with somewhat of a shocked expression.

The look on my face probably said it all. I was completely baffled as to why he would want to bother me over meeting a new member. Yes, I did notice her—at least I hoped it was the voice of an angel he was referring to. But, regardless of her voice, I wasn’t interested.

“Let me rephrase,” he continued with his hands up in defense. “You NEED to come take a peek at this chick.”

Well, damn. If Jay thought it was important for me to meet this girl, and my body seemed completely attuned to her lovely voice, then she must be a total knockout or something. He definitely wasn’t the type to go ga-ga over any random chick.

“Whatever you say, Jay!” I joked with a sarcastic salute from my forehead. He scowled at me as I attempted to sidestep his rage in the doorway. He hated it when people made his name rhyme like that.

Jay began to speak in a more hushed tone. “You don’t have to meet her if you don’t want to. I just thought you would want to see her, even if from a distance.”

“What is so important about this ch…?” The lump in my throat swallowed my words as my stomach turned into a pretzel.

Turning my head in the direction of the main studio space, I saw her. She was here.

The light from the window bathed her skin and golden curls as if its rays craved to touch her as much as I did.

Sitting down at one of the workbenches was the girl of my dreams, literally. She was here with someone and I craved to be the person who occupied her attention so fully. She was real and she was here, at Lavendine, in the flesh.

I was stunned utterly helpless as I stood in the hallway and spied on her like a stalker. She wouldn’t know me from Adam. I’ve dreamed of this girl for over six years, yet she doesn’t even know I exist.

What should I do? What will I say?

Jay lightly clapped me on the shoulder and said, “I knew you needed to see for yourself.”

The End of Part Two