IP: 2.28.12.27
Posted on October 1, 2013 at 07:04:26 PM by amber
The first pale stars brought the promise of a cool, clear night. The distant glow of the recently set sun kept the moon’s presence to a dim glow, but it still made a pretty silver crescent in the red-streaked navy blue sky. One of the other patients muttered distractedly in his sleep, and in the room next door Amber heard the faint sound of a heavy door clicking shut. The healers had finished for the night, although presumably there was still a nurse on duty in case one was needed after darkness fell. At the other end of the room, the door leading to the main body of the castle swung silently open, and a pair of golden-yellow eyes flashed at Amber in the half-light. Reyna had been told to stay well clear of the ward indefinitely, but clearly the twenty-three foot python was not as much of a rule-follower as her fairy was. The snake glided gracefully into the room, effortlessly flicking the door shut behind her with her tail, and regarded Amber silently for a moment before coiling underneath one of the patient’s beds. Amber sincerely hoped that the patient wouldn’t have to get up in the night for any reason. A mumbling sound caught her attention and she glanced back down to see Graeling stirring. A warm wave of relief rolled over her, followed almost immediately by the familiar sense of worry that only he seemed able to inspire. She unfolded her arms and leant forward a little, gently placing one hand on his shoulder. Almost immediately, she noticed how the dim lighting highlighted the contours of her hand – making it look even more masculine and shovel-like than usual – and withdrew it, curling the fingers underneath the blankets so that they were invisible. Graeling was mumbling and couldn’t quite hold the volume of his voice, which meant his hearing was still impaired. At the mention of Reyna her eyes flicked automatically to the bed under which the snake was lying. The reticulated python was almost wholly concealed by shadows: only her head and upper part of the neck, resting on the ground beside the bedpost, were visible. She didn’t react to the selkie’s statement, but somehow Amber thought Reyna would be pleased with the idea that her stomach was lined with stars. The question hit her sharply in the gut, and for a moment she found it difficult to take a breath. There was no accusatory note in Graeling’s face, but… he could be hiding it, or reserving judgement until he had an answer – especially if he thought he’d imagined her voice in his head. The sanctity of privacy was most preserved by the mind, a person’s final closed door against the world – and she had the ability to violate that. What kind of person would want to be around someone who could, on a whim, see their innermost thoughts, desires and fears? Amber was acutely aware of how few friends she had, and how much those few meant to her. Which would risk a friendship more: dishonesty in the form of lying by omission, or publicly announcing her more undesirable qualities? Before she had the chance to answer, he muttered his self-admonition and reached out for the hand which wasn’t tucked underneath a blanket. Amber tensed a little, the way she always did whenever someone acknowledged her hands, but relaxed a little when his fingers interlocked affectionately with hers. She shook her head slowly, not sure herself whether she was answering his question about being in her head or denying that she thought him weird, and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. ‘Well, don’t thank the snake,’ Reyna muttered snottily at the back of Amber’s mind, breaking her reverie. It was time. ‘I wasn’t,’ she touched his mind gently and placed her thoughts to the forefront, making a concerted effort not to see further inside his head. ‘But I can. I can feel people’s minds and see what they think. I’m telepathic.’ She lifted her free hand to her mouth and curled the tips of the fingers under her lips. Amber hadn’t bitten her nails regularly since she was young, but she still occasionally nibbled on them when she was particularly anxious. With the dying yellow light through the window, the anguish was clearly visible on her face. ‘I try not to. I don’t go looking for things, but sometimes people think really loudly.’ It sounded like such a lame excuse, but it was true. People did think loudly, especially when their emotions were particularly heightened or when they were crying out for help, and Amber didn’t know how to switch her telepathy off. Keen to change the subject, she gave his hand another little squeeze. ‘My mother used to say that ‘weird’ is just a label people use for anything which is different, and different is synonymous to special.’ * * * |
Replies:
- ----take what the water gave me // - By Graeling October 14, 2013 at 05:07:13 AM
- dancing in the moonlight. - By amber October 16, 2013 at 00:41:33 AM
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