RockScars

Lets re-cap shall we? So, high and mighty Twyla has lost her eyesight and thinks the world owes her a living. Shadows is to be her guide and teach her how to live a normal life as if she still had her eyesight. Not an easy task considering that I know what’s up ahead. You will too, soon enough.

What of Lark? So, she has a gift that allows her to see visions while she sleeps. Shadows can manipulate dreams. Makes for a lethal combination, wouldn’t you say? I could go on and tell you that they use their gifts for the greater good, but I’d be lying.

As for Daisy, apparently you can take the girl out of the south, but you can’t take the south out of the girl. She’s an acquired taste though; she can seriously get on my last nerve. ‘Oh Mr. Gates’…blah blah blah. Here’s one for ya big boy! Oh Mr. Gates, poor little country bumpkin has to go now…bye y’all!

Gates watched the door as if Daisy was going to show up any minute for class, but she never showed up to his class or any of her other classes. So, when school let out, he headed straight to the manor to find out why. There was no way it this was about her essay. Things were fine when they ended their conversation.

He found Vengeance in the kitchen having a beer. “You see Daisy tonight?”

“I have,” he nodded. “Yes.”

Gates went over to the fridge and got a beer for himself. “Any idea why she wasn’t at school.”

“Yep,” Zacky sipped his beer. Just tell him. Go ahead, rip his poor heart right out of his chest. “She’s leaving.”

Gates was about to twist the cap off his beer bottle, but stopped and looked at Vengeance. “Leaving?”

Vengeance nodded. “Nix called and said that she was contacted by Daisy’s parents. They’ll be here at the end of the week to pick her up. No point in making her go back to school now, is there?”

Gates just stood there not knowing what to say. It was a rhetorical question, dude.

“And Nix is sure the people who called are Daisy’s parents?”

Vengeance turned and leaned sideways against the counter to face Gates. “Described her to a tee.”

“Did Nix happen to say what happened to Daisy?”

Vengeance nodded. “Parents said she just up and ran away one day.”

Gates laughed. “She just ran away, lost her memory and ended up here?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Teenagers run away, it’s what they do.”

Vengeance went to the refrigerator and got himself another beer. “Why does it bother you so much?”

Gates shrugged indifferently. “It doesn’t. I was just curious.”

“Yeah, sure.” Vengeance smiled as if it were an inside joke and left the kitchen.

Curious my ass. You like her, you really like her, you want to hug her, you want to kiss her, you want to looooove her…

*******

“Who’s there?”

“Three guesses.”

Twyla didn’t respond. It was Shadows and there was no point in giving him the satisfaction. “I thought tonight we’d try something simple.”

“Like what?” She asked calmly, but there was still a hint of bitterness in her tone.

“Eating.”

“I know how to eat.”

“Yes,” he nodded and pulled out a chair. “But you’ve yet to eat with a knife and fork without your eyes.”

Twyla was long past embarrassed and on her way to humiliated. “Can’t I just eat Pizza for the rest of my life?”

Shadows laughed. “I’m glad you can joke about this, but no. Now come over here.”

“Over where?”

“Get off the bed and walk straight about two feet. Stop when you touch the chair.”

Twyla huffed, but moved to the edge of the bed. On shakey legs, she stood, but taking the first step was like a baby learning to walk for the first time and hoping they don’t fall. “Just walk forward, there’s nothing in front of you.”

Twyla walked forward and put her hand out in front of her to feel for the chair. When she felt the wooden back, she stopped. “Good, now sit down. There’s a table in front of the chair.”

She made her way around to the front of the chair and when she felt the table she sat down. “That wasn’t so hard was it?”

“Can we just get on with it?”

“Fine.” He sat down in the chair at the opposite side of the table. “Ok listen to me. I’m setting your plate down directly in front of you. To the right, will be your fork and to the left will be your knife. Up a bit from your fork is a can of diet coke.”

Twyla set her hand on the table and moved it over until she felt the fork. “Good, pick it up. Imaging your plate as a clock. Mashed potatoes are at three o’clock, peas are at six o’clock, a grilled chicken breast at nine o’clock and a brownie at noon.”

“Can’t I just go for the win and eat the brownie?”

“No,” he laughed. “You can’t use your hands until you use your fork.”

Twyla sighed and took the easy way out going for the mashed potatoes first. They ate silently until Shadows decided to push her a little bit. “I know you like peas, try eating them.”

“Can’t I just have a spoon?”

“No. Now, eat your peas.”

Twyla let out a frustrated sigh and found the peas with her fork. Her hand was shakey, and when she brought the fork to her lips, there were only two peas left on it. “This is hopeless.” Defeated, she set her fork down on the table.

“You know, I think I know you well enough to know that you fight for pretty much everything, at least with me anyway. So, I find it hard to believe that you’re giving up without a fight. Pick up your fork.”

If she could see him, she probably would have stabbed him with the fork. “Skip the peas for now, I want you to try and use your knife.”

“You want me to pick up a knife. I know where you’re sitting, Shadows.”

He laughed heartily. “Even with sight, you wouldn’t get close enough. Now, pick it up.”

She did and contemplated leaping across the table. He laughed again knowing exactly what she was thinking. “The chicken, try it.”

“I hate you.” Twyla set her fork down and felt her plate. She turned it until the chicken was in front of her.

Shadows laughed. “Cheater.”

“Would you rather I quit?”

“Point taken, now eat.”

Surprisingly, Twyla was skilled with the knife and didn’t have too much trouble cutting the chicken. “I don’t hear you. You’ve finished?”

“No. I’m just waiting for you to catch up.”

Twyla set her fork down and picked up her can of soda and took a sip. “I don’t want anymore.”

“Not even the brownie?”

“Maybe, I’ll save it for later. Brownies and diet coke don’t exactly sound so good together.”

“I suppose not,” he said and stood from his chair. He took their plates away and set her brownie aside for later and sat back down at the table.

“Now what?”

Shadows inclined his head slightly. “Now we talk.”

“Oh free therapy. Great.” She was being sarcastic, of course, but he ignored it.

“Vengeance and I talked today and we both agreed that if this is going to work, it would be better if you came and stayed at the guesthouse.”

Twyla didn’t know what to say. It seemed like there was a new roadblock at every turn. “What do you think?”

“Something tells me, it doesn’t really matter what I think.”

“Of course it matters, Twyla. No one is trying to make things harder on you. You just need to realize that everything we’re doing is to help you not to hurt you even more.”

“By taking all my choices away? How is that helping me?”

Shadows leaned back in his chair trying to hold onto his patience. “We’re not taking your choices away from you. Believe me when I tell you we all know this inst easy, but there are changes that have to be made in order to get you back in the swing of things and the first of those changes is you moving to the guesthouse. Besides, I don’t think I can stand another minute of your sister’s pouting. Cookies only work for so long.”

It only took the mention of her sister for her to give in. “Fine.”

Score one for Shadows.

“Ok, then.” He got up from his chair. “Saturday, we’ll move your stuff that way you have the rest of the week here to figure out what you want to take with you.”

She nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“Your brownie is on the end table by your bed.”

Still she said nothing and he knew she was just waiting for him to leave so she could cry alone.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He left her sitting there alone all the while hoping like hell that he and Vengeance had made the right decision.