In the blink of an eye, the room disappeared from around me, but I heard the sound of the baby’s first cry break through the darkness. I was so relieved to hear her voice, but at the same time, terror hit me like an ocean wave. I felt Eagle Spirit’s hands upon me, but my eyesight was gone.
I was blind.
* * *
I gasped as the memory ended and I snapped back to reality. The sounds of music returned, and I smelled lavender. Trinity’s chair squeaked as she shifted. I felt like I was going to be sick.
“D-did you see that?” I asked her nervously.
She let out a shaky breath. “No, but I sensed something… very profound. You’ve uncovered a significant memory.”
“I… I don’t know how I could’ve forgotten it,” I whispered, more to myself than to her. “I must’ve thought it was a dream.”
“You lost your eyesight to a very traumatic event,” she said. “Perhaps even… something magical.”
She sounded unsure, and I wasn’t about to confirm it for her. If the Warden found out I gave up my sight for Ava, he could manipulate me to give upanythingfor her.
“It was frightening,” I told her, just to give hersomething. I had to lie, but I couldn’t spin my web too big. Surely, the Warden could uncover my medical records to confirm. “I woke up one morning and just… couldn’t see.”
“You don’t know why this happened to you?” she asked.
“The vision was unclear,” I lied. “All I know is that I was scared.”
“Let’s talk about that,” she offered.
“What’s there to talk about?” I asked. “I’ve lived my whole life blind. It’s just how things are. I’m not bitter about it.”
“Then perhaps we can talk about what you saw in your vision,” she pressed.
“I’mblind,” I reminded her. “I didn’tseeanything.”
A shiver ran down my spine.
“Right.” She scribbled something down, her pen scratching the paper. “Can you describe what you heard?”
“It didn’t make sense. Just a lot of thunder,” I told her. “There was a storm that night.”
“Mm…” Trinity tapped her pen thoughtfully. “Do you remember where you were living at the time?”
“Some foster home. I wasn’t there long.”
She kept pressing for answers, but I kept everything vague. She knew the vision had frightened me, but she didn’t know specifics. I didn’t tell her anything the Warden couldn’t already get his hands on.
“Can I go?” I asked after an endless string of questions.
“Yes, but Charlie… I encourage you to open yourself up to what this vision means. Your subconscious is trying to tell you something,” she insisted.
“Hmph,” I said, before leaving the room. I knewexactlywhat I was meant to learn, but I wasn’t about to tell her that.
My body trembled as I left the room. I heard voices upstairs, but they didn’t belong to any of my friends. It must’ve been Jaymin’s next counseling group.
“Charlie!” Marcus called from a few paces away. I jumped, because I hadn’t expected him to be there. “It’s fine. It’s just me, Marcus.”
I relaxed. “I know it’s you. I just…”
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Marcus said. “I-I meanfelta ghost. I mean—”
“I sawsomething,” I told him.
