“I think that’s how it worked with your mother. She touched people and saw stuff.”
“No, it doesn’t work like that for me. If I’m around, I see things. No, it’s not for everyone. Well, it didn’t used to be. I think that’s changing too.
“It used to be mostly those who would mean something to Dad. At least that’s what it felt like. Like they were important to him, so I knew things about them.
“What happened during the war was different for me. I thought it was a one-time thing as it hadn’t happened again until recently. At that time, I knew you guys needed to know what I saw because none of it would go away.
“Once things were over, it stopped. In the last year, I’ve felt something change. When I step into a room, I see and hear for everyone around me. Then there are the numbers and Jess,” I explain.
Mom’s eyes go wide, and it seems like she’s holding her breath. I fight not to get overwhelmed. I don’t want to start humming and distract them from what I need to tell them.
I release a heavy breath and start to cut into my fruit and French toast. I don’t like syrup. The fruit on top makes it as wet as I like.
Mom makes it perfectly. She understands just how I like it. Today it’s better than perfect and makes me happy.
Mom, being Mom, picks up on the fact that I’m starting to reach my limit. She gets up and comes to sit beside me.
Then she wraps her arms around me and kisses my cheek. I miss when she was taller than me and could kiss the top of my head. Those kisses made my world better.
I slouch down and rest my head against her chest. She then kisses the top of my head. I sigh as everything in me settles and begins to feel right in my world.
Dad places a heavy hand on top of one of my legs. “You don’t have to do this now. We can talk more later,” he offers.
I shake my head. “No. It’s okay. Jess and the numbers started when I was about five. She would draw the pictures with numbers hidden in them. At first, I don’t think she knew what she was doing.
“I could see the numbers, but I don’t think she knew they were there. I would hear to sit by her and look at the pictures. That’s when I started to find the numbers as I held the pictures.
“Once I found the numbers, I would see what they meant and what they were for in my mind. I don’t know how, but I just knew what they were for. Phone numbers, addresses. Almost always for Dad’s friends in times of need.
“I would know the order to place them in and how to use them and when. When those people came to our house and I called everyone to come help, Jess figured out the connection. That’s also how I was able to help in Ireland.
“She doesn’t know when she’s doing it. She’s honestly just drawing. I’m the one who knows which pictures are for me.
“I find the numbers. I think … I think someday she will know which pictures and when to bring them to me. I’ve seen her do it when we’re bigger.”
“Have you seen anything else about the future?” Mom asks gently.
I nod. “Yes. The man soaked in red. He’s drenched in blood.”
“Who is he?” Dad asks.
“At first, I thought he was you.”
Dad’s brows shoot up into his hairline. “But you don’t anymore?”
“No. He looks just like you, but he’s not you. He’s me. I’m the man soaked in blood. It’s not my blood.
Dad nods and visibly relaxes. “Okay, do you know whose blood it is?”
“The men from the shadows. My enemies and those they love.” I shrug.
For the first time, it all clicks into place and settles. I’m resolved to the path I’ve seen and know I will take. This is who I am.
“They will come for what’s mine and I will show them who I am.”
CHAPTER 12
In Awe of Him
