Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 99413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
“That makes me afraid. I want to keep you all safe. I don’t want you to lose trust in me, but my first mommy says it’s time I start to talk to you and explain,” I say as I find my words.
Dad places his hand on my head and I start to feel calmer inside under the weight of it. I look up at him and search his eyes. When I see he’s not angry with me, I smile.
“You can always talk to us. You have earned our trust over the years. Your words have saved all our lives at some point.”
I nod and take a deep breath. Taking a glance out the corner of my eye, I see Mom watching me closely like she always does. She will know the moment I’m overwhelmed.
Trusting her and Dad, I begin. “I’m no longer seeing in seconds and minutes. It’s as if I’m seeing things that have happened in the past and will happen in my future.
“Not just my future, but the future of everyone around me. Everything is different now,” I murmur and ball my fists at my sides.
“How so?” Dad asks.
“When I was younger, things weren’t as clear as they are now. I never really understood what I was seeing. I just knew when something dangerous was coming and that I needed to warn you guys.
“The feeling would get stronger until the visions came in seconds and then minutes. That night, when Mom came to pick me up from Grandma and Grandpa Mairettie’s, I felt danger was coming.
“I needed to get to her to warn her. Then she took me home to her place and I felt we were in danger there. It wasn’t until a few minutes before they were on their way to the garage to harm us that I saw what the danger was.”
“But you see more than that now?” Mom says in awe.
“Yes. Before I could sense and see trouble meant for you and Dad. Then I started to see smaller things about others. Decisions they needed to or should make, things like that.
“However, about two years ago, I started to see why those decisions should be made and what would happen if they were or weren’t.”
“Is this for everyone you come in contact with? Do they have to touch you or something?” Mom asks.
“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.