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Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Leocardo Reyes

Ermisenda Alvarez

Chapter TWELVE

GUILTY ITCH

BlindSightLeoBookCoverAna looked at him silently. The concerned look Ana gave him did nothing to comfort him. Suddenly, he realized why she wore it.

“Not even your family can leave?” His voice faltered as the truth hit him.

Ana’s words soothed him as she re-enforced the need to not be afraid. “Most people only have one gift, I have two. They are both weaker than someone with only one, but it is unique. I am sure that as soon as we figure out what Odette’s gift is, that it can be managed, just like any other gift, it’s just…stronger, has a longer reach than most people.”

Leocardo was still enraged with helplessness and the desire to protect his sister. How could he have been brought here against his will? If only he could lash out against something or someone but he wasn’t angry at anyone, it was this island, it was this situation. A wave of calm swept over him. Listening to Ana’s words comforted him to the point where he felt his body relax into his seat. The soft material molded around his weight as he leaned his back against the chair. He apologized. “I’m just really worried, but as you said, she’s just different and apparently powerful.” He bit his tongue to keep from admitting how much he hated this place.

“I cannot imagine what you are going through with all of this uncertainty; I do not think anything bad of you because of it. It is not unreasonable to want to run, just…impossible.” Ana’s words continued to soothe.

Ana shuffled the papers back together into the folder. As Ana filed the drawings away, he saw an image of an illustrated Aurora from Sleeping Beauty that gave him ominous chills.

*

The throbbing silence of the library was all that accompanied him. Ana had left for work. His mind wandered to the conversation they had before she left, with the drawings temporarily abandoned. He discovered that Ana’s sweet cravings were for pancakes rather than the expected chocolate. Also, recently she had been nursing Nate through his unemployment dilemma. Apparently Nate had been a long-term friend of the family, first close to Tatiana until one day she tossed him aside, bored.

Leocardo sighed, pacing the room when he noticed a desk he had paid little attention to earlier; it had a few uninteresting documents and an obsessively color-coded calendar with Ana’s name scrawled along the top. Leocardo immediately shielded his eyes to respect her privacy, but curiosity corrupted his innocent intentions as he leaned over and examined what she was doing for lunch on Friday.

Leocardo could envision bringing Ana close in an embrace, breathing in her long blonde hair. His arms ached to circle her waist. He could imagine her laughter, as if coated in smooth honey. She was the kind of girl that he could like without hesitation. She oozed compassion and tenderness. Would it be wrong to like her as more than a friend? Would Odette care?

He brought the pen up to the blank square. He had been daring and uncharacteristically bold. Would Ana dismiss it as rude? Would she find it sweet? Would she even see it? He just hoped she would agree to the note he had written in her calendar for Friday.

Despite the invaluable resources, these books did not leave the same impact compared to Ana’s words. It was all important and he acknowledged that, but he wanted more from Ana; he wanted to know what else she thought about Odette and her gift. He returned to the chairs with half a dozen books laid out open, shaking his mind to let go thoughts of Ana. He felt like he was immersing himself into a fantasy novel, but it was real. Leocardo turned over an aging sepia page full of decades old wisdom, all new to him.

It was difficult to concentrate despite being immersed in the familiar atmosphere of an intimate library setting. Deep silence and a thirst for knowledge had made libraries a frequent hangout for him in Spain. Rather than letting his mind wander, Leocardo forced himself to keep investigating the texts and do what he came for which was, after all, to learn more about this strange island. He learned about the Edaion Council, elected members of the community that made decisions on the behalf of the people while the monarchy simply stamped their approval.

He flipped several pages to the next chapter. If an individual exercises their gift during the tourist season, they are subject to trial. Punishments include varying levels of imprisonment including solitary confinement for more severe situations. Leocardo gulped. Would Odette get in trouble? He continued to flick through the books and subjects as he soaked up the new information.

The library door swung open and Tatiana walked into the room. “Hey.”

Tatiana did a double take, clearly not expecting to find anyone in the library. Her eyes narrowed and for a moment he thought she was going to attack him.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Taken aback, Leocardo furrowed his eyebrows. Even though he was offended, he realized that it must have been a shock for Tatiana to see him there.

“I’m Odette’s brother. Ana invited me over to read up on the island.”

“You didn’t like Leila?” she taunted.

“No, she tricked me,” he humored her.

“Tough.” She shrugged as she advanced toward a cabinet full of files and pulled out a blueprint of a house. Before she left the room, she hesitated and he could see her gaze shift to the books he was reading. “Some light reading I see.”

“Yes, I asked Ana if I could use the books here to get myself up to date.”

“Typical,” she stated with a cold stare, but he did not feel like it was directed toward him.

“Am I bothering you?”

“No,” she scoffed. The transformation from a smiling and bubbly face leaked into a thin and frozen expression. During the awkward silence, Leocardo contemplated leaving the room. He had the sensation he had detonated something deadly.

“So, what can you do?” Tatiana asked.

“Sorry?”

“Your powers.” She raised her hand with the blueprints and let go, allowing it to keep its position in the air without support. His eyes widened even though she had done more impressive things; it was simply hard to get used to.

Tatiana brought the blueprints whirring back to her hand. She smiled, clearly enjoying his fascination with what she was doing. The cabinet door opened, and it slipped back inside. A different blueprint emerged and floated to Tatiana’s open hand like a majestic bird glad to reunite with its master.

“It was the wrong one,” she smirked.

“That’s amazing,” he breathed and felt the desire to stand, clap, or ask for an encore. He realized that he had to become accustomed to this way of life quickly, if not he would make a fool of himself. Although he knew Ana had gifts, seeing Tatiana’s in action made the reality of it all that much stronger. His desire to learn his own burned more fiercely than ever.

“What do you have?” she repeated calmly.

“I…I don’t know,” he replied rather embarrassed as if he had forgotten his name or did not know where to locate the bathroom. “It’s part of the reason I’m here.”

“Have you noticed anything in particular?”

“Like?”

“Like anything…energy surges, tingling fingertips or burning sensations when you piss?” Her tone was so flat that Leocardo was scared to laugh but did so anyway. He saw her lips curve into a smile.

“No, no definitely not the burning sensations.” He shook his head firmly.

“Glad to know.” He was unsure how to take the comment, but she was already leading the conversation before he had time to question. “Your blind sister has a sudden interest in drawing?”

“Yes,” he said, a frown emerging. “How did you know?”

She shrugged. “Ana obsesses over the drawings all the time. As does Theo it seems.” The familiar news renewed his anxieties.

“What do you think of them?”

“It’s not my problem,” she yawned and he could tell he was starting to lose her attention.

Desperate to keep her around, he asked, “What about me? Have any ideas of what I could have?”

“Definitely not strength or speed.” Her penetrating gaze had simmered into bemusement with an asymmetric smile. Was he that bad at swimming?

“I asked what I have, not what I don’t have.”

“Process of elimination is a great technique for problem-solving,” she retorted and the blueprint contracted into a ball. Her dark eyes glistened.

Leocardo swallowed the knot in his throat and brought his gaze back to what he had been reading. These books were the best thing he had, and Ana was the best resource regarding Odette’s gift. He could still feel Tatiana’s dominant presence, but did not dare to meet her eye as he was sure that she was still staring.

“Teleportation.” Her voice was strangely soft and alluring.

Leocardo turned to look at her, but she was already making her way for the exit with the blueprint in her hand. She left the library door open so when the doorbell to the manor rang the resounding ‘yes!’ from Tatiana echoed through the corridor and library.

Although Leocardo had no intention of eavesdropping on the conversation, he could not ignore it as the voices flowed down the corridor and into the library. He was too distracted to consider Tatiana’s suggestion about his powers.

“Hey Tia! Happy birthday!” Nate’s voice was incredibly distinct. “You going out tonight?”

“Thanks, and no.”

“I’ll take you out. Come on, there’s this great—”

“Where is it?”

“I’m here,” he teased.

“Not you. The jellyfish tank and get a damn shirt on Nate.”

“I’ll give you something that’s actually fun for your birthday.” His response was received by an awkward silence and Leocardo could only imagine the dead-pan glare Tatiana was giving him.

“Really? Just bring the tank in,” she demanded.

“Is that a…please, Nate, take me out?”

Tatiana must have made an offensive gesture because Nate laughed and said, “Nice finger. Hey, it will be my birthday soon and you won’t be invited to my birthday party.”

Leocardo was greeted by Theodore’s sudden presence in the doorway. “Hello Leocardo, would you mind lending a hand?” he asked. “I know you’re busy with the material we hold here.”

Leocardo rose and placed the book he was holding open on the table to keep his place. “Yep, I can help,” he agreed without knowing what he was agreeing to.

Some kind of tank for a jellyfish, it seemed, was waiting to be delivered and brought inside. He stood awkwardly, not sure what his role was. Just as Leocardo was moving toward Theodore it hit him that if it was Tatiana’s birthday it was also Theodore’s.

“By the way, happy birthday.”

Theodore responded with a smile. “Thank you.”

“Have any plans?”

“Trying to keep up with my ongoing royal obligations,” he humored, but Leocardo could tell that he was not joking. “Although, I might manage to relax later on.”

Leocardo left the library and went to help Tatiana, Nate and Theodore with the jellyfish tank. During the entire process Nate refused to put on a shirt despite Tatiana’s demands. At one point Nate’s shirt, which was tucked into his pants, swung up and smacked Nate in the face. It was obvious who had controlled the shirt, Tatiana.

“What was that for?” Nate grunted and massaged his cheek.

“Why are you looking at me?” Tatiana asked coyly.

Once they heaved the large aquarium up to the second floor, they didn’t need Leocardo’s help anymore.

“Thank you for your help,” Theodore dismissed Leocardo.

“Anytime.” Leocardo strolled down the staircase of the Dawson manor. On the journey to the library he noticed an open room. The door stood ajar, like an open arm, inviting him in. Pulling the door to close it, he paused when he saw a gold plaque indicating this was Theodore’s office.

The urge to step inside grew, but he felt the tug of morality. This was absurd. How could he snoop through Theodore’s office? The idea was…tempting. Ana had said that he was researching Odette’s gift as well. Theodore would have more answers than Ana.

Leocardo struggled with his thoughts, this was wrong, but on the other side of the coin, this was about Odette’s safety. How could he just wait for Theodore to give him more news? It took Theodore weeks to introduce Leocardo to Edaion’s true nature. Leocardo wasn’t going to wait for his sister’s health to deteriorate at the prince’s leisurely pace. Plus he would not make an extensive snoop, just a quick scan.

The faint voices of Theodore and Tatiana arguing about the best plan to get the jellyfish tank into her room could still be heard. The coast was clear, for now. The first step was the hardest. Leocardo felt like he was betraying the entire family and Ana’s trust. The next step was easy as he caught sight of the disorderly desk. Was he naturally disorderly or had Theodore left to help Tatiana in the middle of work?

Leocardo moved to the desk and his eyes darted over the papers. Beads of sweat collected along his brow. The drawings Ana had collected were absent from the table, no copies had been made if Theodore had seen them. Instead there was an array of written word documents. This must have just been boring work, not Odette investigations.

Just as Leocardo began to lose hope, he peered into the big book that faced him, tempting him. A measurement ruler had been left on the page. Leocardo peered closer and saw that the page was part of the ‘Rare and speculated powers’ chapter. His concentration ran down the page to find where the ruler had been left. It hung under a particular word: ‘Seer’.

Leocardo noticed that the book had numerous other bookmarks but felt like he was pushing his limits. He did not have time to look at what else they could tell him. His eyes darted to the other side of the table and found a letter labeled ‘CONFIDENTIAL’. Unable to restrain himself, he tugged on the letter that was peeping out.

It was a list of names of people facing trial. The trials dated back numerous years. They were not only recent trials and he frowned at his finding. He slipped the letter back inside and put it back where he found it. Before turning to leave he saw a sticky note with ‘1902’ underlined.

Leocardo feared the beads of sweat accumulating along his brow were going to start raining down onto the papers. The room was quiet and that unsettled him. He departed the room, leaving the door open, like he found it. Once he reached the sanctuary of the library he tried to control his heavy breathing. Shortly after, he shoved his belongings into his bag.

Leocardo left the library in pristine condition. In the midst of his escape he caught Alaya on his way out. Politely he introduced and excused himself, lying about an urgent appointment. He needed to get out of the manor, now. He could not breathe. The guilt was drowning him.

Leocardo burst into the chilly outdoors and began jogging to the bus stop. What did he find? Nothing. What did those three pieces of information serve him? The only one that truly caught his interest was the word ‘seer’. If Theodore had Odette in mind when he opened that page then…could she see the future?

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FROM THE START (ProloguE)

Blind Sight is an urban fantasy series about a blind girl who develops the ability to draw. You are reading Blind Sight Through the Eyes of Leocardo Reyes. This volume is told from the point of view of Odette’s brother who thinks she’s having premonitions. The companion novel, Blind Sight Through the Eyes of Aniela Dawson tells the same story, but through a different point of view. Odette’s new friend Ana is convinced Odette is a medium channeling spirits and cannot be convinced otherwise. Who is right? Whose eyes will you read through?

amazonbutton-purchaseYou can also learn more about our novels on our page, Ermilia Books.