{"id":658,"date":"2011-09-12T00:00:23","date_gmt":"2011-09-12T04:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=658"},"modified":"2011-09-12T10:18:33","modified_gmt":"2011-09-12T14:18:33","slug":"day-15-chapter-10-marin-03","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=658","title":{"rendered":"Day 15 – Chapter 10 – Marin – 03"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We brought the water back to the fire after Tala calmed down and wiped her eyes.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t blame her for her fear, though I wondered how long we were going to keep it quiet, who we were going to keep it a secret from.\u00a0 I knew that a secret in a community this small wouldn\u2019t last long, even if I didn\u2019t have any plans to tell anyone without her consent.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 God, she was pregnant<\/em>.\u00a0 How we were all going to handle that?\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t just about her, after all, it was about all of us, about us as a community.\u00a0 Eight months or so, and then we\u2019d have an infant to care for on top of all of us.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Maybe it wasn\u2019t worth worrying about.\u00a0 A lot could happen in eight months.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Carolyn was sitting with little Angie by the fire, and the small girl waved to Tala and I as we brought the water.\u00a0 I looked around for Matt, who\u2019d been here when we\u2019d left.\u00a0 Carolyn caught me looking and grinned.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s with Stasia.\u00a0 She said there\u2019s eggs\u2014finally.\u00a0 He got excited and had to see for himself.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tala sighed happily.\u00a0 \u201cFinally something other than toast.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I laughed as I set the buckets of water off to one side, to be rotated in for sterilization in whatever fashion my brother and some of the other boys had engineered two weeks ago.\u00a0 We\u2019d gotten rain buckets set up, but the storms had tapered off the past few days so we hadn\u2019t gotten to test them much.\u00a0 That, at least, had given J.T. and Drew time to actually get back to testing for wells with Tala\u2019s help.\u00a0 We needed one of those fast, so we could stop hauling water up and down from the river and sterilizing it.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThe rest still sleeping?\u201d\u00a0 I asked as I dried my hands on the seat of my jeans.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMostly.\u00a0 A few are up and moving, but most everyone\u2019s catching a few extra minutes of sleep.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Angie tugged on Carolyn\u2019s sleeve.\u00a0 \u201cMiss Carolyn?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I smothered a smile as I turned around to get a few mugs for tea out of the bin we kept them in.\u00a0 The kettle was already on\u2014that was either Matt or Carolyn\u2019s doing.\u00a0 Cute kid.\u00a0 Polite, too.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhy does Miss Marin have three eyes?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I froze, throat closing.\u00a0 What the hell?<\/em>\u00a0 I turned slowly, looking at Angie strangely.\u00a0 She was looking up at Carolyn, perfectly innocent.\u00a0 Tala had frozen, too, as she was about to sit down on the other side of Angie.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Carolyn\u2019s eyes flicked to me before she looked back at Angie, tone carefully neutral.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean, Angie?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShe has three eyes!\u00a0 Can\u2019t you see them?\u00a0 Just like you have all of those fairies with the sparkly dragonfly wings and the butterfly wings around you all the time.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I suppressed a shiver.\u00a0 She can already see things?\u00a0 Some kind of prescience, or just basic sight beyond the norm?<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cWhere is it, Angie?\u201d\u00a0 I asked quietly, curious even though I was starting to feel sick to my stomach.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She looked up at me and pointed to the center of her forehead, just above her brow-line.\u00a0 \u201cRight here.\u00a0 It\u2019s all silvery most of the time.\u201d\u00a0 She paused for a minute, tilting her head to one side.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Thom has it, too, but he looks different.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Shit.\u00a0 And this in front of Tala, who\u2019s pretty well clueless.\u00a0 What the hell am I going to do, going to say?\u00a0 The kid\u2019s seeing real things, I can\u2019t tell her she\u2019s imagining them.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAngie?\u201d\u00a0 Tala said quietly as she slowly sat down.\u00a0 \u201cWhen you saw the shadow man you told Miss Kellin about, what did he look like?\u00a0 Did he look like Miss Marin\u2019s eye, or like me?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Her nose wrinkled a little.\u00a0 \u201cHe looked real, but not like you.\u00a0 I could see through his coat, like it was made of really dark smoke.\u00a0 And he was big and scary and dark and mean<\/em>.\u00a0 It was hard to see his face because there was all this black moving around him all the time.\u00a0 I think he was trying to hide from us, but he wanted something from Paul.\u00a0 He wanted Paul to help him, but Paul said no.\u00a0 The man got mad, but he left.\u201d\u00a0 She shifted a little uncomfortably.\u00a0 \u201cI told Miss Kellin this already.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But Kellin didn\u2019t tell me.\u00a0 This ward thing must really have her spooked since she apparently forgot.<\/em>\u00a0 I frowned.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Angie looked up at me and gasped a little.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not angry at me, are you, Miss Marin?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo, no, I\u2019m not angry at you, Angie.\u201d\u00a0 I shook my head quickly.\u00a0 \u201cNot at all.\u00a0 I\u2019m just surprised, that\u2019s all.\u201d\u00a0 I tried to keep my smile gentle.\u00a0 \u201cNot everyone can see things like you do, Angie.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She drew her knees up against her chest.\u00a0 \u201cPaul used to tell me that all the time.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t see them, either.\u00a0 Can he see them now?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I frowned again.\u00a0 Good question.<\/em>\u00a0 Kellin wasn\u2019t back for me to ask, so all I could do was shrug.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure, Angie.\u00a0 Maybe.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCan you see like I do?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I shook my head.\u00a0 \u201cNo\u2026most of us see a little different, but that\u2019s okay.\u00a0 But maybe you shouldn\u2019t talk about it too much.\u00a0 Some people might get a little scared.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Her innocence broke my heart.\u00a0 Briefly, I thanked every power that was or might have been that I\u2019d been a little older than this when I first started becoming aware that there was a world beyond normal sight.\u00a0 I reached out and brushed her hair back from her face.\u00a0 \u201cBecause some people are afraid of things they can\u2019t see.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLike monsters under the bed?\u201d\u00a0 She asked, eyes big and round.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I laughed, nodding.\u00a0 \u201cRight.\u00a0 Like monsters under the bed.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThey weren\u2019t really monsters.\u00a0 Just dust bunnies,\u201d Angie said, nodding sagely.\u00a0 I almost laughed again.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cRight.\u00a0 But you were afraid of them anyway, right?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She paused, then nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I was.\u00a0 Until I knew what they were.\u201d\u00a0 Understanding dawned in her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cOh!\u00a0 I get it.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thank you.\u00a0 Thank you, thank you, thank you.\u00a0 Thank you, whoever\u2019s out there, for making her as bright and as sharp as this.<\/em>\u00a0 I hoped, going forward, we\u2019d be so lucky.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We brought the water back to the fire after Tala calmed down and wiped her eyes.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t blame her for her fear, though I wondered how long we were going to keep it quiet, who we were going … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chapter-10","category-day-15"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-aC","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=658"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":722,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658\/revisions\/722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}