True Faces

by Banks, Catherine

  I skipped down the stairs and turned on the stereo, sighing happily as Metallica slammed in to my eardrums. Preternaturals hate loud noises, so I prefer them. I kicked my shoes off and swung my head around as I skipped to the kitchen. My house was two stories and pretty large for only me to live in, but my parents had left it to me in their will and so I treasured it.

  I opened the fridge and took out the leftover pasta from last night and stuck it in the microwave, dancing in place while I watched the timer countdown. The hair on the nape of my neck stood up and fear crept over my skin. I spun around and stared out the window. Nothing, at least nothing that I could see. “Damn, I’m getting too paranoid,” I whispered. I took out the pasta, grabbed a soda, checked all of the locks on the doors and windows and ran up the stairs to my room. I turned on the television to the news channel while I ate my dinner.

  After finishing my dinner I stretched in the center of my room. I only had a full length mirror, dresser, bed and television in my room so that I could have enough room to practice my kickboxing, pilates, yoga, and Qigong. I took a cleansing breath and started my Qigong, watching the television and trying to close my other sight. I was born with my third eye open allowing me to see people’s real faces. It’s not a physical third eye, that makes me look like a freak, but a metaphysical eye that allows me to see more than any other human. The open third eye means that no glamour can hide the monsters from my sight. It’s horrible. It makes it very hard to talk to preternatural because I usually end up staring at their non-human parts and inevitably insult them even though they don’t know I can see them.

  I want to be able to close the third eye and lead a normal life without seeing fangs, wings and phantom body parts. Every day I am in danger and I know it, but until I close it I cannot do anything about it. If anyone found out about my ability I could be killed or tortured or whatever they decided was a fitting punishment for being able to see them. My parents freaked when they found out about my ability and dropped me off at Akio’s when I was six. Akio and I have been working since then to close my eye, but I haven’t been able to. The damn thing is determined to stay open. Nevertheless I continue to try.

  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and went through my movements. I looked at the television and saw the reporter. She was an attractive Asian woman, except for the horns growing out of her head. I focused on the center of my forehead where the eye was and imagined closing it. The horns wavered and then came in to better focus. “Dammit!” I yelled.

  I exhaled and tried again, this time focusing on a satyr in the background. His hooves faded then…disappeared! “Yes!” I looked back at the reporter and screamed in joy. She looked human. “Yes! YES! YEEEESSSSSS!!!!!! Finally!” I laughed in joy and ran downstairs and out the front door, not bothering to lock it in my excitement. I ran as fast as I could down the sidewalk ignoring the bewildered stares of those I ran by. I ran up the steps of the dojo and flung open the door. “AKIO!!!!!”

  Akio opened the door to his bedroom, which was adjoined to the dojo. “What is it? Are you hurt?” He asked as he hobbled towards me.

  I ran to him and hugged him tightly. “It’s closed! I closed the third eye! I can’t see your other faces!”

  Akio’s eyes widened in shock. “Closed? Completely?”

  I nodded my head. “I did it Akio. Finally, after all of these years I closed it.”

  Akio frowned. “Open it.”

  I stared at him in shock. “What?”

  “Open it,” He said again.

  I stepped back from him. “No. No Akio I just closed it. What if I can’t do it again?

  He glared at me. “What if you can’t open it again?”

  I raised my voice at Akio for the first time in my life. “Good! I hope it never opens again!”

  He shook his head, “You must open it. You must be able to control it, not lose your ability. Now open it!”

  I shook my head and walked backwards away from him. “I thought you would be happy for me? I closed it and am normal now.”

  Akio sighed. “You will never be normal, Ciara. You are a Seer and you must open your eye. What if a prophecy comes and you cannot see it? We must train you to close and open. Not just one. It is dangerous to keep it closed.”

  I gaped at him. “Dangerous? It’s dangerous to have it open. You know that as well as I do. No, I won’t open it.” I turned my back on Akio.

  Akio spoke softly. “You will understand, Ciara. You will need it open. Come back when you are not being so childish.”

  I fought the urge to yell and ran out of the dojo and back to my house. Tears stung my eyes and wet my cheeks. I ran into my house and locked the door. He was wrong. I knew it. I would not open the eye. I climbed up the stairs and into bed and closed my eyes.

  ~~~~

  CHAPTER THREE

  The alarm blared rock music in my ear, making me sit up in bed. I slowed my breathing and turned the alarm off. My first day of work at my new position was today. I hurried through my morning routine so I could spend extra time on my makeup and hair so I would look perfect for my new boss. Once I felt that I looked decent enough, I grabbed my backpack and started my walk to work. I looked at everyone’s face and smiled. All human looking! My eye was still closed. I walked a little faster and walked in the front doors of the building at seven ten. The guard nodded his head at me and I opened the doors to the executive office. Only two other secretaries were in and both looked human. I smiled wide and walked confidently to my new office. I stopped in the doorway and stared at a man placing flowers on my desk. He turned around after setting them down and smiled at me. “Oh, you’re early. I was hoping to have these here when you came in.”

  He wasn’t handsome, he was a god. His black hair was cut short and his golden brown eyes seemed to be looking into my soul. His wide jaw was strong and his shoulders wide. His suit hid all his muscles but I could tell he was much bigger than an average man. He had to work out often, but the best thing was that there were no other faces, just his. I realized I was staring at him and not speaking and cleared my throat. “Thank you for the flowers. It’s very thoughtful.”

  He reached down and picked my hand up. “One can never be too kind to a lady.” I watched in amazement as he kissed the back of my hand. His lips were warm and soft against my hand. “I am looking forward to working with you, Ciara.”

  I swallowed the drool threatening to leak out of my mouth and nodded my head. “I hope I can meet your expectations.”

  He released my hand and smiled. “I’m sure you will surpass all of my expectations.” I shivered at the multiple meanings behind his sentence. “Get settled then come into my office and we’ll go over my calendar and your things.”

  I nodded my head as I set my backpack down, turned away from his office and took a cleansing breath. I had to get my hormones in check. He was my boss and you do not date the boss. I took another breath then turned and knocked on his door. “Come in,” he said softly. I walked into his office and smiled professionally. He smiled back sitting in his large executive leather chair behind his large marble desk. “And you don’t ever need to knock. You are always welcome in here.”

  That was a first. Most attorneys preferred their privacy and would yell at you if you came in without knocking. I nodded my head and sat down in one of the guest chairs that matched his desk. He opened a briefcase and took out two phones and two leather calendars and set them on the desk. “I don’t know how they operate upstairs, but in executive we must be coordinated with our assistants. So, this phone and calendar are for you. I have already programmed my numbers and events in them for you.”

  I took the phone and calendar and stared at them in shock. “Thank you, Mr. Wolfe.” It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.

  He looked at me seriously. “Call me, Eric. I gave you my work numbers and personal numbers. If there is ever anything you need you can call me anytime. No matter how small it is or if its work related or not. I want us to be friends
as well as partners.”

  I frowned. “Partners?”

  He nodded his head and folded his hands across the desk and stared into my eyes. I found that I could not look away and was forced to stare into the deep depths of them. What was it about them that made me feel like he could see into my soul? “We have to be a team. It would never work if I just treated you as my secretary. I don’t want you to think of me as your boss. I don’t want you think that you can’t talk to me about anything. I want you to be able to come to me about anything and me be able to speak to you about everything.” He glanced down at his Rolex and sighed. “I’ve got to go to the counselors meeting. They postponed it just so I could attend.”

  I smiled. “How thoughtful of them.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Right. I don’t have anything for you to do right now since I’m still reviewing my new files so you could just play with your new phone and if there are any days you would like off you can put them on the phone’s calendar and they will automatically be added to mine.”

  I frowned. “There aren’t any days I’ll need off.”

  He smiled. “There must be some days. Family events or boyfriend’s birthdays?”

  I shook my head. “No. My work is my family. I have no…I’m not involved with anyone so it won’t be a problem.” I said the last with a smile, trying to play good secretary even though I felt the sadness stirring within me. It had been a long time since I had said it out loud.

  His face turned serious, but I could see a sparkle in his eyes. “Oh. Well, if there are any days that come up don’t be afraid to ask.”

  “Thank you, but I doubt that.” I picked up the phone and calendar and walked to my office. I sat down and turned on my computer and flicked the samurai bobble head.

  Eric walked into my office and straightened his tie. “How do I look? Do I look brilliant and tough?”

  I nodded my head. “Yes Mister….I mean Eric. You look brilliant and tough.” And sexy.

  He nodded his head and walked out of my office, closing the door behind him. I put a hand up to my face and sighed. I was blushing. Dammit. So much for being professional on the first day. I logged into my computer than played with the settings on my new phone. I tried to pass the hours by with my new gadget, but with no typing to do I was bored. Eric finally came back four hours later and slumped against my door. “That was fun.” He loosened his tie and walked into his office leaving the door open. “Have you ever been to one of those meetings before?” He asked from inside his office.

  I stood up and walked to stand in his doorway. “No. They don’t allow secretaries in.”

  He frowned. “I think I’m going to have to change that so that someone can intervene. Four hours of nothing. Just old men complaining about old things. What a waste of time. Did I get any calls?”

  I shook my head. “None.”

  He smiled. “Well you’re probably bored. How about I take you out for lunch?”

  I stared at him in shock. “Um, Eric I don’t…”

  He frowned and then smiled. “Of course. I understand. It might not look right if the new attorney takes his newly promoted secretary out to lunch. It’s alright. Rain check for a later date?”

  I nodded my head. “Sure.”

  He stretched his arms up over his head and I couldn’t help but wonder what his stomach looked like. Did he have a flat stomach or was it a six pack? I shook my head and he smiled. “How about you take the rest of the day off?”

  I smiled back at him. “That’s very generous of you, but…”

  He shook his head. “Go on. There’s nothing for you to do here yet. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at seven thirty. I’ve got a deposition at ten and I’ll need you to start on Substitutions of Attorney for the files I’m taking over. So we’ll start the real work tomorrow.”

  A nice attorney. Wow. And I thought those were just fairy tales. “Thank you Mister….I mean Eric.”

  His phone started ringing and he sighed. “Now you better hurry before I get something for you to do. See you tomorrow.” I turned to leave and his voice stopped me. “And Ciara…stay safe.”

  I frowned. “Uh, sure. See you tomorrow.” He picked up the phone and started arguing with the caller. I hurried out of his office, shutting his door quietly and grabbed my new calendar and phone and put them in my backpack before hurrying out of the office. A paid day out of the office again. I had better use the time while I could. Unlike the previous day I walked slowly out of the office and stood casually as I waited for the signal to change. It was incredible not to see the scary faces of the preternaturals and I felt an incredible weight gone from my shoulders. I made my necessary stop at the grocery store and then flagged down a taxi to my house.

  After I was sure I had locked all of the doors and all of the windows were still locked I started cooking lunch and dinner for the day. Even though I had a raise I knew I needed to keep my spending down so that I didn’t end up broke. I really didn’t want to end up eating noodles for a month like I had last year. The kitchen had all of the necessities I needed and would need if I had a family of six. An hour later I had baked a lasagna and the smell filled the kitchen. I spooned out my lunch portion of the lasagna I had just finished cooking and then packed the rest in plastic containers to eat later. I sat down on my leather couch and turned the television on to the cartoon channel.

  No, there is nothing wrong with a twenty two year old watching cartoons. I’m always referred to as a young adult so acting young is perfectly okay. The hours passed by slowly and dinner was just as boring. I cleaned the dishes then went to my room to read until I fell asleep. I realized as I grabbed the book, which I was currently reading, that I led a very boring life. Without my training with Akio I didn’t have anything to do or anyone to spend time with. I made a decision to start going out and live life before I turned into the crazy cat lady. I needed a boyfriend or at least someone I could go out with.

  Eric’s face flashed in front of my eyes and I shook my head. I couldn’t date my boss. Not only would that end badly for my career it would kill my self esteem when he said no. Plus it wasn’t likely that he didn’t have a wife or girlfriend already.

  After reading for a few hours my eyelids grew heavy and I could finally sleep. I curled up under my blankets and dreamed of a life without preternaturals.

  The next few days went by slowly and normally. Eric gave me letters to type and I assisted him at some of his depositions all without seeing any preternatural faces looking back at me. Eric was the nicest attorney I had met and one day while we were on a lunch break from a deposition I asked him, “Are you human?”

  His smile faltered slightly and he asked, “What do you mean am I human?”

  I shrugged. “It’s just that I haven’t met an attorney like you before. Usually all of the high powered attorneys aren’t…”

  Eric laughed. “Well I’m sure you’ll see me at a trial and take back that comment. I believe that in order to be an attorney you have to channel the beast within.”

  I stared at my plate in shock for a second. The phrase he had just used was part of the wereanimals mantra. I closed my eyes and focused my attention on my third eye. I prayed it would open so I could see if Eric was in fact human as I thought. I opened my eyes and looked at him, but only saw his handsome face smiling at me. I looked to the right and left and still only saw human faces. Damn. Maybe I would have to go back to Akio to have him train me. Maybe he was right. Was it in fact safer for me to be able to open it and see if the people around me were preternaturals and possibly dangerous for me?

  Eric sipped his water and watched me. “Are you feeling alright?”

  I took a swig from my cup and nodded my head. “I just realized that my teacher might have been right and I hate it when I’m wrong.”

  “Your teacher? So you take college classes?” He asked.

  I shook my head. “No, he’s my sensei. I take classes at a dojo.”

  He leaned back. “See, this is what I want. I w
ant to know more about you. If we are going to make a great team we have to know about each other.”

  I shrugged. “There really isn’t much to know about me. I occasionally take lessons at the dojo near my house, read books and go to work.”

  His eyes were sparkling with interest. “Do you own or rent?”

  I found myself mesmerized by his voice and face and instantly answered his question. “Own.”

  “Do you have any animals?”

  I shook my head. “My circumstances don’t permit animals.”

  He frowned. “What circumstances?”

  I closed my eyes and the trance was gone. Was he using some type of power on me? I felt the warmth in my stomach and sighed. Hormones. Damn. “What about you, Eric? There must be a Mrs. Wolfe or a future Mrs. Wolfe.”

  He frowned deeper for a second then shook his head and smiled. “No, I haven’t found a woman that I’ve felt is right for me.”

  I stared at him in shock for a second. He was single. I cleared my throat. “So, do you live in town?”

  He shook his head. “I live about ten minutes down the highway off of the old post trail.”

  I nodded my head, knowing where he was talking about. “Out in the forest, right? My house is on the other side of the forest.”

  He smiled. “So, we’re neighbors then? Who would have known?”

  I asked the one question I had been dying to know, “How old are you?”

  He asked, “How old do you think I am?” with a sexy smile.

  I rolled my eyes. “You can’t answer a question with a question.”