Shattered: A Psychic Visions Novel

by Dale Mayer

  “It’s not going to be an early dinner at this rate. It’s already after five.” He brought out a pot and filled it with water. “I’ll get the pasta started. You can have a muffin and coffee and then in a half hour or so we can eat.”

  “Sounds good.” She went to pour a coffee and realized the pot was empty. She knew how to do it, but it seemed like the first time. All her movements were stiffer, more unyielding. She caught him studying her as she worked. “I’m fine you know.”

  “Good.” He turned his back to her and worked on something on the stove. When he pulled out some bacon, butter and cream, she knew she was going to love it. In fact, she was wishing the meal was ready now. She walked back to the table, pulled out a muffin from the container and took a big bite. “Oh Lord, these are so good.”

  He laughed. “They could taste like sawdust and you’d say that right now. Hungry people rarely concern themselves with how food tastes when they finally get to put it in their mouths.”

  “That may be,” she said spiritedly. “But as this is divine, I’m glad I don’t have to be happy with sawdust.”

  She sat down at the kitchen table and watched him work. “If your friends rent this place out, why is it furnished?”

  “They rent it to people who live out of town temporarily. Almost like a hotel but with a more homey feeling.”

  “It would be easier if they had long-term renters.”

  “They actually rent long term to several large companies who have offices here but need to fly their people in and out for meetings and special projects. It’s warmer, less formal. Easier on the people who are away from their families. Besides, it’s cheaper.”

  “But the people who are here have to cook for themselves, clean up behind themselves and so one. It would be easier in a hotel.”

  “Easier is not always better.”

  “True.”

  The coffee maker beeped. She got up and poured two cups and watched the water pot start to simmer. Wonderful smells had started to fill the kitchen. “It smells delicious.”

  “Hopefully.” He picked up his coffee and turned that electric focus on her.

  She could feel the intensity of his gaze and smiled. “I’m still fine.”

  He studied her for a moment longer then said, “Good. Then you can set the table.” He shot her smug look and turned back to stir his pots. She watched as he dumped pasta into the boiling water, then stirred the food in the fry pan.

  “Will you teach me?”

  He twisted to look at her, a question in his eyes. “Teach you what?”

  “To cook. I don’t remember tons about the last few months, but there is a sense of despair over food. As if everything I tried to make didn’t turn out.”

  “Sure, I can do that.”

  *

  It was a simple enough request from someone who had little enough training in the basics in life, but at the same time Trevor’s heart had taken a hit. It sounded like she wanted to learn so she could be independent after this was over. Whatever this was. And that was something Hannah likely didn’t want to think about. That she wanted to learn to cook was a good thing. Being independent was a great thing. And it didn’t have to kill a relationship. He had no idea what he had with her right now. It just got deeper and deeper and more confusing every day. Still, she fascinated him. There was no doubt that they had something potent simmering. What it would grow into was anyone’s guess.

  He was jumping the gun. There was no point in worrying about something that wasn’t happening at this point.

  Hannah jumped up and joined him at the stove, and like a child let into a forbidden world, she peppered him with questions.

  “What did you put in the water? When did you know it was ready for the pasta? What’s in the cream sauce?”

  He gave a shout of laughter at her enthusiasm and proceeded to answer her questions.

  Her questions carried on until dinner was served.

  With plates served, she sat down and inhaled the aroma. “Oh my, that smells so awesome.”

  “Now taste it and prepare to die in joy.”

  She picked up her fork and took a small bite. He was happy to see her savor it. He wondered with her extreme appetite, that she’d be able to do that. Still he watched her face as she got her first taste – and the closed eyed reverence as the flavors hit her appetite. “Oh, that’s delicious.”

  Grinning, he turned to his own meal. He was going to need the fortification for the evening ahead.

  Chapter 27

  For some reason she was nervous about tackling these blocks. Now she knew more. Had a better understanding of what could go wrong. What had gone wrong? She really needed a couple of blocks to just dissolve lightly and easily under her command. So far that hadn’t happened, but that didn’t mean tonight wasn’t going to be the night. She sat cross legged on the floor leaning back against the living room chair.

  “Okay. Ready?”

  She nodded, took a deep breath and slipped into the same place as she’d been before. Whatever that would be called. Immediately she ordered up the same blocks. The first one was even bigger, darker, and more terrifying. She’d fed it with her fear. That much understanding was terrifying. How could such things be happening to people without their knowing?

  She closed her eyes and turned the blocks to Jell-O. Large quivering jiggling balls of sugar gelatin. She figured that childish image would remove her fear. When she opened her eyes she laughed and reduced their size down to nothing. It was fascinating to see her imagination happen in real time. At the same time she wondered why. Of course she’d chosen a food item. One she hated.

  “Don’t lose your concentration,” Trevor warned. “Time to get rid of the Jell-O.”

  Right. She’d seen the blocks in the Jell-O form in her head but hadn’t gone so far as to figure out how to destroy them. She could hardly burn them or wash them down the sink. Instead she managed to turn one of the Jell-O blocks into a dog and it turned and inhaled the others. She grinned. That was easy.

  “Now you have to get rid of the dog.”

  She refocused and turned the dog back into a Jell-O block, only slightly larger. She frowned at his size. “Did I get rid of any blocks or just combine them into one?”

  “It’s slightly bigger but it’s only one now. So you have four left to deal with.”

  She visualized the ocean and turned the big block into rain and let it drop into the ocean, absorbed by a force bigger than itself.

  “That was good,” he said in admiration. “Nice one.”

  She sensed the surprise in his voice but she was happy. “So three now.”

  “Exactly.” He added a note of caution. “You’ve done really well getting rid of three, how do you feel?”

  “Fine. Invigorated. Happy.”

  “Tired?”

  “No, not really,” she said. “I’ve only been working for a few minutes.”

  “Actually, a whole hour has gone by.”

  She froze and spun around looking for a clock. He held up his watch for her to see.

  “Really? How? It seems like no time has passed at all.”

  “It’s easy to get caught up in the work and lose track.”

  She shook her head. “I could have sworn that wasn’t very long.”

  “If you’re going to try to do the next one…”

  Right. They weren’t running out of time, but her energy levels were a concern. She was doing fine but could crash. The three blocks left were bigger. Badder. More nasty looking than the others. Okay. She quickly turned the first one into water only it became a thick dark treacle like substance that she couldn’t in good conscious put into the ocean. “Do these visuals actually have an effect on the real world?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think it does.” She frowned. “I wanted to dump this into the ocean but don’t want to hurt the ocean.”

  “Then run it through a filter.”

  “That might work.” She stopped to think, then q
uickly built a large filter to purify the dirty liquid, and poured the clean water into the ocean, hoping it was a healthy system for the environment. Only it wasn’t easy or very successful. It took a ton of effort.

  After what felt like ten minutes of hard work, she ended up breathing heavily, she said, “What am I doing wrong?”

  “It’s working, isn’t it?”

  “It is, but it’s hard.”

  “So make it easier. But remember your low energy could be contributing to that heavy effort sensation.”

  Right. She grabbed up the bits of strength she had left and forced the treacle through the filter. She knew she was doing it the hard way but couldn’t seem to find the energy to change it. She just wanted this done. It would still leave two blocks but compared to what she’d started with, that was nothing.

  She’d call this a success if she could just finish this one.

  And just like that, the job was done. She collapsed back on the floor. She held up her hand, hating that her fingers were trembling and that her back and face were moist with sweat.

  “That was…” and she stopped, at a loss for words.

  “Exhausting? Tiring? Invigorating? Or terrifying?”

  She groaned. “All of the above.”

  He smiled and reached over to take her hand in his. He squeezed it reassuringly. “You did it, that’s what counts.”

  “I did four of them. But the last two are going to be brutal.”

  “You did do four so that’s huge. And while you sleep overnight your memories will reset.”

  “Good. I hope they do it while I’m in a deep sleep,” she said in a faint voice. “I don’t want to be woken by nightmares as the hidden memories filter back in.”

  “No, but you aren’t wanting to see so you have put up a slim barrier at the same time.”

  “Of course I have. That makes so much sense. I tear down blocks and put up barriers instead.” She shook her head, dispirited.

  “Except as they are your barriers, they are easy to remove. The blocks are old and other people’s work.” He hesitated but she could hear him holding back.

  “What?”

  “Just wondering if you had a sense of anyone behind this work?”

  “No, I was too busy arguing with Jell-O and treacle.”

  “Yeah, I love that of all the things you could possibly turn the blocks into, you chose food.”

  She twisted slightly to look at him. “Is that a problem?”

  “No, but it tells me you’re likely needing a snack again.”

  “Oh good Lord.” Her stomach growled. “How come you’re never hungry?”

  “You’re burning through so much energy to keep your aura snugged up tight.” He grinned and patted her thigh. “Add in the other work of blasting these blocks…”

  “I need more energy. More energy means more food.”

  “Well, you can pull more energy from other sources but your system, particularly this last while as you felt under attack, has chosen food as its direct source.”

  “And why this last while?”

  “That is something you need to ask yourself. I wondered if a block had tried to be placed and couldn’t be, but in the process may have triggered your warning.” He shrugged. “Or if it was something else.”

  “It started when I hit adulthood. There was always that pressure in the back of my mind, but it wasn’t an active threat. But after I turned eighteen something shifted.”

  He caught his breath back. “That’s been what, seven years? That’s a long time.”

  “It wasn’t so bad in the beginning, but after that initial year I felt like I was always fighting off something.” She stared moodily at the small living room and the big glass doors leading out to the backyard. “Sometime it was fine then at others it was horrific.” She shrugged. “I thought I was just going crazy. After spending enough months in hospitals, it’s something I believed for a long time. I was also on medication for many months in there.” She dropped her head back. “Seriously set me back.”

  “That’s in the past, not right now. You haven’t been on medication for months, and you are getting the help you need. More than that, you are learning to do what you need to do – for yourself. That’s huge.”

  It was huge. It gave her confidence and security to know she was getting the right training. Something she couldn’t get anywhere else.

  *

  She’d been through so much already, he wondered if he’d have done half as well. There were a lot of mysteries in her history, but they’d get to the end of it all soon enough. He had filed the paperwork, and Monday they’d have a clearer picture of where she stood financially and how the money was set up. Then she had decisions to make regarding her trust. And she needed to see how her will had been established – if she even had one. There was so much to do, but if they could hunker down and stay safe, they’d make it. He studied her and saw the fatigue, the lines of her face, the drooping shoulders. It wasn’t much past nine yet but she was done.

  “Bedtime for you,” he said, getting to his feet. “Energy work is exhausting.”

  He helped her to stand then walked around the house, locking up and turning off the lights. He grabbed up his laptop and motioned to the stairs. She was still standing in the middle of the living room where he’d left her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  “Let’s go.”

  “You don’t have to go to bed just because I’m beat.”

  “No,” he said cheerfully. “I don’t. But I could use the extra hours myself. I’m going to do a little work before sleeping though, but I can do that upstairs.”

  Together they climbed up the stairs. In the bedroom, she headed to the bathroom and came back out a few minutes later. “We need to go shopping tomorrow.”

  “We can. What do you need?”

  “Something to sleep in,” she said. “I was so tired last night it didn’t matter, and I’m in no better shape now, but sleeping in my t-shirt that I’ve worn all day is not something I’d choose to do.”

  He’d been sorting out the file he’d brought up with him. At her words he glanced over at her and frowned. “Not to mention you only have the one outfit.” He shook his head. “Why didn’t we grab clothes today?”

  “It wasn’t on the top of the list. It still isn’t, but considering the list is likely to be very long for a long time, let’s move it closer to the top.”

  “I have several clean t-shirts if you’d like to wear one of those. They’d be loose and comfy.”

  She glanced down at hers and sighed. “Not to mention mine is dirty.”

  “Right. Sorry, I never even thought of it.”

  She shrugged. “It’s not that big a deal.”

  It was a simple matter to reach for one of his clean t-shirts and hand it over. She accepted it gratefully and he realized that it did matter. And he was an idiot for not thinking of it sooner. Mentally he added it to the top of the list. “Tomorrow is Sunday but the mall is open after eleven. I suggest we see what we can find.”

  “And go out for lunch while we’re at it.” She tossed him a big grin as she walked to the bathroom already stripping off her dirty t-shirt. He swallowed hard when he saw the long line of her back, the gentle curve of her ribs, and the dip of her tiny waistline.

  She disappeared into the small room to get changed. Leaving him with just enough to fire up his imagination. Damn it. She was beautiful and he was alone with her, soon to be sharing the same king bed – and to make matters worse she was his wife. His mind, already happy to move in that direction, had no intention of hitting the brakes.

  Hannah was back out almost instantly, her hand over her mouth, trying to cover a yawn, and he saw the heavy dark shadows under her eyes.

  That cooled his ardor.

  “Into bed with you.” He flipped the covers back.

  She tumbled into bed beside him and he flipped the covers back over her. She rolled once to face him, punched the pillow under her head to fluff it and closed
her eyes.

  He watched her, seeing the layers of awareness drift off her back and her aura, seeing the tension ease as her body succumbed to the need for rest. In her case, the healing, the effort of keeping that aura snugged up tight, and the work she’d done tonight had taken its toll. Well, he couldn’t imagine how she’d been going this long. It was only nine-thirty and he wasn’t tired. Maybe that was a good thing. He was way behind on his work.

  To that end he turned to his laptop and the files he’d brought upstairs. Files he’d have explained to her if she’d asked but given she hadn’t, he didn’t feel guilty poring over them. They were files on her father, Will, Hannah and yes, on Mr. Niggard, his old science teacher. Drew had sent him a lot of information on the old case. As it was considered an accident, the information wasn’t hard to get hold of. The question was, did the file he’d received hold anything that Trevor didn’t already know?

  He read it through first. The fire had started in his chemistry room. Had quickly consumed the room as there were any number of flammable materials stored there. By the time the fire department had arrived, it had been too late to do anything but execute damage control for the other building. Thankfully the “building” had been a trailer on the back of the school while the school underwent renovations. It also meant the fire burned hotter, faster than if it had been in a standard wood and stone structure. No one had understood that Mr. Niggard had been in there until the fire had cooled and his body found.

  That had sent shock waves around the small community. He’d been well liked and his penchant for booze tolerated as long as he didn’t drink at school and did his job. But the kids knew he kept a bottle in a locked drawer of his desk and that the occasional sips had turned to full on shots between classes.

  His attempts at hiding it had been a joke. Kids always saw what teachers didn’t see. Trevor knew one was having an affair with a student while his wife was home pregnant with their third child. The girl involved had thought it was great fun. Likely it had been until the wife found out.