“Oh, I see.”
I distinctly noticed a little disappointment in her voice. I needed to halt this emerging crush for sure.
“So, it is probably better if you don't inhale too deeply around men at the moment. Though, you are already controlling yourself remarkably well.”
I hoped that would put an end to it and we could move on.
“Let's eat. It's going cold. Take little bites, your taste buds will be on fire so you might not want to overload them with too many tastes at the same time.
I nodded encouragingly when she hesitantly put a bit of food in her mouth.
“OMG, this is incredible! I can't remember food tasting this delicious! It's amazing!”
Her face lit up like a light in a cave. It was beautiful.
I could see she was absolutely revelling in the new sensations. Good, it would take her mind off any negativity. It took her quite a while to eat her breakfast and I had to keep encouraging her to eat a bit more. Even though she loved the taste, she wasn't feeling all that hungry, but she needed to keep her strength up so I kept at it until I was satisfied she'd had enough to eat.
“I am seventeen you know, I do know my own body and what I can do or not. I've looked after myself for ages. Even my mum doesn't nag me as much as you do." she sulked.
I chose to ignore this one. She'll just have to get used to it. She might think she can cope but it is a huge thing coming off the medication and on top of that having all your senses return to you all magnified. It was clear she had the gift and she was dealing well with it at the moment, but she was not nearly done yet.
“You need to focus on the positive, Eliza. Do you think you have the gift, based on what you are experiencing right now?”
I smiled at her, trying to look as friendly as I could. I wished, once again, Zaphire was here.
“Yeah, I think so...it must be. I've started to recognise some of the feelings. It reminds me of my childhood before..." she paused.
“Before my mum decided to drug me." she smiled ruefully.
“I need to go back to bed, I feel exhausted.”
Just then, Laura came to our room, as I'd expected she would at some point. She wanted to have a word with Eliza, but I warned her she was exhausted and maybe not receptive of what she wanted to talk about. Laura insisted though, claiming it would only take a minute, so of course I had to allow her in. She was in there for no more than ten minutes, and came out looking relaxed. Whatever they had discussed it had obviously gone well, which was a relief.
“I think she understands where I'm coming from, although she still feels scared of me. She tried hard to disguise it though. I suppose I will have to earn her trust, which I will.” Laura commented when she closed Eliza's door behind her.
She was always so damn sure of herself. She came over and gave me a hug.
“You're doing well with her."
She gave me an approving smile.
“Keep up the good work, Zack.”
“Will try my hardest, Ma'am." I said trying not to look too pleased with her encouragement, but failing miserably. She smiled and ruffled my hair before she left. I really savoured this rare display of affection, and locked it into my memory.
CHAPTER 13
I didn't really need to sleep, but I felt exhausted. I just wanted to stop talking and thinking about everything that was happening. Laura's visit hadn't particularly helped either. I started to feel a bit nauseous again. Damned Zack. I knew it wasn't the best idea to eat that much. Though it wasn't too bad, as long as I didn't move too much. The food did taste absolutely fantastic. What had I been missing out on for so long! I felt myself getting cross with my mum, but how was she to know. I should be angry with my father, having left me on my own with no one explaining these sensations to me. Leaving me and mum to think I was a paranoid schizophrenic for years and years. It made me feel sick again. If only he had stayed and taught me to deal with it, like any other child born into this community.
So even though I'd slept for ages before and I thought I didn't need any more, I felt myself slip away again into that state right between consciousness and deep sleep. It felt quite relaxing up until I could hear someone talking in the back ground. I tried to concentrate on what was being said and work out who was talking.
“I'm not sure Markus. She might still hear me, I can feel her senses are still semi alert. But the whole process is exhausting her so it won't be long." I heard Zack whisper on the phone.
Why do they want to talk about me when I’m not supposed to hear. That really worried me. Was something wrong? I had to somehow convince Zack I was fast asleep, so he would talk. I concentrated deeply at breathing rhythmically, slowing it down.
“Yes, she definitely has the gift, don't worry. She's doing fine...yeah....uhuh..I would like Zaphire here though...Yes Sir, I know...but....No, she's still listening Markus. Yes, will phone later.”
He turned around to look at me.
“You need to practice your disguising of your feelings more, Eliza. I'm not that easy to fool.”
“So, what is the problem? Why do you need to talk about me in secret?" I tried.
He looked a bit piqued, but I thought it was
