“Are you both clear as to what is expected from you?" he asked looking us both over, trying to detect any lack of confidence or insecurities.
We both nodded in unison.
“It could be a waiting game as we don't know if and when he'll turn up to the desired location. But we must be prepared as he might turn up on our first try and we must be ready to deal with that.” he warned.
I felt my nerves go up a notch with that statement. Zack was right. I could be seeing my father tomorrow morning and I must be ready to face him and play my role. Part of me didn't believe it yet and I had to make myself stop pushing the reality away. But I felt I was ready for it and having mum there was an unexpected bonus. It definitely made it feel a less daunting task.
My mum, however, was also nervous about meeting Rick. I suppose she had unfinished business with him and the feelings of abandonment and rejection she must have felt were brought to the fore again. She was doing this for me, but part of her also wanted answers. Whether she was going to get any directly from him was another matter. He wasn't aware of her knowledge of our community and she wasn't to let him know either. It was going to be tricky.
A relatively new member of our community, Claude, was going to be in the coffee shop with us. On a separate table, and in contact with Zack. It had to be Claude as it was one of the few members that Rick wouldn't recognise the scent of, him being of new blood, not part of any of the known families. He was born with the gift without either parent having it.
Amazingly, Claude had managed to grow up with his family and able to find a partner to start a family of his own, disguising his gift to everyone all his life and not been caught out. His family always thought he was peculiar, but never sought any professional help. How he managed to deal with his gift in this way was extraordinary and he was held in high esteem in our community.
Without training or guidance he had managed to control all the overwhelming feelings and experiences of the world around him and somehow stayed sane, making me feel slightly inadequate to be honest. Now his wife knows and they live within our community with two children who both possess the gift. It was rare, but it did happen occasionally. I suppose it was good for the survival of our kind, having an injection of new blood to keep the gene pool varied.
“I've noticed when you talk about the people here, you refer to them as being from our community. Do you see yourself as part of them now?" mum asked a little hesitantly.
Now she had mentioned it I realised she was right, even though I hadn't made that choice consciously. I hesitated for a moment and decided to answer truthfully.
“I guess I am, mum. I'm definitely part of their world and I'm beginning to feel it as my own. I haven't really thought about it, but now you're asking, I think I do. I am a Sensorian.”
I saw a flicker of disappointment and unease in her eyes, fearing she might lose me to this world.
“Don't worry mum, I'll always be part of your life too. In fact my plan is to return home after this mission." I tried to reassure her, but her demeanour was unsure.
She didn't seem to like me reading her emotions so well. She would just have to get used to that and given time, I'm sure she would.
Zack signalled for me to follow him and I excused myself from my mum, who had started busying herself with rearranging the furniture in the room.
“Is she okay do you think?" he asked, looking slightly concerned.
“Yeah, but it's just a lot to contend with. Meeting Rick again and on top of that she feels she's losing me." I confided.
Zack nodded indicating he understood. I could feel he was worried about my mum putting the mission in danger, but he didn't need to. She would put all her worries aside and deal with what was in hand, like she'd always done.
Morning came much too quickly, after a fitful night full of talking in my sleep and sleepwalking on my part. Zack managed to relocate me back to bed several times during the night, so he didn't have much sleep either. However, adrenaline soon kicked in making me feel wide awake, but also making my senses function even more acutely. I was in danger of being overloaded with sensations. I made myself focus on the waves of the sea in my mind combined with some breathing exercises to calm myself down. I was getting very adept in using those techniques and soon I felt in control again.
Mum joined me, Zack and Zaphire for breakfast. Zack was monitoring my breakfast intake and I forced myself to eat something. My stomach was somersaulting so really didn't feel like anything at all. My mother tried to get away with just having a cup of coffee for breakfast but Zack wasn't having any of it. It made me giggle seeing my mum cope with being told what to do, and by a nineteen year old at that. She hadn't been one for taking orders ever in her adult life and she definitely resisted today.
“No Alice, you can't just
