Tyler took my hand again. “You ok?”
I filed the idea away for further review at another time. It would keep. We were here to work through grandpa issues. I nodded.
“You sure?” I met his gaze. He took my face gently in my hands, “We don’t have to do this.”
I shook my head, “No, I’m fine. It’s just it is weird how many more interactions I’ve had lately.”
He rubbed my arm lightly, “I thought things were going better?”
I blushed lightly, “Yeah about that,” I proceeded to fill him in on all the details he had missed out on the night before. Until I rehashed it all, I didn’t realize how much really had gone on. “So, I avoided the girls and ducked into my room.” I laughed lightly, “But if campus wellness center contacts you about my strange behavior, just tell them I’m practicing for a play, that no one will ever see.”
His face didn’t relax. “Holy shit! I don’t even know what to say, I mean holy crap babe.”
I shrugged casually, “Yeah, I guess it was a pretty active day.” I smiled, “Ok, you ready to try this?”
He dropped his hands, “Nope, you are not doing this. It’s too much.”
“Tyler, I don’t think so. I have this gift, and I have a duty to use it. There is not too much. There is only actively controlling what I can control and handling the overload of energy.” As I said the words, I knew they were truer that I ever realized. I met his gaze, and I could tell he knew I was right.
He touched my leg. “You really are cool, you know that?”
I rolled my eyes, “Whatever.” I held my hands out with intention. “Let’s go.”
He sighed and took my hands. I grounded myself, hoping his grandfather would feel like chatting. I focused on his face I had seen in other visions, tried to listen for his voice in the silence that surrounded us. Slowly I opened my eyes. The man stood over Tyler’s shoulder, but his image was thinner than usual. I squinted at him, trying to focus more of my “gift” towards him.
Tyler’s chuckle broke my concentration. I gave him a stern look. He lifted his hand slightly, “Sorry, but if you saw your face right now.”
I tilted my head towards him and raised an eyebrow.
“Sorry. “He shook his head, “My bad. Keep going.”
I looked back over his shoulder and his grandpa stood completely stable. I smiled. “Hello sir, thank you for coming, we’ve missed you.”
His grandfather looked from me to Tyler. “At least you are sitting respectably this time. I wasn’t coming back if all you did was neck.”
I blushed lightly, “I’m sorry if that was uncomfortable.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Now, what is it you need from me?”
I glanced from Tyler to him, wondering if he would react badly again.
“Well speak up girl, you keep calling me here,” he looked around, “not sure where this is, honestly.” He focused back on me, “So there has to be a reason.”
I swallowed hard, refusing to look at Tyler. I had to go for it. It was time.
“Sir, your family needs to find a box that you hid some time ago. You see, they need to find it, so they can protect your land. It’s complicated, but really the challenge is they are just trying to do what you wanted done, but without that box, it isn’t going to be possible.”
The man’s face screwed up into an expression of confusion, followed by calm and could it be, recognition.
I pushed slightly. “I know you believe Tyler would want nothing but the best. He is a good boy, that’s why you still watch out for him.”
His smile radiated as he looked down at Tyler again. His voice was soft as he spoke, “I think I know what box you are talking of.” His eyes didn’t leave Tyler, “If I can remember where I put it, are you sure that it will help keep things the way they are supposed to be?”
I nodded my head. “It will help Tyler a great deal.”
He met my eyes. “I have to really think, I remember I had found the perfect place to keep it.” He took a step away, hand on his hip, in a pensive state. “If I remember correctly, I had it under the stairs in the barn, but I know I moved it.” His eyes sparkled when he looked at me, “I really feared fire. That was the first time I shifted it to another place.” He took another couple steps in thought, “I know at one point I had it in the drawer in the dining room, under the good linens, but I moved it from there too. I didn’t want just anyone to find it. I remember it was someplace that only I would really be able to know about.” He met my eyes, “Why does it feel so long ago?”
I just smiled softly at him. I feared saying too much and stopping this progress we were making.
He looked back down at Tyler, “You know, time moves so fast. I feel like he was just a little boy running in the backyard, collecting rocks, and playing with the empty bottles and tin cans.” He met my gaze, and complete nostalgia took over his face. “Then she was sick, we missed several games and I turned around and he was almost a grown man.” He squinted slightly, “I wasn’t there to tell him how proud of him I am, but boy am I. He wanted to play ball, and he did it. He wanted to go on to be a doctor and help people and he is going to. I just can’t
