Lace of Lavender

Chapter 50: Blood

The definition of blood: "The fluid that circulates in the principal vascular system of human beings and other vertebrates, in humans consisting of plasma in which the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are suspended. Something that might matter more to some, but in the end something we can all feel and relate to."

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"Do you have any refractive errors, Twyla?"

I was sitting once again in Theo's office. The place had become more and more familiar to me and almost every time I had been here I had found out something I didn't know about myself. What would it be this time?

"Not that I know of."

James had stopped outside of Theo's clinic and driven further down the street to find a parking space. I wondered what took him so long and couldn't help but want the door to Theo's office to open.

"That is a little weird. I can't, of course, tell exactly what is wrong with your eyes since I am not specialized in that subject. But... It's your iris. It looks a bit off, almost."

It was a very weird thing to have your eyes examined and not being able to see what they saw. I mean if you break your arm you can at least see what your doctor is looking at and the doctor can point and explain what had happened. But without something reflecting your eyes, you can't really see them.

"Well, I have never worn lenses of any sort."

I could hear Theo mumble for himself and since I didn't speak "doctor" it was impossible for me to understand what he was having an argument with himself about.

"I would like to try something."

I was sitting in a comfortable leather chair while Theo was placed on a small chair beside me. Suddenly I felt how the support for my back was slowly and carefully sliding backward. Theo came and brought an even brighter lamp and placed it directly over my face, yes the feeling of being at the dentist was everywhere.

"I would just want to carefully touch your iris with one of these."

What Theo held up in one of his hands looked a bit like a tweezer, but this one a bit more professional and sharp. The idea of having that in my eye wasn't very comforting, that much I can tell you.

"So all I need you to do is trying not to close your eyes. Okay?"

I had a very strong feeling that the "try-not-to-close-your-eyes-part" would be way harder than what Theo expressed it like. But I nodded and tried to focus my eyes on something that were still and stable. It so happened to be a small dot on the roof.

I gripped the armrests as soon as I felt Theo's cold hands angeling my head a bit towards him. The first touch of the small instrument in Theo's hand directly made me want to close my eyes, I tried my best and gripped harder.

"Interesting..."

I was just about to ask what it was that was interesting when I felt a burning and stabbing feeling in my eyes. I turned my head away in a dangerously fast motion and took my hands to shield my eyes. As I didn't hear Theo say anything I slowly removed them and look at him as he sat before me. Between the sharp points of his instrument was something brown.

Something brown that he studied very intensely.

"What the hell was that for?"

My eye was still slightly burning and I could feel how my tears were coming as a way to kill the fire. Theo quickly looked at me once and then turned his attention back to the brown disgusting thing. But then he suddenly looked back again, and this time he didn't let go of my challenging stare.