Between the Spirit and the Dust

Chapter Fourteen

“For today’s lesson, you’re going to learn how to distinguish between what people really feel and what they’re trying to make themselves feel,” announced Evie.

We were at the park today, the same park that Max and I had gone to two nights ago. The park in the day was completely different from at night though. There were mothers pushing strollers along as they chatted with each other and teenagers who were having a picnic in the park. It seemed like everyone was trying to make the best of the weather before it turned colder, from summer to autumn.

“What’s the difference between the two?” I asked, stepping out of the way as a toddler ran towards me, with a hapless au pair chasing after him.

 “Our powers can be unreliable because what we’re reading is people’s emotions. But emotions can be faked.” She glanced at me and saw that I wasn’t really sure what she was trying to say and added, “Sometimes people want to lie to themselves about what they really feel. Or if they know that they’re dealing with an Empath, they will be hiding their feelings behind something else. 

Keeping my eyes straight ahead, I asked, as innocently as I could, “But how would they even know that they’re dealing with an Empath? We look like any other person.”

“An Empath can usually recognize another. For that matter, if you come across any of the others—the Witches, the Prophets, you would be able to sense them as well,” replied Evie. “And if they can sense you, they will be on their guard.”

Well, that was easier than I thought it would be. Either I was becoming a very good liar or Evie was too preoccupied with her own thoughts.

 She didn’t look well today. Her face was pinched, there was a permanent wrinkle in between her eyes and her eyes seemed faraway. I didn’t know if it’s because of the fight I’d heard between her and Collins or if something else had gone wrong with the case.

“Okay. So how should I differentiate between fake feelings and what they’re really feeling?”

 “When a person’s feelings are artificial, the images that you get from them will look warped. The colors could be faded, there could be a low humming sound…it tends to depend on the individual person. It’ll take practice but eventually, you’ll get the hang of it." 

Evie paused, as if weighing her words before saying, “I wish that I’d met Sylvia before any of this happened. If Sylvia had our gift, maybe I could’ve taught her this as well.”

I’d forgotten Evie’s suspicions about Sylvia being an Empath because of the fights I’d gotten into the past few days.

Could she have been an Empath? My sister had always known the one thing to say to piss our parents off. Sometimes, it had even felt like she had read my mind and just knew somehow that I had a bad day at school. Maybe it hadn’t been any daughterly or sisterly instinct that she’d been acting on. Maybe it was because she was an Empath. 

And if Evie had given her this lesson, if she had known that Gabriel St. Clair wasn’t just a guy that seemed interested in her that night, would things have been different?

I tried to think of something comforting to say to Evie but one look at the way she’d pressed her lips together in a grim line, I knew that words could only go so far for her. She had to find her own way to forgive herself, like how I had to. 

Evie came to a stop and pointed to a tired looking man sitting at one of the benches nearby, tossing pieces of bread to the pigeons. “Let’s use him as test subject for now. Tell me what he’s feeling." 

Shaking my worry for her off, I studied the man. There seemed to be a faint glimmer surrounding him but as I blinked, the glimmer faded away. He looked wore out, as if he badly needed a warm shower. But all these details didn’t matter as much as the fact that he was a stranger who was sitting six feet away