Give Me Light (#Wattys 2016) *Will not be completed.

Chapter 11

Next morning there was a knock on the door of our room. Brigitta was downstairs already, so I found my way to the door with some difficulty. 
I wondered who would be knocking on our door. Probably a friend of Brigitta's, who doesn't know she's downstairs already, I decided. 

"Who's there?" I asked when I had found the door.

"Josie," came the reply. 

Josie! Why is she here? Oh, that's right, she's moved in. "Come on in," I welcomed her, opening the door. I hoped the room was neat. I couldn't see, but it would be embarrassing if she saw the room messy, and I the only one around to take the blame. "What's up, Josie?" I asked her, hoping to avoid any awkward silence. 

"Oh, nothing much. I just wanted to visit a little with someone I know, before class starts."

"Oh, okay," I said, unsure what else to respond, as we hardly knew each other. Why did she say that? "Who's you're teacher?"

"Alice Harrison. She's nice. 

"I have your mother."

"I know, she's told me a lot about you, and wants us to be good friends."

"Oh. Okay. Well, uh - what do you like to do?" I asked, sitting down on the bed and patting the empty space beside me. She didn't sit, though.

"Oh, lots of things. Knitting, spinning wool, taking walks (mostly by myself, because it's more peaceful that way), talking to myself, singing, riding horseback."

"I've often wanted to ride horseback, but I can't, since I can't see."

"The horse knows where to go," Josie replied quickly, surprising me.

"But how can they? I mean, I know they can see, but how do you get them to go where you want them to go?" 

"You'd be surprised how much a horse can understand. After class number one, why don't you come with me, and I'll show you?" she offered. 

"Well, all right, I guess. You're sure it's safe?"

"It always has been for me. I mean - I've never been thrown," she corrected herself quickly.

"Are you sure that's all you meant?" I asked, getting suspicious that something was up with this girl.

"Um - yes and no. You'll find out about it soon enough, I promise." 

"What are you hiding from me? I asked sternly. 

"I'm not hiding anything," she said innocently. "I'm just saying you have to discover it on your own, without my telling you straight out."

"Why? Why can't you tell me? Can't you understand that I can't see you, to guess your secret?"

Josie was silent as tears streamed down my face. I felt hurt, alone, unwanted because she wouldn't tell me. Maybe it was wrong to want her to tell me, but couldn't she see that I couldn't see to find out her secret?
Brigitta had said we had a lot in common. I hadn't thought much about it until then. Could she mean that Josie, too, was blind? 
I brushed the thought away with my tears. She could ride a horse alone, so she couldn't be blind. 
But then, she said the horse knew where to go. I was confused. So confused. 

"Don't cry," Josie finally spoke. "I know it's confusing, but don't cry. You'll soon know, because you are smart. You are intelligent enough to figure it out, or Mother wouldn't have told me to keep silent. Come; it's time for breakfast." 

It was true; I could hear the bell calling the students to table. "How long will you wait, before you tell me?" I demanded, holding her back.

"I won't need to tell you," she insisted. "Come." She took my arm and led me out to the hall.

As we descended the stairs, I thought I could hear her counting under her breath. "One, two, three, four, five." 

What in the world? Is she counting the stairs? Why would she do that?

She kept counting 'til we reached the bottom. Seventy-four. 

Seventy-four stairs? Really? But why does she need to count them?

"Why do you count stairs?" I asked her suddenly.

She laughed nervously. "Habit, maybe?" 

"Josie. Seriously?"

She tensed, but didn't answer.

"Josie. I don't know. Are you - are you - blind?"

Nah nah, cliffhanger! LOL! Don't forget to comment and vote if you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks! Dorothy