Thief of Thoughts

Chapter Nineteen

Black door...smoke...

Blurred...a body, somebody...was that?

...

I was suddenly gasping in breath, jerking upright.

What on Earth?

It took me a second to recognize my surroundings.

I was still in Kyle's room. The speaker was still out on the desk but it was shut off now. Someone had put me under the covers, and a wet cloth that had been draped over my forehead now lay splayed on the sheets.

Kyle was asleep, his head resting on the sheets, the rest of his body sitting upright on a wooden stool.

Emphasis on was.

His eyelids groggily fell open. I suddenly felt embarrassed...being here, in his bed, in his room.

I wanted to get out.

"Hey...are you okay?" Kyle asked, concern etched into his face. He brushed strands of hair away from his eyes. "You passed out...I was really worried."

I frowned. How could I explain this? "It's...it happens sometimes. I'm so sorry that happened in front of you..."

"Oh..." He still seemed a little confused but accepted my explanation. I guess he assumed it was some personal problem I didn't feel like talking about.

"How long was I out?" I asked, sliding my legs out from under the covers.

Kyle rubbed his eyes and glanced at the digital clock in the corner blinking a red 2:50 AM.

"Oh wow... a couple of hours," he commented. He seemed nearly as disoriented as I was.

I was even more disoriented now that I realized how long I'd been passed out in whatever messed up vision had overtaken me this time.

The vision...

God, I could barely remember it. All I could think of was darkness...and something that made me want to shudder. This had never happened before. My heart started beating quickly in my chest. This was really bad. Really really bad.

Something was changing. Something inside of me was wrong. I'd never truly understood my ability to see the future in the first place, but this...this was too far. This was so out of my realm.

I felt like I needed to find some old psychic lady mentor to teach me the ways of my powers or something.

But I also knew that that was insane. I knew my powers were illogical, unreasonable, and unspeakable to anyone. My powers were both horrifying and unnatural. And, if I tried explaining it to anyone else, I would most likely end up in a psych ward.

So, no. There would be no psychic lady to help guide me through whatever was going on with my head right now.

Nor would there be any way to stop the piercing headache that began stabbing behind my eyes.

I groaned and put a hand to my forehead, as though that would soothe it. Kyle was immediately alert. He picked up the cloth and handed it to me. "I wasn't sure if this would help...after you passed out, you were burning up. I didn't know what else to do..."

 I gave him a tight smile. "No, no, everything's fine. Thank you so much for helping...I'm so sorry for being a bother..."

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" he asked, not seeming to trust my words one bit. He looked seconds away from calling an ambulance and having me wheeled away. I was extremely grateful that he hadn't done so when I'd first passed out. That would have been much worse...and I wouldn't have been able to explain the situation to anyone in the emergency room.

I nodded stiffly before standing up. I couldn't help but quickly grab his bed post as the room began spinning. He stood up and grabbed my shoulder to steady me. If he'd been asleep minutes before, he definitely wasn't now.

"You know what, I'll walk you back to your room," he said, supporting my left side with his shoulder. 

Even if I wanted to get away as soon as possible, I couldn't help the rush of gratitude and another emotion at his willingness to help me. I was so used to dealing with this alone...

We made it back to my temporary bedroom without much trouble. Kyle left after letting me know he'd be there if I needed him. I immediately sprawled out on my bedsheets.

What was going on?

I didn't know what to do about anything. Before today, before the bathroom incident in the club, things had been so simple. I'd get visions, and I'd listen to them. I'd create the things I saw. I'd build the companies shown to me. I'd use my powers to bring things into this world, even if it meant taking that from someone else.

Now...now my visions were murky. A part of me felt that before now, the visions came to me because I chose them to. Because a part of me wished to see the inventions of the future. A part of me wanted to be an entrepreneur. To create.

I always felt I'd had the slightest bit of control over what I'd seen. Like I owned my power, and it didn't own me.

Not anymore.

Now, nothing was certain.

Even worse...

The letter.

It still was left un-open. And...it was in my luggage.

I'd packed it. I wasn't sure why I'd packed it. But I had.

And now...

I lunged for the open suitcase of my clothes at the foot of the four-poster bed. In the side pocket sat the white letter, pristine and completely inconspicuous.

I knew I should put it back. I knew I should have just thrown it in the fire and stopped thinking about whoever it was that knew the truth.

But if my visions weren't working properly anymore...and these letters had only started coming now...

It didn't seem like it could be a coincidence.

I tore open the white envelope, and had to withhold the gasp that nearly escaped my lips.

I have a job for you, comply, or all will know the truth.