Out Of The Dark Read Online Free Page B

nose.
    Son. Of. A. Bitch.
    "Zoë," Mom's voice was a little more calming,
but I could tell she was still irritated. "I didn't see you go OOB.
What happened?"
    "You threw your thoughts at him," Tim said in
a very soft voice. He was visible near the counter that looked into
the tea-shop's kitchen. "That's new."
    I--I didn't mean too. I knew Tim and Steve
could hear me, but no one else. I looked about for my board, and
reading my thoughts, Jemmy reached across the table and retrieved
it for me. Guilt was an all too palpable thing at the
moment--because in truth I had meant to throw my thoughts at
him.
    But who knew they'd skewer him like a shish
kabob???
    I DIDN'T THINK THEY WOULD HIT.
    Mom and Rhonda skimmed my board then both of
them gave me identical faces. Ack. Was that rehearsed?
    Jemmy was abruptly in the kitchen, grabbing a
clean cloth, loading it with cold water and then returning to where
Dags was down. I stood dumbfounded.
    It just seemed to me that men were constantly
getting hurt around me. And I was the cause of this. I thought of
Daniel, and realized he was all-alone in the hospital.
    We were all here.
    Rhonda had propped Dags' head up on her lap
and was now dabbing at his nose with the wet rag. It looked like a
sweet moment. Too bad I was the bully on the playground that
whacked him.
    Then he stirred, and moaned and looked up to
see Rhonda, and totally turned seven shades of red. I put a hand
over my mouth to avoid laughing--I was gonna say hysterically--but
how can you laugh like that when you don't make noises?
    Shit.
    "Uh--" Dags said.
    "Oh--" Rhonda said.
    Both of them disengaged.
    But when Dags tried to sit up, he grabbed his
head with his hands. His nose wasn't bleeding anymore, but the rim
of it was dark with dried blood. Rhonda did an awful job cleaning
it. And there was blood on his collar.
    "You okay, sugar?" Jemmy was bending over and
I moved out of the way of her caboose.
    I'm sorry, I'm sorry oh I am so sorry--
    "All right, all right," Dags muttered in a
strained voice. "I can hear you. Just--use your verbal jujitsu
somewhere else. Okay? I'm not the enemy here."
    I blinked, and stood up straight. So you
can hear me?
    Dags winced and looked at me. He slowly
pulled his hands away from his head. "Say that again?"
    I pursed my lips. I said, so you can hear
me?
    He nodded slowly. "Yeah, well, no. Not really
hear you."
    Huh?
    Rhonda shook her head. "What?"
    "It's--it's more like I can suddenly see
pictures. Images that kinda tell me what it is you're saying."
    Okaynowthatwasweird .
    Jemmy reached out her hand and Dags took it,
allowing she and Rhonda to help him off the floor. He looked a
little pale--which only added to his striking eyes and dark
hair.
    "Lemme see," Jemmy grabbed his left shoulder
and pressed her palm into his forehead. He glanced over at me and
sort of gave me a helpless deer look. "Youse okay--but I'm afraid
Zoë might have opened up your third eye."
    Dags nodded and stepped back. I was thinking
he might bolt. And who could blame him?
    "What do you mean by images?" Steve said from
his perch beside Nona's chair.
    "Well," Dags held out his hands, palms up. "I
knew she was asking me if I could hear her. But what I saw in my
head was a barrage of images of ears and then her face." He glared
at me. "And I do mean a barrage. Please, don't yell anymore."
    Yell. I can yell?
    I somehow felt comforted. Guilty. But oddly
comforted.
    Everyone took their seats again. I sat down
and attacked my breakfast. It was cold.
    "Zoë," Rhonda said as an icebreaker. "I'll
handle it. You eat." She turned to Dags and gave him a very nice
reader's digest version of what had happened to us in the past
month. From my meeting TC, to the Reverend Rollins, Hirokumi,
Daniel, Susan, Rai, and then the Phantasm.
    I was a little surprised too. I'd told them
all that? Wow. I'm a blabbermouth even when I don't have a
voice.
    Dags took it all in, finishing up his coffee.
I did notice he pressed his fingers into his forehead and