more.”
“It’s a curse.”
“No it isn’t, it’s just you,
you’re unique.”
“Yeah, unique kinda like the
elephant man.” I say jokingly.
Frank shifts a fraction closer to
me, his arm leaning behind my back. “No, not like that, unique like
intriguing.”
“Stop.”
“Stop what?”
“You’re e-embarrassing me,
seriously, with all that kind of talk, just...” I don’t know what to say now,
and it has nothing to do with my stammer.
“It’s just the truth, Florence,
now we were talking about...psychics wasn’t it?”
“Oh um, yeah, don’t worry I was
just rambling.”
Frank deliberately leans down so
that the skin of our fore arms touch. “I don’t think you were, tell me,” he
breathes, and I’ve never smelled a more delicious scent than his minty breath
in all my life.
“You’ll think I’m insane.” Oh
God, how I want to confide in this beautiful boy, to tell him all of my secrets
and let him keep them safe forever.
“I would never think that.”
“You haven’t heard what I’ve got
to say yet.”
“Just tell me, please…” his words
linger on the back of my neck sending shivers down my spine.
“Okay, well…” I hesitate, where
to begin? “So I had a headache inside remember?”
“Yes.” He strokes a finger over
the veins on the inside of my wrist.
“Well there was a reason for the
headache and it wasn’t because of the noise.”
“What was it Florence?” Every
time my full name leaves his lips I tremble, no matter how I try to convince
myself that I hate it.
“I can see things other people
can’t.”
“What do you mean?” his face is
confused.
“Colours, I can see colours.”
“Colours that other people can’t
see? How does that work?” he asks, amused but urgent.
“It’s hard to explain, when you
look at a person you see their body, but when I look at a person I see their
body, but a bit extra as well.” Why am I telling him this? I’ve never told
anybody before. Well, I told Dad when I was little but he didn’t listen to me
anyway, he probably would have had me sectioned if he did.
“What’s the extra that you can
see?”
“Auras, energy, emotions, I don’t
know what it is really. All I know is that I’ve always been able to see these
things, when I was a child I just assumed everybody could see what I see. But
then when I watched movies or television programmes the people didn’t have an
aura, that’s how I began to figure out I was different.”
I half expect Frank to gape at me
and brush off what I’m telling him as a lie, but instead he brushes a strand of
hair from my face and says, “I knew there was something about you,” his voice
little more than a whisper.
“You did?” I ask, surprised by
his admission.
“It’s your eyes, your big green
eyes. It’s like they’re too wise for your age, they know too much.”
“Sometimes it’s too much to take,
like inside the barn just now, there were too many over excited people, with
overwhelming emotions. In situations like that I start to absorb some of it,
it’s maddening.”
“It must be hard,” he soothes,
perhaps suddenly realising what a curse this “gift” can be.
“I can’t believe I’ve told you
this, you aren’t going to tell people I’m insane now are you?”
“Of course not,” he laughs
softly. “I’m probably one of the few people who would never think you were
lying, no matter how bizarre your story.”
I wonder at what he’s said. “Why
is that?”
“I know that there are many
unexplainable things out there.”
I think of his flames, and those
of his foster brothers, I sit up a little straighter, and study him for a
moment. “Are you one of those things?”
He laughs, but it’s a little too
tense, he doesn’t answer me either, instead he questions me, “Why do you ask
that?”
“Your aura is not like any I’ve
ever seen before, you and your brothers, you
“It’s a curse.”
“No it isn’t, it’s just you,
you’re unique.”
“Yeah, unique kinda like the
elephant man.” I say jokingly.
Frank shifts a fraction closer to
me, his arm leaning behind my back. “No, not like that, unique like
intriguing.”
“Stop.”
“Stop what?”
“You’re e-embarrassing me,
seriously, with all that kind of talk, just...” I don’t know what to say now,
and it has nothing to do with my stammer.
“It’s just the truth, Florence,
now we were talking about...psychics wasn’t it?”
“Oh um, yeah, don’t worry I was
just rambling.”
Frank deliberately leans down so
that the skin of our fore arms touch. “I don’t think you were, tell me,” he
breathes, and I’ve never smelled a more delicious scent than his minty breath
in all my life.
“You’ll think I’m insane.” Oh
God, how I want to confide in this beautiful boy, to tell him all of my secrets
and let him keep them safe forever.
“I would never think that.”
“You haven’t heard what I’ve got
to say yet.”
“Just tell me, please…” his words
linger on the back of my neck sending shivers down my spine.
“Okay, well…” I hesitate, where
to begin? “So I had a headache inside remember?”
“Yes.” He strokes a finger over
the veins on the inside of my wrist.
“Well there was a reason for the
headache and it wasn’t because of the noise.”
“What was it Florence?” Every
time my full name leaves his lips I tremble, no matter how I try to convince
myself that I hate it.
“I can see things other people
can’t.”
“What do you mean?” his face is
confused.
“Colours, I can see colours.”
“Colours that other people can’t
see? How does that work?” he asks, amused but urgent.
“It’s hard to explain, when you
look at a person you see their body, but when I look at a person I see their
body, but a bit extra as well.” Why am I telling him this? I’ve never told
anybody before. Well, I told Dad when I was little but he didn’t listen to me
anyway, he probably would have had me sectioned if he did.
“What’s the extra that you can
see?”
“Auras, energy, emotions, I don’t
know what it is really. All I know is that I’ve always been able to see these
things, when I was a child I just assumed everybody could see what I see. But
then when I watched movies or television programmes the people didn’t have an
aura, that’s how I began to figure out I was different.”
I half expect Frank to gape at me
and brush off what I’m telling him as a lie, but instead he brushes a strand of
hair from my face and says, “I knew there was something about you,” his voice
little more than a whisper.
“You did?” I ask, surprised by
his admission.
“It’s your eyes, your big green
eyes. It’s like they’re too wise for your age, they know too much.”
“Sometimes it’s too much to take,
like inside the barn just now, there were too many over excited people, with
overwhelming emotions. In situations like that I start to absorb some of it,
it’s maddening.”
“It must be hard,” he soothes,
perhaps suddenly realising what a curse this “gift” can be.
“I can’t believe I’ve told you
this, you aren’t going to tell people I’m insane now are you?”
“Of course not,” he laughs
softly. “I’m probably one of the few people who would never think you were
lying, no matter how bizarre your story.”
I wonder at what he’s said. “Why
is that?”
“I know that there are many
unexplainable things out there.”
I think of his flames, and those
of his foster brothers, I sit up a little straighter, and study him for a
moment. “Are you one of those things?”
He laughs, but it’s a little too
tense, he doesn’t answer me either, instead he questions me, “Why do you ask
that?”
“Your aura is not like any I’ve
ever seen before, you and your brothers, you
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