Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
“I don’t understand. So, if she does this, though, no one will see her. How will she be any help at all.”
“Shit,” I curse as I resist the urge to smack myself. Duh, why didn’t I think of that? “You’re right, how can I help if no one sees me?”
“It’s the person you concentrate on or the place. For instance, if you were just going to spirit walk to the Eifel Tower, you would need to picture it and the exact place you wanted to appear.”
“Okay so I can concentrate on Dr. Brashear—or whoever’s office. Right?”
“Yes, but then no one there would see you and there’s nothing you could do to help because you will be, for all intents and purposes, a ghost.”
“Shit. Okay, so, I concentrate on the place and Seven to get there, right?” My palms are already starting to sweat as I wipe them on my yoga pants. I wanted to help and now that I might, my nerves are shot.
“Sure,” Oracle says.
“I can do this,” I say, lacking all confidence.
“That is if you want to distract him and get him killed,” Oracle shrugs. I frown at him. How can he sound so calm? I’m anything, but calm.
“Fine, so how about you tell me what I should do then,” I huff out, putting my hands on my hips as I stare at him.
Oracle smiles. “I thought you would never ask. You need to concentrate on Scar and the physician’s center. Your power will do the rest. You can distract him while Seven takes him out.”
“You make it sound so simple,” I mutter.
“Because it is.”
“Here goes nothing then,” I tell him, closing my eyes.
I brace my body, scrunching up my face.
“My dear, you’re not constipated. Stand up straight, taking deep breaths. Calm your body.”
Ettie snickers and without opening my eyes, I stick my tongue out in her direction.
I shake out my hands before standing straighter. I take deep, slow, breaths while focusing. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Over and over, I do it.
“Not quite so loudly,” Oracle says. “You’re relaxing, not recovering from a ten-mile jog.” Ettie erupts in laughter.
All of this is so easy for him to say. I try again, staring at the blackness behind my eyes, feeling like my head is suddenly just muddled with thoughts as I breathe, less loudly.
“You know, I am new to this.”
“Really? One could barely tell,” Oracle says. I can hear the smile in his voice.
I open my eyes, giving him a mean look. “It’s a good thing I like you.”
Oracle grins at me and winks. That, for some reason, makes me smile. I also relax a little more. I feel determination to bring Lucy home cementing within me. I must do this—I want to see Oracle smile more often.
“Okay, I can do this.” I say, closing my eyes again.
Oracle’s voice grows softer. “Concentrate on the office and see Scar’s face in your mind.”
“But I never met Scar in real like,” I tell him, opening my eyes to see him pinching the bridge of his nose.
He lets out a heavy sigh, one no doubt filled with a request for more patience.
“You have, as Dr. Brashear.”
“Oh, right. I’m kind of nervous,” I mutter, feeling foolish.
“We had no idea,” Oracle says dryly as Ettie purses her lips to keep back her laughter.
I sigh, closing my eyes again, picturing Dr, Brashear in the middle of his office, trying to fill in the small details while keeping focus on him. There’s a blueish green hue, likely from the lights overhead in the lab.
“It’s not working,” I mutter.
“Give it time. You need to disconnect with everything here. Keep your eyes closed and tell me what you hear.”
“The ticking of the clock and then the small roar of the air coming through the vents.”
“Blot that out and concentrate on a more human sound like a heartbeat,” Oracle says.
“Um, hello, semi-human here. How am I supposed to hear a heart?” I ask, looking at him.
“Mated supernatural hearing, my dear. It should come naturally.”
I curl my nose. “Really?”
“Yes.” I can see his patience is waning.
“That’s kind of gross.”
“Grace, time is wasting.”
I nod. “Okay.” I close my eyes again breathing deep and quietly exhaling, as I focus on a heartbeat. Suddenly is comes to my ears and I know it’s not my own. It’s strong and heavy, but also seems forced in a way. Oracle’s. He’s hurting. It’s so deep that there are echoes of his pain with each beat of his heart. I didn’t even know that was possible. Still, I keep listening and listening, while trying to keep the picture of the office in my mind.
With a sigh, I look at Oracle. “It’s not working.”
“Try harder.”
I close my eyes feeling how utterly hopeless this is. I’m a failure.
42
#7
(STARK)
I stand behind the office door and keep my mind blank, trying to think of nothing, and stop any thoughts from my head before they can form. I’m purposely using all the tricks Oracle ever taught me to be undetected by Scar. I want this done. I knew the man would show up here first. I don’t know why I understand Scar like I do, and I refuse to believe it’s because he was a sperm donor. I’m nothing like him and never will be. Still, I knew he would take the long way through the hospital. He likely needed to find someone to feed on.