What The Eyes Can't See

Since its been a couple of days since I updated and my reviewers have been so generous…Here is the next chapter. Thanks Liz

Elfmaiden is the best beta in the world. And if you enjoy this story (or even if you don’t and want to really read quality fiction), please go and read her stories at www.mystifyingdreams.com

Chapter 6

The only light in Emily’s old childhood room was from a small lamp next to a sofa chair. Brian read as he waited for his sister to awaken briefly from her deep sleep. Experience had taught him that his sister would only wake up in brief intervals for the next several days. She was only able to find the strength to go to the bathroom and to eat if something was on hand. Directly after a projection, these first few intervals would last only a couple of minutes but would lengthen as time went on. He already had a sandwich and a glass of orange juice ready for her; though he would have to practically force-feed her before she fell back asleep.

Brian hated to see his sister so drained after a projection, just as much as he hated watching the life drain from her on one of her projections. He also hated the memories that it ultimately stirred within his mind.

Brian placed his book on his lap and leaned his head onto the back of the chair. He smiled at the memory of his parents first telling him about the pregnancy. They had been so excited about it. He had been sixteen at the time and the only thing he had cared about was hanging out with his friends and ‘hooking’ up with girls. He guessed that his parents had been expecting a more enthusiastic response from him, but back than he really didn’t care one way or another.

Well, maybe he did care about how it would affect his life. His friends had made fun of him; that his mom had got ‘knocked up’ and there had been several fights when someone would joke about the kid not being his dad’s.

The only real positive thing for him was that it seemed that teenaged girls thought it was ‘romantic’ that his parents were so in love that they were having another kid. This would ultimately make it easier for him to score dates and hopefully more.

When Emily had been born, life changed in the Mallory household. His parents wanted him to take an active role in raising his little sister. He interpreted this as changing diapers, cleaning up her mess and greater time away from his friends so he could baby-sit. He rebelled and started to have an unhealthy dislike for this supposed bundle of joy.

Eventually his parents had backed off. He assumed it was because they believed that he would, in his own time, come around and start taking an interest in Emily. He was ecstatic that he could now ignore the annoying little kid.

He did remember over hearing some discussions about Emily on how she was too quiet for a baby. He had snorted at the time, thinking that if Emily was quiet than he hated to see how a ‘normal’ baby would sound. He swore that he would never have kids of his own to test this theory. After a couple of visits to her pediatrician, his parents had stopped worrying.

The time between Emily’s birth and his graduation moved by quickly and he never noticed Emily much. His parents tried to get him involved in her life but he never really showed an interest. Basically, he pretended that Emily didn’t exist. It wasn’t that he hated her; he just didn’t care.

When he finally went off to college, a whole new world opened up for him. Emily was just about to turn one when he left home and from than on, he only saw her during the holidays. Each time he came home, he was slightly taken aback by the little person that seemed to grow so fast. Other than the mental note of recognition, he ignored her. He was more concerned about the parties, the girls, the grades, the girls, the future, and the girls with a little more partying thrown in just for fun.

His face became solemn as he relived the memories that had changed both their worlds.

He had just started his junior year at UC Davis when he learned that a drunk driver had killed his parents. He immediately flew home for the funeral. His best friend and his girlfriend, at that time, followed to offer him comfort. He gave no thought to Emily; what so ever.

He vaguely remembered that when he arrived at his parents’ home, their next-door neighbor stopped by with little Emily in tow. The neighbor had been taking care of her until Brian had arrived. There was some mention of Emily being more comfortable in her own home, surrounded by familiar things, than staying at their house. Brian simply let Emily in and closed the door on the neighbor’s face, without saying a word.

After that he knew little of what became of Emily. Brian was ashamed to remember. He did remember vague impressions of a little girl walking around the house. She would get a box of cereal out of the cupboard for something to eat or she would be playing outside, in a sandbox, by herself. Otherwise, she was like a ghost, never speaking and stayed out of his and his friend’s way. Other than that, he kept to himself those three days prior to the funeral, only being comforted by his two friends.

The house was quiet the day of the funeral. He had been dressed in a dark suit with his two friends similarly dressed in dark clothing. They walked down the stairs to go outside, to the limo waiting to take them to the funeral home. As he approached the front door, he finally noticed his little sister.

Emily stood patiently by the front door. She was already dressed in a light blue sundress with white socks reaching to her knees, a pair of white buckle shoes, which were on the wrong feet and unbuckled. She had combed her hair and attempted to place it in a ribbon, which hung loosly and crooked. Her long, unruly and tangled mass of curls surrounding her face making her green eyes seem so much larger.

For the first time that he could remember, he looked into those eyes. He didn’t know why, whether it was the emotions swimming in them or because they reminded him so much of Mom’s eyes. He couldn’t bear to continue looking at her. He simply walked passed her and out the door.

His friends followed and as far as he knew, Emily did as well since he remembered her being in the limo with them. She remained silent, just like she had for the last three days and simply watched the scenery pass. His friends had looked a little worried about the quietness between the two siblings but they had remained silent as well.

At the funeral home, he accepted sympathies from distant relatives, neighbors, and his parents’ co-workers. They were all virtual strangers to him, though all were willing to ‘help’ if he ever needed anything. Between two such sympathizers he glanced off to a corner where a swatch of light blue, in a sea of dark clothing, caught his eye.

Sitting in a chair, by herself, the little five year old watched the gathering. No one approached her and no one offered his or her sympathies to her. She was left alone with her thoughts and to her own devices.

Brian’s attention was drawn away from his sister when another person, expressing their sorrow, approached him. He was once again thrown into his own grief.

Emily was once again in the limo when they left for the cemetery and still remained silent during the drive. During the sermon she stood, unmoving, next to him.

Once the two caskets had been lowered into the deep holes, the gathering began to disperse. His two friends left him alone and waited by the limo. The others, who had attended the service, quickly left the dismal scene and few looked back at the tall man who loomed over the little girl, which stood next to him.

Brian had stood motionless for several minutes, transfixed by the two holes that would be his parents’ ultimate resting place. Selfish thoughts whirled through his head, which condemned God, fate, the world, and the man who was the instrument for his parents’ death. What was he going to do now? How could he possibly move on from this? What would happen to his home? These thoughts, and more like it, continued to plague him.

He barely felt the little hand that had reached up and grabbed his thumb. He looked down at the little girl who was looking at him with eyes filled with an indiscernible emotion. Not able to stand the look, his gaze moved around the graveyard. He noticed that most of the guests had already left to return to their own homes. There were few people left from the service, his two friends, smoking cigarettes with the limo driver and not paying any attention to the two mourners; and two cemetery attendees, which stood off to the side, waiting to fill the graves with dirt that was piled next to them; artfully ‘disguised’ by a cover of green fabric.

That’s when it finally hit him. The tiny thought that had been hiding in the farthest recesses of his mind. While everyone who attended the funeral had either been there because of their association with his parents or because of their relationship with him. No one had been there for Emily; including him.

At that moment, he realized how selfish he was. He was twenty-one and perfectly able to take care of himself; while in a blink of an eye, his five year old sister had just lost the two most important people in her life. His parents had been the only people who cared for her.

Who would take care of her now? Who would make sure she ate the right foods? Went to bed on time? Went to school? Did her homework? Not watch too much TV? Brian looked down at the little girl again. Once again seeing her disheveled appearance, the questions continued. Who would comb her hair? Tie the ribbon on straight? Made sure she put her shoes on the right feet? Who would help her with the buckles that were too complex for her tiny hands?

He looked into the impossibly large eyes of his younger sister. And he noticed the two emotions that encompassed her green eyes. Grief. Overwhelming grief and fear. Knee-buckling fear.

Her eyes held grief for parents, that she would never see again, and fear of an uncertain future.

The tears that he had been holding back finally welled and escaped from his eyes. He kneeled down in front of Emily and incased her in his arms. Holding on to her tightly, he began to sob into her hair. Emily stood still for several moments before wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. As her body began to shake, he realized that she too was crying. They had both been holding back the deep grief over the loss of their parents and were now finally expressing it in each other’s embrace.

As he clutched Emily in his arms, he made a silent promise. Emily would have nothing to fear because he would take care of her. He would be the one to make sure little Emily ate the right foods and went to bed on time. He would be the one to take her to school and help her with her homework before allowing her to watch cartoons.

Several minutes passed and he slowly pulled back to look into Emily’s tear streaked face. He smiled sadly at the girl, tears still streaming down both their faces. He reached up and redid her ribbon as best as he could, not having the experience to handle such a task. Once the ribbon had been placed a little more securely in Emily’s hair, he bent down slightly and removed her shoes. Emily sniffled and held onto his shoulder as he switched the shoes and than buckled them.

Without a word, he gave his sister another hug and lifted her up in his arms. Emily clung desperately to her brother’s shoulders, burying her face into his neck and continued to cry silently. Brian walked across the grassy lane separating the two rows of graves, heading toward the limo. Ignoring his two friends, he climbed into the car’s rear seat, never releasing his sister.

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