35. Audrey
35
AUDREY
There was some kind of rhythmic shaking that was keeping me from staying asleep. Whatever the hell it was, I was really pissed that it was disturbing my sleep. Then a crunching sound started. My eyes flew open and I strained to understand what I was hearing. It sounded like chewing.
What the hell?
Grabbing my pillow, I pulled it over my head and tried to block out the sound. Were there weird birds in my room or something? Maybe it was some kind of old house noise. But then the bed really started shaking.
I tossed the pillow off my head and flipped over as I sat up. “Alright—” I let out a harsh shriek, terrified when I found a man—most definitely not Slider—sitting in my bed.
The crunching and shaking immediately stopped. Those noises were definitely not old house noises. Nope, they were the sounds that came from someone chewing on chips. I shoved my fingers into my eyeballs and rubbed hard. After waking up as much as possible, I wiggled my eyes to the right position and stared at the offending sound.
Funyuns.
And those Funyuns were being chomped on by none other than Fox. I pressed a hand to my chest, trying desperately to get my harsh breathing under control. This man was in my bed.
I grabbed another pillow and swung hard, belting him upside the head. “What the fuck, Fox?” I shouted.
The door was flung open and Slider came storming in, his gun raised as he swept the room for intruders. I would have found the whole thing extremely sexy if it weren’t for the fact that I had been woken up by another man in my bed.
“Are you okay?” he asked. I could hear the concern in his voice. Thankfully, he was very expressive and I didn’t need to see his face to know what he was feeling.
“You know, still trying to keep my heart from leaping out of my chest in terror, but otherwise, pretty good,” I muttered.
“Fox, what the hell are you doing in here?”
“Audrey!” I could hear Spencer’s footsteps as he raced toward me. I was just about to call out to him when he tripped, falling into Slider and hitting the floor with a hard smack. His sweats were around his ankles and his shirt was only pulled over one shoulder.
“It’s okay, Spencer. It’s just a lunatic in my bed.”
His head popped up and he rubbed a spot on his forehead with a groan. “We’re really gonna need some kind of signal if you’re okay.”
“Maybe not yell,” Slider grumbled.
“Hey, it’s not my fault,” I said indignantly. “I woke up to the bed shaking and a crunching sound. It freaked me the hell out!”
Slider’s head swiveled to Fox. “Are you going to say anything?”
“Me? Nope, I didn’t hear any crunching,” Fox said calmly. “You can trust me. I’ve been here for hours.”
My eyes bugged out at that. “Hours? What the hell have you been doing here for hours?”
He cocked his head at me, shooting me a funny look that made my lips twitch. “Watching you, silly. Protective detail. Frankly, you sleep too much. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up so we can watch a movie.”
“She shouldn’t be watching TV,” Spencer grumbled, getting to his feet. “Not without her glasses. It’s hard on her eyes.”
“No problemo, amigo,” he grinned. “I’ve been dying to get the lass out in the field. Teach her some of my moves.”
“What moves?” I asked curiously.
“Throwing knives. Your set arrived yesterday! I have it embossed with your name—not that you’ll be able to see it, but you can run your fingers over it.”
“You bought me throwing knives?”
He snorted. “Of course. It’s a thing. Well, my thing. Every new girl gets a set of throwing knives. I mean, I could get you steak knives for the kitchen, but that would be boring. Besides, Slider is already a chef, so we don’t have to worry about you going near the stove.”
I chuckled at that, holding up my hand. “Lesson learned.”
“Right? These are so much safer. Well, not for the other guy. By the time I’m through with you, you’ll be able to skewer someone from a hundred yards with deadly accuracy.”
“A hundred yards?” I asked, a little disbelieving over that.
“Well, that may be a stretch, but you get the point.”
“Fox!” Slider snapped. “Maybe you shouldn’t teach a blind person to throw knives.”
“Harsh, bro,” Fox jumped to my defense. “Don’t hate on the blind. She could be the first blind world champion in throwing competitions. You have no idea of her potential.”
“Yes, I do. I’ve seen her shoot.”
That got my hackles up, but before I could say anything, Fox beat me to it. “You’re just saying that because you’re jealous. She’s coming into her own, finding new challenges and experiences. This is all about using your senses. We just have to teach her to open those up and use what the man upstairs gave her.”
“She could kill someone,” Slider snapped.
“Hey! I could be really good at this.”
Slider actually looked offended that I wanted to work with Fox. He turned to Spencer, who was sitting against the wall, half asleep. “Spencer, tell them you disagree.”
“Um…just don’t throw any knives at me.”
I beamed at his support for me. He was such a good friend. “I’ll get dressed.”
“I’ll get the Funyuns!” Fox said, jumping out of bed.
Before I could get dressed, Slider was beside me, gripping my arm lightly. “Audrey…think about this. Fox is a little out there.”
“So? Aren’t we all a little out there?”
His eyes slid to where Fox ran out of the room. “Audrey, you really don’t understand what you’re getting into.”
“Oh, come on. What’s the worst that could happen?”
He winced, shaking his head at me. “Fuck, it’s like you just cursed us all. You can’t say shit like that.”
I had to laugh at that. The man was so superstitious. It was ridiculous. “They’re just words. They don’t mean anything and they can’t hurt you. I promise.”
“You’ve never been in the field,” he insisted.
“Look, I hear your concern, but seriously, what is the worst that could happen?” I drew out each word, making sure to enunciate so he would know I wasn’t joking.
He backed away, his eyes sad and lonely. “It’s your funeral. Just remember, I warned you.”
“Oh, ha ha.”
“It’s been nice knowing you. I really think we could have had something special.”
“Slider, you’re being so dramatic.”
Then he turned to Spencer. “You’d better say your goodbyes now. There most likely won’t be time later.”
Spencer got to his feet and he actually looked worried for me. “How serious is this?”
“Let me put it this way—if a knife doesn’t get her, she’ll find a cliff and jump off it to get away from him. There won’t be any warning. She’ll just take a running leap and that’ll be the end.”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed my things to get changed. “Men are so dramatic.”
Two hours later, I was standing under the tree with the breeze cooling my skin. I took a deep breath and focused on the target. Not that I really had a clear picture of it, but I was using a technique Fox taught me. Something about seeing the target and being the target. But he also told me to be the knife, so I was a little confused about which one I was supposed to be.
“Alright, now visualize. Place yourself against the tree. Imagine you’re the bark. You’re pinned there with no way to move. Ahh!”
I quirked an eyebrow at him. “What was that?”
“What?”
“The little screaming thing you did.”
“Oh, I was being the bark. You know, pinned to a tree. Nowhere to move. Ahh!”
I was beginning to see what Slider was talking about, but I would never admit that out loud.
“So, anyway, you’re that little branch dangling in front of the bark.”
“Wait, I thought I was the bark?”
“You’re both.”
“How can I be both? One moves and one is pinned to the tree.”
“Maybe your body is pinned to the tree, but your arms are swaying in front of you, flopping all around like the leaves on the branch.”
“Whatever,” I muttered.
“So, anyway, you’re the bark and the branch. You’re standing still, waiting for the target to hit you.”
“If I was a branch, wouldn’t I just let the wind move me out of the way?”
Fox sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. Yeah, everyone thought he would drive me crazy, but what they didn’t realize was that I could argue with the best of them. Fox could push me all he wanted. I’d give it right back.
“You’re one of those tiny branches. Not a full-grown branch with swaying power. Okay?”
“Sure, whatever you say,” I shrugged.
“So, you’re there. I want you to visualize being the target. You have all those rings on you.”
“What rings?”
“The growth rings,” he said, gritting his teeth in frustration.
“Yes, but those are on the inside of the tree. Unless you’ve chopped me down and laid me sideways, you’re not seeing those rings. And in that case, you wouldn’t see the bark either.”
“Fine! There are no fucking rings!” he snapped. “There’s just bark!”
“Do you need a break?” I asked, trying my best not to laugh.
He took a deep breath and centered himself. I’d seen Spencer do it a million times. “Nope. I’m good.”
“So, I’m the target. I have bark and branches, but no rings.”
“Right. Close your eyes and visualize yourself standing there. Can you see it?”
“Yep.”
“Now, open your eyes and follow the imaginary line to the other version of you.”
“Where is she standing?”
“What?”
“Well, is she standing in a copse of trees? Is she standing in a meadow? Are there deer in the way? These are things I have to know.”
His jaw twitched, but he held back from losing it. “You’re in a meadow. There are no deer, and it’s early spring, so the grass isn’t long enough to be in your way yet.”
“Cool. Am I wearing gloves?”
“No,” he bit out. “Why would you be wearing gloves?”
“Because you said it’s early spring. It might be chilly. How do I know my fingers will function properly if I’m not wearing gloves to keep them warm?”
“Because you have heat warmers in your pockets. Everything is nice and toasty warm. There is absolutely no reason you would be cold.”
“What if I’m in a northern state? Minnesota gets some very harsh winters.”
“Jesus Christ! You’re not in Minnesota! You’re in a magical place where the weather is always nice. You don’t have to worry about cold weather or tall grass. The conditions are ideal for throwing knives without any problems. Are we clear?” he shouted.
I shrugged, thinking maybe he was downplaying that just a little. “Sure, I mean, it’s your vision.”
Again, he took a deep breath and calmed himself down. This time, it didn’t happen quite as quickly. “Now, you’re standing in the distance. Can you see yourself?”
“Yep. I can see me.”
“So, you’re standing there?—”
“What am I wearing? Is it leather? Because I really like leather.”
His nostrils flared and he took yet another calming breath. “You’re wearing whatever your vision says you’re wearing.”
“Perfect.”
“Now…Fuck, where was I going with this?”
“I’m a branch in front of a tree with swaying arms and no rings. I’m not wearing gloves and the temperature is right. I’m not sure yet why I’m the tree or the point of it because you haven’t told me.”
“Because you won’t stop interrupting me!” he snapped.
I pretended to zip my lips. “Carry on.”
“Okay…close your eyes.”
I already did this, but I’d follow along.
“So, you’re standing there and you’re the target. I want you to imagine that the center of your chest is the center of the target. That’s where you plan on lodging the knife.”
“Okay.”
“I want you to imagine yourself throwing the knife. Imagine you’re spinning through the air, blade over hilt as you catapult toward the target and lodge in the center.”
I peeked one eye open and bit my lip. His arms were in the air, spinning as if he was motioning for the knife to spin through the air by magic. This was just too easy. “I’m confused.”
“What now?” he snapped, dropping his arms.
“Well, you said to imagine myself as the target. So, I got in the mental state for that. I knew where the center was and I was ready to feel the burn of the knife piercing my chest.”
When I didn’t continue, he growled, “And what’s your point?”
“Well, then you said I was throwing the knife. And then I was the knife, catapulting through the air. So, not only do you want me to imagine throwing a knife at myself, but you want me to imagine me piercing my own body, and feel the pain of it as I lodge myself into my chest. I’m an actress and I’ve won some awards, but I’m not sure I’m good enough to imagine myself as three separate objects at once. So, which is it? Am I the target, the knife, or the person throwing the knife?”
“Why can’t you just go through it like a process?” he shouted.
“Because you didn’t say to do that. I’m not a magician. I can’t be in two places at once. I wasn’t trained for that. And if you want me to train my brain to be in some weird mental state, you’re going to have to teach me that voodoo magic you do.”
“It’s not voodoo magic!”
“It’s not anything any human has done,” I snorted.
“It’s meditating.”
I laughed outright at that. “Sure, if you want to call it that.”
“I do call it that.”
I raised my hands in acquiescence. “Okay, I stand corrected. It was meditating.”
“You’re damn right it was meditating!”
I nodded, biting my lip as he struggled to regain his composure. He tried to settle his mind, but as soon as he closed his eyes, he screamed, then stood up and started kicking at the air.
“Why can’t you just listen and be a good student?”
“Because I’m a stubborn person.”
He threw himself on the ground and tore at the grass. “I’ve been through multiple students, and you, by far, are the worst of them all. And that includes Bree, who hates holding knives! She didn’t even touch them, and I still taught her!”
“That must have been complicated,” I said sincerely.
“But you!” he seethed, getting up in my face. “You are—” He contorted his hands, twisting them in the air like he was strangling an imaginary person. When his face turned red and it looked like he would explode, he took a deep breath and blew it out, then turned and stomped back to the house.
“Well, that was fun.”
I headed back inside, letting the door slam behind me. Slider looked up at me in concern.
“What happened?”
“I think I broke Fox.”
Everyone’s heads snapped up to look at me. “You…how?” Rae asked.
I shrugged. “I peppered him with questions until he broke.”
She looked at everyone else, then started laughing. “And to think, we could have ended the chaos so long ago.”
“That was kind of mean, baby,” Slider grinned.
“Serves him right. He scared the shit out of me. Who sneaks into someone else’s bed and eats Funyuns?”