Chapter 17
Eric had his phone out and was already calling Stefan.
Eden stared at him, shook her head, and grumbled, “I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Maybe not, but we can’t let him go in blind either. That’s just not fair,” Eric explained. “So, we’ll loop him in to our latest update, and then you can tell him that you don’t want anything more to do with it.”
She laughed at that. “You know he won’t listen to me.”
“Still, it’s up to you to tell him and to not become another victim,” Eric pointed out. “And, maybe when you explain, he’ll understand you better.”
When Stefan answered the phone, his voice was very gentle. “How is she doing?”
Eric looked over at Eden and replied, “She’s been better, that’s for sure.”
“Of course,” he agreed. “That scenario is never good.”
“What scenario?” she asked into the phone, staring at Eric.
“I heard what you shared with Eric,” Stefan began.
“And I can understand what you’re feeling and why.
We have institutions full of people who never manage to control their abilities, who were exposed to something like you were and were never able to come back from that.
I heard you managed to push aside your insecurities, and the fact that you have is amazing. I’m very proud of you.”
She stared into the phone in shock. “Did you say you heard me?”
His tone carried a smile when he replied, “Yes. Pardon me if that’s interfering, but I do hear things that aren’t necessarily available to others.”
“Yeah, you’re not kidding,” she muttered. Yet she felt a certain amount of relief that she wouldn’t have to explain it all over again.
“And you’re right there too,” Stefan added. “I understand, and I can see what’s happened. Finding a way forward for you is a whole different story. Particularly if you don’t want anything to do with refining your abilities.”
“I don’t think you get the whole ability thing,” she scoffed. “I don’t have any abilities. I don’t even know who and what those people were.”
“Those were people who were looking to find answers and were reaching out to anybody who might see them, who might talk to them, who might help them. At the time, you were probably energetically wide open and not even understanding what that would mean, so they latched on and didn’t let go.”
“Nobody understood. I sure didn’t,” she stated. “I was screaming bloody murder and apparently acting crazy enough that I was led away and medicated. I didn’t understand what happened and just had this horrible feeling of something latching on to me and trying to literally crawl inside my skin.”
“That’s not a bad description,” Stefan acknowledged, his tone somber.
“One that anybody who’s been possessed to that degree would immediately recognize.
And being possessed, particularly if it’s against your will, is a horrible feeling.
It does happen, and sometimes a little too often with people who are more susceptible.
However, in this case, we will have safeguards in place to protect you. ”
Stefan continued. “Understanding what happened to you and why it happened would go a long way in helping you to deal with the fear. That’s obviously beneficial, though I certainly understand the stance that you’re taking in terms of not wanting to help. Yet the time has already passed for that.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What do you mean by that?” Eric asked, his tone sharp. “Surely she can’t be forced into this.”
“Not by me,” Stefan confirmed. “But that feeling she’s had of being watched?
She’s right. She absolutely is. Something is watching her, and whether it came from the Origin portal or from someplace else, I don’t know.
But some energy has been watching her for most of the day,” Stefan stated.
“In order to keep her safe, her awareness needs to be on max, which isn’t possible all day long. ”
Eden and Eric exchanged confused glances.
Stefan explained, “Someone who is very sensitive to all these energies around you, like you, Eden, make it possible. So other energies around are sitting up and paying attention. I’m sure you’ve felt drained after being around certain people, right?
” Eden didn’t respond. “That’s because you are giving away your energy with abandon because you have not been trained to properly handle your energy. ”
She stared at the phone as Eric put an arm around her shoulders, adding, “I’m obviously not leaving her alone.”
“Good,” Stefan said. “You shouldn’t, not for a moment.”
He swallowed hard and asked, “That bad?”
“Yes, it could be that bad. And again this isn’t necessarily something unexpected.
She’s highly sensitive to the energies. I don’t even know if she realizes how much she does for other people.
I suspect she may not even be cognizant of it, but, because of what she is doing subconsciously, other energies are naturally attracted to it.
It’s making her light up like a neon light in the dark. ”
“So, being empathetic is bad now?” Eric asked, frowning.
“It can be if our energy worker is unaware of these skills. Her empathy is bringing all kinds of attention her way that I don’t think she particularly wants.”
“I don’t want any attention,” she declared, her tone harsh. “What do you mean when you said, I don’t even know what I’m doing?”
He spent a long minute just breathing into the phone, as if carefully trying to formulate answers. “So, when your mother became severely ill, how long was she expected to live?”
“I don’t remember exactly, but just a few weeks. Yet she lived a lot longer,” she replied.
“That must have been a big surprise to the medical staff, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, the doctors and nurses were amazed.”
“And your friend Debbie, whenever she came to you after a breakup, do you have any idea why?”
“I asked her one time, and she told me that it comforted her.”
“Right. And, at work, wasn’t somebody in the office dying at one point?”
“Oh yeah,” she said, “when I used to work in the insurance office, a woman named Dolores was there. She had breast cancer. She was expected to die within months, yet lived for years—might still be alive but I lost touch with her. I liked her a lot.”
“Were you ever close to her?”
“Yeah, she was a sweet woman. We used to hug every morning. She always told me how it made her feel better.”
“That’s because it did make her feel better,” Stefan confirmed, “the same way it made your mother feel better and many of your friends. It didn’t just make them feel better, because you were actually sending healing energy to them.
And, whether you believe it or not, you were helping them heal.
And not just one person, but every person around you.
When you reach out and grasp someone’s hand, you’re giving them a shot of healing.
That’s why Debbie kept coming to you. And Dolores, your mother, and everyone else.
… They all had something to gain from the interactions you had with them. ”
“Oh my gosh,” Eric replied in astonishment, “the waitress at the restaurant too.” When she looked at him and frowned, he reminded her. “We stopped there on the way to the seminar, and you were holding her hand. The two of you looked to be best friends.”
“She was a sweet girl,” Eden stated. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“She was also quite sick,” Stefan added. “And, when I say was, I mean she really was.”
Eden stared into the phone and shook her head. “No, that’s too unbelievable.”
“Of course it is. When your grandmother put you into the home, I bet your mother faded very quickly after that, didn’t she?”
“Yes, she did.”
“Of course.”
“But that proves nothing, Stefan. She was already fading very quickly before I was taken out of her custody,” Eden stated.
“And how did your grandmother feel about it?”
“She was angry at me in many ways. She went on about not doing my best for her or something. I mean, I was six, almost seven,” she snapped.
“I never understood half the things she said. And she kept telling me to keep trying, keep trying.” And then she suddenly stopped, her realization dawning.
“Are you suggesting that she thought I could heal my mother?” she asked, incredulous.
And, with that, Stefan appeared in his glittery wispy form, now swirling off to the side. Eden turned back to Eric. “Oh, God, could I have healed my mother? Did she die because I didn’t try hard enough? And did my grandmother know all about this?”