Time for the next step Who: Radek, Brianna, (& Gabe) What: Expanding horizons - nearly 2 weeks of training When: up to 20th October Where: le Breeze/Radek’s home Ratings G
Radek closed the trunk of the car, the hotel’s porter having collected Brianna’s bags from the spacious rear compartment. He watched the young woman lead the man, some thirty years her senior, to the private entrance to her apartment in le Breeze. His experienced eye noted the slightly different carriage of head and more relaxed shoulders and he smiled to himself, reassured.
The decision almost two weeks earlier, to reveal to the young psychic what they had ascertained were the range of her abilities, and bring her into the ‘circle’ of knowledge had been unanimous and it was agreed it should happen immediately. It hadn’t been difficult once they’d learned just how it was starting to affect her. Radek had been observing her long enough to pick when she was starting to become more and more uncomfortable in her own skin, purely because she was closing herself off from the world. Ever since the night of the odd meeting at the Blind Eye diner he’d been even more observant, and most recently he’d observed how she avoided physical contact, and had even started wearing long sleeves in the restaurant and cafe bar. Within twenty four hours of his dinner with the young vampire, Brianna was whisked away to the immortal’s estate and her induction had begun.
It had been exhausting, and exhilarating and extremely taxing, but Brianna was feeling a lot more confident as she re-entered the establishment she managed. The twenty four year old had always had confidence in her abilities to manage the operations, but had, over time, become closed down, scared of touching, unwilling to allow anyone close enough to get to know her. She had developed a fear of going out, fully immersing herself in the daily operations of all aspects of the business as a way of keeping herself from thinking about anything other than the running of the business. When Radek and her employer had shown up that morning it had been a complete surprise to her, and the journey to Radek’s home was only made easier by the immortal’s comforting presence.
That first evening had been both enlightening and overwhelming beyond her imagination, and sleep had only been possible after consuming a tonic provided to her for that purpose. The next morning she awoke to find not only had she slept the full night, but she could also recall dreams which she had not been able to do very often.
The following days led her along a path of learning, ‘seeing’, sensing things she had been shielding herself from for many years, thanks to the efforts of the immortals with her. She also learned more of the dangers that lay ahead if the wrong people found out about her abilities. “You can, and will be used as a weapon by them, and this must be avoided at all costs,” she’d been told in summary.
“You will learn to strengthen your control, but that can only be done over time with practice,” she was told, “at this time we will keep the focus on your touch.”
It had been harrowing at times. While Brianna had thought she’d experienced much of the horrors lived by the immortal cohort who had taken her under their protection, she learned that she had only seen some of what each of them had experienced in their past, that they had only allowed her to ‘know’ some of what they had had done to them. Plus, as she had already guessed, and they had discussed, now she was going to actually feel it.
“How have you stayed sane?” she’d asked, gasping after one particularly gruelling session, perspiration pouring from every pore of her skin, her face flushed and throat sore.
“Some of us don’t,” was the reply. “It’s when it becomes too much that an immortal can become dangerous to not just us, but anyone who gets in their way. That’s when we also need to take steps to protect ourselves, in ways that could be seen by the laws of today as criminal, but is the only way for us to survive the encounter if our combatant is beyond saving.” They were referring to the one way of killing an immortal, and she had shuddered at the thought of that ever happening to any of them.
Radek had been by her side almost all her waking hours, monitoring her, keeping her under observation to ensure nothing she experienced was causing her harm, or distress more than she could withstand. His admiration for her inner strength had grown as she’d suffered through ‘events’ that had been recalled and she had been exposed to. The readings he’d reviewed afterwards had been fascinating, and he’d begun to notice some different areas of her mind beginning to react in ways he found curious, and had discussed it in private with the others, when Brianna had been resting.
“I believe she’s actually sensing more than just what we are exposing her to, when in the room with her,” he explained, showing them graphs and readouts which meant little to the others until he explained. “This part of the brain is the area that is supposedly active in those with what is referred to in lay terms as extra-sensory perception. I can’t say for certain, and I’m not yet clear, as I have not been able to observe a known case before, but it is worth further study.” The discussion had gone long into the night, and it had been agreed that they would continue to observe this development.
One evening Brianna had received a message from Gabe, letting her know he was going to be out of the country for a few days, checking on some things in South America. She’d answered, letting him know she was herself away but would be returning the following week.
’That explains it, I thought you were avoiding me.’
She smiled as she replied.
’Never! Be sure to keep Bilson safe. And yourself.’
Gabe’s response had been rapid.
’He’s thrilled he received top ranking. Ciao bella.’
That night she had dreamt of multi-coloured blankets, a beach, and a bus, and she kept hearing ‘Callao’. When she mentioned it to Radek, he looked puzzled, but couldn’t offer an explanation. He later looked it up to discover it was a sea port in the city of Lima.
As the days passed, and the intensity of the work increased Brianna found ways to manage the varying levels of pain, up to the sharp stabs and slices to the intense burning and gut-wrenching agonies. Slowly she’d managed to learn how to step outside herself, be fully aware of what she was feeling, and sensing, but remove herself from becoming overwhelmed and incapacitated. It was draining, but the rest time required for recovery was also shortening.
It was at one of the final sessions that Radek tried something he had been thinking about, taking Brianna into the ‘pool house’, where he’d treated Derek on the two occasions the vampire had required it. Leading her through to the surgery he encouraged her to walk around, touch anything she wanted to, tell him what came to her.
As she walked around the sterile environment she ran her fingers lightly along a bench, rested her hand on the stainless steel trolley, and picked up one of the scalpels that lay there, pristine cleanliness, ready for whatever might stagger in the door next.
Her head lifted and she looked at Radek, the instrument still in her hand. “Derek. He was here. That’s right, that’s how you two met, he told me you helped him out.” Radek nodded once, watching her and saying nothing else. She turned back to look at the instrument again, slowly turning the blade, the reflection of the overhead lights skittering across her face, lighting up her eyes. Her eyes lifted, and looked across at the secure cabinet on the other side of the surgery, and she walked across to it.
“Has Derek ever talked to you about those times?” he asked as she came to a halt in front of the cabinet where the vial of dark liquid lay securely hidden inside.
“Only that you patched him up,” she replied distractedly. She was looking at the front of the case, drawn to it for reasons she couldn’t identify, other than it was something to do with Derek. “What’s in here?” she asked, putting her hand on the solid door. The coolness of its surface was followed by something that seemed to run through her veins like a slow dread and she pulled her hand away from the surface quickly. “Radek? What was that? What’s happening?”
The immortal stepped up and gently guided her away from the cabinet. His own mind cleared of everything to do with both the substance in the vial and everything to do with Derek, instead focusing on the pleasant afternoon outside, and the pool, as he guided her outside. “Tell me what you saw,” he told her once they were outside.
Brianna paused, thinking for a moment, then raised her hand to her side, positioning it over the same place from where Radek had retrieved the broken blade of the dagger. His eyes darted down to her hand then back up to her face.
“It was odd, I didn’t really see anything,” she finally replied, a frown forming on her face as she tried to put what she had experienced into words. “I just thought of Derek, which wasn’t surprising as he’s told me he’s been here. But then, when I picked up the scalpel, I felt it cutting, and was drawn to the cabinet.” She paused, and Radek encouraged her to continue.
“The cabinet, at first it was cool to touch, but then I felt something strange, not hot, not cold, just… dread, as if fear was running through my veins, in my arm.” She focused her eyes again on Radek’s face as she lowered her hand. “What was it?”
The immortal shook his head. “I don’t know, but I will help you find out,” he reassured her, managing to remain calm despite the thrill and excitement he was now feeling. “I suspect it is another part of your abilities, but we will need to do some more work, once you’ve had some time to consolidate what you’ve developed this past fortnight.” He patted her hand that was now looped in his elbow as they made their way back to the main house. “Meanwhile, it’s time for you to return home.”
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Radek followed the porter inside, and gave him a tip as the man left the cases inside the door of Brianna’s apartment. “So you promise me, if you have any concerns, if anything you’ve experienced comes to affect you, in your dreams, your sleep, you will let me know immediately,” he said to her as she sat on the lounge and slipped off her shoes. She wriggled her toes in her plush pile rug beneath her feet and looked up at him, giving him a playful salute as she pulled a mock stern face. “Definitely, mon capitan!” she added, before breaking down and smiling at him. “And thank you, to all of you, for this time. I know it’s hard for you too, to relive those times and I appreciate all you are doing, and putting yourselves through to help me.”
Radek shook his head. “Brianna, you’re the one doing the hard work, we’re just facilitating it.” And hard it had been, with the young woman having had to spend each session experiencing and enduring more of what they had experienced in their long lives. The efforts had taken much of her strength and energy to learn to control. “I will come by tomorrow, for dinner, and check how you are going, but if you need me, I’m only a phone call away.”
“Yes, I know, and I will let you know,” she repeated, leaning back on the lounge, a wave of tiredness sweeping over her. “I’ll make sure your table is ready at the usual time,” she added, stifling a yawn and giving the immortal a small wave as he said his goodbyes, and let himself out, closing the door behind him. Within a few minutes Brianna had drifted off to sleep where she sat.