Although he was blind, Jade could glimpse the world in a way she couldn’t quite explain, at least, not through any scientific means. Sometimes she wondered how he envisioned her, if she was little more than a vague, human-shaped outline, a familiar voice without a face. Ava knew he was aware of every living being in every corner of the gardens, from the heaviest palm frond to the most infinitesimal of petals, their echoes reverberating through the earth, which was why she didn’t hesitate to reach out to him, though she moved slowly, always respectful of his boundaries. His reaction triggered a warm smile, and then her wrist was in his grasp, pulling her closer to him. She stumbled forward, gasping as his face smeared across her once-pristine white blouse. She felt vaguely like a used napkin.
“You lure a girl here with the promise of flowers and this is how you treat her?” she asked, backing away a few steps, her eyes narrowing as she observed his handiwork. Crouching low to the ground, she spied a tract of freshly watered dirt and clumsily scooped up a handful of mud. “You wanna play dirty, mister? Well, get ready for the dirtiest sleepover you’ve ever had.” Ava blinked, the words escaping her lips in such a rush that she destroyed her opportunity to recall them, realizing only too late the double meaning behind the threat. She lifted her hand, mud curling between her fingers, a deep blush coloring her cheeks. “That...that ain’t even remotely what I meant,” she insisted, and the mud catapulted through the air like a slimy brown snowball.