Free True Colors by Melissa Pearl Page B

side and he was worried about what to say next.
    “Caity.” His voice was low and soft. “Why are you running away? What’s spooked you? Are you in trouble or something?”
    “No.” I sniffed. “I’m not in trouble, well I mean I’m not in physical danger, I just, I’m not coping with my new eye sight and the stuff I can see...this stupid gift!"
    He grimaced, searching for the right words. Unsure what to say, he ran his finger down my hairline and gently over my ear. “You know you sound like a crazy person.” He smiled. “And I really want to help you, so you need to figure out how to tell me exactly what’s going on.”
    He could see my torment and this made him hurt for me. I knew I liked him for good reason. His hazel eyes were near anguished because he wanted to help me and wasn’t sure how. I took in a deep breath and slowly expelled it.
    “Okay. Okay. I don’t know how this works, but I can...” I licked my bottom lip. “I can read people.”
    Eric’s eyebrows rose. “Like...?”
    “Like I know what they’re feeling. I can see it on their faces. Everything is just laid bare and I know all their secrets. I mean I don’t know what they’re thinking, but feelings can tell you a lot, you know. And I can’t...it’s too much. I mean I don’t want to know this stuff, Eric. I can’t handle it. I can’t...I can’t...”
    “Okay.” Eric cupped my face with his hands, putting an end to my stuttering drivel. “Just take a breath.”
    I did as I was told.
    “And another one.”
    As I was expelling that breath, he gave me a gentle smile. “I need you to start at the beginning. Did this change happen last weekend?”
    I nodded.
    “Tell me about it.”
    And I did. I spilled it all out, starting with Friday night. I even humiliated myself by mentioning Chase’s sex obsession and how he was supposed to be my first and it would have been the biggest mistake ever. And then I finished with how I just left a dead guy in an alleyway. It was such a relief to say it, to finally come clean as if I was confessing to a crime or something. I couldn’t look at Eric while I was talking. I ended up pacing from the tree trunk and back to the bench, rabbiting on about everything I’d seen over the last few days.
    I had no idea what he was feeling as I spoke, but the fact that he remained in his seat was a good sign.
    “And now I’m here and I want to run away and not face this, but then I thought of you...” I finally looked at him.
    He was pleased. He was stoked I’d said that and that just made me blush. I rubbed my cheek and began playing with the ring on my finger as his pleasure morphed to a frown. He licked the corner of his mouth, obviously trying to decide what to do with this information. It freaked him out a little and so it should. I mean I got an electric shock from a homeless guy and can now read people’s emotions!
    I wanted to turn away, tell Eric to forget I’d said anything, but I couldn’t. And the main reason I couldn’t was because he believed what I was saying. There was no scoffing, no scuttling away from me in terror, just a quiet, calm acceptance.
    What was up with that?
    Maybe I wasn’t the only non-normal person around here.
    “You believe me.”
    He glanced up from his fidgeting hands. “Why do you sound so surprised?”
    “Because, it’s weird. Stuff like this doesn’t happen in real life.”
    “Sorry to break it to you, Caity, but this is real life.”
    “No it’s not.” I shook my head.
    His smile was tender. “You hear about supernatural stuff happening all the time. It’s not like you’ve grown a second head or can suddenly fly or shoot webs from your hands. You’re just seeing things differently.”
    I gave in with a sigh.
    “Explain to me how it works. You look at people and you see everything they’re feeling?” He shifted in his seat. I guess it was starting to dawn on Eric that I could do that with him as well. I looked to the ground, not wanting to