Free Second Sight by Carly Fall

sensed something had been wrong that night, and as far as he knew, so had the rest of his unit. Garrett certainly had, but they’d all ignored their inner warning bells.
    “All of it, Zach. How bad was it?”
    “Yeah, it was horrible.”
    “Tell me about it.”
    He took a long sip of wine. Maybe the time had come to tell her everything. He’d definitely hit on all the high points, but she still didn’t know his full story. What would it hurt?
    “We knew something was off, but we didn’t know what. The forest had gone completely silent, and in that second, my suspicions had been confirmed—something terrible was going to happen, and it did.”
    He told her of the bright light, the deafening sound, the earth that seemed to shake so hard he couldn’t get his footing, almost as if he tried to run on jelly.
    “What happened, then?”
    “I woke up completely blind. After a few moments of panic, I was told I was in a hospital in Cheyenne, Wyoming.”
    “That must have been terrifying.”
    “It was, especially when people wouldn’t tell me what had happened to the rest of the unit. After a couple of days of feeling sorry for myself, I realized I needed to learn to live with my disability. As I began my training, I poured my energy into it as I hate being dependent on others.”
    “Well, you do quite well for yourself.”
    He nodded. “Yes. When the counselors came in that first day and told me that I would need to basically relearn everything I knew about surviving, I told them I was willing to do whatever needed to be done so that I would become a fully functioning person, one who relied on no one.”
    “When did you figure out your mirror trick?”
    “About two weeks into my hospital stay. I had gotten to the bathroom by myself and splashed cold water on my face. I lifted my head, and suddenly, I could see my reflection in the mirror, but just for a brief second. Then all these other images appeared, and then nothing.”
    “What did you think was happening?”
    “At that moment, I thought I was having some strange side-effect to being blind, and for a brief time, I thought my vision was returning.”
    “How did you know that you were seeing snippets of the future?”
    He sighed. “As the days wore on, I began to have a sense of déjà vu when things would happen, and then I realized that I must be seeing bits of the future.”
    “Like what?”
    “Well, for instance, one day while looking in the mirror, I saw a bowl of red Jello and a gorgeous Golden Retriever. That afternoon, I had Jello for lunch, and two days later, they brought me Savannah.”
    “Amazing.”
    “Quite.”
    The sat in silence for a few moments, and Zach resumed eating his sandwich. Savannah laid her head on his lap, and he debated whether he should slip her a little piece of turkey. It would be bad practice, but he could never deny her.
    “She’s more than just a seeing eye dog,” Ella commented.
    He nodded as he chewed. When finished, he set his sandwich down and wiped his mouth. “Far more. Yes, she helps me, but she’s also an incredible companion. Oftentimes, I wonder if there’s a human soul in there. She’s kind and her feelings get hurt. She’s truly wonderful.”
    “I’ve never had a dog.”
    “Why is that?”
    “Because I grew up in the military.”
    He smiled, letting her know he understood. “Let me guess … a large family, and mom said she had no time for a dog, especially when you moved around a lot, right?”
    Ella laughed again—definitely a sound he could get used to.
    “Exactly.”
    “I grew up in an orphanage in Salem, Oregon. We weren’t allowed pets, either, so I was surprised how attached I became to Savannah in such a short period of time.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that.”
    “Don’t be. It is what it is, and in the meantime, feel free to love up on this girl.” He stroked Savannah’s head. “She never gets tired of it.”
    “I’ve never even petted her,” Ella murmured. “I’ve never