Cassandra looks over at Angela as she sat before her in her office. Officer Dean had brought her to her after he explained about her being in a car accident. The poor girl had her arms bandaged up from broken glass shards flying towards her. There was a bandaged cut that was bandage on her forehead and blood on her purple polo shirt. Cassandra had looked at her aura and saw how pure it was. She saw that there were some bad spots on her where damage had been done.

“Officer Dean told me that you were on your way here, when the cab you were in was attacked. Is there a reason you were coming to see me?” Cassandra knew officer Dean well.

“Yes ma’am. I was guided here to you for help, I possess some gifts with which I need your help learning how to control them, because they have become stronger than they used to be.” Angela had tried to read Cassandra’s mind, but encountered a wall surrounding it.

Cassandra had felt a touch on her mental barriers, she could tell it was coming from Angela.

“You do know it is rude to read people’s thoughts without their permission, don’t you?” A playful smile had appeared on her face.

“I’m sorry. It’s just common practice for me to know to whom I am talking. Since I can’t see, I rely on my gift to tell me if the person means me any harm and who they are.” Angela looks towards where Cassandra’s voice came from.

“I understand. I imagine it’s hard for you to be around people and not be able to see them. If you don’t mind me asking, were you born blind or did you lose your sight because of an accident?” Cassandra had taken her legal pad out of her desk to write down what Angela tells her.

“I lost my sight because of my gifts. I was just ten years old when my gifts first manifested themselves. I told my parents and they thought I was possessed by a demon and made me drink holy water, they didn’t know that the water had been contaminated. I lost my eyesight because of the contaminants in the water. When I tried to tell them I wasn’t possessed, they wouldn’t listen to me. So, I slowly lost my sight as they continued to make me drink the holy water. I had to trick my parents into believing I couldn’t hear other people’s thoughts.” Angela wipes away the tears that had started to slide down her cheeks.

Cassandra felt sorry for Angela “how did you learn about me?”

“I didn’t know anything about you. I just knew from my father and his friends that there were several witch covens in this area and that the
Hunter organization had most of them under observation. I didn’t learn about you, till I arrived in Charlottesville at the bus station. Whoever or whatever has been guiding me has been telling me I should come and see you. I know it sounds weird, but for some reason whatever the spirit is that is guiding me is certain that you can help me with my gifts.” Angela felt relaxed in her presence.

“Your father is part of the Hunter organization?” Cassandra knew there were members of the Hunter organization here in Charlottesville, but she didn’t know they were under observation.

“He’s a preacher of a southern Baptist church. The only reason he got the job in the first place is because he was a member of the organization. My mother is a firm believer in the organization’s goals and beliefs. I had to get away from them, because they had plans on using me to help search for supernatural creatures.” Angela recalls the conversion her mother and father had with several of their friends about training her to locate supernatural creatures for the organization. If she hadn’t left the night she did, she would have been taken to be trained.

It was bad enough that she barely had any control of her gifts, but she didn’t want to use them to hurt other people.

“Well, that explains a few things. Can you tell me what this spirit feels like to you and why it is looking after you?” Cassandra was wondering why a spirit would take an interest in this girl.

“I don’t know why it is looking after me, but for some reason it feels like I would benefit from your training and more. It also misses you and feels sorry for not being nicer to you and your husband before it died. I guess it’s trying to make amends by helping me.” Angela felt that was what the spirit looking over her was trying to do. It was trying to make amends for the pain it caused Cassandra.

Cassandra was shocked. It had to be her niece, who had died in a car accident a few years ago. They had a few heated words before she left the house angry and got in a car that her boyfriend had driven, in which to pick her up. They found out an hour later that they had been in an accident and that her niece’s boyfriend had been drunk.

“If you’re willing to live by my rules, you can stay with me. That means going to school, keeping your room clean and doing chores around the house. As for your training, I’m going to test you to see how powerful your gifts are and how much control you have over them so far. I’m also going to see what gifts you have as well. So far it seems you possess medium-ship and telepathy. As for the guy who attacked you today, we’ll leave him to my husband to find.” Cassandra was looking at Angela with her magical sense.

“I’m also able to predict the future some. Normally, it’s only a few hours, but if I drink a lot of alcohol. I can stretch that even further and give you a clearer reading.” She felt that Cassandra should know this.

“Well, we’ll see about testing you for that young lady, but no more drinking alcohol. You might as well turn over the flask I know you have in your backpack.” A motherly smile appears on Cassandra’s face.

“How did you know I was carrying a flask?” Angela was amazed that she knew.

“Let’s just say I scanned you when you came into the shop. Plus, you told me that if you drunk a lot of alcohol your visions became better, so I figure you carried some with you, since you’re too young to buy any.” Cassandra watched Angela’s reaction.

“When was the last time you ate something?” Cassandra reaches down for her purse from the bottom drawer.

“Yesterday evening ma’am” Angela could hear Cassandra as she moved and closed the bottom drawer in her desk.

“Well, let’s go and get some food in you and we’ll talk some more about your experience so far.” Cassandra stands up and walks over to
Angela. She offers her hand to her too help her up.

She takes Cassandra’s hand, and holds onto as she leads her out to a SUV. Angela fastens her seatbelt and listens as Cassandra climbs in next to her, she could feel something strange about the SUV. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it was like there was something unusual about the way it felt.

Cassandra watched as Angela held her hand a few inches off the dash of her car. She wondered if Angela was picking up on the magical spell she had cast on her SUV to protect those inside it, as she drove it each day.

Cassandra starts the SUV and backs out of her parking spot.

“So? Is there anything that you would like for lunch?” Cassandra straightens up the SUV and heads away from her store.

“A tasty sub would be nice.” Angela turns her head towards Cassandra, as if looking at her.

“A sub, I think I know just the place.” Cassandra heads for her and her husband’s favorite Subway shop.

“So, Angela, from where did you travel?” Cassandra was busy driving and thought asking Angela a few questions would help to get to know
her.

“A small town called White Sulphur Springs. It’s not very big and a lot of people don’t know about it. We don’t get a lot of big businesses or high-ranking officials coming through there, but it is a nice peaceful place. The mayor tries to keep the old time southern culture alive, instead of progressing with the rest of the world. It’s a good place to come and relax and get away. There are sulphur springs nearby and most of the people believe the water has medicinal properties. The town itself isn’t very big, and everyone knows everyone. My father is the pastor of the only Baptist church in the town and it’s also supernatural free.” Angela rests her back against the seat of the SUV. She was short and really didn’t take up any of the space where she was sitting.

“Do your parents know that you have run away?” Cassandra concentrates on driving as she glances over towards Angela.

“They probably do by now. I should have been home yesterday evening, I couldn’t think of a way to make it seem that this was their idea. My suggestions only work if the person doesn’t resist too much. I haven’t had any images yet of my parents taking any sort of action to locate me, so I don’t know if they are looking for me or not.” Angela was sure her parents weren’t looking for her.

“What do you mean by your suggestions?” Cassandra was curious.

“I mean I can plant subliminal suggestions in a person mind to get them to do what I want them to do. However, the stronger the will a person has, the harder it is for me to do it. I normally do it when a person is asleep, that way they don’t resist too much.” Angela was proud she had figured out how to do that with her gifts.

“So, you can plant subliminal suggestions into people then. That is unique.” Cassandra wonders what else the girl could do.

“That’s only one other aspect of my abilities. You already know about the medium-ship. I was born with several other different types of abilities.
As you already know, I can read people’s minds, I can move things with my mind and locate someone, if I have something they owned in my possession. I can predict the future, but it changes all the time, so I can only give you the ones I feel strongly about if it doesn’t concern me. If it concerns me, I can see up to two hours in advance. If I need to pinpoint which path a person should take, clearly, I have to be totally drunk. I found out that when I am drunk, my ability to read people’s minds is muddled.” Angela leans against the side of the wall of the truck and relaxed.

“Do you ever get overwhelm with having so many abilities?” Cassandra figures she would.

“Yes! Sometimes, I wish I was never born with all these abilities; they have been a blessing and a curse at the same time. I wish I could see colors again and the sky with my own eyes, instead of looking through other people’s eyes. It also bothers me when I hear other people’s secrets as well. Who wants to know what type of underwear a person is wearing or if the person is wearing any underwear at all. What the person is like in bed or how big his penis is or if he is willing to cheat on his wife and other things like that? It’s disorienting hearing people’s desires and fears.

“I think I know how you feel. We have a few people in our coven with gifts like yours, but not at the levels you have them. We’ll get something to eat first and then I’ll take you home so you can meet my husband and we’ll get you settled in.” Cassandra feels she is going to have her work cut out for her helping Angela. They needed to find who as well it was that had tried to kidnap her.

Angela sits quietly as Cassandra drove. She tried to memorize the turns they took to get to the restaurant at which Cassandra pulled up.

“I hope you’re extremely hungry kiddo, because the food here will fill you up.” Cassandra pulls the SUV up into a parking spot close to the restaurant and shuts the engine off.

Angela could already feel people’s emotions from the restaurant. She concentrates on making her wall stronger as Cassandra helped her out of the SUV. She took her hand and the two of them walked towards the restaurant.

When they entered, they were shown to a table and Cassandra ordered a nice Philly cheese steak for Angela and a hot Italian sausage for herself.

Cassandra saw the weary look on her face trying to keep everyone out of her head. She removes her pentagram from around her neck and hands it to Angela.

“Here slip this around your neck, it will help in keeping people’s thoughts out of your head.” Cassandra presses her hand into Angela’s when she reaches for Cassandra’s.

Angela felt the shape of the pentagram and the small crystal attached to it. She puts the necklace around her neck and as soon as it touches her skin, it blocks everyone out of her head, so she could relax.

“Thank you.” Tears were sliding down her cheek.

“You’re welcome, why don’t you keep it? When you need to use your gifts, just remove the pentagram from the clasp right here.” Cassandra guides Angela’s hand to the clasp and lets her find out how to remove it on her own.

After about fifteen minutes, the waitress returns with their order and both sit there making general chit-chat about other things than gifts and such.

Angela couldn’t finish half of her Philly cheese steak or half her onion rings. So, they ended up taking them back to Cassandra’s house, which she wishes she could see.

When they pulled into the long driveway, she could smell the scent of all sorts of flowers drifting her way from the house. She could hear water trickling over rocks and the smell of pine in the air. Cool air as it blew, passed over her exposed skin. She felt the SUV stop and the movement of the window as it rises up to close.

“Home, sweet home.” Cassandra unlocks Angela’s door and watches as she opens it and gets out slowly using the door for support and her cane to tell her where to place her feet.

She felt the smooth surface of the driveway under her feet when she stepped down. She knew Cassandra had her backpack, along with the rest of their lunch, she runs her hand along the surface of the SUV as she walks around the front of it to where Cassandra was waiting for her.

“Your flowers smell wonderful, what color are the roses that you are growing?” She had picked up on the scent of the roses when she walked around the front of the SUV.

“I have two red ones and two white ones.” Cassandra looks at her face to see how she was doing.

“They smell nice, along with everything else. The environment here is so peaceful. I like the wind chime you have hanging in the backyard. The sound it makes is pleasant, not annoying like most are.” Angela could feel herself enjoying living here already.

“Well, if you like the outside, then you’re going to like the inside as well.” Cassandra escorts her up to the front door and opens it, she taps her cane from the SUV to the front door, when she was inside she taps it, while letting Cassandra guide her. Cassandra takes it slow as she guides her around the house, she shows her each room and lets her get a feel for the room, before moving onto the next one.

Cassandra leads her to the bedroom in which she would be sleeping, it was next to her own.

“You’ll have your own bathroom.” Cassandra guides Angela to the bathroom and shows her how to work everything and where the towels and wash clothes are.

“Is there any type of shampoo or soap you like using?” Cassandra had smelled only regular soap on Angela. “I like whatever it is you used or have in here already. It’s not too strong and has a pleasant scent to it.”

“Its sweet pea scented shampoo and conditioner, the soap is Olay; I think you’ll like it. Is there a particular way you like to lay out your clothes, so you know where they are?” Cassandra had taken Angela’s backpack and was unloading it.

“Yes ma’am, but there’s not much in my backpack, except two pair of jeans, a change of underwear, socks, and two more polo shirts like the one I have on, but in a dark blue and a black one.” Angela sits down on the bed and looks in Cassandra’s direction.

“We’re going to have to take you shopping and get you some more clothes tomorrow. So, how do you like your clothes arranged?” She pulls open the dresser drawers.

“Underwear to the right of the drawer, socks to the left and my bras in the middle. Second drawer is reserved for my nightshirts or nightgowns. The third drawer is where my t-shirts are to the left side of the drawer and polo shirts to the right. Fourth drawer is dress pants to the left, my blue jeans to the right and shorts in the middle. The rest is hung up and labeled with a special tag.” she was sure she had everything remembered right.

“Well, that should work. How do you know what color you have on?” Cassandra has never had a blind person staying with her before.

“I normally have a tag inserted into the collar to let me know, or I look through my mother’s eyes to see what I look like. Most of the time my mother dressed me in whatever she wanted me to wear, she didn’t want me to embarrass her when we went out in public.” She remembers the rough treatment her mother would give her as she dressed her.

“If you like, I could lay the clothes out for you the night before to make it easier for you. I’ll just stack them here on the corner of the dresser for you, starting with your underwear downwards.” Cassandra didn’t want Angela to feel useless, but wanted to help her.

“I don’t want to be a burden to you, it would make it easier for me, but as long as we tag each piece, I’ll know what color they are.” Angela didn’t want to be a burden to Cassandra or feel helpless either.

“It’s not a burden. Why don’t we do it this way? I’ll lay things out for you for about a week and then leave you to decide how you want to dress yourself for the next two days, Okay?” Cassandra already had a few outfits in mind that would look nice on her.

“Okay. That sounds reasonable. There’s a large vehicle pulling up outside right now.” Angela turns her head towards the window through which the sound was coming.

“That would be my husband.” Cassandra puts away Angela’s clothes and escorts Angela back into the living room to meet her husband.

Angela could hear a big powerful pick-up truck come up the long drive, she listened as it parked next to the SUV and the engine was turned off. She wasn’t afraid, but she did wonder what Cassandra’s husband looked like, she couldn’t use her abilities to probe him, because of the necklace around her neck. She listened intently as he walked up the stone path and as he turned the doorknob and walked in. Angela could smell his after-shave when the door opened.

Vince had heard from Dean about the accident this afternoon and about the young girl who had been involved. He had looked into her background after Dean gave him the information and told him that he had dropped her off at his wife’s shop. Vince read a police report on the person that had caused the accident and found out that he was a known drug pusher. His name was David Spinster and he worked for one of the vampires here in the city. Why they had wanted the girl, he didn’t know, but he knew she was safe with his wife inside the house.

“Honey, I’m home.” Vince saw his wife’s SUV parked outside when he pulled up.

“We’re in the living room.” Cassandra had sat down on the sofa with Angela.

Vince walks in and notices that his wife and the girl he had been told about were sitting on the sofa. He had to admit, she was a lovely little girl.
He could see that she had some blood on her polo shirt and that both her arms were covered bandages. The police report Dean gave him, said that she had blocked her face with her arms to keep the broken glass away from her.

Cassandra stands up and walks over to her husband and gives him a kiss.

“Vince, I would like to introduce Angela Fox.” Cassandra turns to face her “Angela, I would like you to meet my husband Vince Allen Powell.”

“Nice to meet you, sir” Angela sticks her hand out to shake Vince’s hand.

“Thank you.” He takes Angela’s petite hand in his own and shakes it. He sees the scars on top of her hand.

Angela gets a good vibe from Vince when she touched his hand. She couldn’t read his mind, because of the necklace, but she could feel he was a good person from his aura.

All three sit down, Cassandra sits next to Angela and Vince sits across from her in his favorite chair.

“Angela, do your parents know you have run away and came up here to us?” Vince didn’t see any missing person reports about her when he ran her name through the system.

“No sir. I don’t think they will file one, considering the abuse I suffered from them. They might send their friends from the Hunter Organization looking for me, but they won’t report me missing to the police.” Angela was pretty sure they wouldn’t. The feeling she was getting was right about that.

“Why would the Hunter organization be interested in you?” Vince had a feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer.

“Because the Hunter organization could use my gifts, to track down people like you and other supernaturals. I have a very powerful telepathic ability. They don’t know about my other abilities and if they found out, I could easily lead them to you and others.” Angela felt a cold chill when she said those words.

“Why don’t you start from the beginning and tell me everything please.” Vince takes his notebook out to record what Angela tells him.

Angela starts from the beginning and while she is talking with Vince, Cassandra heads into the kitchen to start dinner. Since she and Angela had a heavy lunch, she fixes a light dinner for them. Cassandra listens while Vince questions Angela in a fatherly way.

Edited By: Dave