Chapter 4

He loitered for half an hour, waiting for me to emerge, but I knew he was there with his emotional signature. I was getting tired anyway, so I pulled a couple of jumpers on, curled into a ball, used my backpack as a pillow and tried to get some sleep. I couldn't really settle down until I felt him leave. Then, despite not feeling that comfortable, I couldn't keep my eyes open and drifted off.

I woke up when I felt any emotional presence, checked that my energy was still pulled in, which it wasn't, so pulled it back in and went back to sleep until the sunlight was bright enough that I knew I had to get up. I did my best to brush off all evidence of a rough night and made my way back to the train station.

It was weird walking around other people with my energy pulled in. It was like they subconsciously knew I was there because they avoided walking into me, but couldn't consciously see me. There was a fair number of people around so I set up a spot that was close to lots of people walking but slightly removed. I put my violin case in front of me, tuned up and then reversed my energy signature, pushing my energy out as far as I could reach and started playing.

It went pretty well, I didn't count the money, just enjoyed playing the violin. It probably helped that I was a cute young girl, but it also counted against me. I could feel a couple of ladies who were going to question me when I finished, so I quickly packed up, shoving the money in my pocket, moving off into the crowd and pulling my energy in again.

I took the train to Circular Quay. I checked the money and found out that I had earned a little over thirty dollars and with what I already had, I had enough for some food and to organise my disguise. It wasn't a great place for shopping, but I managed to find a brown hair dye and using the public toilets was able to do a passable job dying my hair. It's not anything I had ever done before, but the instructions were pretty clear. There were a few ladies who came in while I was doing it, but with my energy pulled in, they ignored me.

I then went to McDonald's to have some food and wait for the day to pass. It was quite funny, I would walk up to the counter, often waiting in line which required others to subconsciously leave room for me, then, when it was my turn, I would push my energy out, place my order, and pay. After serving me, while wondering what a young girl was doing on her own, I would move away and pull my energy in until my order was ready. Their emotions went from shock to confusion, but the next customer usually pulled their attention away from trying to work it all out. I did it twice to the same server and this time they were half expecting it, so their emotion was curiosity.

I waited until the afternoon when kids my age would be out of school and there were a large number of tourists. I then set up in the performing area which I remembered from my last visit. Again I put out my violin case. This time I pretended to wave to someone in the crowd with a smile on my face, hoping others would presume I was waving to a parent or other guardian. I started playing Vivaldi's four seasons. It was all very well playing technical pieces that showcased my ability with the violin, but in reality, people preferred to hear something that they already knew. Besides, I loved every season and was very familiar with it. I only got through Spring before I felt too physically tired to continue and it was a good stopping point, anyway.

I earned over a hundred and twenty dollars. I gathered it up, walked off into the crowd, many of them thanking me for a great performance. Once I was among strangers who weren't particularly noticing me, I pulled my energy in and headed for the train station. I needed to buy a few essentials, but at low prices so I needed a K-mart or Big-W. Fortunately, we had a similar issue when I had come here previously so I knew I would find what I was looking for at Broadway shopping centre.

I took the train to Central and then a bus to the shopping centre. I managed to find a self-inflating single mattress for nineteen dollars and a cute mermaid sleeping bag for fifteen dollars. When I felt a desire for the mermaid sleeping bag I knew I had properly crossed the gender divide. I then tried to justify it to myself by saying that I was buying it for Cindy. I also thought it was unlikely that any man would try and steal it. Still, I had to be honest with myself and admit there was something cute about it that I liked. I found a small tent for twelve dollars and my last purchase was a smartphone for fifty-nine dollars. I didn't bother with a sim card because I knew I could use the free wireless service in lots of places. There were even complimentary charge stations at some cafes.

I couldn't fit it all in my backpack so I had to go back in and find a bag. I chose a five-litre dry bag for six dollars and moved my clothes and sleeping bag into that. I could hold the bag in my hand with my backpack on my back it wasn't too unwieldy. It hadn't rained yet, but I knew that wouldn't last.

I bought a pack of oat bars from Coles with chocolate chips and then headed to the parent's restroom where I refilled my water bottle and charged my phone. I then sat in a cafe nursing a mug of hot chocolate while using the free Wi-Fi to work out where I was going to sleep that night.

I was trying to be honest and pay for everything, but my ability to draw in my energy and become effectively invisible allowed me to get away with some cost savings. I stopped paying for my train, bus and other travel expenses. I figured I could also use it for my accommodation. Although I might be invisible, I didn't think my tent would be, so I needed a campsite where a tent would be expected and allowed. I chose the Cockatoo Island campsite as it was only a short ferry trip from Circular Quay. They even had already set up tents that you could hire. I waited until it was getting late and sneaked into one of those tents and set up my mattress and sleeping bag. They had a public restroom that I could use, so I was finally able to have a decent shower and feel clean again. I transferred the phone number on my hand into my phone before I washed it off. I then realised that I needed one more purchase, a towel. It would have to wait for me to have more funds, though. I tried to brush off as much water as possible and then used the hand drying paper to dry myself off. I washed my underwear and used the hot air jets of the hand dryer to dry them.

My plan was fairly simple, gather enough funds to get to Adelaide and visit my real mother. I did have her phone number but I didn't sound or look anything like Eric so I needed to meet her face to face. Using the phone I found there was a train that travelled from Sydney to Adelaide which was probably my best bet, but it took twenty-four hours for the journey and I was pretty sure that I became visible when I went to sleep. When I woke up yesterday my energy had automatically stretched itself out to a normal distance. I had two choices, sneak aboard and try and stay awake for twenty-four hours or buy a ticket. I was going to try and earn the money for the ticket and if that didn't work I could always try the other option.

Chapter 5

The next day was a Saturday, so I didn't have to worry about anyone expecting me to be in school and there were more people, even from early on. I took the ferry back to Circular Quay and started scouting out the performance area. While waiting I did do a scan of the crowd and something made me uneasy so I travelled around everyone, keeping my energy in but using my emotional sense to see if I could sense anything wrong.

There were a couple of people who were on the lookout for someone. It may not have been me that they were searching for, but I couldn't take the risk. I retreated to McDonald's getting something to eat and trying to work out a new plan. Dying my hair was probably not enough. By now, my ability to play the violin was probably well known after my school performance. If I couldn't busk, I had no way to earn money. If I couldn't earn money, I had no way to feed myself. I could go to the train station and sneak onboard the train to Adelaide, but I wanted the heat to die down, ideally. If I fell asleep and everyone was alerted to be looking for me I could find myself in real trouble. Staying awake for twenty-four hours doesn't sound like a big deal, but I had found this younger body demanded much more sleep than I was used to, so I knew that was not going to be easy.

While I wandered back towards the train station the presence of a cruise ship intruded on my awareness. Thinking about it, when I went on that cruise as Eric, once we got on board we had these passes, but they were only to show we had bought a drinks package and provide entry to our rooms. All the buffet food, juice, water, hot drinks and even ice cream were all provided with no checks. If I could sneak onboard, which would normally be impossible, but with my effective invisibility should be easy, I would be provided for. Sleeping arrangements would be a little tricky, but I could sleep during the day on a lounger or find a quiet location that wasn't being used. By the time the cruise ship came back, the heat should have died off. I probably couldn't busk again, but I would have however long the cruise lasted to work out an alternate plan.

Getting on board was actually quite easy. I just followed another family but kept my energy in. There were checks, but I just breezed through, with no one noticing. I then set off to explore.

I wouldn't be able to use the proper restaurants because you had to give your room number and I didn't have one. I couldn't use the bars both because of my age and even soft drinks required payment with a show of my non-existent card. I did go to the gift shop and bought a lanyard which I wore, but tucked it under my T-shirt, that way it looked like I had a card. With the last of my money, I bought a swimming costume. That was embarrassing. I had to ask for help, pretending my mother was close by and choosing such a female item of clothing. Still, I needed to fit in and with the swimming pool was a public shower, so I would be able to keep relatively clean. I knew I could swipe a towel from the towel station so it would look like I was legit.

It was such a relief when the ship pulled away from the dock. I now had a week or more where I didn't have to worry about food or drink and I was pretty confident about finding somewhere to sleep. Worst-case scenario, I could sleep during the day and keep my energy in during the night. With my exploration, I already had a good candidate. There was a night club that only opened late and seemed to be completely empty during the rest of the day, there was also an area for playing games like cards or board games and that was quiet. If it was warm enough I could sleep outside in one of the cabanas.

To start with it went perfectly to plan. I didn't even have to keep my energy in. There is nothing strange about seeing a young girl on her own on a cruise ship. You presume her family is around somewhere. Even eating on your own. Kids quite often prefer the buffet whereas the parents like the proper restaurant, so I wasn't the only child who was eating without their parents. I ended up playing with other kids around the swimming pool and when I was inevitably questioned about the lack of parental supervision, I suggested that my mother was struggling with seasickness and needed to stay in the room.

I called myself Charlie. I hadn't thought about it ahead of time, just knew I couldn't be Cindy and it was the first name that I thought of. There was one family with a daughter my age who took me under their wing and that helped sell the story I was presenting.

The problem I had didn't involve any of that, it was my empathy, my emotional sense. I automatically kept up my awareness of the emotion of others and there was one girl who was a teenager and constantly sad. She was slightly overweight, but nothing terrible. She never seemed to be with other kids and, as each day went past I could feel her become more and more depressed. I tried to approach her a couple of times but she rebuffed me. I kept a close eye on her when I could. I touched her with my energy and found her aura was a mess. There was no evil in it, but it had holes in it and would do these disturbing energy fluctuations. It reminded me very much of Cindy's aura.

I wasn't sure I could help her, but I wanted to try. I had learnt how to calm down auras and even repair them when I was inside Cindy. I had even reached out to try and effect her step-father with limited success. The question was the morality of it all. Could I treat her without her permission, yes, but should I? After the third time of being turned away, I decided that if I didn't do something she would become suicidal. I couldn't read thoughts but the emotions were strong and worrying.

The time I decided to intervene was when I feared she would literally jump off the ship. She was at the back of the boat in a section that was supposed to be for adults only. I thought she was too young and that she was going there to jump, but I found out later that she was eighteen and allowed to be there. I pulled in my energy and sneaked to be near her and hid in a cabana nearby. I then pulled out my violin and started playing Albinoni's Adagio in G minor again, but this time I also extended my energy to touch Lisa's aura. I did my best to calm down her energy and shift it to cover the holes. The music seemed to help, somehow charging her energy even as I was working on it. I noticed her approaching me and joining me in the cabana while I was trying to heal her.

“That was beautiful. I wish I could play like that,” Lisa said when I finished.

“Thank you,” I replied, putting my violin away.

“Why did you keep on trying to talk to me?” she asked.

“I sensed a kindred spirit. I may be wrong, but if it was true, I hoped we could help each other.” I took a deep breath. There was no way she was going to tell me what was troubling her if I didn't tell her my problems. “My step-father raped me,” I said quietly.

Lisa looked at me, but I was touching her energy with mine still, so I knew she believed me. Something seemed to crack inside her, tears welled up and she gathered me up in her arms. “I'm sorry,” she said as if it was her fault. She then started sobbing, rocking me in her arms. I was so much smaller than her that I felt very much the child. I found myself crying as well. I didn't experience too much of the rape, but I still felt violated and hurt in a way that was hard to describe.

When she had quietened down and we both had stopped crying she let go of me a little, but still kept me in her arms. “My uncle got me to play with him. I didn't want to, but he said it was my fault that he was up and I had to, to...”

“Shhhh....” I said. “Did you tell anyone?”

“No. Who would believe me?” she asked.

I was pretty sure that her parents would take the accusation very seriously, but trying to convince Lisa of that would be hard. Then I wondered if my touching soul energy and the honesty that comes with it could help.

“What colour eyes have you got Lisa?” I asked.

She looked at me with confusion. “Err... blue.”

“I have a special ability which makes it hard to lie and for people to know when someone is telling the truth. I want you to tell me that you have brown eyes,” I told her.

“I have brown eyes,” she said. “Wow, that was hard and I know you wouldn't have believed me.”

“OK, I'm going to try the same and you can feel the difference. I have blue eyes,” I said, pausing to give her a chance to see how that felt. “I have brown eyes,” I said struggling to get past the wrongness.

“Did you tell your mum then?” Lisa asked after a pause to digest the difference.

“She already knew but was too scared to take any action. We can talk about my troubles later, right now, we need to talk to your parents,” I said, attempting to project calm at her.

She took a deep breath. “OK, I can do this. Are you sure this is going to work?”

“I don't know your parents, but they will know you are telling the truth and I can't imagine that they are going to be anything but loving towards you,” I said.

We held hands and tracked down her parents. They were in the casino section. Her dad was playing a slot machine while her mum was sitting nearby sipping a drink. I connected my energy to both Lisa and her mother and then squeezed Lisa's hand.

Lisa then asked her mother to remember when her brother Rob visited a year ago and talked about what happened. There was no question about belief, her mother was shocked and horrified. She gathered Lisa up and they disappeared back to their rooms. I could feel her mother's emotions and knew she completely trusted her daughter. It also answered lingering questions in her mother's mind. She had not had any clue as to what had happened but she had noted a change in her daughter's behaviour. This explained it perfectly.

Lisa's dad asked me why they had left and I said both his wife and his daughter needed him in their room. He looked at me with questions in his eyes but left to find out more from his family.