Chapter 7: Tommy Leaves Again

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Whitney sat on her bed brooding. Tommy beat her, but his victory was ultimately her fault. She allowed herself to become weak and out of shape. Her instincts were great, her speed was great, but those things would only get her so far. She needed to get her body into better shape. She needed to increase her stamina, and she needed to build stronger muscles. If she didn’t, she was destined to keep losing.

Blake wasn’t too impressed when they came back to the real world. The look of concern on his face was just about as intense as Carol Anne’s concern. At first, Blake was adamant about not letting them continue, but eventually the twins convinced him that they would tone it down and let Whitney get into shape in steps. He agreed, but was still very reluctant.

Both of them excused themselves for showers, but Whitney still wasn’t piggybacking with Tommy. His shadow was still in his room, which meant he was still getting ready to leave. He was going through with it. He was going to leave her again and she agreed to let him go without giving him a hard time. She was regretting that decision.

Tommy’s shadow moved from his room and headed for the living room. Walls were not boundaries for Whitney. She could sense a person’s shadow despite her physical separation from them. His shadow moved to the living room, which meant he would be leaving soon. Whitney stretched her consciousness around Tommy and piggybacked with him.

Please don’t go, Whitney pleaded. I really hate it when you’re not here.

Come with me, Whitney, he answered. You know they’re going to keep asking me to go all week and I really want to go. Just come with me! Let’s start living our lives! Let’s have some fun!

Whitney got up from her bed and walked into the living room. Doing that during a piggyback, while Tommy was in another room, was more difficult. She felt her way into the living room, and through Tommy’s eyes, looked toward the peg on the wall where her seeing cane hung. She thought about it.

The idea was terrifying. She left the house sometimes, but it was rare. Most of the time, when she did leave the house, it was only a quick trip to the grocery store with Carol Anne, or to a party store with Blake. Tommy was usually there too, and Whitney usually sat in the vehicle and piggybacked with Tommy while they went in.

This would be entirely different. Tommy was asking her to go and she knew it meant that she would be out there, in the real world, first hand, up nice and close the entire time. She would be spending who knew how much time standing next to people she didn’t know, for who knew how long. She would have to walk in the middle of crowds. She could lose her footing and trip. That was the most terrifying thought out of any of her thoughts. The idea of falling in the middle of a group of strangers and having them laugh at the poor blind and deaf girl.

I can’t, Tommy, she thought to him. A part of me wants to, but I can’t.

Tommy walked up to Whitney’s body as she stood there in the living room. Blake and Carol were both standing there and it was apparent that they were wondering what the conversation they were having was about. They probably thought Tommy was just consoling her over him leaving again. The expression on Carol’s face said that she wasn’t happy about him leaving again, but she wasn’t harping on him about it and that was probably because Blake’s opinion was that Tommy should have a life, even if Whitney couldn’t.

Well, they’re here to pick me up, Whit! You sure I can’t change your mind? I know you’re scared, but I would be with you the entire time, he thought to her. I saw what you’re afraid of and if that happened, if you did fall, you know I would pick you up, Whitney. Falling might be scary, but sometimes you gotta fall. It’s a part of life.

Whitney heard a horn honk through Tommy’s ears, which meant that they were waiting for him outside. She knew that Jessica was in the car. She knew he wanted to be next to her, and she knew he wouldn’t back down. The car in the driveway was the point of no return. She was going to have to spend the rest of the day without him. There was no way around that.

Just go, Tommy. They’re waiting.

Tommy wrapped his arms around his sister and gave her a hug. She hugged him back but her heart wasn’t in it. He turned from her and walked away.

Whitney didn’t withdraw from him right away. She stayed with him as he walked toward the car in the driveway. Happy people filled it. They wore smiles on their faces and their smiles were easy. They were laughing and joking because that’s what normal people do and because they knew that they were on their way to have a great time with each other. What that kind of thing would be like was a mystery to Whitney because she didn’t have that for herself.

Whitney took a step forward. How easy would it be to take a second? She knew that her cane was hanging there next to the door. She couldn’t see it but, if she chose to, she could still navigate her way over to it even without Tommy’s eyes to guide her.

Outside Tommy paused on the sidewalk and looked back toward the house.

Do it, Whitney! He thought to her. Grab your cane. Let’s go!

Whitney took another step toward the door. Carol Anne asked what she was doing because she had a funny feeling she wasn’t going to like what was coming next, but Whitney couldn’t hear her. Her eyes and ears were somewhere else and her world was dark and silent. At least the world that existed inside the house; but there was another world waiting for her outside and it was calling to her. She took two more steps toward the door, grabbing her cane and reaching for the screen door. It opened easily for her, because screen doors always open easy. Not every door would open that easily. Some doors are made of steel. Some doors are more like vaults, and some may even be locked, but like Tommy said—sometimes you gotta fall—sometimes you have to search for the key to the door that you want opened.

Most of all, she didn’t care because sitting on the couch all day is no way to live and Tommy was waiting for her on the sidewalk.

Neither Whitney nor Tommy knew it as they met each other on the sidewalk, but a result of Whitney stepping into Jacob’s family vehicle, there was a life that would stop living that day, a heart whose beat would be forever halted; and another life would be forever changed.

The End.

Thank you so much, dear reader, for taking valuable time out of your life to share in this experience. I appreciate every single person who chooses to read anything I write and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed it.

It would mean so much to me if you would consider taking the time to review this work. Of course, I want you to be completely honest in your evaluation. I appreciate all reviews, not just the ones that tell me how wonderful it is, but also the ones that tell me what you didn’t like as well. As a matter of fact the reviews that are critical are often the most helpful.

Thanks again,

Chris Podhola

Twinfinity Terms & Characters

Cherokee Related Terms:

Anisgina- “different kins of pure down bad creatures. It doesn’t mean only the ghost of dead folks a-using round to get into mischief, but likewise other sorts of things that aren’t ghosts exactly, but aren’t a natural kind of either thing.” THE OLD GODS WAKEN 1979

Keigishimowin- Ceremony including a fast in which subject searches for spirit guide.

The Great Owl- fictional prophetic legend stemming from Crying Shadow. In her vision, she predicted the combined abilities of Whitney and her twin brother Tommy. She saw the dangers coming to Mother Earth in the future, and she also saw the importance of the twins if those dangers were to ever be averted. In order to explain her visions to her people she likened her visions of the twins and their abilities to a Great Owl and put those visions into story form.

Standing Indian- Fictional reference to the warrior chosen to stand watch over the lands surrounding Lake Amicolola (fictional place). This warrior was chosen and taught the signs of the “waking” of the Anisgina, how to deal with it, and even possible ways to put the spirit back to sleep.

Terms:

Arena – An area of Tommy’s mind, where he creates a complete imaginary area, in this case of a battle arena, where he and Whitney have all their senses and powers.

Barakai – An animal, kind of like a praying mantis, but with box-shaped heads Their bodies are exoskeleton and the natural armor they have is harder than a normal steel blade. When they catch a victim, they draw that victim in with their powerful front legs, their bodies seem to split open like dual French doors, grappling like strands shoot out from inside, yanking their helpless victims forward into their open chest cavity, and then the Barakai begin to feed.

Baran-Dak-Toi or Baran-Dak Toi or Baran Dak Toi - Changed to mean carrier of tainted blood after the collapse of the Bolimar alliances, but it really means carrier of blood from the grey.

Bentarians – Tree Walkers

Black Mountains – Mountains in Bolimar made of correllium

Bloodstone – a black stone that can be used by a Prim as a quintarin

Black Mountains – A large mountain on the edge of Messolin. It is made entirely of correllium and inhabited by Barakai.

Bolandak – Leader

Bo staff - a very tall and long staff weapon used in Okinawa and feudal Japan. Bō are typically around 1.8 m (71 in) long and used in Japanese martial arts, in particular bōjutsu.

Bolanda’rim She’rat, (superior to all but one)