Bounded by fate

Amber

"Amber! Come downstairs, breakfast is ready." I heard my twin brother, Leo, call me. I hopped down the stairs, gliding through the family portraits hung on the walls of the stairs. "Hi dad." I hugged him from behind tightly. "Hi munchkin." He said as he held my hands. "How are you, today?" "Very well, thank you. Ouch!, watch it Leo" I warned as he threw me a slice of waffles. Ever since my mom died from an underlying heart condition, it has just been my dad, my twin brother and I. It was us against the world. My twin brother would rather bump into a stone than admit that he cared about me but I know he did. My dad, however, was my best friend. He never made me feel left out as the only girl. He always took me for a walk in my favourite park and most times we went fishing together. My favourite place of all the places we went was the sea, I've always liked water because it somehow calmed my nerves. "Amber, would you still go to the sea today?" My dad, asked me as I ate. "Yes, dad. You promised to come with me." "I did, but I won't be able to anymore." "Why?" I asked as panic welled up slowly inside of me. "My boss denied my request for a leave." My face fell, "What do I do now, Leo would never go with me because he is always stuck in one of his paintings." I whined. Leo stuck his tongue at me, "You're just a daddy's girl that's too scared to go out by yourself" "Look who's talking when you're the one that's scared of the water and waves" "You ar... "Stop it!, both of you. Amber, I promise I'll come with you next time, alright?" "Yes, dad." **** The sea spread endlessly before my eyes; a boundless expanse that merges with the horizon, its vastness both awe-inspiring and humbling. I let the water grace my feet. I stayed still for a while in admiration until I looked up and met eyes with the most beautiful man I have ever seen. His eyes held different emotions, it felt like he was looking straight into my soul. I blinked and looked away. My hands went absentmindedly to feel my face, why was he staring at me like that? Could there be something on my face? "Hi." The stranger greeted me. I saw that he had walked to where I was seated. "Hi." I looked up and put my hair behind my ears. "I'm Jackson." He reached out his hand to me which I took in mine. I noticed the subtle stubble on his chin. His brown hair glowed in the sunset. He looked like a man from a magazine, I could stare at him all day. "Amber." I offered as I reluctantly looked away from him and towards the sea. I gasped when I saw him take a seat at a spot beside me. What was he doing? "The sea is beautiful, I used to come here with my mom when she was alive." I stared ahead not saying anything. “Do you come here often?” I hesitated for a while before responding. “Yes, I come here a lot but not alone... I have come here with my dad ever since my mom died.” “I’m sorry for your loss.” Empathy laced in his voice. “It’s fine, she died a long time ago. It’s been me, my twin brother and my d... ouch!!!!.” I screamed out in pain and clutched the ankle of my left leg. Alarmed, Jackson turned towards me, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” He panicked as he watched the expressions on my face turn from calmness to anguish. “I...I think something just bit me.” “What?, let me see.” He grabbed my leg and did a quick once over careful twisting my leg from right to left. “Strange, I don’t see a bite mark.” I quickly repeated his action once again but found nothing too. I was so sure I felt something. I smiled awkwardly and replied, “I was probably stung by the tendrils of plants, I’m sorry I got you worried.” “It’s fine, I’m glad you’re okay.” We locked eyes for a few seconds but it felt like eternity. “I hate to break up our conversation but I have to go now.” “Thank you for keeping me company.” “Do I get to see you here tomorrow?” I paused for a while and nodded. He smiled and I watched his retreating figure. He was a fine man. I made to stand up but yelped at the sharp pain that coursed through my leg. I looked and saw that I had begun bleeding profusely. My breath caught in my throat as I clutched my bleeding foot as I leaped. I tore a part of my skirt to reduce the bleeding, the pain however was unbearable, I tried desperately to go back home. “Amber!" Leo’s voice echoed across the quiet surroundings as he dashed toward me, panic etched on his face. “What happened? Are you okay?” “I don’t know,” I winced, grimacing from the pain radiating from my injured leg. “Something sharp in the water jabbed me.” Leo knelt beside me in a flash, a concerned look in his eyes. “Let’s get you inside, we need to tend to your wound.” Leo placed my hand over his shoulder as he carried me in a bridal style inside. My dad rushed to me immediately. Leo placed me on the couch, curiosity etched in his eyes. “She got jabbed at the sea.” Leo answered on cue. My dad nodded, “Let me have a look. Leo, get me the herbal paste on the kitchen counter. We need something to seize the bleeding.” He inspected the area of the bleeding, “this isn’t just a regular cut. There’s something peculiar about it.” I winced as my dad applied the herbal paste. “What do you mean, Dad?” I asked as my mind started racing. “There’s a strange energy around this injury,” a mixture of concern and intrigue in his tone. “It’s not just physical. It’s...” he paused as if he was searching for the right word. “It’s almost as if it’s awakening something within you.” “What’s happening, dad? Is she going to be okay?” Leo asked with worry evident in his voice. “It’s hard to say,” my dad replied, his gaze shifting between me and the herbal paste he was applying, “her healing will depend on more than just this wound.” **** It’s been a week since I got jabbed, the wound was healed but I felt different, like something foreign was living in me. I had strange visions haunting my dreams, sometimes it was something that had happened, other times it was something that was to happen. I felt a tingling sensation whenever I touched certain objects or made contact with people. I don’t know how, but I could feel the secrets that were buried deep within them. I jolted back falling on the contents on the table with a thud when I held my dad’s favourite amulet that he gave to me as a gift. “Ambs, are you feeling alright? You seem...different.” Leo asked with concern. I sighed, unable to explain what I was feeling. Even though Leo and I fought most of the time, he was still my twin brother and we shared some sort of connection. “I don’t know, Leo. I see things, I...feel things that I can’t explain. These visions, they won’t stop. It’s like living in a constant whirlwind of thoughts and images.” “Maybe we should seek someone who knows more about these... abilities,” Leo suggested, “we need to figure out what’s happening to you. This isn’t normal.” Tears welled up in my eyes. “I can’t control it, Leo. Every touch, every object... it’s like being bombarded with information I don’t want.” Leo held me closely and whispered, “we’ll find a way.”