Chapter Eight:

Vision

Nicodemus

The next day, after sifting through a huge pile of homework and sleeping until close to noon, Dad told me Blaine was coming over to drop off some pre-training workouts he wanted me to get started on. I was beginning to think the two were using me as an excuse to hang out, but it was good to see Dad acting a bit more normal. He and Mom always devoted their time to our small family or work, and for once were letting themselves relax, which was something they desperately needed. If anything, this also made me feel more, normal. Dad’s always serious demeanor with people outside Mom and I was beginning to break down a bit, and I was glad to see him share his playful side with others.

The dogs yapped wildly as Dad opened the front door and warmly greeted our guest, though I was lost in thought as I flicked through songs on my playlist. I had dragged his old recording mic upstairs earlier that day, finding it amongst some other odd trinkets in his car, and was fumbling with it mindlessly. I plugged it into the computer before flicking on the little tab, and shortly after was greeted with a green light, as Claude said.

The computer picked up the sounds in the hallway, meaning it was working, so I began to sing. It was our favorite thing to do, Dad and I, to record ourselves and hope one day we could perform for real people. We both had such bad stage fright that it would never happen, but I had thousands of logs of us just singing songs into this old hunk of treasure together.

In the living room loud conversation had erupted, followed by running up the stairs as I lost myself in the song, eyes closed, headphones half on. The running halted before my door as a knock I didn’t hear echoed. Alice and May slinked over to the door slyly, popped the latch, and dissipated as my eager visitor peeked inside. I was unaware of all of this, and continued to sing to myself for a few moments longer. “Wow... You have an amazing voice!” Odysseus bawled in awe, which made me screech and fall backwards out of my chair. He laughed outlandishly as I scrambled up, stopped the file, and smacked everything behind my back.

“W-What are you d-doing here?” I stammered nervously.

“I came to see you!” He ran across the room excitedly to smile wide at me, bouncing in place so intensely that he was actually leaving the ground at some points. “I missed you...” He cooed, though I had just seen him yesterday.

“Seems I have a stalker.” I teased as he flushed pink and glared at me, “Oh, don’t give me that look; I think your adorable.” I said with a sly wink.

His pink turned red as Blaine poked his head in. “Oh, there you are, Odysseus; I was wondering where you ran off to. How’s the homework?” He asked with a playful nudge.

“I feel bad for my classmates,” I joked as I pushed my chair in, “I was about to head downstairs; sorry, I didn’t hear you guys come in.” Odysseus followed me around curiously, watching as I cleaned my room up quickly. I poked his nose when he looked over my shoulder, which made him explode into giggles.

“Can we talk for a sec, Blaine?” Mom called up the steps abruptly.

“Yeah, ok…!” Blaine sighed and gestured to us, “I’ll meet you guys down there; Atlas is critiquing every inch of my outline, so someone needs to knock him out for being a pretentious asshole.” We waved as Blaine ran the steps, yelling Dad’s name annoyedly.

“Are you staying with us for a bit?” I asked Odysseus, who nodded fast. “Cool! We should hangout more often, Squeak.”

“Squeak?! Why are you calling me Squeak!?” He demanded.

“Because when you get excited, you start to squeak!” I declared with a big smile.

He burst into hysterical laughter, to the point he had to hold his stomach. His laughter was much more fluid and carefree today, and was becoming a sound I was more than happy to get used to. I rolled my eyes, but took a minute to look him over once more, making sure I could still see every inch of him. I indeed could still see him perfectly, and knew this because in the black of my vision, his smile was lighting up my usual darkness. He didn’t have his glasses today, and because of this, I could see that his wide gold eyes were full of awe that had not been there yesterday. Whenever he turned to me, his eyes soaked me in intently as if he were picking me apart just the same, and by the second, they lingered longer and longer between passes.

When he saw me looking him over, he flashed a hesitant smirk, “Can you… still see me?” He asked, tilting his head. I responded with a sheepish nod, and gripped the end of my shirt tightly to try and tame my sputtering heart. “Guess that means I truly am, special?” He continued, lowering his voice slightly. His lips curled up his right cheek dangerously, and he peeked up at me through his thick lashes in the same type of manner. The way he said this was different then his bubbly words from before; these words were backed by confidence and a bit of playful teasing. It was almost as if he were trying to… Flirt?

“I believe so,” I managed to get out without choking on my tongue before nodding to the door, “Let’s get down there before one of us loses a parent.” I was happy to escape the situation briefly; if I had stood there any longer, there was no telling what kind of trouble we’d get ourselves into. He looked pretty proud of myself, and though he agreed to follow, I could tell he wanted me to respond a bit differently. I wished I had.

We both ran the steps and ended up in the living room, where the dogs attacked Odysseus rabidly. I couldn’t help but laugh as he jerked around trying to break free of the tongues attacking him, but he was loving every second of it. I was keeping up with his questions about who each one was, but the conversation in the kitchen began to catch my attention, “What do you mean he can see him?” Blaine whispered to my parents.

Dad shushed him wildly, “I honestly don’t know... He said that he can see him. He even described him in full detail to me. I have no clue how that’s possible?”

Blaine shifted and brought his voice down another octave, “Have you asked Galaxy…?”

“Galaxy was standing right there when he said it! He’s only ever been able to see spirits, so we have no clue what’s going on…?”

Odysseus, who had begun listening as well, turned from their conversation and stared at me for a moment before coming forward and tugging on my arm. “Give me your hand for a second,” he whispered, moving to sit on his knees before me. I slowly did what I was told, watching as he pressed our palms together. When they did come together, a weird, electrified tingling snaked down my veins that made my eyes widen in awe. He nodded to himself as if he had solved a lingering mystery, and looked up at me with the same eyes and smirk from upstairs moments ago. The kitchen fell quiet as our parents watched Odysseus close his eyes, then open them slowly. His eyes had turned entirely gold, and he looked into mine with a serious, determined expression. “Focus your energy into my hand.”

“What are you doing?” I asked nervously.

“Just, trust me…” he begged, and for some reason, I simply could not say no.

I squeezed my eyes tightly as I concentrated on the feeling of his palm, forcing a heavy blush down as it threatened to fill my cheeks. Suddenly, a pulse of energy shot through my arm, which made me rock softly. The energy was light yet penetrating, and took my breath away slightly. It went from my arm up my neck and into my head, where I swear I felt it bouncing around my skull. An odd sensation enveloped my eyes, as if two delicate hands had somehow touched them, before the energy expanded and slowly dissipated. I felt like I had been doused in a thousand feathers, and the lightweight airiness made me slightly drunk.

He dropped my hand carefully, “Well, I don’t know if that did any good, but I hope so. You can open your eyes!” He chirped excitedly.

I slowly did what I was told, and for a moment, was utterly speechless. I stared forward emptily before raising a hand, which when brought before my face, started a bit blurry before finally coming into full view.

I could see.

The entire world around me was now in my sights. The living room, with its large comfy couch, television, fireplace, and the three dogs sitting in a row beside Odysseus welcomed me first. The archway that lead into the kitchen, where three adults were stood staring at us, came into view next. They were in a perfect line, tallest to shortest, watching us curiously. The crown molding of the archway framed them perfectly, and above them, the kitchen light flickered from a faulty bulb Dad had been promising he’d fix for days.

The shock finally set in.

I cried out in horror and covered my eyes, stumbling backwards before crashing over the coffee table. Odysseus flinched violently and backed away, panic overcoming his expression at the outburst. I let out whimpers and buried my face in my hands, trembling violently as Dad rushed over and shook me. “What's wrong, what’s wrong!? Talk to me, Nicodemus!” I couldn’t force the words out, so I just continued sobbing uncontrollably and clutching at my face to try and bring back the familiar darkness.

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“What spooked him so bad!?” Blaine bawled.

Dad noticed me gripping my face and tried pulling my hands down, but I wouldn't budge. Mom had a hand over her mouth, and was trying to keep herself contained so Dad could calm me down. “What's wrong, tell me…” He said softly, laying his hand on my cheek soothingly.

“I...?” I couldn’t force the words out at first.

“What? What is it?” He continued to coax patiently.

“I c-can s-see...?” I stammered.

Mom and Blaine gasped in pure disbelief; Dad yanked my hands away and snapped my face up. I jumped back in confusion due to the numerous bright lights that attacked me as he gazed into my eyes with a happy cry, “What do you see, Nicodemus!?”

“You...!” I bawled out hysterically.

And I could.

For the first time in years I could see my father’s face with my own eyes. He was incredibly handsome, as expected from a high reigning God, with the same long mahogany hair and beautiful silver eyes that were always a mere blur when Claude lent me his vision. He looked as young and fresh as a man forever halted at twenty five would, and could have been a complete stranger had I not known the sound of his voice like I knew air.

My mother stood behind him, with silken blonde hair and glimmering gold eyes. Freckles splotched her cheeks, as well as tears, as she saw me focus my gaze to her face for the first time since I was months old. Beside her, I could see Blaine hiding behind her shoulder, his already bright eyes like two live flames as they soaked me in. I thought I had memorized what little of my parents I could over the years, but seeing them now so clearly was astonishing. “Describe me!” Dad cried excitedly.

“You, you have brown hair, and silver eyes. And Mom has blonde hair, and gold eyes. And freckles…!” I choked out.

“What are we wearing?! What else can you see, Nick!?” He begged as tears filled his eyes.

I squinted hard at Mom for a moment before answering, “Your shirt is black, and Mom’s dress is blue, with white flowers…?”

Mom burst into hysterics and threw her arms around me, sobbing about how the universe answered her prayers as Dad laughed once. “I don’t know how, but this is a miracle!”

“What did you do, Odysseus?” Blaine begged excitedly.

“I dunno, but I'm glad I did it!” He cheered as I held my parents and sobbed with them in both happiness and disbelief, shooting Odysseus a look of gratification that I could tell would forever be etched into his memories. Blaine wound his arms around his son and shook his head in disbelief, but I could tell he was so proud of the boy in his arms.

╪

“This is a pan, and this is a cabinet, and that's a stove!” I cried to the Pomeranians that raced around my legs as I moved through the kitchen. They were barking loud enough to shatter a window, excited the same as I was, but not totally understanding what the commotion was for. Like a little kid, I was touching everything my hands could come into contact with, and though I was still squinting a bit as I adjusted to how bright the world actually was, things were becoming easier to identify by the second.

“My goodness, is there a parade going on in here? What are you guys up to?” Mom teased as she and Dad came in the room hand in hand with huge smiles.

“I’m naming stuff with Bodhi, Amara, and Asher!” I called from the kitchen.

“How many things did you know?”

“All of them!”

“All of them!?” Dad cried in awe for me, giggling at my innocent excitement, “Do you have a favorite color yet?” He asked as I raced by him, rounding he and Mom twice on my way out just for the fun of it.

“I like black! Makes me feel, homey!” I declared as I bounced about the living room, jumping onto the couch so I could start counting the lines of the hardwood floor aloud.

“Black? That’s an odd one; then again, you are a Death Elemental,” Dad teased as I held up a black pillow with white flowers on it.

“I like this pillow! Can I bring it to my room?” I asked triumphantly.

“Of course you can; I think it’ll look great up there.” Mom encouraged.

The dogs and I bolted up the steps; I opened the door to my room and spun in circles so I could soak up the scenery as much as possible. Mom had gone all out decorating it; she painted the walls grey, which left me a canvas to hang posters and such as I collected them. A desk was set up in the corner with a computer we had gotten for me to continue classwork on, though I hadn’t really been able to use it until now. My bed sheets were a similar color to the walls, a bit drab, but my hoard of household pillows was beginning to help. I didn’t complain, but knew I would soon begin making it more my style, once I knew what my style was that is.

I set my new prize neatly on the futon under my window, fixing it with a big smile as Mom knocked on the door and asked if she could join the fun. We both sat on the bed, where she pulled me into her arms and kissed my temple. “Hey, Mom? You’re really pretty,” I sang, which made her snort a laugh.

“Well, thank you!”

I sheepishly pressed my face to her arm, “It was kind of weird, seeing what you and Dad look like. I’ve never been able to see you guys this clearly, even when I was using Claude’s eyes. You look so young; I can’t believe you’re actually my parents.”

“Well, want me to help prove we are?” I blinked as she pulled a mirror off my desk and pressed it into my hands, “There we are, one incredibly handsome Nicodemus Crawford.” She guided the mirror up so I could see my reflection, and watched as I studied the image before me.

I was, beautiful.

As narcissistic as it sounded, I was so handsome I couldn’t believe it was my own face. My eyes were big with wonder, and a crystalized silver that was almost white, like my fathers. He and I both wore our thick hair in a sweep over our eyes, but unlike his, which was about shoulder length and either in a half up half down or tucked behind his ears, mine had loose curls like my mother’s and stopped at the middle of my cheeks. She and I also shared a splattering of cute freckles on both cheeks, which admittedly was one of the only similarities we shared. I really did resemble my father almost to the T, and could see why people easily pinned me as his son. Mom ran her fingers through a strand of my hair, “I love these adorable little curls. They frame you’re face so nicely…” she sighed to herself, “What do you think, handsome?”

“Oh my gosh, I’m hot.” I whispered in disbelief.

Mom burst into hysterical laughter, choking up on herself as I joined in with her. “I cannot believe you just said that!” She screamed, laughing louder.

“What happened in here?” Dad joked as he propped himself in the doorway.

“His first reaction to his image was, Oh my gosh, I'm hot!” Mom cackled.

“Well, I'm glad you think you’re so attractive,” he chuckled, sitting on my other side, “But while we’re all here, there is something we’d like to discuss with you.”

He nodded to Mom, who began rubbing my back carefully, “We know how exciting this has all been, but soon, your real training is going to begin. Now that you can see it’ll make things incredibly easier, but we still want you to do your best while also taking it slow. The world is your oyster, Nick, but there are also a lot of dangers lurking around. People are going to be curious about your powers, good and bad people, and you need to learn to protect yourself properly against anything that should arise.” She explained carefully.

I soaked in her words briefly, unsure of the correct response, but understanding the weight of her warning, “I understand. I'm glad that Blaine’s so willing to help me train.”

Dad nodded in return, “As are we, but please, take what he says seriously. Blaine can be a bit tough, but he never does so on malicious intent. Quite frankly, he’s concerned for your safety even more than us, if it were possible. He’s admitted multiple times that you are incredibly gifted, and he wants to make sure that you continue thriving while staying safe. There aren’t many Death Elementals at the academy currently, and the ones that are here don’t have more than two Shadows, so you definitely stand out a bit. Don’t let that intimidate you, but be aware of your surroundings.”

I bowed my head, staring at my sneakers that I was clicking together, “I know you’re not trying to scare me, but I am admittedly a little worried.”

Dad scrunched my hair to make me smile, “You have no reason to worry. We don’t want you worrying yourself for no reason, we just want to make sure we checked in a little.”

“No, I get it…” I scratched my arm with an awkward shrug, “I’m glad I have Sebastian and the other guys to be with, but this is all still really weird for me. Do I seem like I’m blending in ok…?” I hesitantly whispered.

Mom nodded eagerly, “Honey you’re doing incredible, better than we ever would have imagined! Regardless of what Odysseus did today, you have been actively forming new friendships faster than your father and I can blink. If anything, it’s made us more guilty than ever…” She confessed as her voice trailed off. When I looked to Dad after frowning over her sad demeanor, I saw that he was biting his lip in shame as well, and had turned away to try and swallow his pain. They still weren’t used to me being able to see their silent conversations, and when I caught them, both blushed intensely.

I smirked and slapped my arms around their backs, which made them hack wildly when I squeezed them to my sides, “Hey, don’t get all sappy on me now! I already told you that I’m far from mad at the decisions you guys made. Yes, I am excited to be here and be with my new friends, but I was happy with just us, too. I’m not really used to sharing you with the world either, so I’m trying to not be greedy. I’m just glad we can all be together still…”

“Oh, Nick… We love you so much…” Dad sighed, pulling Mom and I into a warm hug, “We’re very happy that you’re enjoying being here, and hopefully, you’ll continue to do so. In the meantime, if you ever need some time with us alone, don’t be ashamed to speak up. Your mother and I aren’t exactly the most social ourselves, and it has been seventeen years since we were around so many people. We’re all adjusting to a lot, but for now, I want you to make as many friends as you can, and spend as much time with your family as possible. Galaxy and Elizabeth are desperate to get to know you, and it truly makes us happy to know you have someone besides us to be with.”

I let myself nestle into their embrace, “I know it’ll all take some time, but for now, I just want you to know that I love you, and you don’t have to keep beating yourselves up. We have a lot to look forward to, right?”

Dad smirked with tears in his eyes, “Yeah, we do buddy, we absolutely do…”