Chapter 19: I Can See [Bonus]

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: I Can See [Bonus]

Lyra woke slowly. The world was warm and soft, and for a moment, she forgot where she was. Then she remembered. Fallbrook. The inn. The strange man who had defended her. Daniel.

She opened her eyes.

And saw a face.

It was inches from her own. A man’s face. Close enough that she could see the stubble on his jaw. The slight bruise on his cheek. The stupid grin spreading across his lips.

She screamed.

The sound tore from her throat, high and sharp. She scrambled backward, her hands scrabbling against the blanket, her back hitting the wall behind the bed. Her heart pounded. Her breath came in ragged gasps.

Then she stopped.

She was looking at the wall. The wooden wall. She could see the grain of the wood. The knots. The small cracks between the boards.

She looked down at her hands. She could see her fingers. The lines on her palms. The faint blue of her veins.

She looked up at the man. At Daniel. He was still standing there, his hands raised, his expression somewhere between amused and apologetic. She could see his eyes. Brown. Warm. Crinkled at the corners.

"I can see," she whispered.

Daniel’s grin widened. "Yeah. It worked. Let’s goooo!"

She stared at him. At his face. At the way his mouth moved when he spoke. At the way his eyes lit up with excitement.

"I can see," she said again, louder this time. "I can see!"

She looked around the room. The small table with the candle. The window with the faded curtains. The bags on the floor. Everything was new. Everything was sharp and clear and real.

Then she looked back at Daniel.

"Go where?" she asked.

Daniel’s face fell. He stared at her for a moment. Then he sighed and slapped his palm against his forehead.

---

Twenty Minutes Earlier

Daniel sat on the floor, his back against the wall, his eyes fixed on the bed. Lyra was asleep, her breathing slow and steady, her face peaceful in the dim light of the candle.

He watched the countdown timer hovering in front of his face.

[Harem Member Illness: Blindness]

[Curing... Time until cure: 0:20:14]

[Countdown: 0:20:14]

Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes until she could see.

He felt his stomach twist with nerves. Will this work? What if it doesn’t? What if something goes wrong?

Then another thought crept in. A different thought. A more... interesting thought.

What if it does work? Will she fall in love with the first thing she sees?

He grinned to himself. The first thing she would see was him. His face. Right in front of hers. He had positioned himself perfectly. When the cure finished, when her eyes opened, he would be the first thing she saw.

He started having adult-rated thoughts. Thoughts that could not be written in this Chapter. Thoughts involving him and Lyra. In a dark room. Playing hide and seek. Ropes. A cane. Hehehehe.

He shook his head, forcing himself to focus. The timer was still counting down. Fifteen minutes.

He climbed onto the bed, moving carefully so as not to wake her. He positioned himself above her, his face inches from hers. Close enough that when she opened her eyes, she would see nothing but him.

He waited.

Ten minutes.

Five minutes.

One minute.

He watched the timer tick down. His heart pounded in his chest. His palms were sweaty. This was it. This was the moment.

[Countdown: 0:00:03]

[Countdown: 0:00:02]

[Countdown: 0:00:01]

[Cure Complete]

Daniel held his breath.

Lyra’s eyes fluttered. Slowly, her eyelids lifted. Her eyes, no longer hidden behind dark glasses, focused on his face.

He waited for the reaction. The gasp of awe. The whispered word, "Handsome." The look of love that would seal their bond forever.

Instead, she screamed.

She scrambled backward, hitting the wall, her face a mask of pure terror. Daniel blinked, caught off guard.

"I can see!" she shouted. "I can see!"

Daniel let out a breath. Then he grinned. "Yeah, it worked. Let’s goooo!"

She looked at him. At his face. Then she frowned.

"Go where? "

Daniel stared at her. His grin faltered. He slapped his palm against his forehead.

[Author’s Note: make sure to vote for more Chapters and faster release time, goal in the authors note]