14. Jessica

Jessica Pov

'There certainly is something extraordinary about him; how did he know I'm here?' Jessica's brain was whirring around. She felt shivers rushing through her spine. Her eyes widely opened as she fixed her gaze on him.

She waited for his response, but he sat there looking all frozen. She wondered why; it wasn't as if she was holding a gun or a knife, and even if she were, there was no way he could know. Was it that he was usually alerted? As much as she thought about it, it didn't shove the thought away that he knew someone was sitting right opposite him, and of course, the direction she was, it felt spooky.

"I asked you a question." She yelled. She was anxious and waiting for him to grasp his startled little heart made her even more nervous. Despite her questioning him the second time, he still held back his words.

"Is he deaf now? Or am I just being a nuisance here?" She scoffed. Furrowing her brows, Jessica was getting even more upset. How dare he?

For some reason, the more she stared at him, the more she felt irritated by him. She couldn't understand the feeling, but it was there.

"I...I've got a sense of smell and hearing."

"Oh," She mumbled to herself. He wasn't the first blind person she had come across. So his words, she believed it. Knowing how blind people tend to generate a fascinating sense of smell and sound over time, especially when they have been blind for a long time, but those blind from birth have unique hearings. In Nicholas's case, she believes he certainly has been blind since birth cause she knew how discrete and quiet she was; there was certainly no way an ordinary blind person would tell she was right there.

Her eyes trailed his body as she quietly gulped saliva. She fixed her gaze on the book on his desk; she wanted to check if it was another book by Mary Dawn, but she was suddenly distracted.

His fist was clenched, seated on top of the book. His lips were slightly opened. She could tell he was breathing heavily, even though he made a minimal sound. It was apparent he was paranoid; his hands were shivering on the desk. The muscles of his bottleneck seemed stiff. Why is he scared of me? She wondered.

Why are you shaking?" She asked.

"Are you scared of me? Or you just ain't used to people?" She asked him again, seeing how he was quiet and didn't respond to her earlier question.

"You are funny. Why would I be afraid of you?" It was apparent his smiles were fake. Jessica sighed, wondering how she would be able to ask him all the questions she wanted to ask. 'Maybe I should just touch his hand, and that

will be it,' She wondered. And what if he had no idea of what she was experiencing? Her mind was like a battlefield; she kept asking herself questions she had no idea of. There was only one way to find out, and that was to find a way of touching his hands without asking him questions that might make her look stupid in front of him.

"Yeah, I should find a way of touching him" She sighed, fixing her eyes on his hands. He fist was still clenched. She knew that to get an opportunity, that first needed to open.

"I need to make him feel relaxed." She muttered to herself.

"You know I don't bite. You can calm your nerve; gosh, you look awful. If only you can see how you are covered in sweats, anyone who walks here will think I've got something on you." She giggled.

She noticed the sudden smirk on his face; it made her glad that he was starting to feel relaxed. Suddenly they were interrupted by Estelle. She watched how he sent her away with the excuse of looking for a book. Jessica couldn't help but wonder how she must have been at their age.

'Was I quiet or loud? Was I happy or sad often?" She wanted to know, she wanted the answers badly, and those answers lie in her forgotten memories.

She broke out of her reverie when she realized that the book Nicholas wanted was a book written by Mary Dawn.

She asked if the book was hidden gates by Mary Dawn, and both Nicholas and Estelle simultaneously responded; it seemed funny to her, making her chuckle.

She asked if Mary Dawn was his favorite author, and he said yes. Jessica further asked him about the books of Mary he had read, hoping there would be one about how to cure the curse. She has no idea how Mary could get that much information she wrote in her books. But Jessica hoped that it would help her find the answer she had been searching for.

"Cursed one, Boneyard, Tales of the crimson family," Nicholas responded. The book cursed one, certainly was no doubt about her, she thought.

She was lost in her reverie, recalling Helen she had met at Mary's office. If she could at least meet her again, maybe, just maybe, she would have a lot to reveal.

"It's all just a myth," Nicholas's voice interrupted her thoughts. She doubted, but he was only human and never lived in her works to know that all Mary Dawn writes about are not just myths or stories but legends, legends that existed and still exist.

When he stretched the book on his desk 'Cursed One' to her, Jessica figured it was an opportunity for her to touch him. But as soon as their hands touched, Nicholas screamed so much like he was in severe pain. She rushed off her seat and started panting his back. But he was calling for her to go away. She couldn't understand why.

Suddenly he fell off the chair, still screaming at her to go away from him. But Jessica couldn't, not when she saw how his wrist was glowing. He had the infinity tattoo on his wrist, glowing green. She furrowed her brows as she wondered

"Who are you?"