The Third Eye wasn't at all what Rosie thought it would be. She was expecting a kitschy, witchcraft kind of vibe but it had more of a relaxing bookstore feel to it. Bookcases lined the walls, dusty tomes and crystals dotting the shelves. There was a glass case that held more crystals where the cash register sat with a wall full of dried herbs behind it. It was more low-key than witchy.

"I was wondering when you'd be back."

Rosie turned to find the man that had chased her on the street coming out of the back of the store. He was tall and thin, probably around thirty years old. He had blonde hair, a hipster beard and was wearing a pair of trendy black glasses

"I'm not sure I know what I'm doing here," she admitted.

"I think I do." He held out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Jay."

She hesitated for a fraction of a second before stretching her hand to his. "Rosie."

He held her for a second longer than necessary.

"We have a private room for Reiki," he motioned to a door across the room. "Would you feel more comfortable talking in there?"

"Talking about what?"

He smiled at her, like he knew something she didn't. "About why you're here, of course."

She looked around but didn't see any other customers or employees. "Seems like we're alone enough out here."

"For now," he agreed. When she just continued watching him he looked her up and down. "You're completely blocked, you know."

She felt blocked. She didn't say it out loud, not knowing if he was for real.

Jay walked a few steps to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup. He held it out in offering to which she accepted, then invited her to sit at the small reading alcove.

"Do you know what's got you so backed up?"

She sat but looked away from him, watching cars drive past, unsure of how to start.

"I'm not here to judge. I'm here to help."

When she turned he was watching her intensely. "What can you see?"

"In general or in you?"

"In general. What can you do?"

"I get a sense of energy sometimes but only if it's strong.” He tilted his head. "Hence, why I tried to tell you that day there was something following you."

"Someone. My boss's grandmother."

He sat up straighter. "You can see her?"

"Not now, but back then she followed me everywhere. Bugged the crap out of me."

"Can you actually see her or you just know it her energy?"

"No, no I can see her. Ugly pink skirt set and all. She was a pain in the ass."

"Was? Where'd she go?"

Bolstered by the fact Jay hadn't laughed once when she'd told him what she could see and that he had his own gifts, she answered. "I don't know. I don't see much of anything anymore."

"They're still here," he told her. "I can feel them clinging to you. Not bad energies though."

"I can't see them.” For something she'd wanted gone for so long, she felt like a part of her was missing without them. "I don't know why."

"Like I said, you're completely blocked. Your chakras are totally out of whack. Something's got you off kilter."

"I used to see auras but that’s gone too, for the most part."

"That's interesting," he murmured. "Have you always seen auras?"

"Yeah, from when I was little. I got used to knowing people before I ever really knew them."

"You relied on that," he concluded easily. "Knowing someone before knowing them."

"I did. It's nerve wracking without it."

"I can imagine. I haven't had my gifts my whole life but I'd hate to be without them now."

"I've always wanted them to go away. The auras, the sprits, the other stuff. Now that they're gone…" she shrugged not finishing the thought.

"There's more?” He shook his head slightly. "That's incredible."

"It's not incredible. Awful," she said. "Debilitating at times. Invasive, overwhelming. Any of those work."

His brow drew in confusion. "You still struggle with it?"

She nodded, mimicking his expression. "You don't?"

Jay shook his head. "I've worked really hard to study what I see. To make sense of it. That helped."

She shrugged. "I never knew where to start. The spirits, the dreams. It's a lot."

"Maybe I can give you a place to start if you tell me about it."

She looked away not even knowing how to begin.

"Okay," he drew the word out. "How about you tell me the first time you remember something being different."

That was easy. "I was really little. Three, maybe."

"Jesus," he muttered.

"There was this man my mom brought home. He was surrounded by all black, almost like a cloud but not puffy like that. More like," she struggled to find the right words. "static. I remember wondering why he didn't take a bath because he was surrounded by dirt."

"But it wasn't dirt," Jay finished.

She shook her head, agreeing with him. "I tried to put my hand through it, to touch it. It was so dark inside and it moved when he moved, I was totally captivated. So curious."

"Did you touch it?"

She shook her head again. "No."

His head tilted to the side and she knew he was reading her in some way. "Why didn't you touch it?"

"I just didn't." Her answer came quick and defensive.

"That's a lie," he told her quietly. "Why didn't you touch it?” His eyes were grave when they met hers. "It's important."

"It's really not."

"Why didn't you touch the aura?"

"Why does it matter? You wanted me to tell you about the first time. I did."

He sat back, disappointment marring his face. "This is why you're blocked, why you can't overcome whatever is happening to you."

"Because I can't remember why I didn't do something when I was three?"

"No, because you're lying about it. Not just lying to me, but lying to yourself."

"I'm not lying to myself." She huffed out a breath and crossed her arms. It took her about one second to realize how ridiculous she was acting. "He knocked me down. That's why I didn't touch it. Before I could, he hit me upside the head and knocked me down."

Jay said nothing.

"Back then, I loved the colors. I would steal crayons from places my mom took me so I could mix the colors together and match them to an aura I'd seen. Of course, I didn't know what they were until later. It took me a long time to match the colors to the moods."

"What color was your mom's aura? Can you remember?"

She watched him carefully, trying to figure out his motive.

"She had a few," Rosie told him without really answering.

"Did she know? What you could see?"

"I tried to tell her. Mostly, she thought I was crazy."

Jay leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. "The static you saw. Was that particular to that one man or is that how it appears?"

"I think the static was him. They used to be like thin clouds, I could see through them, but they were soft. Like, when you exhale on a cold day.”

"They used to be, before they stopped?"

"They changed a while back, went from thin clouds to something else."

"What changed for you that made the auras change?" When she didn't answer right away he continued. "I've found, most people that experience a change in their abilities also experience an event that triggers it." When she just watched him, he continued. "Mine came after I got hit by a car. I was sixteen and barely lived. I woke up in the hospital and everyone had colors pulsing from their bodies. They all thought I was dealing with a concussion and sent me to ophthalmologists and neurologists, but I was fine. I finally stopped telling them about it and researched it myself. I see chakras. Sometimes I get a quick blast of a word or picture.” He shrugged again. "I can't help it. Instead of fighting it, I educated myself and eventually opened the shop. I do readings but sometimes I do cleansings for people."

"What are the cleansings like? Do you think that's something that might work for me?"

He shrugged. "I've never worked with a medium. I don't know how much I can cleanse because I don't know how much of the energy I see is you and how much is them."

"There's no them right now," she admitted. "Just a dog and woman."

"Both ghosts?"

She took a deep breath, never talking this much about the subject before. "The dog is a spirit guide, I think. I'm friends with its owner and it’s always hanging around."

"That's interesting," Jay commented.

For the first time, Rosie felt like she could talk with someone about her abilities. When she was a child Butch had pressed her but she hadn't been able to communicate what was going on or why it happened. Being able to talk with someone that didn't judge and maybe even understood, was liberating.

"You just blasted me with a wave of relief. From here.” He smiled, holding a hand up to his throat, his blue eyes sparkling. "What's going on?"

"I've never been able to talk about it before like this. Most people think I’m crazy."

He nodded like he understood.

"You don't give anyone much of a chance, do you?"

He wasn't too far off. "A lifetime of rejection will do that to you."

"I imagine it would," he agreed. "Back to the dog.”

She shrugged. "He's never talked about it. We aren't really close, we just met a few weeks ago, but it hangs out around his house. If he stops by my place it runs around my yard."

"And you still see it."

She nodded.

"What about the auras? You stopped seeing those too?"

"Only in strangers. Like I can't see yours but I can see the people I already know."

"So, you aren't reading new information, just the old stuff."

“I can see changes in their auras when they happen so it isn't residual but they aren't what they were a few weeks ago. They're like wisps or strands of color now."

"What were they before?"

"They were bright. Big and bold and thick like fog."

"So, what changed?"

She took a deep breath and scrubbed her face, wincing when she rubbed her remaining scabs.

"I had a run in with the other spirit."

"The woman?” She nodded. "What kind of run in?"

Rosie winced. "The kind where my entire body passed through hers."

He leaned way back in his chair and watched her carefully. "Through her."

Rosie nodded.

"What happened when you did that?"

Now, Rosie shook her head and held up her hands. "I can't talk about it."

"That bad?"

"It was bad.” Her voice was a whisper. "Really, really bad.” The more she thought about it, which she'd studiously avoided doing, the more she felt her eyes sting.

The bell attached to the door of the store chimed happily when it opened. Jay jumped up and walked away to greet his customer. Rosie surreptitiously looked away and wiped the tears from her eyes.

While he showed someone to the case of crystals, she grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. When she looked up, Dallas was sauntering down the sidewalk.

Her first instinct was to hide so he wouldn’t see her but she never got the chance.

He caught sight of her and stopped in his tracks. Through the plate glass he smiled at her waved at her to come outside.

“Friend of yours?” Jay asked.

“Not really,” Rosie answered.

“You sure?”

“Not really,” she repeated.

"Well, we can pick up where we left of tomorrow if that works for you," He said with a smile. “If we have time, you can tell me about your not really friend.”

"Maybe.” She shook his outstretched hand. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Happy."

She stilled, her eyes flying to his face.

"Just the word," he told her. "Big, bright, bold, every time we touch." She quickly pulled her hand away and he laughed. "Well you can't undo it now."

Rosie fled the store and met Dallas on the sidewalk.

“Getting your mumbo jumbo freakster on in there?” He asked. The look on his face was pure mischief and she laughed.

“Maybe.”

“Cool.” He squinted down at her. “How’s the face?”

“Scabby.”

“Told you not to ride out there at night. It’s dangerous.” He turned and pointed at her bike. “Want a ride back to your place?”

“Sure,” she answered. Knowing Dallas, he probably wouldn’t listen if she told him no anyway.

“I’m headed out to Max’s anyway.” He grabbed the handlebars of her bike and began steering towards a pickup truck. “Unless you want me to just drop you off with him.” He sent her a wink.

“What’s that mean?” She asked as she climbed in his truck and he took off toward her place.

“Nothing,” he said evasively. “Just heard you and Max are circling each other."

She let out a loud laugh.  "You make us sound like the Sharks and the Jets."

"Who the hell are they?"

"Nevermind." She shook her head.  "We aren't circling each other."

"Oh." He looked over at her. "When was the last time you talked to him?"

She crossed her arms over her chest.  "This morning."

It was his turn to laugh.  "Uh huh. Definitely keeping your distance."  She didn't respond. "I'm just kidding, Rosie. Max is my best friend, you could do a lot worse."

“We aren't circling each other. Max and I are friends." That was questionable with the way the morning had ended.

After a few more ribbing jests Dallas pulled up to her camper and helped get her bike out of the back.

"You all good?" He asked.

"Thanks for the ride.  You know," she smiled at him.  "When you aren't being an ass, you're actually a nice guy."

His face fell. "Don't tell anyone that."