Chapter 6 - Hannah

I quickly get dressed and shove my knife in its sheath tucking it into my boot.  I grab my keys and the jar that was left at my door before I walk out of my room, making my way to the lobby.  The same young lady is at the desk, and she smiles brightly when she sees me walk in. 

“Is everything alright with your room?”, she asks.

“It’s perfect Melissa” taking time to look at her name tag this time.  “I do have a question though.  I found this in my room.  Maybe whoever was here before me forgot it, and was wondering where I can get some more?”  I ask.

“Oh, I’m not sure where that jar came from, but I do know where you can get some more.  There is a guy out on the market road north of town that keeps bees.  He sells it at the local grocery store.” She replies.  “You know, it’s kind of a local tradition for a guy to give his sweetheart a jar of honey.  Maybe you have a secret admirer.”

“Well, that would be something wouldn’t it?”  I laugh.  “Thanks Melissa, I will have to take a trip tomorrow and get some more.” I say before turning to make my way out the door.

“OR you could just go over to Sherry’s and ask him personally.  He works there as the bartender.  His trucks parked out front, so he’s there.”  She says.

Feeling thankful that Melissa is so helpful, I make my way across the street to Sherry’s.  Still holding my gift.  Before I enter, I take a breath to settle my nerves.  I am not sure what I am about to walk in to, but I know that it is important.  I can feel it, the energy pulsing like a heartbeat in the back of my head.  It’s nothing like anything I have experienced before.  Usually, I can block out energies from people.  Something I do to protect myself quite often, but there is something different about this place.  Something I can’t explain. 

“Girl…do NOT go in there!” I hear my spirit guide shout at me startling me.  “What the hell Lily…where have you been?” I shout at her in my head.  Lily is my spirit guide and has been the voice in my head all of my adult life.  I just wish she would have been there when I was young and destructive.  Also, totally uncool making an appearance when I’m too old for an imaginary friend.  At least she was kind enough to explain to me that I shouldn’t go broadcasting the fact that I have a voice in my head.  You don’t say? 

Wonder why that might not be received well by, any one really.  Since Lily graced me with her presence, I’ve been on the move.  She tells me that we have work to do and I trust her.  We have helped a lot of people and I know that in retrospect the things that we do matter.  I have moments of doubt, but someone's got to do it.  Might as well be me.  For some reason she has been avoiding me for days now.  “You just tell me it’s time to leave Dallas and disappear a few days into driving God knows where.  Some weird shit is going on here, and I needed you.” I shout at her.  “I know, I know, listen…go back to your room and we can talk. Just not here ok” she says.  I don’t respond, I just turn around and make my way back across the street. 

I plop down on my bed and Lily, I can tell, is trying to figure out how she is going to tell me what is on her mind. 

“Oh, for god’s sake, just spit it out.” I say. 

“Ok,” she begins “So, you my dear are an empath.” She says.

“Yes.” I reply.  I’m not really sure where she is going with this.  This is something that I have known since childhood.  As long as I can remember, I have been able to feel energy around me.  The human spirit is a powerful thing.  Emotion is fueled by energy, energy is fueled by emotion, round and round it goes, unless someone like me comes in and manipulates it, it can sometimes have a pretty catastrophic snowball effect.  I can halt a bar brawl quicker than a bouncer can dial 911, and I have.  Many times.  It can be scary though, and not all empaths have the ability to manipulate it. 

I’ve really screwed things up too.  That’s why it is especially important for someone like me to stop myself from making decisions based on emotion.  Its good practice for everyone, detrimental for someone like me.  Feeling the emotions of others has its perks, but it hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park.  Reality dictates that there are some seriously fucked up people in the world, and having an intimate knowledge of the emotions these fools have is traumatizing.  Experiencing the emotional equivalent of an erection coming from your friend’s dad when he see’s you take off your towel at the pool party when you’re 12 years old, not exactly the kind of gift I wanted the universe to bestow on me.  It hasn’t been all bad though.  The love of a new mom, a thousand first kisses.  Hell, the most happiness I have ever felt was in a pet shop in Atlanta.  So, Lily is really beating a dead horse right now.  I know this is who I am, and I have come to terms with it.

“Right now you need to be prepared for the tidal wave of emotion that is going to come at you when you walk through that door.” She confides.  Before I can ask, she already knows my question.  What could possibly be more overwhelming than walking around, trying to hold it together so my crazy aunt can mark the Tokyo tower off her bucket list.  “Hannah, you need to trust me when I tell you that there are no walls, or boundaries that you can put in place to keep out what is in there.  You're going to have to experience it before you will be able to make them.” She says.

“What is it?” I ask.

Without hesitation she replies, “your soulmate."

I can hardly contain my laughter.  “My soulmate?!” I blurt out with a snort.  After failing miserably to stay cool. “Lily, there is no such thing.”

“Don’t laugh weirdo, I’m serious” she retorts “matter of fact, hold on to your britches because there is more.  That wolf you saw on the road today…that was him”.  At this I absolutely lose it, laughing hysterically. 

“So, I’m into critters now?” I choke out.  This is by far the craziest thing Lily has told me, and she has sprung some whoppers on me.  Getting my giggles under control I finally calm down. 

“Don’t believe me?  Go over there and find out for yourself” she snaps.

Challenge accepted.