Seeing Black by Sidney Halston Read Free Book Online Page A

been a problem. Gets
me into lots of trouble sometimes.”
    “I’m sure it does. Your mother was like that.”
    “She was?” The only person who ever spoke about her
mother was Helen, and she’d been dead for five years. It felt nice
to hear someone say something about her.
    “Yes. She was very gregarious. People gravitated
towards her.”
    “How’d you two meet?”
    “I see you want to get right into the
questions?”
    “I’m sorry. That was rude of me,” Jill said,
embarrassed. She didn’t mean to be rude to her host. “I don’t have
much time, and there are so many things I want to know, especially
about my mother.”
    “But I have all day. Do you have plans? Why are you
in such a hurry?”
    After being independent for so long, it felt awkward
acknowledging that Alexander was the problem. It felt uncomfortable
to say it out loud. She felt childish. But regardless of the fact
that Alexander was indeed domineering, overprotective, and
possessive, he was also loving and caring, and everything he did
was due to his unwavering love for her. Because of this, not in
spite of it, she loved him, and she promised him she’d be cautious.
She always kept her promises. Therefore, she wouldn’t be ashamed of
her ridiculously domineering, overprotective, and possessive
boyfriend.
    “Alexander is worried about me being here. As a
matter of fact, so are the rest of my friends.”
    “I see.” He took another sip of his juice and
proceeded to eat the eggs benedict that had been placed in front of
him while they conversed. “I’m curious, Jillian. Why are they all
so concerned?”
    Ha! Where to start? You snuck into my house and left
a cryptic note. According to Helen’s journals, you were so evil
that my mother had to escape to the other side of the world to
avoid you. There’s a police report that leads me to believe you may
be a murderer. Paul Black, a man I thought I could love, tried to
manipulate me to get to you, and someone is warning me—in my
fucking mind—that if I don’t find you, you’ll hurt my friends. Yep,
that about sums it up. Then it hit her. Shit!
    “Can you read my mind? Did you just . . .?” Jill
pointed to her head.
    Rocco chuckled and answered. “No. But I can feel
your unease. That’s about all I have left.” She gasped, almost fell
off her chair. It scared her to know how connected they were, yet
she was relieved he couldn’t hear her thoughts. Knowing what
someone felt was still a lot of power to have over someone. He
neatly and patiently buttered some bread then placed it aside. He
must have noticed—or felt—her shock, confusion, and unease. “I can
only do this with you .”
    “Why? Because I’m your daughter?”
    “Yes. For that precise reason.”
    “What do you mean by ‘that’s all I have left’?”
    “Think of parapsychological powers as an extra
sense. Sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste, and, in our case,
foresight, as in seeing the future. That’s our extrasensory skill.
For some it may be telepathy, as in reading minds, or telekinesis,
which involves moving objects using only your mind. I once met a
woman who was telekinetic. That was very interesting. With a lot of
concentration, she could move a spoon half an inch, but that’s as
far she ever got. She tried and tried to move it further or to move
something else, but it never happened. Once, I met a man who said
he could levitate, but I think it was all a trick. His profession
was that of a magician, so I think he was pulling my leg. The point
is, if we exist, I am sure there are people out there with other
extra senses. But we—you, me, and Josef—are the only psychics I’ve
ever met, and I’ve looked. It’s in our DNA. There doesn’t seem to
be any other explanation than that.” He took a bite of his food
before he continued. He spoke slowly, deliberately. “Just like most
of your senses, as you age, they begin to deteriorate. I don’t see
as well as I used to.” He pointed to his glasses. “My