After Ivan brought Lionel to his quarters at the estate, he laid him on his bed. He did so to watch him and see if he would return to consciousness.
She asked Ivan what Lionel’s chances were and if he would die. Ivan stayed silent because he didn’t seem to have the answer she was desperately looking for. It broke her heart, and she didn’t know what to do now.
She spent the entire day with him, not leaving when Aaron tried to take her away. She couldn’t fathom the thought of leaving him all alone in this fight. By his side, she wanted to stay, so she didn’t leave.
It was a few minutes past noon when Aaron returned and informed her that he had gone to pick Zion up from Greg and Diya’s place. He asked if she wanted to see him.
She didn’t want him coming in here and seeing her this way. She didn’t want him to see his uncle in this state, either. He would ask many questions, many of which she wouldn’t be able to answer. She rose from beside Lionel’s bedside with a heavy heart and left the room to meet up with Zion. She could tell Aaron was happy she had left there after many hours, but he said nothing.
“If it were Damor or Sesi, I know you wouldn’t want to leave their side. Lionel is the only sibling I have; I can’t leave him alone in all this.”
He glanced at her with an eye of pity. “I understand; I think you should get yourself fixed. I know Lionel would want that at the very least.”
“Mommy!” Zion squealed at her sight, and he ran towards her with his arms open. She bent and picked him up, forcing a smile into her face. “You didn’t come to pick me up with Daddy. Why?”
She turned to look at Aaron, as if asking for help, and he seemed unsure of what to say. “Mommy was a mess, you see, so Daddy had to come get you.” She replied, not wanting to lie but not wanting to tell the entire truth.
“Are you okay now?” he asked, his tone laced with concern.
“I’m getting there, my love.”
“Good, Mommy,” he said, tightening his little arms around her. “Know that Daddy and I are always here for you.”
How could she have forgotten? Aaron was probably worried for her and her state of mind; he cared because he loved her. She smiled at Aaron. “I will not forget again,” she vowed.
The two days that passed went by quickly. She spent half of the hours on Saturday beside Lionel in bed while he remained unconscious. During those times, she gave into panic and suggested they take him to the hospital. However, Ivan told her science and medicines would not help as it wasn’t a physical issue but a spiritual matter. He suggested Lionel remained with him and that he would keep a close eye on him.
Ivan was able to deduce yesterday that Lionel, although alive, was trapped between the realm of the living and the dead. Lionel’s heartbeat, which was once every two minutes, further confirmed his words. Ivan had wander walked into different dimensions and times to see similar incidents that may have happened in the past. He had had no luck, but he wasn’t ready to give up.
Aaron shared Lionel’s condition with Sesi, and though she wanted to come over, he told her it was best if she didn’t. He was certain Zera wouldn’t want to see her, as Lionel was in this situation because of her, and he was right. Zera didn’t think she would handle Sesi’s presence. It was best she stayed off, for everyone’s sake.
Though Ivan didn’t know why Lionel ended up in this state, he promised to help get him out. Zera had no choice but to believe him.
Aaron had skipped today and decided to stay home with Zion, and how excited Zion was about that. The two were the best mates. When Aaron asked if she would report to work, she told him she had to. She didn’t know how well she would function, but she had a class of not less than fifty students depending on her. She had to show up; it was Monday as well. He kissed her head and told her to call him if anything came up.
“The Lionel, you know, doesn’t have much time; protect the new Lionel with all you have.” The words echoed in her mind as she packed her car in the parking lot of the university.
These were the very words Quincy said to her on Zion’s birthday. Then later, during the competition, he told her, “He needs you, and you have to believe him no matter what”. She hadn’t even thought of this since this nightmare with Lionel started, and now that she did, a lot of questions rose in her mind.
Did he see the future with Lionel? If he did, how did he know this would happen?
She had done her very best to not think the little boy was odd because he was Zion’s friend and also a child, but now she didn’t know what to think.
Her brother had been unconscious for a while, with no way out of his state of mind. Somehow, Quincy knew this would happen and told her to protect him, and she needed to know what the little boy knew.
She didn’t go to her office like she usually did; instead, she made her way to Davine’s office and knocked on it. Her hands were trembling even as she waited for him to speak from inside his office.
“Come in,” she heard from within, and without wasting another second, she opened the door and stepped into the office.
Davine had his head down, going through the projects on his desk, but he soon looked up to find her. A surprised look took over his face for a few seconds before his brow narrowed in suspicion.
“Hello, Mrs. Hart, you’re in my office; what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?” He asked, taking off his glasses and setting them down before him on the desk.
“Quincy,” she started, forgetting about all the formalities that exist before a conversation can begin. “What is he?”
His eyes narrowed even more. “Quincy is my son; he is a boy; that’s what he is.”
She took a step further into the office. “I think that your son isn’t normal, and I like to think you know that, too.”
He folded his arms across his chest, and his body language drew defensively. “I have no clue what you speak of.”
She took another step forward, but stopped when he shot her a glare. “Davine, please.”
He sprang to his feet. “My son is normal, and to come into my office and tell me otherwise is an insult. I have said it before: You can say whatever you want about me, and I will let it go, but not about my son. You may leave, Mrs. Hart.”
She didn’t leave; she couldn’t bring herself to. She needed answers, and somehow she knew this was the closest place to get them. “My brother, Lionel, is trapped between the realms of life and death, and he has been that way since Friday. Quincy told me to protect him on Zion’s birthday over a week ago, and then, after the competition, before you came for him, he told me the same words again. Quincy knew about it even before it happened, and I want to know how he knew and what I should do now.”
The hostile look Davine had on his face reduced, and he now had a sympathetic look on his face as he beheld her. “Quincy is normal.” He told her and took his seat.
She wanted to speak, but bit down on her lip and stopped herself from speaking. There was nothing to say. If the father believed his son was normal, there was nothing she could do to make him help her.
“He is, however, a watcher,” he added.
“A watcher.” She echoed but said nothing after.
Davine nodded. “A watcher sees things and knows things by simply observing the times. Others might call him a seer.”
“So he’s like a witch?”
“A witch is gifted to see into the spiritual realm, but a watcher or seer has a limited perspective because he doesn’t see into the future. A watcher is only trained to see the physical by watching and observing. In Quincy’s case, he was born that way.” He answered.
“Quincy knew his mother; my late wife would not make it a week after she was diagnosed with cancer. He told her farewell and promised her he wouldn’t cry. When she finally died six months later, he didn’t cry. He was just five years old. Since then, he had seen a few other things just by observing the times.”
“Isn’t that how a witch would be, though?”
“It isn’t because my mother was a witch, and she told me my child would be a watcher, the first to be born. Throughout history, watchers have been made through years of training and dedication, but Quincy, unlike them, was born. I have since thrown myself into research trying to figure out what he is, and that is what I came up with.”