True Faces Read Free

way
to start the day. The cabbie dropped me off on the outskirts of
town where I lived, pressed against the forest and helped me to the
door of my house. I thanked him and hurried inside, shutting the
door and locking all three deadbolts.
    I ran up the stairs and emptied my shopping
bags on to my bed. I giggled in delight and held a black pinstriped
dress up in front of me so I could look at it in the mirror.
“Hmm…maybe next week.” I hung the dress up and then held a pantsuit
outfit up to my body in front of the mirror. It hugged all the
right curves and was very classy. “We have a winner.” I hung the
outfit on the mirror and started hanging the rest of the clothes up
in the closet then finished by sorting the shoes, socks, hosiery
and underwear.
    I skipped down the stairs and turned on the
stereo, sighing happily as Metallica slammed in to my eardrums.
Preternaturals hate loud noises, so I prefer them. I kicked my
shoes off and swung my head around as I skipped to the kitchen. My
house was two stories and pretty large for only me to live in, but
my parents had left it to me in their will and so I treasured
it.
    I opened the fridge and took out the leftover
pasta from last night and stuck it in the microwave, dancing in
place while I watched the timer countdown. The hair on the nape of
my neck stood up and fear crept over my skin. I spun around and
stared out the window. Nothing, at least nothing that I could see.
“Damn, I’m getting too paranoid,” I whispered. I took out the
pasta, grabbed a soda, checked all of the locks on the doors and
windows and ran up the stairs to my room. I turned on the
television to the news channel while I ate my dinner.
    After finishing my dinner I stretched in the
center of my room. I only had a full length mirror, dresser, bed
and television in my room so that I could have enough room to
practice my kickboxing, pilates, yoga, and Qigong. I took a
cleansing breath and started my Qigong, watching the television and
trying to close my other sight. I was born with my third eye open
allowing me to see people’s real faces. It’s not a physical third
eye, that makes me look like a freak, but a metaphysical eye that
allows me to see more than any other human. The open third eye
means that no glamour can hide the monsters from my sight. It’s
horrible. It makes it very hard to talk to preternatural because I
usually end up staring at their non-human parts and inevitably
insult them even though they don’t know I can see them.
    I want to be able to close the third eye and
lead a normal life without seeing fangs, wings and phantom body
parts. Every day I am in danger and I know it, but until I close it
I cannot do anything about it. If anyone found out about my ability
I could be killed or tortured or whatever they decided was a
fitting punishment for being able to see them. My parents freaked
when they found out about my ability and dropped me off at Akio’s
when I was six. Akio and I have been working since then to close my
eye, but I haven’t been able to. The damn thing is determined to
stay open. Nevertheless I continue to try.
    I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and went
through my movements. I looked at the television and saw the
reporter. She was an attractive Asian woman, except for the horns
growing out of her head. I focused on the center of my forehead
where the eye was and imagined closing it. The horns wavered and
then came in to better focus. “Dammit!” I yelled.
    I exhaled and tried again, this time focusing
on a satyr in the background. His hooves faded then…disappeared!
“Yes!” I looked back at the reporter and screamed in joy. She
looked human. “Yes! YES! YEEEESSSSSS!!!!!! Finally!” I laughed in
joy and ran downstairs and out the front door, not bothering to
lock it in my excitement. I ran as fast as I could down the
sidewalk ignoring the bewildered stares of those I ran by. I ran up
the steps of the dojo and flung open the door. “AKIO!!!!!”
    Akio