Read All We See or Seem for Free Online Page A

the bed, and sat for a moment to get his bearings. First things first. Had to get that nasty morning taste out of his mouth.
    He walked barefoot on the cold hardwood floor out the door and down the hall to the bathroom. It was locked. He knocked.
    â€œBobby? You almost done?”
    â€œYeah, dude. Be out in a minute,” was the reply. The door opened, and Bobby stepped out still dripping with a towel wrapped around his waist. His dark hair wet and curly from the shower. “It’s all yours, man. Word of warning? That new toothpaste is some nasty stuff. Prepare yourself.” Bobby’s green eyes sparkled as he feigned a punch to Aaron’s gut then dodged Aaron’s return swing and made a dash down the hall to his own room, leaving a wet trail.
    â€œYeah, that’s what I thought!” Aaron called after his little brother. He stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind him.
    Still feeling pretty groggy, he turned on the sink and rinsed his face with a handful of the cold water, then brought another handful to his lips to wash the sticky taste from his mouth. Without thinking, he immediately reached to unplug his electric razor, but his hand was still wet, and the outlet zapped him.
    â€œHoly crap!” Aaron exclaimed as he jumped back and bounced lightly around the room, holding his thumb tightly. “Man! I’m like a freaking lightning rod lately!” Still nursing his frazzled thumb, he looked down to his feet at the puddle of water Bobby had left behind. “Nice, Bobby,” Aaron muttered to himself. “Such a slob.”
    He grabbed a towel hanging on the rack behind him and tossed it on the floor over the puddle, took a close look at his wounded thumb, held it to his lips a moment, and then grabbed his toothbrush, muttering choice phrases about his brother under his breath. He took the toothpaste in his good hand and turned it around to read the label. Something in his memory nagged that the striped green and white tube was vaguely familiar. He opened it and spread it on his toothbrush then stuck it in his mouth and began brushing.
    Bobby wasn’t kidding. It was nasty.
    Aaron’s heart was still beating wildly from the shock, and his taste buds were rejecting the bitter foam in his mouth. Suddenly he felt himself grow dizzy. He laid both hands on the sink to steady himself, with the toothbrush in his fist. His eyes fixed on the green and white tube, then everything went black. In the darkness flashed the face he had seen in his dream — she was laughing and holding the toothpaste out to him, like it was a joke. Something told him it was their joke, hers and his, and everything about her was familiar. Her smile. Her laugh. Her wayward auburn strands of hair framing her face. Who was she?
    ****
    Gem stood at the sink. She had returned from breakfast and was preparing for her appointment. In her hand she held a tube of toothpaste. A sad smile played on her lips as her mind replayed a memory of Gryff laughing at the look on her face from the first taste of the new toothpaste he had brought her. It had been his week for necessity delivery to the dorm. Just her luck, she had needed toothpaste. It was the same tube she now held, flattened almost to the top. She’d need a new delivery soon.
    ****
    The vision faded as quickly as it had come. Aaron came to just in time to catch himself. He shook his head fiercely and splashed more cold water in his face. The doctor had said there could be effects of post-traumatic stress, that he should record occurrences in the journal. But Aaron had thought he meant flashbacks from the accident. These dreams and images were stemming from something entirely different… something locked deep in a vaulted memory, somewhere he couldn’t access at will, but strangely, a place he desperately wanted to explore.
    He slowly lowered himself to the floor and propped himself against the pale blue wall behind him, leaning his head