Chapter Four: Blue Eyes:

Cephalla rode her bike to the shed and walked up to the house.

“I’m home, Grandma!” she called from the doorway. Her grandmother looked up from the kitchen.

“How much did he charge this time?” she asked.

“On the house,” the teenage girl replied.

“I thought as much,” the old lady replied.  Cephalla took off her shoes at the doorway.

“Why does he do that, Grandma?” she asked. “Isn’t he losing money with us?” Her grandmother chuckled at such questions.

“Grandma?” Cephalla asked.

“It’s nothing, dear,” the old lady answered. “Just an old bet I made years ago.”

“What old bet?” her granddaughter asked. The old lady walked out into the dining room.

“It’s a long story,” she replied. “I would rather save it for later.” Cephalla still didn’t get what she was saying.

“Okay…” she said. “They brought more patients to the hospital.”

“Well that’s nothing new, dear,” she said. “Did you get everything on the list?”

“Yes, grandma,” the girl answered. Cephalla took off her shoulder bag and handed over to the old lady.

“Thank you, dear,” she said. The old lady got right to work. Her granddaughter watched her hands. She couldn’t bring herself to talk about that patient she saw an hour earlier. To the elderly on this island, another soldier coming for treatment didn’t matter. Still, Cephalla ached to talk more about him. However, she realized that she didn’t know much about that patient. She didn’t even get a good look at his face. A pair of eyes wasn’t enough to find a full attraction in a person.

“Cephalla?” the girl heard back in reality. “Are you feeling okay?” She leapt back as something or someone touched her on the shoulder. Cephalla looked up to see her grandmother staring at her. The old lady frowned at her.

“Yes?” her granddaughter asked.

“Your cheeks look so red,” her grandmother said. “Do you have a fever or something?” She reached out to put her hand on the girl’s forehead, but Cephalla pushed her away.

“No, no!” she insisted. “I’m fine, grandma. Stop!” Cephalla turned and headed to the guest room. Her grandmother couldn’t understand her behavior.

“I have some mint tea to help calm you down!” she shouted after her down the hall.

“I don’t need it!” Cephalla replied back.

“Are you sure?” the old lady asked as she found the bedroom door swing shut.

In her room, Cephalla, leaned against her temporary bedroom door. She took in deep breath to catch her head. That trip to the hospital parking lot really threw her off. The girl closed her eyes and breathed in. Those blue eyes came back into her mind. Cephalla pressed her lips together. She ached to tell someone of what she saw, but what good would that do? Naturally, they would think she was insane for her notions, but she couldn’t help it. Cephalla opened her eyes and pressed her fist to her chest.

Calm down! You have more sense than this. Think about how you want to deal with it! Cephalla opened her eyes and pressed her hands to her mouth. Right… The next best thing to do would be to find out more about the owner of those blue eyes. Cephalla frowned to herself as she sank down to the floor.

Where do I even start? She walked over to the couch and flopped down. It still wasn’t as comfortable as her own bed. Frog’s mother currently had her room. The teenage girl frowned to herself as she took in the smell of the couch. Despite sleeping on it many nights, the old cigar smell refused to leave the fabric. No sheets in the world could hide the stench or make it more comfortable.

“Grandma!” Cephalla shouted.

“What is it, dear?” the old lady asked. The teenage girl sat up on the lace-covered couch.

“Can’t the clinic open any faster?” she asked.

“We’ve been over this already.”

“Right…” Cephalla puffed up her cheeks in a frown. She reached underneath the couch and felt around. “Come on,” she mumbled. “You better still be here.” The girl paused when her hand touched metal spirals.

“Got ya!” she said with a grin. Cephalla pulled out her brown drawing pad and flipped it open to a fresh page. She reached over to the oak side table and pulled open the drawer. The girl bought a new pack of colored drawing pencils last week with the money her grandmother gave her. Cephalla let her fingers brush up against the hard yellow plastic. It’s not like that money is really being used anymore, she thought herself. Might as well go to good use, right?

She opened the box and pulled out only two colors that mattered at the moment: black and light blue. Cephalla traced out an oval shape on the paper. First came a line that went up and then down into a hump. The second line mirrored the first. She drew back her pencil and looked at her progress. A smile came across her lips before she copied the same shape inches away from it. Cephalla reached into the drawer and pulled out her pink Hello Kitty. Once the two ovals matched up perfectly, she went back to work. Each one received a circle inside of it. Two more circles and dots later, it was time to add the color.

Her heart did little flips in her chest as the light blue color really brought her latest creation to life. However, that’s where her magic ended. Until she had the rest of the face, it would drive her crazy. With that, her resolve was born. I will go and find out who these eyes belong to! Her thoughts were broken up when she heard the doorbell ring.

“Cephalla, could you get the door?” her grandmother asked.

“Yes!” the teenage girl shouted. Setting aside her drawing, she leapt off the couch and raced down the hall.

“Walk!” the old lady shouted. Cephalla slowed down her pace before she reached the door.