19. Flashback - Psychometry

Twelve years ago.

After falling from a height, Irene and Bella were rushed to the hospital. However, Irene almost lost her life due to heavy bleeding in her head. If it was too late, the seventeen-year-old girl would have lost her world.

Luckily, Irene managed to survive despite being unconscious for a week. She was intensively treated in an intensive care unit while Bella suffered minor injuries as the girl's head was held in place by Irene's hand.

The incident shocked the school and both families. Irene's family felt indebted to her. They also waited for the beautiful girl to open her eyes.

"Argh! What is this?!" gasped Irene as her mother hugged her when she first opened her eyes after a week had passed.

Her mother was crying uncontrollably as her only daughter regained consciousness. She hugged and rubbed her, but Irene threw her mother's hand away.

"What's wrong with you, daughter?"

Irene looked dazed, but some of them said that it might be due to Irene's instability after just waking up from a coma.

"It's okay, dear. Mommy's here." Mom rubbed the back of Irene's pale hand.

The girl threw her mother's hand back. Her eyes looked shiny, tears held in her eyes. "Mommy..."

"Yes, I'm your mom."

Irene's tears slid slowly down her cheeks. She gazed at her mother painfully, both surprised and moved. Irene was too shocked because she could suddenly see a short memory that formed a kaleidoscope. The memory showed her mother, who never stopped crying, waiting for Irene to wake up. Mom was always by her side, talking to Irene. That's what made her sad, too.

"I... did I not wake up that long?" Irene confirmed.

"Yes. But you're awake now. There's nothing to worry about."

"But I can see mom crying. I can also see you talking to me. Is that me sleeping?" Irene was still trying to digest her new life. "I'm not really in a coma, mom."

"Alright. You don't have to think about things that don't matter."

"How can I not think about it?" Irene screamed. "Mom is crying like she's losing hope!"

"Irene!"

Then her father and brother came. They hugged Irene and the memory sequence became random. Irene pushed them away.

"Irene?" Her brother felt disrespected.

Irene looked at him sharply. "Why are you still gambling? You spend your money on that?"

The older brother, whose name was Island, laughed awkwardly. "What are you talking about? Irene must still be on the brink of life. Between her sleep dreams and other psychic influences, Mother."

"Lies! Even the loan shark came to her last night," Irene exclaimed.

"Island!" snapped mom.

While Island was making excuses to her mother and father, Irene was stunned into silence. She was trying to figure out how she could have seen all that. She panicked a bit, then grabbed her head.

After all that had happened, Irene told the doctor her complaint. But the doctor said that it was probably psychological and other influences as Island said because Irene had just woken up from a coma. But Irene felt that was not the case.

After that, Irene went through recovery while solving what happened to her.

"Where did I see all that from? Is it from touch?"

+++

Irene reached out to touch the glass on the nightstand. She closed her eyes to focus but raised one eyebrow when she found nothing. Irene was confused. There was nothing she could see in the glass.

"What is this?"

Then, when her mother arrived, Irene immediately took her hand and closed her eyes. Instantly, Irene was dumbfounded. Then she asked her mother, "Did you just meet Jeff's mom?"

"How did you know?" she asked, stirring porridge for Irene.

But the girl let out her breath roughly. "Mom, I want to get checked out again."

"What?"

When the doctor arrived, Irene whined and asked to have something done to her head. "I must be sick."

"We've done a CT scan on Miss Irene and the result is a small brain injury. It's not dangerous. We also explained that a long time ago," the doctor explained.

"Can a brain injury make me see things that have happened before?"

The doctor laughed. "There is no such thing."

"But I am like that. You said I would get better with time. You said it was all because of the effects of the incident. But it's been a few days and I still feel the same." Irene whined even though mom had tried to restrain Irene from being rash but to no avail.

The teenage Irene tugged at the doctor's coat. "Please do something for me! I feel like I'm going crazy every time I touch someone having to see things I shouldn't."

From outside the room, there was a handsome young man with glowing blue eyes who was just stunned in front of them carrying a fruit basket.

"If you want to get well, don't think unnecessary things. You just need to relax and have the spirit to get well. Then there are no other shadows," said the doctor.

Feeling that the words were ineffectual, Irene pulled the doctor's hand away. It was quite a shock to everyone in the room.

"You even cheated on your wife?"

"What are you doing?" The doctor withdrew his hand.

Irene tilted her head. "You fucked a college student, right?"

After that, Irene ended up in the mental health clinic. Her mother questioned her about her daughter's condition. She also felt that there was a grudge from the doctor that caused Irene to be isolated.

"Never mind, Mom!" pleaded Irene as she sat in the garden.

"What do you mean? I will fight for you. How could she hold a grudge and bring you to this place?! They think you're crazy and delusional!"

Irene tugged on Mom's hand. "Enough!" She teared up. "I do deserve this place."

"What?!"

Irene exhaled softly. "Like the psychiatrist said, I might just be crazy. I am crazy, mom!"

"Irene? What's wrong with you?"

Irene covered her face in tears. "I don't know either."

After that, teenage Irene looked glum. She resigned herself to passing her days in the mental health clinic with the diagnosis of a delusional patient even though she felt that what she saw was not just a delusion because what she saw was a reality. Unfortunately, no one believed her. Irene is even more frustrated because, with an accidental touch, she can see other people's memories.

That sucks. Irene wanted to ask for help, but no one understood.

But in the end, a man came, stretched out his hand, and gave her trust. He was Dannielle Morgan.