Something was really wrong.
After acting so happy when she first came home, Amanda spend much of that evening very quiet and withdrawn. She did not want to watch TV. She did not want to play much at all. And, she would not even sing when Charles played the piano for her. And Caesar knew it had something to do with the strange incident in the kitchen. Not even Caroline's coming home, flushed and excited, to deliver her news that Amanda's friend would probably be out of the hospital in a day or two cheered her up much, and Caesar was torn between wanting to ask her what was wrong and being afraid to make things worse.
And, just to make things worse, Will and Caroline had a big fight when Caroline found out that Amanda had slept in Caesar's room the night before. Caesar only overheard part of it and didn't understand why Caroline was getting so mad about it. He loved her, she was like a Mother, but Caroline did get worked up about the silliest things, sometimes. When Caesar had once asked Will, Will had just shrugged and said, "That's women for you, Caesar."
Well, this was not a helpful explanation at all, in Caesar's opinion.
So, the young chimpanzee also made himself scarce upstairs, and he waited. He expected Amanda to come up to his room after everyone else was settled in bed, much as they had done the night before. She went to kiss Charles goodnight. But after waiting up there for several minutes, it became clear she was not coming. So, Caesar decided to go down to her, instead.
Without making a sound, he slipped out of his attic room and crept down to Amanda's door. He raised his hand to lightly knock, but just before his knuckles touched it, he heard her voice speak softly from inside the bedroom.
"It's open, Caesar. Come on in."
Caesar slipped inside and softly closed the door behind him. Amanda got up from where she had been stretched face down across her bed. She sat up and moved over and they perched together on the foot of her bed.
Caesar could see that she had been crying. He put a hand on Amanda's and was startled to feel her trembling.
"Don't cry. Caesar here now," he signed into her hand before wrapping both arms around her.
"Why Amanda scared?" he asked eventually when she had stopped trembling so much and he felt safe to release her. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
Amanda squeezed his hand back, hard.
"You wouldn't believe me," Amanda sniffed. "And if you did… Well, that's worse."
Caesar made an indecisive sort of sound.
"I know, I'm not making any sense, right?"
Caesar huffed out his agreement and was pleased that it almost made her smile. It was the first hint of one he had seen all evening.
"I don't want to scare you away like I scare almost all of my friends away," Amanda told him tearfully.
"Caesar not scared of you," Caesar signed insistently.
"Not yet," Amanda murmured sadly.
A short silence stretched between them, but just as Caesar was trying to think of what to say next, Amanda spoke up first.
"Caesar," Amanda began very cautiously. "Do you know what the word psychic means?"
He shook his head and huffed twice. This was a quick short code they had developed for yes and no. One huff meant yes, and two meant no.
"Yeah, I didn't think you'd know about it. I wish I didn't. Well, it has to do with the mind, Caesar." Amanda tried to explain. She put a finger to her forehead just in case he still was not getting it.
Caesar gasped, and gripped both her hands in his, a terrible dread filling him.
"Is Amanda sick… like Charles? Will fix it, get Amanda some of Charles medicine." Caesar signed in a flurry of movements.
"No, no, not like Charles," Amanda hastened to reassure him. Psychic, well, it means a whole lot of different things for different people, Caesar. It means I can… I can feel stuff in my head, and hear stuff, stuff that no one else can feel or hear. Sometimes, I hear people thinking. I almost always feel what they're feeling … Like you, just now. And, sometimes, I have these dreams of stuff that ends up happening later on."
Amanda sniffed loudly and pulled one hand free from Caesar so she could grab a tissue from the box on her night stand. "That's why I can't go to school anymore. I can't stand the crowd, all those people and those thoughts packed together in one building. It's why I couldn't go and watch my brother win his stupid competition, either."
Caesar reached over and stroked the top of Amanda's head. He was worried but also now afire with curiosity, too. He took Amanda's hands again, but she spoke before he could sign.
"Yeah, really, and it's nothing to get excited about, Caesar!" Amanda cried. "It's a curse!"
The young chimp was confused. He signed slowly. "Why? You could help people, warn people, or tell good things that—"
Looking horrified, Amanda jerked her hands out of Caesars grip, and clenched them in to fists.
"No, No, No! I can't do that!" she exclaimed. "Not even good stuff!"
She jumped up and started pacing around the small bedroom.
Ever since Amanda had come to stay with them, Caesar had been constantly amazed by and had admired how well she navigated through the house and around the outside of the house, even though she could not see, swerving around objects he was sure she would crash in to or trip over, neatly slipping in and out of doorways, her small hands finding what they searched for, and all while she could not see a thing. But this time was different. He knew that Amanda knew her way not only around the house but especially around this bedroom, but she was so upset that she now bumped in to things hard enough to make him wince. Her normal graceful fluid movements were gone, and the third time she bumped in to the edge of the desk hard enough to make it shake a little bit, Caesar was afraid she would get hurt, and he would not sit and watch anymore.
Knowing it might make her a little mad but feeling the risk was worth it, he got off the bed and went to her, taking her gently by the arm, halting her in her tracks.
Caesar tugged gently on her arm. She resisted for a second, though it seemed more automatic resistance then deliberate obstinance. Then, to his relief, she relented, and let him lead her back to the bed.
Caesar waited a longtime, but when she said nothing further, he tried again.
"Amanda knows things. Why can't Amanda help people? he started to ask. But she answered his question before he could start spelling it with his fingers.
"it scares people when I'm right. It scares them even to suspect what I am," Amanda told him, tearing up again. "They either don't like it or … or they blame me for everything … or they want to use it as a weapon against people. Why aren't you scared? I just answered you before you even asked me, didn't I? So why aren't you scared?"
Caesar just shrugged, then remembering she could not see him shrug, he again gently squeezed her hand.
"Because I know, Amanda is good," he signed to her firmly.
Amanda shook her head.
Caesar expected this to make her happy, but she just started to cry softly again, and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his hair.
Once her crying had subsided a little, Caesar's curiosity got the better of him, and he dared to ask her if she felt anything about him.
"see, I knew it! Just couldn't resist asking, huh," Amanda sighed, looking very serious. "Do you really want to know, Caesar? It might not be good."
Caesar huffed once to indicate a yes. Yes, if she felt something about him, he definitely wanted to know.
He stayed perfectly still as Amanda first disentangled herself from him and then gently touched his face with both her hands. He held still as she held his face between her hands, then she gasped, dropped her hands back in her lap, and laughed out loud.
"Oh, Caesar," she whispered. "It's … it's amazing!"
He reclaimed one of her hands and signed, "What amazing? What?"
"Oh, Caesar," Amanda breathed again. "You … you're gonna be a King! More than a King. You are going to be a savior!"
"What savior?" he signed.
"Someone who saves their people from terrible hardship and cruelty," Amanda explained.
He huffed out laughter then. He could not help it. Was she teasing him?
"Don't laugh. I'm serious, Caesar," Amanda replied calmly. "You are going to change the whole world. You wait and see. You... Uh-oh! We're gonna get it now."
Before Caesar could think of what to say, a sharp knock sounded at the door.
"Kids. Amanda, Caesar, come on now. It is past bedtime," Caroline said through the door.
Amanda giggled, and Caesar was happy to see her cheering up, even if they were both in trouble.
"Busted," she whispered to Caesar as Caroline came in.
'Caesar, You go back to your own room, now," she commanded. "I don't want a repeat of last night. Amanda honey, have you been crying?"
Caroline settle down on Amanda's bed and took the girl into her arms. Reluctantly, Caesar patted Amanda's head and left the room and went back to his own. But once the house grew very still, he slipped out again. Amanda was still awake and let him into her room.
"She's gonna be so-o-o-o mad. We are both gonna get in so much trouble for this," the girl said.
"Want Caesar go?" he asked her.
"Nope, just thought one of us should say it, that's all," Amanda chirped as they settled down on the foot of her bed again.
"Why she mad?" Caesar wanted to know.
"Beats me," Amanda commented absently as they settled down again.
"Your friend, what his name?" Caesar asked. He had ben wanting to ask that all evening.
"Huh? Oh, Luca," Amanda told him with a yawn. "I've known him since he was a baby. He's been so sad since the old Alpha died."
They talked a bit longer, then they curled up together and fell asleep, to be found by a furious Caroline first thing the next morning.
"I've a mind not to let you come and see Luca today," Caroline threatened Amanda.
"Hey Caroline, come on. That's too much," Will put in as he stepped between his furious girlfriend and his house guest. "Caesar, Amanda, go downstairs and have your breakfasts. Amanda, Franklin will be here for you at eight thirty. So, you'd better hustle, c'mon." On their way downstairs, they could her Will and Caroline start to argue again.
"I'm only trying to protect the girl Will, her and Caesar-"
"Protect her from what? From Caesar? Dammit Carrie, what's wrong with you! you know him better than that—" That was all they heard before Amanda tugged a distressed-looking Caesar towards the dining room. They sat down just as Charles was getting up.
"Hey, aren't you gonna eat with us, Uncle Charlie?" Amanda asked Will's father.
"No, think I'll go tickle the ol' ivories, sweetie," was his forced reply. He kissed Amanda's cheek and ruffled Caesar's head as he strode from the room.
After I go kick some butt first. Those two are giving me a headache, they heard Charles mutter as he moved away, and not towards his piano.
"Eat, Caesar," Amanda urged gently. "My Mom and Dad fight about me all the time. Don't worry so much. They'll be okay." She offered him a piece of grapefruit. "I wish you could come with me. Hey, want me to bring you back an ice cream cone? Or some candy, maybe? Cotton candy?"
Caesar's ears pricked up. He loved ice cream.
"Rather go with you. Meet your friend?" Caesar signed into Amanda's free hand.
"I wish you could, Caesar. But you'd have to ask Will about that. But I'm betting his answer will be no," Amanda advised. "Caroline will definitely say no. They don't usually let chimpanzee and gorillas mix too much."
"Because someone will get hurt," Amanda answered another unsigned question from Caesar. She groaned, and started to apologize, but Caesar just hooted softly and patted her hand, telling her it was okay.
She leaned close to Caesar and whispered, "Just don't tell Caroline about me, you know, okay, Caesar? She doesn't know. Will knows. He's been trying to develop medicine that will help to stop my curse, but nothing's really worked so far. His medicine just gives me a headache and makes me burp. And Charles, well uh, I think he suspects, but Caroline-"
Caesar hooted once in agreement, and Amanda got up and went to get dressed for another trip to the zoo. Amanda came back down, her cane extended and in hand. "Hey, Caesar, come out and wait with me. You can meet Franklin at least."
Caesar hooted happily and bounded out the front door to wait with Amanda for her ride.
"Hey fay, what do ya say?" Franklin beamed as he pulled up and got out to open Amanda's door for her. Come ride we me and we'll. and we'll… uh-"
"We'll fly away?" Amanda offered helpfully as she got in the car. "And stop calling me fay or you'll go away!"
"Okay Fay, whatever you say?" franklin teased and Amanda jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow again.
"Gotta watch these women, Caesar," Franklin advised, wincing exaggeratedly as he moved to sit behind the wheel. "Their elbows are like little knives."
Amanda was laughing as they drove away, and the man called Franklin was nice. Amanda seemed very fond of him. Caesar watched until the car was out of sight, then wandered back into the house.
Why did his house feel more confining with each day?
