Chapter Twenty-Six

Unexpected Visitors

Staring at Tanzi, Naomi wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. The moment Tanzi had uttered those words Naomi realised that she was staring at a mirror image of herself all those months ago when she had woken up a scared child inside the hospital room. The fear in Tanzi's eyes, the doubt, the anger… It was a mirror image of Naomi's own memories… and Tanzi had said she couldn't feel her leg; that proved that this wasn't some kind of twisted joke but rather some kind of terrible twist of fate.

"Your name is Tanzi Sakamoto," Naomi said carefully as she looked down at the vulnerable Tanzi backed up against the bookshelf.

"It's not! Why are you lying to me!?" Her inflection was just like that of a scared and vulnerable child and Naomi knew that that was exactly what Tanzi was feeling. She had only grown into her current persona after recovering in the hospital and after the surgery.

But at the end of the day, there was one vital difference that Naomi knew between herself and Tanzi. Naomi reached down and placed her hand across Tanzi's leg. Tanzi immediately drew back before staring at Naomi's hand in shock.

"See? You can feel your legs."

"No, I-I can't… I can't stand I-I…" Tanzi seemed confused as she shook her head back and forth.

Naomi squeezed harder and Tanzi grimaced in pain. "You are feeling your legs, Tanzi, because you are not injured."

"My name is-is not…" Tanzi shook her head viciously back and forth. "Naomi… It, it is… Where are my parents!? I want them here, I want them here!"

Naomi could feel the rare feeling of anger blossoming up in her chest and she had to force herself to remain calm. Seeing Tanzi like this – even if it were some kind of result of a vision – frustrated her. It had been nearly a year since she had finished her recovery and had managed to get back to college. It had been a long hard road to recover and she had thought she had managed it. Now Tanzi was dredging it all back up again, whether deliberately or not.

"I-I-I'll call the police!" Tanzi suddenly said, her eyes filled with defiance. "I-My parents, they know people, I'll put you away so you'll never see the light of day again. If you don't take me to see my parents… I, I…"

"Enough!" Naomi finally lost her temper and dug her nails tightly into the joint of Tanzi's knee. Tanzi let out a gasp but Naomi only squeezed harder. "Stop this, now! Tanzi, come back now!"

"N-No, my name—"

"Is Tanzi Sakamoto! You can feel my grasp, you can feel your legs. So stand up right now and stop this!"

"Stop it, stop it!" Tanzi's face grew hot as she recoiled from Naomi. "I don't feel… I can't, I don't… Let me go!"

"STAND UP!" Naomi raised her voice and reached forward, grabbing Tanzi around the collar of her shirt. She suddenly lifted Tanzi up, sliding her back up the bookshelf until Tanzi's feet were barely touching the ground. Naomi let go and stepped back, watching Tanzi with quick breaths.

"Ah-Ah, no, no…" Tanzi fell forward like a puppet without strings, her legs slipping out from underneath her. She managed to use her hands to stop herself from hitting the hard floor with her face. "Just let me see my parents, take me to my parents! I don't want to be here!"

"You are not Naomi Collado, Tanzi!"

"I know who I am!"

"You do not!" Naomi stood straight and felt the anger flow hot in her head. "Naomi Collado lost something important in that crash, something you can never replicate! You are not and never were Naomi Collado! You need to snap out of this, Tanzi, please!"

"I don't understand…"

Naomi let out a frustrated snarl and unable to control her feelings any longer grabbed the hem of her ankle-length skirt, tearing it off in one fell swoop. She was wearing dark stockings underneath that ended just past the knee, neatly tied around the metal artificial legs that extended down from Naomi's knees. The craftsmanship of the artificial limbs was immaculate and disappeared into her shoes expertly. "I lost my legs to that crash! I lost my hopes and my future! I had to change my ideals and pursue a new dream and you dare to say that you are me!? Tanzi! Stand up and rid yourself of this foolish notion!"

Tanzi stared, open-mouthed, at Naomi's metal legs for a long moment. Then her eyes seemed to refocus and Tanzi blinked slowly. Her face grew pale and she shakily put her hands flat against the floor. Slowly she lifted herself to unsteady feet. She teetered for a moment but finally regained her balance. Tanzi looked at Naomi, her face twisted in sorrow. "N-Naomi… I am… I am so sorry… I… That's never happened to me with the other visions."

Naomi let out a long relieved sigh and gently crouched down to pick up her skirt, expertly wrapping it back around her hips and zipping up the long zip on the side. "It is okay. You were not in control."

Tanzi stared at her hands with wide eyes. "I've never…" She looked back up to Naomi. "My…" She quickly shook her head. "Your memories… You legs… Naomi…" Tanzi was lost for words and could only stare at Naomi in new understanding.

"Please do not tell anyone else about this," Naomi said quietly, turning away from Tanzi. "I know it is nothing to be ashamed about but… these legs of mine… they represent my weakness. I suspect you know full well of what I could have been." Tanzi's silence confirmed Naomi's suspicion. "Were there any clues you could discern from your vision?"

Tanzi shook her head. "In my previous visions the locations tended to change and I could make a guess at what it meant but with you I was in the car all through it."

"So stay away from cars? I think I can do that," Naomi turned around and managed to smile at Tanzi. "Come, let us find Lucas and Lacey and explain to them that you had your vision. Then we must call Ruby-"

"Not yet," Tanzi suddenly said.

"She will want an update."

"I know, but… nothing has happened yet… I just had a bit of an experience but… nothing serious, right? She's gone to that lighthouse and I don't want her to turn around before she gets the answers. Of course, if anything were to happen… when we save you then we'll phone her. But for now… or now let's leave it be… please?"

"If you are sure," Naomi consented. "We will not tell her the specifics but we do need to tell her that you had a vision, just so she is kept up to date."

Naomi sat on a bench at the front of the mansion, staring out down the long driveway. The situation with Tanzi had driven her back to the thoughts she didn't want to think about out. She massaged her knee with one hand and let out a sigh. She had lost control again and she had shouted at Tanzi and revealed the fact that she had prosthetic legs. The only people who knew about that were her parents and the surgeons who had treated her. Ever since the surgery she had worn long trousers and skirts to cover the prosthetics.

"You know, it is not a weakness."

Naomi looked up to find Tanzi walking over. "What's not a weakness?"

"Your legs," Tanzi said gently as she sat down next to Naomi.

"Tanzi… I understand what you are trying to do but I do not want to talk about it," Naomi said.

"You're wrong," Tanzi said matter-of-factly. "You do want to talk about it but you don't want it to seem like your putting your burdens on someone else's shoulders. Look, Naomi, I saw all of your feelings… I know what's going through that head of yours. So please… we're alone. Talk to me. I know you need to let it out."

Naomi looked to Tanzi for a long moment before finally speaking. "I… I do not want to be seen as 'the girl with no legs'. I do not want to let this injury define who I am. When people look at me, I want them to see Naomi Collado, the real me. I do not want them to talk to me out of pity. Every friendship I make, every person I talk to, I want to talk them without that cloud over my head." Naomi had spoken fast and took breath. "…Wow… I have never told anyone that before."

"I'm glad you told me."

"You already knew."

"But you still told me out loud and that means a lot," Tanzi smiled. "Look… I know you consider your legs a weakness but I think you should consider them a strength. It is proof that you were strong enough to survive."

Naomi shook her head. "I wasn't strong enough, Tanzi. I was lucky, that's all. I was lucky that I only lost my legs. I could have easily died…" Naomi suddenly let out a chuckle, surprising Tanzi. "I find it amazing that I avoided death in that crash only for death to be looming over me now. I just cannot get a break…"

"You tell the others," Tanzi said carefully.

"You know I can't."

"Then you should at least tell Zach."

"And why would I tell…" Naomi suddenly realised something and quickly looked away from Tanzi. "Oh…"

"He's certainly head over heels for you, that's for sure. He may play the womaniser but his attention is solely on you. When you had that conversation with his at the school you realised that you liked him. I don't think you should let this opportunity slip through your fingers."

"That is not important right now."

"Of course it is." Tanzi reached over and placed a hand over Naomi's knee. Naomi stiffened but didn't remove the hand. "Think of Lucas and what he has done for Lacey. He saved her life. Zach could do that for you – I know it and you know it. You believe you can't take that chance but why not? It is as you said, death looms over you. Now more than ever is the time to take a chance."

Naomi remained silent, mulling over Tanzi's words. She stared back down the driveway and tried to find the words but realised that it was useless. Tanzi had been in her mind and knew her deepest feelings. Anything Naomi said Tanzi would know the truth.

A faint rumbling suddenly came up from the driveway that grew louder and louder.

"Is that an engine?" Tanzi stood and peered down the driveway. Naomi followed suit.

"Not an engine… multiple engines." As the two woman watched the driveway they saw four cars drive up towards them. The cars were all fitted with darkened windows, spoilers, and various additions that Tanzi recognised easily as the kind of modification Jay Scythe had had.

"I think those are street racers," Tanzi said almost unable to believe it.

"Why would they come here?"

"Jay… Jay was a street racer."

The front car came to a stop in front of the women and the three other cars stopped in a semi-circle around the front of the mansion. Both the passenger door and drivers door opened and two figures came out. The driver was a man with a buzz-cut of blonde hair and piercings in each ear. He walked around the car and offered a hand to the passenger – a woman wearing low-cut denim shorts and a loose shirt that left nothing to the imagination. She noisily snapped gum in her mouth as she took the man's arm.

"This is private property," Naomi said as the two approached. She watched warily as other men came out of their cars though there we no other passengers.

"I don't care about you, girl. Run along," The man dismissed Naomi's words and looked to Tanzi. "This the girl, Marc?"

One of the other drivers stepped forward and looked Tanzi up and down. "That's the girl, Ryan! She was one of the two who was talking to Jay and then followed him."

The man who Marc had called Ryan looked at Tanzi with searching eyes. "I don't know what you think you're playing at girl, but Jay was one of us. He may have been an absolute selfish asshole but he was our selfish asshole. You don't mess with the people who race these streets."

"I tried to save his life," Tanzi said carefully. "Look, I don't want any trouble."

"Shame," Ryan shrugged. "'Cause you're going to get it."

"I saw Jay's body!" The one called Marc said. "You-You monster! Used that barbed wire like that… I mean, who does that? Who the hell does that?"

"You are a fool," Naomi spoke out for Tanzi. "Do you think my friend here just decided to wrap barbed wire around Jay's vehicle and his body?"

"Don't call me a fool!"

"Calm down, Marc," Ryan grinned devilishly.

"What are you gonna do to her?" The woman giggled as she hung off of Ryan's arm like a trophy.

"I want to teach her a lesson. Maybe a few broken bones here a few missing teeth there…" His head suddenly snapped to Naomi. "And if you don't leave right now, girl, you'll get involved. Go back into that fancy mansion of yours and ignore any screams you happen to hear."

"I do not think so," Naomi reached into her pocket for her phone. "I am going to call the police. I would suggest you—" The phone was suddenly slapped out of her hand and skittered across the driveway.

"Not gonna happen… You know, I thought Marc here was crazy when he said you were up in the country at a mansion. But what do you know… I guess he has his uses. The good thing about being so far away from town is we can do what we like. Don't worry, we won't kill you. But by the time we're done you'll never talk to the police again. So, girl," Ryan stepped close to Naomi. "Run away."

Naomi stared up at this man and crossed her arms firmly. "No."

"Naomi… Don't…" Tanzi tried to say but Naomi shook her head.

"You know why I make my decisions. You know why I cannot leave you to these thugs."

Ryan sighed. "So be it. I don't mind hurting girls. Becca, go to the boot. I have a little present for these two."

"They are on their way," Lucas whispered from his position at the side of the manor. Lacey was at his side, shaking like a leaf. They had gone to go find Tanzi and Naomi but instead saw these cars come up the driveway.

"B-But won't they take a while to get here? I mean we're out in-in the country."

"I know, Lacey… I'm going to have to do something," Lucas ran his hands through his hair and cursed. "Shit. I can't believe Ryan Thatcher is here. Of all the people… He's bad news, Lacey, really bad news."

"Y-You know that mean?"

"Not personally," Lucas shook his head. "But those street racers are known for dealing in homemade drugs… and Ryan Thatcher has been absolutely furious since someone offed his chemist. They had only mentioned Jay so I didn't realise that he was a street racer… If I knew I could have warned Tanzi that they'd be looking for them… Shit, shit, shit…"

"L-Lucas?" Lacey's eyes watched as the woman at Ryan Thatcher's side pulled what looked like a tire iron from the boot. "We s-should wait for the police…"

"No time, Lacey, you said it yourself. We're in the country." Lucas watched the girl hand over the tire iron to Ryan Thatcher. He quickly leaned forward and pecked Lacey on the lips. "Stay here, okay?"

"Don't," but it was already too late. Lucas had disappeared around the corner and Lacey could only watch, aghast and terrified.