#63 – Eyes
Rachel
The soft clitter-clatter of my keyboard being used woke me up. Not enough to open my eyes; I remembered that Tobias had been hanging out with me in my room. I must have fallen asleep, and he must have decided to use my computer while I slept. I didn't mind…I was a big supporter of Tobias doing human activities back then when he'd just gotten his morphing powers back from the Ellimist.
I stayed still with my eyes closed, keeping my breathing steady and regular as the keyboard continued to softly clack. Whatever he was doing, I didn't want to distract him. The thing about pretending to sleep when you're tired is that you really fall back asleep, though. The next time my mind had a conscious thought, my room was silent and empty.
I opened my eyes, which were drawn instinctively to the glowing alarm clock on the nightstand. 5:11. My computer monitor was in sleep mode. Curious, I rolled out of bed and tapped the enter key to wake it up.
Not surprisingly, Tobias had closed whatever program he had been using. I had almost made up my mind to just ask him what he'd been doing when I noticed my Recycle Bin icon. I kept it meticulously clear of files…I didn't even understand the purpose of having a Recycle Bin, but my computer wouldn't let me delete it. If you're going to delete something, it's because you want it gone, not because you want it in other folder on your computer. To me, it seemed like saving the trash bags full of garbage you threw away just in case you might need to dig through them later.
Now there was a file in my Recycle Bin. I opened it and saw that it was an untitled document. I opened the document and read.
Why do I do it? Why do I suffer the things I suffer in order to fight a fight I don't even want? Why do I kill to eat when I hate violence? Why do I fight when I'd rather love?
Now it's because of my friends. Now it's because of the girl I love. But before…it was because of his eyes.
Huge eyes which saw everything. They were almond-shaped, and to me, that made them look kind. There was an iris and a pupil, just like my own eyes. Even the eyeballs on top of his head were made up of the same parts as my own eyes, and I think that is what made me trust him before he ever spoke.
At first, the green eyes spoke of alien forests I would never see. They held wonderful secrets that Elfangor would never have time to tell.
Then, when the Yeerks came and he realized time was even shorter than he'd thought, those eyes grew soft with desperation. As he transferred the morphing power to my friends and I, his eyes begged us to do what he no longer could.
And when we ran and hid from Visser Three, Elfangor stood firm. Wounded, scared, and alone, he faced his enemy. His eyes betrayed none of what I know he was feeling, though…his eyes blazed with the emerald fire of righteousness.
Elfangor was struck down. He is gone. But when I close my eyes, I can see his. And if my friends are what keep me going, Elfangor's eyes are what started it in the first place.