The Medium Kid

Chapter 12

Sorry about the late update, I started my second year of university this week! A lot of you ask if I have an updating schedule. I (MOSTLY) update every 2-3 days, 4 days if I'm a little busy, and 5 if I've really struggled to find the time! So don't worry, I'd never leave you hanging for weeks!

Also, I was a little hungover when editing this, so please point out any grammar/spelling mistakes if you spot any :')

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

- Sian

Alfie, not used to receiving compliments, displayed a series of awkward reactions. First, he blushed, then his eyes darted around the room, then he regrettably pulled his hand away and sank into his chair. "Thanks," he mumbled, attempting to hide his beetroot cheeks.

Koda could only smile, seeming to find his flustered face amusing. "So, are you getting in touch with my mother tonight?"

Alfie hesitated, twisting the ring around his index finger. "I'll try, but the storm will be quite distracting."

"I didn't know that affected you." Koda paused, hearing a low rumble of thunder.

"I feel the energy from people, especially emotions like sadness and anger. When there's a storm like this one-" Alfie stopped because just on cue, the wind whistled loud against the side of the house, "a lot of people panic and stress. I find it hard to concentrate. This is England; a storm is hardly ever devastating."

"We do like to panic," Koda chuckled, and Alfie gave himself a moment of really studying his eyes.

His crush had done well to push the grief he felt for his mother away, but there was still odd specs of sorrow all over his face. Strange glints of despair surfaced, but only for a moment. He wanted to ask why Koda wasn't grieving like people expected him to, why he wasn't crying every hour, why he was at college, getting on with his coursework, and why he had the energy to smile when his heart was ripped into parts so small, it was almost permanently destroyed. But Alfie understood grief like it was a part of him. There was no correct way to mourn, and if Koda's way of coping was to push it all down and explode later on, then Alfie couldn't do much about it.

"Can I ask you a few questions?"

Koda raised a brow, watching Alfie sit forwards and connect his fingers, ignoring the blush still hovering on his skin. "Sure."

"I know you're here to talk to your mother, but I also offer support. I deal with people and their sadness almost every day, whether they're dead or alive. If you want to talk about how her death has made you really feel, I'm here to listen. I can't give you advice because I'm not trained to do so, but I'm a bit like talking to a dog or something. I won't judge you or feel burdened; I'll just listen."

Koda stared for a moment- keeping the eye contact that sent electricity through Alfie- before resting his elbow on the table and his head on his palm. "How many people have you said that to?"

"It's impossible to count," Alfie shrugged, "but I mean every word."

Koda stared for longer like he weighed up his options. Something about the medium calmed him to the very core. He knew Alfie was an excellent listener and not a single ounce of judgement had been present in his eyes. "You want me to tell you how I really feel?"

Alfie nodded with a comforting smile, an expression he didn't just hand out to anyone.

Koda lifted his chipped mug and sipped the tea now that it had cooled. He inspected the northern lights printed around the pottery, then sank in his chair like Alfie. "I feel like I'm floating, you know?" The medium nodded. "I feel so empty like a part of me died with my mother. My head always feels clogged in the morning and most of the time I have a lump in my throat and I'm always on the verge of tears. I keep dreaming about her because she's all I think about, but that makes it worse. Sometimes I forget that she's gone and this has all been a horrible dream." Koda paused. He could feel the lump rising up his windpipe. "Dad said I should take a few weeks off college, but moping about indoors made everything feel so much more intense, like the walls were closing in on me and I was losing myself inside my head."