Dax is Crazy
an excerpt from Farsighted, chapter 6
Dax’s mind forces itself into mine again the following afternoon, while I’m sitting in a cramped bathroom stall, willing my bowels to empty quickly between second and third hour classes. “Bring in the patient,” a deep echoing voice commands. Someone scuffles out of the room, dragging feet across the floor. A cautious knock at the door comes a few moments later.
“Dax, this is Dr. Merton,” the female shuffle-walker says. “Let’s try to be a bit kinder than usual, hmm?” The door closes and she walks out, leaving the doctor alone with Dax. Dax sits in his chair with a thud and presses his fingernails into the wooden seat, creating a sound not unlike nails dragging across a chalkboard. “Now we both know why you’re here,” Dr. Merton says placidly.
“You might as well submit to treatment.” Dax snorts and grinds his teeth so loudly even I can hear. And for a moment, it feels like I am right inside his head, sitting on top of his brain. “As a minor, your parents decide whether or not you undergo treatment. Since they’ve already consented, treatment is inevitable. It would be so much easier for us all if you didn’t spit on the nurses when they come to give you your injections, if you swallowed your pills like most of the other patients. If you behaved.”
“I won’t take anything. I’m not crazy,” Dax says calmly—too calmly—as he cracks his neck on either side. “And how do I know you’re not giving me poison instead of medicine? If you don’t trust me, then I don’t trust you.” He snorts again and starts rocking the chair’s four wooden legs from side to side. “I’ve already explained, we’re giving you the medicine and the therapy to help control the hypomania and the borderline and schizoaffective personality disorders,” the doctor explains in a patient voice.
“I don’t know what any of that means!” Dax is on his feet; his voice is coming from a place over my head. He’s lost his forced calm and is now bordering on panicked. “How can you say you’ve told me, if everything you say is in code language? There’s nothing wrong with me—God damn it!” The whole room trembles. Books inch off from their shelves and land on the floor. A picture frame slides down the wall and shatters. “What’s—what’s going on? An earthquake?” the doctor asks in a feeble voice.
“There’s nothing wrong with me!” Dax thunders. Lightning strikes a tree, or at least that’s what it sounds like. The electrical charge hanging in the air becomes so overwhelming my hair is practically standing on end. There’s a zipping noise—the sounds of a thousand tiny wood splinters breaking apart. The doc screams girlishly as the door is thrust open; several people rush in.
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” Dax enunciates calmly, his temper having retreated suddenly. The room settles to the state it was in just moments ago, before all the rumbling began. The electricity is gone. I hear Dax arguing with a cluster of people, the sounds of their hands slapping to form vice grips and force him out of the office. “What happened?” Dr. Merton asks, the sound of his voice rising up above my head. His breathing is so heavy, it interferes with his speech.
“I don’t know,” someone answers. “An earthquake wouldn’t rip your desk in half perfectly down the middle. I just can’t believe it.” Dax laughs, or maybe he cries, under his breath, and the whole scene disappears, leaving just me and the empty school restroom. The bell must’ve rung meaning everyone else has already made their way to class. I sit in my stall for a long time, not even worried about missing Algebra. I’m so shaken up by what just happened I can’t even move. Somehow I know deep within my gut Dax was responsible for the scene in the doctor’s office. Earlier, I thought he was getting blamed for Simmi’s death unfairly, but now I know, he’s extremely dangerous. I shudder when I realize he must be “gifted” too.
Blog Tour Notes
THE BOOK: Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t. When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Get your copy today by visiting Amazon.com’s Kindle store or the eBook retailer of your choice. The paperback edition will be available on November 24 (for the author’s birthday).THE CASH PRIZES: Guess what? You could win a $100 Amazon gift card as part of this special blog tour. That’s right! Just leave a comment below saying something about the post you just read, and you’ll be entered into the raffle. I could win $100 too! Please help by voting for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll. To cast your vote, visit the official Farsighted blog tour page and scroll all the way to the bottom. Thank you for your help with that.
THE GIVEAWAYS: Win 1 of 10 autographed copies of Farsighted before its paperback release by entering the giveaway on GoodReads. Perhaps you’d like an autographed postcard from the author; you can request one on her site.
THE AUTHOR: Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit www.emlynchand.com for more info. Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!
MORE FUN: There's more fun below. Watch the live action Farsighted book trailer and take the quiz to find out which character is most like you!
