“So I do this?”  Shane asked, she was at a class for newly blinded people, and her instructor, Beach was shaking her head as Shane moved to the left. 

“No, here.  You have to feel the air…”  Beach said, standing in front of her and waiting for Shane to center herself.

“I do, I just don’t know how to interpret it.”  Shane said, Beach threw another slow punch at her, and Shane ducked it.  The air having parted just an instant before and Shane grinned.  She’d felt it, it was eerie and exhilarating at the same time.

“Excellent.  Same goes for things warm, cold, you feel the air around the object.  It’s not hard to learn, just hard to apply all the time.”  Beach instructed and Shane nodded. 

“Excellent.”  Shane echoed back and Beach chuckled, Shane took her cane from her back pocket and whipped it open.  It tapped the floor almost silently as Shane moved about the room.

“So what did the doctors have to say?”  Beach asked, walking with Shane from the DoJo section of the school to the kitchen area.  One of the students was attempting to make coffee; Shane was attempting to taste it when it was passed along to the table.

“That everything is ok, the swelling is gone.  But as you know, some optical injuries are hard to diagnose, and there is no reason I can’t see.  Besides the fact that I can’t.”  Shane muttered and Beach waited for Shane to find the table, and she sat.

“You could get…”
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“Not getting my hopes up.”  Shane said, rubbing her lips and grinning a bit as Beach snorted.  Classic Beach Shane thought to her.  She was the toughest teacher here, or so they all said, but Shane found her honesty and persistence refreshing.

“And how’s Dana?”  Beach asked and Shane felt her cheeks burning as Beach asked the question.  Shane didn’t answer, she just kept thinking back to the moments that they’d almost kissed, that they’d shared a bed together, snuggled into each other, a perfect fit.  “Uh huh.  Ya know Shane….”  Beach began, but Shane interrupted the speech.

“Never gonna happen.” Shane retorted and Beach sighed, this one was a tough nut to crack, tough wasn’t the word, hard as a brick, better, yet, diamonds.  Emotions barricaded up to airtight she was sure they couldn’t breathe.

“Ok.  So I’m reading WAY too much into it, right?”  Beach asked, Shane nodded, and she took the packet of sugar and started to play with it.  Taking the packet and shaking it, playing with it, feeling the small crystals in the packet, and staying silent for a long time.

“Yeah, you are.”  Shane finally said, then she stopped; listening as a door opened and Beach looked up, seeing Dana standing there.  Waving a hello and Beach put up a finger, telling her to wait where she was.

“Someone just walked in, and I want you to go greet her.  Guide her to where she wants to go, and come back here for the coffee that is about to come around.  Looks good, and strong.”  Beach ordered and Shane grimaced, she stood.  She hated playing tour guide.

Orientating herself quickly and making her way to the main entrance of the school.  The soft smell of sweat and perfume, Jasmine and a hint of vanilla.  As she got closer, she knew who it was, she grinned, and Beach leaned back, watching.  

“Dana.”  Shane said with a gruff grin, and Dana smiled, taking Shane‘s arm and letting her lead her to the table.  They said nothing more to each other, just walking slowly to the table as Shane tapped the cane on the ground, scooting around the table and finding the one she’d been sitting at before, 43 steps.

“Miss…”  Beach began, and Dana‘s eyes went wide.

“Dana.”  Dana interrupted and Beach smiled, waving to the table.
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