"Congrats, Emma," I heard Eric, the telepathic guy in some of my classes, say quietly.
"What?"
"You just proved that you are, in fact, the most Emmazing person at this school." He smiled sincerely, something I didn't think he'd done before, and sat down next to me. "She hasn't used her power since she was eight. She's been thinking about letting you see her power for a long time. I've never heard her even consider letting someone else see her power. . . . Sleepwalker used to go to your room every night before you came here. He had dreams about someone who would change our whole world. For the better. Alice can see that in you. I don't know what you'll do, but I think Alice has been right about you all along. Do you know what she could do with her power?"
"Er, no?"
"She gives dead things new life. If she gathered enough strength, she could pretty much make an army of living corpses." He smirked. "Zombie apocalypse."
"Alice wouldn't do that."
"Duh." He was then silent, possibly thinking or finding out what I was thinking. "I know how those people think. You're powerful, Emma. They already know that. But if you let more show, they'll take you and squeeze you dry." He stopped again, this time, clearly thinking. "I'm sorry if you don't want my advice, but it's safer if you don't show your full potential. Alice-" He seemed to be struggling to say what he meant. "She believes in the good of everyone. It's sweet, but not everyone is as nice or good-hearted as you hope or she believes. I guess I'm just saying be careful. Don't trust everyone here."
"Eric?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, for one, thank you for not just reading my thoughts to find out what I was going to say."
"I thought you'd like the privacy."
"Thanks. Not to sound rude or anything, but what's in it for you? Warning me?" He didn't respond at first. He looked at the ground. Finally, he stood up.
"I'm trying to do the right thing this time," he said quietly, as he walked away. This time. I wondered what he did last time.
16 September 2008
09 September 2008
Queen of the Faeries.
We had six days of class, alternating between Power Training days and General Education days, and then one day off each week. It took some getting used to, but Alice was always helping Luna and I find our way around school. Seamus loved to carry Luna around at lightening quick speeds whenever he could, and Luna seemed to be brightening up to him too.
On Power Training days, I was in Mr. Hank's class most of the day. The basic idea was to develop skills and controls over our powers, though Mr. Hank also had us doing rigorous exercises to keep us in peak physical and mental shape. He explained that being in better physical strength would strengthen our powers, as would being in better mental strength. I still never saw Alice use her power though. Mr. Hank never made her use it, and she avoided answering the question whenever I asked, so I was just left wondering.
General Education days were long, boring, and tedious versions of regular high school days. Classes started at 8AM and went on until 10PM. We had 5 blocks of 2 hour classes, with a break or meal in between each, plus an hour and 40 minutes of our elective class (which changed each month). Our first day of General Education, Luna and I had to be tested to see where we were academically. The test was long, boring, and tedious. I ended up testing into all honours classes: Geometry, English, Biology, Spanish 1, and Gifted History. My first elective was Computers. As it turned out, Alice was in the exact same classes, so we were rarely apart, except for sleep.
Luna tested a lot lower than me, a fact neither of us dared mention, (though I knew it was on her mind and I wished there was some way I could just magically make her better at school) so we ended up only having Computers together. Luna didn't take that too well, but Seamus was in a few of her classes. He always found a way to cheer her up, which I was thankful for.
"He's good for her, you know," Alice said quietly on one of our days off. Seamus had just whisked Luna off to go do whatever, leaving Alice and I to spend the day alone.
"I-- What?"
"It bugs you sometimes. Luna likes being with Seamus."
"No. I'm happy she's happy. I--"
"I know, Emma. I wasn't saying you're a jealous person or mean or something. It just bugs you sometimes. It was just the two of you all your lives, so it'd be perfectly normal to feel a irritated about sharing her." I opened my mouth to argue, but Alice held her hand up. I sighed and let her continue. "Feel that cold breeze? You're tense. Every time you get any bit upset, the weather changes slightly." Alice smiled suddenly.
"Alice, I think you're a bit delusional," I laughed.
"You're a lot more powerful than you realise. Think of something really happy." I sighed. Alice had been trying to get me to fly again for weeks. I appreciated her willingness to help, but flying wasn't something I could really control.
"I told you already, Alice. I can only fly when it's one of the happiest moments of my life." Alice rolled her eyes at me.
"Get up. You're going to try it. I need to prove my theory." Alice suddenly stood up and pulled me up too. "Close your eyes and focus on a happy memory." I obeyed, rather unwillingly. I didn't really know what happy memory to use. It seemed kind of stupid really. No, I wouldn't think that. I'd at least let Alice have her little experiment done right. Happy memories? I decided to think about the last time I flew. My whole class cheering for me. All the excitement and relief. The way Alice had so easily believed in me, having just met-- Alice laughed triumphantly. "I knew it!" I opened my eyes suddenly. Alice was dancing around, swirling in the breeze. Wait, breeze? For the first time, I paid attention to the weather. A warm breeze seemed to be circling around me. I suddenly noticed the way Alice's hair was flying in all directions.
"Alice--?"
"See? I told you! Feel it?" Alice grinned massively. "You're an aerokinetic!" Her grin grew even bigger, if that were at all possible. "Want to see my power?"
"What? Yes!" After weeks of seeing nothing of her power, I definitely wanted to know what it was. I felt the wind pushing at me, trying to pull me up. Her grin faltered a bit.
"Well, I already told you it's not that great, so, uh, yeah . . ." The air gave up on lifting me.
"Aw, c'mon, Alice! I want to see it!" She grinned again.
"You have to give me some wind to work with first." So that was her plan. Get me to show off my power in exchange for letting me finally see her power once. It wasn't really a fair trade, but oh well. I was going to see her power finally. That thought started to fill me up and I felt the air pressure around me start to build and push me off the ground. More wind! C'mon! I thought. The leaves beneath my feet started swirling around and flying up into the air next to me.
"How's that for wind, Alice?" Alice grinned some more, and put her hands out toward me.
"Watch the leaves." And I did. At first, I saw nothing. They were just leaves. Then I noticed one suddenly fade to a pale pink colour and what looked like wings sprout out. Another turned a bright blue colour. Then there was a beautiful orange one. Soon, I was surrounded in flying bits of colour, all resembling something between a faerie and a flying leaf.
"Holy crap, Alice! 'Not that great'?? You're nuts! That's amazing!" Alice's face turned bright red. I couldn't focus on flying any more and stumbled as I hit the ground. Most of the faeries fell to the ground and slowly turned back into regular leaves. The few that remained fluttered around Alice and I.
"I can't really do that much. And it makes me really tired." As if to prove her point, she wandered a few feet over to a nearby tree and sat down against it, closing her eyes. I walked over and sat next to her.
"You just turned a bunch of leaves into faeries. That's insanely awesome." She laughed a little and then rested her head on my shoulder.
"You have no idea how tired that just made me. All that physical fitness stuff Hank has us do is nothing. It makes me so exhausted. That's why he never has me do it in class. I used to pass out in class every time he'd make me practice. He got tired of calling in the nurse, and I got tired of being tired." She didn't say anything more. We both just sat in silence as she fell asleep. The last of the faeries turned back to leaves.
On Power Training days, I was in Mr. Hank's class most of the day. The basic idea was to develop skills and controls over our powers, though Mr. Hank also had us doing rigorous exercises to keep us in peak physical and mental shape. He explained that being in better physical strength would strengthen our powers, as would being in better mental strength. I still never saw Alice use her power though. Mr. Hank never made her use it, and she avoided answering the question whenever I asked, so I was just left wondering.
General Education days were long, boring, and tedious versions of regular high school days. Classes started at 8AM and went on until 10PM. We had 5 blocks of 2 hour classes, with a break or meal in between each, plus an hour and 40 minutes of our elective class (which changed each month). Our first day of General Education, Luna and I had to be tested to see where we were academically. The test was long, boring, and tedious. I ended up testing into all honours classes: Geometry, English, Biology, Spanish 1, and Gifted History. My first elective was Computers. As it turned out, Alice was in the exact same classes, so we were rarely apart, except for sleep.
Luna tested a lot lower than me, a fact neither of us dared mention, (though I knew it was on her mind and I wished there was some way I could just magically make her better at school) so we ended up only having Computers together. Luna didn't take that too well, but Seamus was in a few of her classes. He always found a way to cheer her up, which I was thankful for.
"He's good for her, you know," Alice said quietly on one of our days off. Seamus had just whisked Luna off to go do whatever, leaving Alice and I to spend the day alone.
"I-- What?"
"It bugs you sometimes. Luna likes being with Seamus."
"No. I'm happy she's happy. I--"
"I know, Emma. I wasn't saying you're a jealous person or mean or something. It just bugs you sometimes. It was just the two of you all your lives, so it'd be perfectly normal to feel a irritated about sharing her." I opened my mouth to argue, but Alice held her hand up. I sighed and let her continue. "Feel that cold breeze? You're tense. Every time you get any bit upset, the weather changes slightly." Alice smiled suddenly.
"Alice, I think you're a bit delusional," I laughed.
"You're a lot more powerful than you realise. Think of something really happy." I sighed. Alice had been trying to get me to fly again for weeks. I appreciated her willingness to help, but flying wasn't something I could really control.
"I told you already, Alice. I can only fly when it's one of the happiest moments of my life." Alice rolled her eyes at me.
"Get up. You're going to try it. I need to prove my theory." Alice suddenly stood up and pulled me up too. "Close your eyes and focus on a happy memory." I obeyed, rather unwillingly. I didn't really know what happy memory to use. It seemed kind of stupid really. No, I wouldn't think that. I'd at least let Alice have her little experiment done right. Happy memories? I decided to think about the last time I flew. My whole class cheering for me. All the excitement and relief. The way Alice had so easily believed in me, having just met-- Alice laughed triumphantly. "I knew it!" I opened my eyes suddenly. Alice was dancing around, swirling in the breeze. Wait, breeze? For the first time, I paid attention to the weather. A warm breeze seemed to be circling around me. I suddenly noticed the way Alice's hair was flying in all directions.
"Alice--?"
"See? I told you! Feel it?" Alice grinned massively. "You're an aerokinetic!" Her grin grew even bigger, if that were at all possible. "Want to see my power?"
"What? Yes!" After weeks of seeing nothing of her power, I definitely wanted to know what it was. I felt the wind pushing at me, trying to pull me up. Her grin faltered a bit.
"Well, I already told you it's not that great, so, uh, yeah . . ." The air gave up on lifting me.
"Aw, c'mon, Alice! I want to see it!" She grinned again.
"You have to give me some wind to work with first." So that was her plan. Get me to show off my power in exchange for letting me finally see her power once. It wasn't really a fair trade, but oh well. I was going to see her power finally. That thought started to fill me up and I felt the air pressure around me start to build and push me off the ground. More wind! C'mon! I thought. The leaves beneath my feet started swirling around and flying up into the air next to me.
"How's that for wind, Alice?" Alice grinned some more, and put her hands out toward me.
"Watch the leaves." And I did. At first, I saw nothing. They were just leaves. Then I noticed one suddenly fade to a pale pink colour and what looked like wings sprout out. Another turned a bright blue colour. Then there was a beautiful orange one. Soon, I was surrounded in flying bits of colour, all resembling something between a faerie and a flying leaf.
"Holy crap, Alice! 'Not that great'?? You're nuts! That's amazing!" Alice's face turned bright red. I couldn't focus on flying any more and stumbled as I hit the ground. Most of the faeries fell to the ground and slowly turned back into regular leaves. The few that remained fluttered around Alice and I.
"I can't really do that much. And it makes me really tired." As if to prove her point, she wandered a few feet over to a nearby tree and sat down against it, closing her eyes. I walked over and sat next to her.
"You just turned a bunch of leaves into faeries. That's insanely awesome." She laughed a little and then rested her head on my shoulder.
"You have no idea how tired that just made me. All that physical fitness stuff Hank has us do is nothing. It makes me so exhausted. That's why he never has me do it in class. I used to pass out in class every time he'd make me practice. He got tired of calling in the nurse, and I got tired of being tired." She didn't say anything more. We both just sat in silence as she fell asleep. The last of the faeries turned back to leaves.
03 September 2008
It Gives You Wiiiiiiings!
"So what are your powers?" Alice asked me as we walked.
"Uh, I dunno. I can make ice, and--" I stopped, trying to make a dramatic pause, "I can fly."
"Sweet! That's gotta be awesome. You could make it hail even! Just fly up high and start making chunks of ice." She turned left, and I followed.
"What about you? What can you do?" Alice's smile disappeared suddenly.
"It's not a very good power. It's . . . weird. I don't know how to explain it. Later." Alice didn't say anything for a few more minutes, until we got to class.
"Alice!" Mr. Hank said cheerfully as we walked in. "Oh, and Emma too! You're just on time!" He beamed at us, and I saw that Alice was smiling again. "Alice, why don't you help introduce Emma to the rest of the class?" Alice looked like there was nothing more she'd rather do.
"Yes, sir!" she said. "Okay, everyone, this is Emma. Today's her fist day here, and she can fly." I felt my face redden, though Alice didn't seem to notice. She looked as if she was about to explode with joy. "Emma, that's Steve," she pointed to a large guy with spiky, blond hair. "He can melt stuff. And that's Mittens," she pointed to a dark-haired girl in the corner who happened to have mittens on. "She wears mittens because she's kind of poisonous. And over there is Toby," Alice nodded to a small boy who looked like a mouse. "I don't really know what his power is. And Edie doesn't always show up."
"Thank you, Alice, and welcome, Emma!" Mr. Hank said. "Since we have a new student today, I want the rest of you to work with you partner while I assess her ability. Alison, will work with Steve since Edie isn't here again?" Alice nodded and joined Steve in one end of the room. Toby and Mittens took to another part of the room and the too pairs began practicing using their powers. "Okay, Emma. Alice said you can fly?"
"Er, yeah," I muttered. I really hoped he wouldn't ask me to do anything. I didn't really know how to use my powers very well, especially not flying.
"Anything else?"
"Uh, I can sorta freeze stuff."
"Okay, why don't we start with flying? Let's see how well you can fly." I couldn't think of anything to say, so I shut my eyes tightly. "Sorry, I can't fly"? No, I could. I just . . . didn't know how. Well, no, I knew how. When I was so happy, I felt like I could just fly, I really could fly. All I had to do was be happy, and my body would do it on its own. I was no where near that extreme happiness. If anything, I was starting to panic. "Go on, now, Emma. Fly." How was I supposed to fly with so much pressure? I was getting extremely nervous and tense. C'mon, Emma! Fly! I tried to focus, but I couldn't. "Emma?" Mr. Hank's persistence wasn't helping. Couldn't he see that?
"Um, E-Emma?" Alice's voice came from my left. Her voice was shaking, which scared me. I suddenly felt the urge to protect her. Whoever was making her scared would have me to answer to. Alice had gone out of her way to make me feel welcome and-- I felt hands grab my shoulders suddenly, and I opened my eyes suddenly. Alice was looking at me as if I had just blown up or something. "Emma? You o-okay?"
"What? Yeah. Fine."
"You s-sure? I th-think you just f-froze everyth-thing." I realised Alice's voice wasn't shaking out of fear, but cold. I looked around the room, and saw a thin layer of ice coating everything. Then I looked at the ground. My feet were frozen to the ground and very smooth ice surrounded me. Which explained why Alice was still gripping my shoulders. She was using me to keep from slipping and possibly breaking something.
"Sorry. Hold on. Here." I reached out and and put my hands under Alice's arms, helping keep her steady. Relax! I told myself. I forced my mind to focus on good memories. I remembered how Alice had shown me and Luna to the dining hall, ate breakfast with us, and, in general, had just been exceptionally kind without anyone telling her or anything to get out of it than friends. Yes, that was a good memory, and here she was again, daring to tread across the dangerous surface, to make sure I was okay.
I wasn't aware of my surroundings anymore, which was why I hadn't felt my body pull Alice closer to me, or her arms around me in a hug, or the rush of air as I flew again. Not until I heard Alice's soft laugh in my ear at least.
"You're flying, Emma," she said, her voice practically ringing like wind chimes. A ripple of shock shot through me, and gravity took over. Alice didn't tighten her grip, flinch, or react to falling at all. She believes in me, the thought rang out strong and clear, and gravity lost the battle just in time. I heard someone start clapping.
"Yeah, Emma!" a small voice cheered. I could see the mousy little boy jumping up and down, cheering for me. Toby. Steve, the blonde guy, was pumping his fist into the air. Mittens smiled at me, something, as I would learn later, that was very rare.
"Excellent!" Mr. Hank's gruff voice boomed. I knew I was smiling even bigger than anyone else in that room, even Alice, who seemed to have a smile engraved on her face eternally. Carefully, I let gravity pull Alice and I downward until our feet touched the ground. She let go of me, stepped back, and smiled. I couldn't help smiling back. I was going to love it here.
"Uh, I dunno. I can make ice, and--" I stopped, trying to make a dramatic pause, "I can fly."
"Sweet! That's gotta be awesome. You could make it hail even! Just fly up high and start making chunks of ice." She turned left, and I followed.
"What about you? What can you do?" Alice's smile disappeared suddenly.
"It's not a very good power. It's . . . weird. I don't know how to explain it. Later." Alice didn't say anything for a few more minutes, until we got to class.
"Alice!" Mr. Hank said cheerfully as we walked in. "Oh, and Emma too! You're just on time!" He beamed at us, and I saw that Alice was smiling again. "Alice, why don't you help introduce Emma to the rest of the class?" Alice looked like there was nothing more she'd rather do.
"Yes, sir!" she said. "Okay, everyone, this is Emma. Today's her fist day here, and she can fly." I felt my face redden, though Alice didn't seem to notice. She looked as if she was about to explode with joy. "Emma, that's Steve," she pointed to a large guy with spiky, blond hair. "He can melt stuff. And that's Mittens," she pointed to a dark-haired girl in the corner who happened to have mittens on. "She wears mittens because she's kind of poisonous. And over there is Toby," Alice nodded to a small boy who looked like a mouse. "I don't really know what his power is. And Edie doesn't always show up."
"Thank you, Alice, and welcome, Emma!" Mr. Hank said. "Since we have a new student today, I want the rest of you to work with you partner while I assess her ability. Alison, will work with Steve since Edie isn't here again?" Alice nodded and joined Steve in one end of the room. Toby and Mittens took to another part of the room and the too pairs began practicing using their powers. "Okay, Emma. Alice said you can fly?"
"Er, yeah," I muttered. I really hoped he wouldn't ask me to do anything. I didn't really know how to use my powers very well, especially not flying.
"Anything else?"
"Uh, I can sorta freeze stuff."
"Okay, why don't we start with flying? Let's see how well you can fly." I couldn't think of anything to say, so I shut my eyes tightly. "Sorry, I can't fly"? No, I could. I just . . . didn't know how. Well, no, I knew how. When I was so happy, I felt like I could just fly, I really could fly. All I had to do was be happy, and my body would do it on its own. I was no where near that extreme happiness. If anything, I was starting to panic. "Go on, now, Emma. Fly." How was I supposed to fly with so much pressure? I was getting extremely nervous and tense. C'mon, Emma! Fly! I tried to focus, but I couldn't. "Emma?" Mr. Hank's persistence wasn't helping. Couldn't he see that?
"Um, E-Emma?" Alice's voice came from my left. Her voice was shaking, which scared me. I suddenly felt the urge to protect her. Whoever was making her scared would have me to answer to. Alice had gone out of her way to make me feel welcome and-- I felt hands grab my shoulders suddenly, and I opened my eyes suddenly. Alice was looking at me as if I had just blown up or something. "Emma? You o-okay?"
"What? Yeah. Fine."
"You s-sure? I th-think you just f-froze everyth-thing." I realised Alice's voice wasn't shaking out of fear, but cold. I looked around the room, and saw a thin layer of ice coating everything. Then I looked at the ground. My feet were frozen to the ground and very smooth ice surrounded me. Which explained why Alice was still gripping my shoulders. She was using me to keep from slipping and possibly breaking something.
"Sorry. Hold on. Here." I reached out and and put my hands under Alice's arms, helping keep her steady. Relax! I told myself. I forced my mind to focus on good memories. I remembered how Alice had shown me and Luna to the dining hall, ate breakfast with us, and, in general, had just been exceptionally kind without anyone telling her or anything to get out of it than friends. Yes, that was a good memory, and here she was again, daring to tread across the dangerous surface, to make sure I was okay.
I wasn't aware of my surroundings anymore, which was why I hadn't felt my body pull Alice closer to me, or her arms around me in a hug, or the rush of air as I flew again. Not until I heard Alice's soft laugh in my ear at least.
"You're flying, Emma," she said, her voice practically ringing like wind chimes. A ripple of shock shot through me, and gravity took over. Alice didn't tighten her grip, flinch, or react to falling at all. She believes in me, the thought rang out strong and clear, and gravity lost the battle just in time. I heard someone start clapping.
"Yeah, Emma!" a small voice cheered. I could see the mousy little boy jumping up and down, cheering for me. Toby. Steve, the blonde guy, was pumping his fist into the air. Mittens smiled at me, something, as I would learn later, that was very rare.
"Excellent!" Mr. Hank's gruff voice boomed. I knew I was smiling even bigger than anyone else in that room, even Alice, who seemed to have a smile engraved on her face eternally. Carefully, I let gravity pull Alice and I downward until our feet touched the ground. She let go of me, stepped back, and smiled. I couldn't help smiling back. I was going to love it here.
Uncreatively Titled.
The darkness slowly gave way to a small amount of light. I was vaguely aware that I wasn't breathing, but it didn't bother me much. Actually, I couldn't really even feel anything in my body. Mainly, I just had a vague sense a panic, as if someone was dying. And then, suddenly, I felt the pain of not breathing, and gasped for air suddenly. I started coughing and my vision returned. Luna was hovering over me, and I tried to say her name, but I barely had enough air in my lungs.
"Are you okay?" My vision shifted out of focus again, as another image overlapped my current vision. I couldn't make anything out though, except that Luna was saying something. Then everything went back to normal again. "Emma?"
"Sorry," I muttered, sitting up. "I need to sleep." Luna helped me up, and I fell asleep the moment I reached the bed.
I flt perfectly fine again the next morning, and barely even remembered anything had happened the night before. Luna was a bit moody, but it was probably because she was worried about me. I was too busy thinking about what our first real day here would be like to have any time to worry.
"What do you think lessons will be like?" I asked Luna, hurrying to get ready. She didn't say anything. "Where do we even go? I already forgot where to go. Do you know where we go?" Someone knocked on the door just then. A moment later, I flung the door open, and found Alice standing at our door nervously.
"Alice!" I beamed.
"Er, hi," Alice said nervously. "I, uh, figured since, you know, it was your first day today and all, I'd help you, you know, show you where you're supposed to be. I know Alejandro gave you that tour and stuff, but he did that for me too, and I couldn't remember any of it." Wow. Yes! Of course!
"That would be great! Thanks, Alice!" Alice grinned back at me, and seemed a lot less nervous, having gotten that out of the way.
"So it's about time for breakfast right now. Are you guys ready to go? I can wait."
"I'm all ready. Luna?"
"Give me a minute," Luna grumbled. A few minutes later, we were on our way to the dining hall.
"There's always food in the dining hall," Alice explained as we walked. "Clayton - he sleepwalks - said he woke up in the dining hall eating strawberries at 3 in the morning once. Oh, by the way, if someone comes to your room in the middle of the night, it's probably Clayton. Apparently, he has prophetic dreams, which is why he sleep walks."
"Prophetic dreams?" I asked. We were in the dining hall now. It was huge. A long counter ran along one side of the room. It was covered in assorted food, like a great feast. Maids were running here and there, making sure all was well. There were dozens of round tables throughout the hall, many of them occupied by other teenagers. There were also some teachers and a few young children scattered in the hall. This wasn't a mansion, it was a castle!
"Yeah, it's weird. Sees the future and stuff. Get whatever you like," Alice nodded to the counter of food, snapping me back from my racing mind. "It's all free and you can have as much as you like." She quickly got her food and took a seat at an empty table behind us. A minute later, Luna and I sat down next to her with our food. "Anyway, Clayton has to go to the people in his dreams, I guess. Like if he was going to have one with you in it, he has to go to you while he's sleeping. His last roommate got so fed up with the sleepwalking thing though, that he just up and left."
"Hey, Alice!" A teenage boy waved at us as he walked in. His thick, black hair looked to be in desperate need of a hair cut. Once he had gotten his food and sat down, he quickly broke our temporary silence with the fastest talking I had ever heard. "So you gonna introduce me to your new friends, Alice, or do I have to do it myself?"
"Seamus, this is Emma and Luna. Emma, Luna, this is Seamus." Seamus stuck out his hand, and I shook it. "Today's their first day here. I was going to show them around to where they're supposed to be. You know Alejandro's tours are always horrible." Seamus and Alice both laughed.
"So what class are you guys in?" Seamus asked speedily.
"Uh, I'm with Alice," I said. "I think Luna's in the same class as that Eric or whatever his name was guy."
"Eric? Woah. Wait, what am I thinking?" Seamus stared at Luna suddenly.
"Seamus!" Alice gave him a dark look.
"What?"
"Even if she was a mind reader, that's rude. And she probably isn't one, right Luna?"
"What? No. I just move stuff," Luna blurted. Finally! She talked!
"Woah! Sweet! Like with your mind? That's awesome!" Seamus was practically bouncing in his seat. "Alice, can I take her? Pleeeease? I have to go over that way anyway and you and Emma are on the other side, so it'd just be logical to do it that way. And---"
"Ask her, not me," Alice said. Luna shrugged, and Seamus just about flew through the ceiling, bouncing.
"Are you ready? I'm ready!" Seamus squealed. Luna just shrugged again. They both stood up to leave. "Bye Emma! Bye Alice! See you later!" Alice and I waved back, as Seamus quickly dragged Luna right out of the hall.
Once they were out of the hall, Alice burst out laughing for a moment. "I feel so bad letting her go with him, but I couldn't argue with him. It'd be stupid to go all the way over to the west wing if we're going east wing."
"Why's he so . . . hyper?" I asked.
"He's super fast. Walking at a normal speed is hard for him. His whole body functions faster than a normal person's. He shaves his hair off constantly, and it just grows back at hyperspeed. He's also pretty strong, despite how skinny he is. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to carry Luna so he could run to class with her." I laughed at that idea. Luna was in a bad mood, so she'd probably get pissy if he tried to carry her at all.
"So everyone here has powers?"
"Almost everyone, at least. Mrs. Ackern doesn't have any, so she's always rude to everyone with powers. Oh, and most of the maids don't have any powers. Sorry to rush you, but if you don't finish eating soon, we're going to be late."
"Oh, right, sorry." I hurried to finish my food, and then we hurried out the hall and headed back up the grand staircase.
"Are you okay?" My vision shifted out of focus again, as another image overlapped my current vision. I couldn't make anything out though, except that Luna was saying something. Then everything went back to normal again. "Emma?"
"Sorry," I muttered, sitting up. "I need to sleep." Luna helped me up, and I fell asleep the moment I reached the bed.
I flt perfectly fine again the next morning, and barely even remembered anything had happened the night before. Luna was a bit moody, but it was probably because she was worried about me. I was too busy thinking about what our first real day here would be like to have any time to worry.
"What do you think lessons will be like?" I asked Luna, hurrying to get ready. She didn't say anything. "Where do we even go? I already forgot where to go. Do you know where we go?" Someone knocked on the door just then. A moment later, I flung the door open, and found Alice standing at our door nervously.
"Alice!" I beamed.
"Er, hi," Alice said nervously. "I, uh, figured since, you know, it was your first day today and all, I'd help you, you know, show you where you're supposed to be. I know Alejandro gave you that tour and stuff, but he did that for me too, and I couldn't remember any of it." Wow. Yes! Of course!
"That would be great! Thanks, Alice!" Alice grinned back at me, and seemed a lot less nervous, having gotten that out of the way.
"So it's about time for breakfast right now. Are you guys ready to go? I can wait."
"I'm all ready. Luna?"
"Give me a minute," Luna grumbled. A few minutes later, we were on our way to the dining hall.
"There's always food in the dining hall," Alice explained as we walked. "Clayton - he sleepwalks - said he woke up in the dining hall eating strawberries at 3 in the morning once. Oh, by the way, if someone comes to your room in the middle of the night, it's probably Clayton. Apparently, he has prophetic dreams, which is why he sleep walks."
"Prophetic dreams?" I asked. We were in the dining hall now. It was huge. A long counter ran along one side of the room. It was covered in assorted food, like a great feast. Maids were running here and there, making sure all was well. There were dozens of round tables throughout the hall, many of them occupied by other teenagers. There were also some teachers and a few young children scattered in the hall. This wasn't a mansion, it was a castle!
"Yeah, it's weird. Sees the future and stuff. Get whatever you like," Alice nodded to the counter of food, snapping me back from my racing mind. "It's all free and you can have as much as you like." She quickly got her food and took a seat at an empty table behind us. A minute later, Luna and I sat down next to her with our food. "Anyway, Clayton has to go to the people in his dreams, I guess. Like if he was going to have one with you in it, he has to go to you while he's sleeping. His last roommate got so fed up with the sleepwalking thing though, that he just up and left."
"Hey, Alice!" A teenage boy waved at us as he walked in. His thick, black hair looked to be in desperate need of a hair cut. Once he had gotten his food and sat down, he quickly broke our temporary silence with the fastest talking I had ever heard. "So you gonna introduce me to your new friends, Alice, or do I have to do it myself?"
"Seamus, this is Emma and Luna. Emma, Luna, this is Seamus." Seamus stuck out his hand, and I shook it. "Today's their first day here. I was going to show them around to where they're supposed to be. You know Alejandro's tours are always horrible." Seamus and Alice both laughed.
"So what class are you guys in?" Seamus asked speedily.
"Uh, I'm with Alice," I said. "I think Luna's in the same class as that Eric or whatever his name was guy."
"Eric? Woah. Wait, what am I thinking?" Seamus stared at Luna suddenly.
"Seamus!" Alice gave him a dark look.
"What?"
"Even if she was a mind reader, that's rude. And she probably isn't one, right Luna?"
"What? No. I just move stuff," Luna blurted. Finally! She talked!
"Woah! Sweet! Like with your mind? That's awesome!" Seamus was practically bouncing in his seat. "Alice, can I take her? Pleeeease? I have to go over that way anyway and you and Emma are on the other side, so it'd just be logical to do it that way. And---"
"Ask her, not me," Alice said. Luna shrugged, and Seamus just about flew through the ceiling, bouncing.
"Are you ready? I'm ready!" Seamus squealed. Luna just shrugged again. They both stood up to leave. "Bye Emma! Bye Alice! See you later!" Alice and I waved back, as Seamus quickly dragged Luna right out of the hall.
Once they were out of the hall, Alice burst out laughing for a moment. "I feel so bad letting her go with him, but I couldn't argue with him. It'd be stupid to go all the way over to the west wing if we're going east wing."
"Why's he so . . . hyper?" I asked.
"He's super fast. Walking at a normal speed is hard for him. His whole body functions faster than a normal person's. He shaves his hair off constantly, and it just grows back at hyperspeed. He's also pretty strong, despite how skinny he is. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to carry Luna so he could run to class with her." I laughed at that idea. Luna was in a bad mood, so she'd probably get pissy if he tried to carry her at all.
"So everyone here has powers?"
"Almost everyone, at least. Mrs. Ackern doesn't have any, so she's always rude to everyone with powers. Oh, and most of the maids don't have any powers. Sorry to rush you, but if you don't finish eating soon, we're going to be late."
"Oh, right, sorry." I hurried to finish my food, and then we hurried out the hall and headed back up the grand staircase.
02 September 2008
Tours.
The tour was magnificent. Alejandro showed us the entire mansion. Every single little detail, all the history behind everything. It was truly amazing. We met lots of different people throughout the mansion. The girl I was to be taking my lessons with seemed exceptionally nice. She just gave off this vibe of . . . pure kindness.
"This is Miss Alice. She will be your partner in your learning, Miss Emma," Alejandro explained. "Miss Alice, this is Miss Emma. She has just arrived here today with Miss Luna." Alice must have been about 15. She was only a few inches taller than me and had dark brown hair and brown eyes.
"It's very nice to meet you, Emma, and you as well, Luna," Alice said sincerely. Luna half-smiled at Alice, but otherwise ignored her.
"Great to meet you too, Alice," I replied cheerfully.
"Sorry to cut this short, but I need to get back to my room so I can write my dad a letter. I'll see you tomorrow though, Emma. Bye!" Alice waved goodbye and then danced her way out of the room.
Later on, we met Mr. Hank, who was also very nice. He oversaw the students I was going to be learning with. He seemed a bit gruff, but still nice, nonetheless. We also me Eric, one of the students who would be in Luna's lessons; Jessie and Tim, twins; Mrs. Notting, Luna's teacher; and Frank, who looked to be around 8 years old.
Then, all too soon, the tour was over, and Alejandro led us back to our room. We said our goodbyes, and then Luna quickly shut the door.
"Wow. This place is amazing, isn't it, Luna?" I said, grinning. Luna didn't seem as enthusiastic and flung herself on the bed. Well, I'd have to change that. I sneaked up to her. "Hey, Luna?" I whispered.
"What?" She grumbled, keeping her face buried in pillows.
"POUNCE!" I leapt onto her back, quickly throwing her off guard. Success!
"Ow! Ah! What the hell, Emma?" She shoved me off of her and sat up, glaring at me.
"I'm a ninja!" I announced cheerfully.
"Uh, I don't think real ninjas tell other people they're ninjas." She was clearly trying not to be cheered up. My logic, however, was superiour.
"Exactly! See, now you don't believe I'm a ninja just because I told you! So that means I AM a ninja!" No matter how hard she tried to be grumpy, she couldn't help laughing. "Hey! Don't laugh at me!"
"Rawr!" Luna blurted suddenly, pinning me and using her awesome tickle-attack skills. "Take that, you ninja!"
"Aaaahhh! Nooooooo! Not the tickling! It's my weakness!" I laughed. Luna's laughing faded slowly, as if she were getting lost in thought.
"Superninja catches the Tickle Monster off guard!" I pushed her off of me and pinned her down, regaining the upper hand. A moment later, she made a weird look, so I stopped and sat next to her. She seemed to be trying to say something, but couldn't get the words out. Finally, she sat up. I could feel the tension in the air, and decided looking at a painting on the wall would be smarter than staring. Instinctively, I wanted to hug Luna or something, because she seemed so upset, but I changed my mind a split-second later, making my hand twitch instead of moving to hug her. She grabbed my hand, reminding me of how a cat pounces on any small movement near it.
"Sorry," she muttered, letting go of my hand. Luna wouldn't look at me after that. She kept staring at the painting on the wall. I took her hand back awkwardly, but said nothing. She needed space, I decided, so I squeezed her hand once before letting go and walking a few feet away.
My head started to throb painfully. My vision blurred and then cleared suddenly. I was standing on a playground, much shorter than I remembered being. There were children all around, laughing and playing games, children who I once knew. A boy, Jeremy was his name, had a dodgeball in his hands, and he was looking straight at me, a smirk on his face. He threw the ball straight at me, as hard as he could. Stop! Stop! Stop! I thought over and over again.
Then it did. The ball just stopped, mid-air, right in front of me. A moment later, it dropped to the ground without hitting me. Jeremy ran away, screaming, "WITCH!" and all the other kids followed. I could feel the desire to run away, to escape this world and life forever consuming me. I was plotting my escape, when I felt someone put their arm around me. I looked over, and looked straight into my own 8-year-old eyes. My heart started racing and then everything went completely black.
"This is Miss Alice. She will be your partner in your learning, Miss Emma," Alejandro explained. "Miss Alice, this is Miss Emma. She has just arrived here today with Miss Luna." Alice must have been about 15. She was only a few inches taller than me and had dark brown hair and brown eyes.
"It's very nice to meet you, Emma, and you as well, Luna," Alice said sincerely. Luna half-smiled at Alice, but otherwise ignored her.
"Great to meet you too, Alice," I replied cheerfully.
"Sorry to cut this short, but I need to get back to my room so I can write my dad a letter. I'll see you tomorrow though, Emma. Bye!" Alice waved goodbye and then danced her way out of the room.
Later on, we met Mr. Hank, who was also very nice. He oversaw the students I was going to be learning with. He seemed a bit gruff, but still nice, nonetheless. We also me Eric, one of the students who would be in Luna's lessons; Jessie and Tim, twins; Mrs. Notting, Luna's teacher; and Frank, who looked to be around 8 years old.
Then, all too soon, the tour was over, and Alejandro led us back to our room. We said our goodbyes, and then Luna quickly shut the door.
"Wow. This place is amazing, isn't it, Luna?" I said, grinning. Luna didn't seem as enthusiastic and flung herself on the bed. Well, I'd have to change that. I sneaked up to her. "Hey, Luna?" I whispered.
"What?" She grumbled, keeping her face buried in pillows.
"POUNCE!" I leapt onto her back, quickly throwing her off guard. Success!
"Ow! Ah! What the hell, Emma?" She shoved me off of her and sat up, glaring at me.
"I'm a ninja!" I announced cheerfully.
"Uh, I don't think real ninjas tell other people they're ninjas." She was clearly trying not to be cheered up. My logic, however, was superiour.
"Exactly! See, now you don't believe I'm a ninja just because I told you! So that means I AM a ninja!" No matter how hard she tried to be grumpy, she couldn't help laughing. "Hey! Don't laugh at me!"
"Rawr!" Luna blurted suddenly, pinning me and using her awesome tickle-attack skills. "Take that, you ninja!"
"Aaaahhh! Nooooooo! Not the tickling! It's my weakness!" I laughed. Luna's laughing faded slowly, as if she were getting lost in thought.
"Superninja catches the Tickle Monster off guard!" I pushed her off of me and pinned her down, regaining the upper hand. A moment later, she made a weird look, so I stopped and sat next to her. She seemed to be trying to say something, but couldn't get the words out. Finally, she sat up. I could feel the tension in the air, and decided looking at a painting on the wall would be smarter than staring. Instinctively, I wanted to hug Luna or something, because she seemed so upset, but I changed my mind a split-second later, making my hand twitch instead of moving to hug her. She grabbed my hand, reminding me of how a cat pounces on any small movement near it.
"Sorry," she muttered, letting go of my hand. Luna wouldn't look at me after that. She kept staring at the painting on the wall. I took her hand back awkwardly, but said nothing. She needed space, I decided, so I squeezed her hand once before letting go and walking a few feet away.
My head started to throb painfully. My vision blurred and then cleared suddenly. I was standing on a playground, much shorter than I remembered being. There were children all around, laughing and playing games, children who I once knew. A boy, Jeremy was his name, had a dodgeball in his hands, and he was looking straight at me, a smirk on his face. He threw the ball straight at me, as hard as he could. Stop! Stop! Stop! I thought over and over again.
Then it did. The ball just stopped, mid-air, right in front of me. A moment later, it dropped to the ground without hitting me. Jeremy ran away, screaming, "WITCH!" and all the other kids followed. I could feel the desire to run away, to escape this world and life forever consuming me. I was plotting my escape, when I felt someone put their arm around me. I looked over, and looked straight into my own 8-year-old eyes. My heart started racing and then everything went completely black.
13 May 2008
King's Quarters
The boy's look was so convincing that Luna's mom didn't argue when he said he'd be taking us without her. We were going to "walk," though I knew the second the boy said it, there was more to his plans than just walking. We only walked a block, turned the corner, and then the boy closed his eyes and we were suddenly standing inside a magnificent hall that instantly gave me the impression of a royal home. The boy quickly pulled us into a room on our left and bowed to a woman who sat behind the desk in front of us. Luna and I both bowed as well.
"Will you inform Master Timblewood I have brought Miss Emma and Miss Luna and will be giving them a quick tour now?" He said respectfully to the woman.
"Of course, Alejandro. Did you have any troubles attaining them?" Attaining? What were we, some prize? Already, I didn't like her.
"No ma'am." He bowed again.
"It's no wonder Master Timblewood sent you. You are rather convincing." The woman smiled and winked at him. Then she looked straight at Luna and smiled an extremely fake smile. "You look so much like your mother, dearie." Luna smiled. "No doubt just as zany as well." I felt a bit of rage boil up inside me. Leave her alone, you hag, I wanted to say. "Why don't you take these lovely girls to their rooms, Alejandro?"
"Yes, ma'am." He bowed again and silently led us out of the room while I let my anger dissipate. Alejandro led us up 3 huge, ornate staricases and then down a long hall. He opened the door at the very end and motioned for us to step in. Luna's jaw dropped. It looked like it had to be a king's bedroom, judging by how expensive everything inside had to be.
"You shall have to share a room. I hope that is okay with both of you, Miss Emma, Miss Luna." Alejandro said sheepishly. Okay with us? We had been sharing a room for nearly a year now and both rooms had been WAY smaller. Plus we shared rooms half the time before that too.
"It's fine with me!" Emma said. Luna smiled suddenly.
"Just dandy!" She giggled.
"I imagine you would like some time to settle in, correct? I shall return in a little while to show the two of you around, but first, make yourselves at home." Alejandro blushed and bowed and we nodded. Once he left, I smirked at Luna.
"I guess I'm never getting away from you, am I?" I laughed, "You realize you are the absolute most clingy person in the world when you sleep, right?" Luna turned bright red and quickly turned around to face the bookshelf behind her.
"Gee, look. Books!" I rolled my eyes.
"Nice subject change, Loony." She grabbed a book off the shelf.
"Oh, look. It's the Idiot's Guide to RAWR!" Then she jumped around, probably in an attempt to scare me, and tripped. I burst out laughing and fell over too. Luna was even redder than before and then started laughing as well. We kept laughing until our sides were about to burst.
"You should write the Idiot's Guide to murdering your best friend's side by laughing way too much," I said, clutching my side from the pain.
"And you can write the Idiot's Guide to making your best friend fall over laughing at your face!" Luna laughed back. I snickered. You fell for me, hahahaha, I almost said. Luna rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what I would have said. In your dreams, she practically said.
"Miss Emma? Miss Luna?" Alejandro knocked softly on the door. I got up quickly, got Luna to her feet, and opened the door. He smiled at me and bowed then did the same to Luna. "Would you like to see the rest of the mansion?"
"That would be great!" I said excitedly. I felt Luna tense up for some reason next to me. The Alejandro gestured for us to step out and then placed a hand on each of our backs as we begwn our tour.
"Will you inform Master Timblewood I have brought Miss Emma and Miss Luna and will be giving them a quick tour now?" He said respectfully to the woman.
"Of course, Alejandro. Did you have any troubles attaining them?" Attaining? What were we, some prize? Already, I didn't like her.
"No ma'am." He bowed again.
"It's no wonder Master Timblewood sent you. You are rather convincing." The woman smiled and winked at him. Then she looked straight at Luna and smiled an extremely fake smile. "You look so much like your mother, dearie." Luna smiled. "No doubt just as zany as well." I felt a bit of rage boil up inside me. Leave her alone, you hag, I wanted to say. "Why don't you take these lovely girls to their rooms, Alejandro?"
"Yes, ma'am." He bowed again and silently led us out of the room while I let my anger dissipate. Alejandro led us up 3 huge, ornate staricases and then down a long hall. He opened the door at the very end and motioned for us to step in. Luna's jaw dropped. It looked like it had to be a king's bedroom, judging by how expensive everything inside had to be.
"You shall have to share a room. I hope that is okay with both of you, Miss Emma, Miss Luna." Alejandro said sheepishly. Okay with us? We had been sharing a room for nearly a year now and both rooms had been WAY smaller. Plus we shared rooms half the time before that too.
"It's fine with me!" Emma said. Luna smiled suddenly.
"Just dandy!" She giggled.
"I imagine you would like some time to settle in, correct? I shall return in a little while to show the two of you around, but first, make yourselves at home." Alejandro blushed and bowed and we nodded. Once he left, I smirked at Luna.
"I guess I'm never getting away from you, am I?" I laughed, "You realize you are the absolute most clingy person in the world when you sleep, right?" Luna turned bright red and quickly turned around to face the bookshelf behind her.
"Gee, look. Books!" I rolled my eyes.
"Nice subject change, Loony." She grabbed a book off the shelf.
"Oh, look. It's the Idiot's Guide to RAWR!" Then she jumped around, probably in an attempt to scare me, and tripped. I burst out laughing and fell over too. Luna was even redder than before and then started laughing as well. We kept laughing until our sides were about to burst.
"You should write the Idiot's Guide to murdering your best friend's side by laughing way too much," I said, clutching my side from the pain.
"And you can write the Idiot's Guide to making your best friend fall over laughing at your face!" Luna laughed back. I snickered. You fell for me, hahahaha, I almost said. Luna rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what I would have said. In your dreams, she practically said.
"Miss Emma? Miss Luna?" Alejandro knocked softly on the door. I got up quickly, got Luna to her feet, and opened the door. He smiled at me and bowed then did the same to Luna. "Would you like to see the rest of the mansion?"
"That would be great!" I said excitedly. I felt Luna tense up for some reason next to me. The Alejandro gestured for us to step out and then placed a hand on each of our backs as we begwn our tour.
07 May 2008
Headaches
I screamed as the electricity hit my stomach, sending shocks throughout my whole body. "You need to be faster," Franklin growled impatiently.
"I'm trying," I groaned back angrily, clutching my stomach as I tried to heal the pain.
"Fly. Make a wall of ice. Freeze me. Do something." He had been telling me the same thing all day. I was just too tired. My head hurt way too much. I just plain couldn't focus any more. "You're a healer!" he cried suddenly, throwing his arms out, "Just heal your stupid headache!"
"I'm tired. Work with Luna." Ugh. The look he gave me made me feel even worse about how terrible my focus had been the past few days. My head hadn't stopped throbbing for days. He resigned and let Luna take my place in fighting him. Instantly, he let off a jolt of electricity at her. The jolt veered away and then Franklin stumbled back a few feet, tripping over a box that had quickly shoved itself under his feet. Luna smirked triumphantly. Ha! I could almost hear her shout.
"Good thinking, Luna," Franklin chuckled, standing up. "Can't lift me though still." That put the smirk off Luna's face. Instead she put out her hand and screwed up her face, clearly trying to lift him off the ground. He chuckled again. "I'm nowhere near as light at Emma." He shot me a look that clearly said my weight was somehow a weakness. "You're going to have to get a lot more mental strength before you can lift me."
"Franklin! Emma! Luna!" Luna's mom called out from the front room. Her voice made my headache suddenly intesify and I doubled over, clutching my skull. The room began to spin, my stomach lurched, and I fell over.
"Emma!" Luna's voice seemed to echo throughout the entire room as I blacked out.
The first thing I noticed was that I was crying. I had no idea why though. Emma! Emma! I kept thinking. I had some weird sense that someone died, but it didn't make sense. No one had died. Weird memories I didn't recognize seemed to be flashing through my mind. Why was I thinking my own name over and over? I opened my eyes. Luna was shaking my shoulders, whispering my name over and over while tears streamed down her face.
"What's wrong?" I blurted out stupidly, nearly knocking her over as I sat up suddenly. She furrowed her brow at me, but at least stopped crying. Then I remembered the feeling that someone had died. "Wait, who died?" I asked, horrified that it was someone important.
"Emma, no one died," my mom's voice said softly. I felt a little bit better and rel-- My mom? What? I shook my head. Luna's mom. True, she was much more of a mother to me than my own had ever been, but that didn't make her my mother. What was with me? "Did she hit her head?" Luna's mom asked Luna who looked more than just slightly terrified. Luna shook her head and looked at me like I might suddenly explode. "Emma, how are you feeling?"
"Fine," I said impulsively. I shook my head. It hurt.
"How does your head feel?"
"Fine." Impulsive again. "Er, no. It's buzzing. Hurts a lot. Fuzzy." I giggled at the word. My friend had had a bear named Fuzzy when we were little. Er, no, I had had a bear named Fuzzy. "Astral!" I said suddenly, jumping up. I regretted it a moment later as I became suddenly more dizzy and stumbled. I lunged forward to catch Emma. Er, no, Luna and her mom grabbed my arms and kept me from falling. Whatever. Astral projection or something.
"What?" Luna's voice echoed somewhere far off. My vision blurred, the world spun, voices echoed around me, and I fainted.
For some reason, I was making pancakes. "Emma!" Franklin shouted, causing me to jump and nearly trip myself. "You're burning pancakes worse than me. Why don't you sit down?" I looked at the pancakes again. They were literally on fire.
"Oops," I said stupidly. Franklin moved me out of the way and put out the flaming pancakes.
"Jeeze, Franklin, you literally burnt those pancakes," Luna yawned as she walked into the kitchen. "I think I'll just have cereal, thanks. G'morning, by the way." I suddenly remembered my head hurt. And then I realized I didn't remember anything since blacking out, which must have been days ago, judging by the lack of "Are you okay?"s I was experiencing. Did I have old-timer's? Or however you spell the real word.
I was so busy trying to figure out what was going on inside my head that I didn't hear the doorbell ring or notice Luna dragging me out to the entry room until I found myself sitting in one of the chairs in the entry room, in conversation with Luna, her mother, Franklin, and a teenage boy who I was sure I had never met before. He must've been 16 or 17.
"Master Timblewood has specifically requested to have Miss Emma and Miss Luna come with me back to his home for special training," he was saying. "I am very sure you are aware of Master Timblewood's expertise and knowledge in people like us, Miss--"
"Yes, yes, I'm fully aware of his . . . expertise. However, the decision is for Emma and Luna to make themselves, so I suggest you impress upon them, not me, how . . . knowledgable Timblewood is." Luna's mom had a very sour look on her face. I got the feeling whoever this Timblewood guy was and her had some sort of history that she was trying to put behind her. The boy looked disappointed that she was acting less than completely admiring of Timblewood. He smiled again as he looked right at me.
"Well, Miss Emma," he turned to Luna, "Miss Luna, I suppose I should explain more about Timblewood to you." You should explain more about how amazing your voice is. What? His voice? Where did that come from? A sharp pain shot through my skull suddenly, as if someone was ripping it apart and exposing my brain. For some reason, I suddenly had no care for his words, just the fact that he was speaking seemed to be making me feel all weird and airy. Ugh, I'm going boy-crazy, aren't I? My headache worsened exponentially and I didn't catch much else that he said except that he wanted Luna and I to go with him to some prestigious, upper-class, "special people" school. I wished I could have heard what he was saying better, but my head seemed to be echoing loudly and the pain just kept intensifying. "Miss Emma?" Shoot, he had asked me a question.
"Er, well . . ." I said, trying to remember what he had just said. I looked to Luna's mom, hoping she could save me from embarrassment.
"I think it may be a good thing to get the two of you out of this house," she said. "Lord knows you've both been stuck inside far too long. And I trust the principal to care for you."
"Please, ma'am, Mister Timblewood is not a prinicipal," the boy said, "He's a--"
"It's up to Emma and Luna. They have my permission to go."
"Misses Emma and Luna?" The beautiful boy said, awaiting our repsonses. Luna looked like she had left her brain elsewhere. More pain shot through my head and I grabbed the sides of my head and tried to heal it. He said some other stuff, probably along the lines of, "Zomg! She's dieing! -insert spazz attack here-" Then Luna's mom said something and Luna ran out of the room. The room lurched suddenly and I fell over. I expected to black out again, but instead, the pain in my skull dulled slightly and I started to hear what was being said again.
"I haven't quite figured out what's going on, but I think Emma's getting headaches from Luna," Luna's mom was saying, probably thinking I had actually blacked out. "I've tried reading her mind, but I can't make sense of anything in her mind. Luna's mind seems alright though. I think, for Emma's sake, only one of them can go. Timblewood might be able to help Emma, so I think Emma should be the one to go."
"Have you considered the possibility that Miss Emma may be developing some sort of mind ability? Perhaps you should not halt the proccess." Ugh, no, not another ability I couldn't control. No way. I did not want to deal with that.
"It's different than any developing mind ability I have seen. And I have . . . other reasons for wanting to separate them. Their relationship with each other is . . . unhealthy." I lifted my head to see the boy make a strange face at Luna's mom. He didn't seem to like anything she was saying.
"Master Timblewood has requested I bring both back to the mansion with me," he said firmly, suddenly looking much older and more powerful. Luna's mom glared at him and it was very clear that her mind would not be changed. I groaned, no longer wanting to be thought unconscious and forced myself to think I really had blacked out.
"Emma? Are you alright?" She knelt down beside me and I stood up slowly.
"I'm fine. I want to go." She looked at me carefully and nodded slowly.
"Why don't you go get your things together?" She looked at the boy. "Why don't you go help her? I need to speak with Luna." The boy nodded, glaring at her. I hurried to my room, wanting to get away as fast as possible.
"Miss Emma?" the boy said softly as I threw all my things together and then started throwing all of Luna's things together as well. He touched my shoulder lightly, his way of asking me what was wrong.
"She can't stop Luna,"I growled. "Luna wants to go. I know she does. She lost her mind last time I left without her. I'm not doing that again." He smiled slightly.
"The two of you are very good friends, are you not?" I nodded. "Her mother does not like that." I felt my jaw clench. My head definitely still hurt. The boy took Luna's and my things out of my hands and set them by the door. Then he led me to Luna's mom's room where Luna's mom was shouting at Luna.
"--can't spend forever with her!" Luna's mom looked as if she was about to explode in anger.
"What in the world are you two screaming about?" I groaned. My head was throbbing, but I was trying to ignore it.
"Why don't you go finish getting your things, Emma," Luna's mom said in the fakest voice imaginable.
"Ma'am, Miss Emma has already gotten her things. She is prepared for departure," the boy said quickly.
"Let me just finish saying goodbye to my daughter." More like finish screaming at her.
"I'm going," Luna said, very clearly standing up to her mother.
"Very well then. We can all go together," the boy said. Luna's mom scowled, but he gave her a look I didn't understand and she didn't argue. Emma and Luna: One. Luna's mom: Zero.
"I'm trying," I groaned back angrily, clutching my stomach as I tried to heal the pain.
"Fly. Make a wall of ice. Freeze me. Do something." He had been telling me the same thing all day. I was just too tired. My head hurt way too much. I just plain couldn't focus any more. "You're a healer!" he cried suddenly, throwing his arms out, "Just heal your stupid headache!"
"I'm tired. Work with Luna." Ugh. The look he gave me made me feel even worse about how terrible my focus had been the past few days. My head hadn't stopped throbbing for days. He resigned and let Luna take my place in fighting him. Instantly, he let off a jolt of electricity at her. The jolt veered away and then Franklin stumbled back a few feet, tripping over a box that had quickly shoved itself under his feet. Luna smirked triumphantly. Ha! I could almost hear her shout.
"Good thinking, Luna," Franklin chuckled, standing up. "Can't lift me though still." That put the smirk off Luna's face. Instead she put out her hand and screwed up her face, clearly trying to lift him off the ground. He chuckled again. "I'm nowhere near as light at Emma." He shot me a look that clearly said my weight was somehow a weakness. "You're going to have to get a lot more mental strength before you can lift me."
"Franklin! Emma! Luna!" Luna's mom called out from the front room. Her voice made my headache suddenly intesify and I doubled over, clutching my skull. The room began to spin, my stomach lurched, and I fell over.
"Emma!" Luna's voice seemed to echo throughout the entire room as I blacked out.
The first thing I noticed was that I was crying. I had no idea why though. Emma! Emma! I kept thinking. I had some weird sense that someone died, but it didn't make sense. No one had died. Weird memories I didn't recognize seemed to be flashing through my mind. Why was I thinking my own name over and over? I opened my eyes. Luna was shaking my shoulders, whispering my name over and over while tears streamed down her face.
"What's wrong?" I blurted out stupidly, nearly knocking her over as I sat up suddenly. She furrowed her brow at me, but at least stopped crying. Then I remembered the feeling that someone had died. "Wait, who died?" I asked, horrified that it was someone important.
"Emma, no one died," my mom's voice said softly. I felt a little bit better and rel-- My mom? What? I shook my head. Luna's mom. True, she was much more of a mother to me than my own had ever been, but that didn't make her my mother. What was with me? "Did she hit her head?" Luna's mom asked Luna who looked more than just slightly terrified. Luna shook her head and looked at me like I might suddenly explode. "Emma, how are you feeling?"
"Fine," I said impulsively. I shook my head. It hurt.
"How does your head feel?"
"Fine." Impulsive again. "Er, no. It's buzzing. Hurts a lot. Fuzzy." I giggled at the word. My friend had had a bear named Fuzzy when we were little. Er, no, I had had a bear named Fuzzy. "Astral!" I said suddenly, jumping up. I regretted it a moment later as I became suddenly more dizzy and stumbled. I lunged forward to catch Emma. Er, no, Luna and her mom grabbed my arms and kept me from falling. Whatever. Astral projection or something.
"What?" Luna's voice echoed somewhere far off. My vision blurred, the world spun, voices echoed around me, and I fainted.
For some reason, I was making pancakes. "Emma!" Franklin shouted, causing me to jump and nearly trip myself. "You're burning pancakes worse than me. Why don't you sit down?" I looked at the pancakes again. They were literally on fire.
"Oops," I said stupidly. Franklin moved me out of the way and put out the flaming pancakes.
"Jeeze, Franklin, you literally burnt those pancakes," Luna yawned as she walked into the kitchen. "I think I'll just have cereal, thanks. G'morning, by the way." I suddenly remembered my head hurt. And then I realized I didn't remember anything since blacking out, which must have been days ago, judging by the lack of "Are you okay?"s I was experiencing. Did I have old-timer's? Or however you spell the real word.
I was so busy trying to figure out what was going on inside my head that I didn't hear the doorbell ring or notice Luna dragging me out to the entry room until I found myself sitting in one of the chairs in the entry room, in conversation with Luna, her mother, Franklin, and a teenage boy who I was sure I had never met before. He must've been 16 or 17.
"Master Timblewood has specifically requested to have Miss Emma and Miss Luna come with me back to his home for special training," he was saying. "I am very sure you are aware of Master Timblewood's expertise and knowledge in people like us, Miss--"
"Yes, yes, I'm fully aware of his . . . expertise. However, the decision is for Emma and Luna to make themselves, so I suggest you impress upon them, not me, how . . . knowledgable Timblewood is." Luna's mom had a very sour look on her face. I got the feeling whoever this Timblewood guy was and her had some sort of history that she was trying to put behind her. The boy looked disappointed that she was acting less than completely admiring of Timblewood. He smiled again as he looked right at me.
"Well, Miss Emma," he turned to Luna, "Miss Luna, I suppose I should explain more about Timblewood to you." You should explain more about how amazing your voice is. What? His voice? Where did that come from? A sharp pain shot through my skull suddenly, as if someone was ripping it apart and exposing my brain. For some reason, I suddenly had no care for his words, just the fact that he was speaking seemed to be making me feel all weird and airy. Ugh, I'm going boy-crazy, aren't I? My headache worsened exponentially and I didn't catch much else that he said except that he wanted Luna and I to go with him to some prestigious, upper-class, "special people" school. I wished I could have heard what he was saying better, but my head seemed to be echoing loudly and the pain just kept intensifying. "Miss Emma?" Shoot, he had asked me a question.
"Er, well . . ." I said, trying to remember what he had just said. I looked to Luna's mom, hoping she could save me from embarrassment.
"I think it may be a good thing to get the two of you out of this house," she said. "Lord knows you've both been stuck inside far too long. And I trust the principal to care for you."
"Please, ma'am, Mister Timblewood is not a prinicipal," the boy said, "He's a--"
"It's up to Emma and Luna. They have my permission to go."
"Misses Emma and Luna?" The beautiful boy said, awaiting our repsonses. Luna looked like she had left her brain elsewhere. More pain shot through my head and I grabbed the sides of my head and tried to heal it. He said some other stuff, probably along the lines of, "Zomg! She's dieing! -insert spazz attack here-" Then Luna's mom said something and Luna ran out of the room. The room lurched suddenly and I fell over. I expected to black out again, but instead, the pain in my skull dulled slightly and I started to hear what was being said again.
"I haven't quite figured out what's going on, but I think Emma's getting headaches from Luna," Luna's mom was saying, probably thinking I had actually blacked out. "I've tried reading her mind, but I can't make sense of anything in her mind. Luna's mind seems alright though. I think, for Emma's sake, only one of them can go. Timblewood might be able to help Emma, so I think Emma should be the one to go."
"Have you considered the possibility that Miss Emma may be developing some sort of mind ability? Perhaps you should not halt the proccess." Ugh, no, not another ability I couldn't control. No way. I did not want to deal with that.
"It's different than any developing mind ability I have seen. And I have . . . other reasons for wanting to separate them. Their relationship with each other is . . . unhealthy." I lifted my head to see the boy make a strange face at Luna's mom. He didn't seem to like anything she was saying.
"Master Timblewood has requested I bring both back to the mansion with me," he said firmly, suddenly looking much older and more powerful. Luna's mom glared at him and it was very clear that her mind would not be changed. I groaned, no longer wanting to be thought unconscious and forced myself to think I really had blacked out.
"Emma? Are you alright?" She knelt down beside me and I stood up slowly.
"I'm fine. I want to go." She looked at me carefully and nodded slowly.
"Why don't you go get your things together?" She looked at the boy. "Why don't you go help her? I need to speak with Luna." The boy nodded, glaring at her. I hurried to my room, wanting to get away as fast as possible.
"Miss Emma?" the boy said softly as I threw all my things together and then started throwing all of Luna's things together as well. He touched my shoulder lightly, his way of asking me what was wrong.
"She can't stop Luna,"I growled. "Luna wants to go. I know she does. She lost her mind last time I left without her. I'm not doing that again." He smiled slightly.
"The two of you are very good friends, are you not?" I nodded. "Her mother does not like that." I felt my jaw clench. My head definitely still hurt. The boy took Luna's and my things out of my hands and set them by the door. Then he led me to Luna's mom's room where Luna's mom was shouting at Luna.
"--can't spend forever with her!" Luna's mom looked as if she was about to explode in anger.
"What in the world are you two screaming about?" I groaned. My head was throbbing, but I was trying to ignore it.
"Why don't you go finish getting your things, Emma," Luna's mom said in the fakest voice imaginable.
"Ma'am, Miss Emma has already gotten her things. She is prepared for departure," the boy said quickly.
"Let me just finish saying goodbye to my daughter." More like finish screaming at her.
"I'm going," Luna said, very clearly standing up to her mother.
"Very well then. We can all go together," the boy said. Luna's mom scowled, but he gave her a look I didn't understand and she didn't argue. Emma and Luna: One. Luna's mom: Zero.
23 April 2008
Starlight.
I decided I didn't want to tell Luna. I wanted to show her. So I cheerfully went through the day, mentally planning how I was going to show her. Everything would be perfect. I knew I'd be able to fly without dreaming. It was going to literally be a dream come true.
"Luna," I whispered into her ear, a cocky grin across my face, barely visible in the dim glow of the night light in our room. She had assumed I was asleep and had forced her way into my arms, mumbling something about warmth. She jumped at the sound of my voice, but exhaled slowly a moment later. "How'd you sleep?" I laughed, my grin not fading at all.
"I didn't," she growled back, though clearly not actually angry. "I thought you were asleep though."
"No way. You think I could sleep when I'm busy plotting sneaking you out of this place?" She gaped at me. Neither of us had been outside very much. We were trying to avoid being seen by the wrong person. But it was night. Pitch black. And I wasn't concerned with being seen anyway. "Get up," I ordered softly, whispering into her ear again. She shuddered, but she wasn't cold. Luna stood up, eyeing me suspiciously. I laughed, grabbed her hand, and quietly led her to the kitchen. I opened the window I had chosen earlier and crawled out, motioning for her to follow as well. She did, though hesitantly. Her caution only made me laugh more.
I walked us to a spot in the tiny yard where the moon shone directly above us. The moonlight made her blonde hair glow an unearthly colour. This time, I was the one who shuddered, and I wasn't cold.
"What's this all about, Emma?" Luna hissed. My grin returned.
"What if I told you I could make you float like you do to me?" Her jaw hung open.
"What are you talking about?" she breathed, confused.
"I'll show you. Don't let go." Her face showed only more confusion as I locked her arms around my neck and mine around her waist. "Smile," I whispered. And she did, slightly. It was good enough, though. I didn't have to close my eyes. My feet left the ground and I smiled at Luna. She looked down at the ground and quickly tightened her grip on my neck.
"Oh my God," she whispered back, as we floated above the trees now, the moonlight still hitting her hair in such a way that it was hard to believe she was human. I let my left hand carefully move to her hair, just to be sure it was real, as we flew over the city. Luna put her head on my shoulder and I realized she was crying.
"Luna?" I said softly, noticing that staying in the air had suddenly become harder. She shook her head and looked up at me. She was smiling.
"I was so . . . worried about you. I thought I was doing it on accident at first. And then when I realized it wasn't me . . . " she shuddered slightly. I sighed, relieved. She was happy, not sad. "I was scared, Emma. I didn't know what to do. You looked so scared . . . "
"I'm not scared anymore. I can fly!" I shouted, suddenly squeezing Luna tightly in a giant bear-hug. A bird flew out of a nearby tree at the sound of my voice and shot past the bright moon. For a moment, I just stared at the moon and the eerie glow it cast upon the night, Luna's hair especially. "Luna?" I said quietly after a long silence.
"Yeah, Em?"
"Can I ask you something?" She looked at me curiously and nodded. "You've always said I'm warm all the time," I paused, trying to figure out how to word my question right. Luna made a weird sound in the back of her throat and in the moonlight, I could see her face redden. I suddenly started laughing and smirked at her. "So what's it like having your own personal heater?" We both laughed, and soon, the night began to fade back into day and we snuck silently back into the house and to our room.
18 March 2008
Dreams
It was a dream. Luna had been levitating me too much during my waking life that it crossed into my sleep. We had both been practicing using our powers all day, everyday, for weeks and Luna had gotten good enough to lift me off the ground while doing other things. She rarely stopped levitating me and I had gotten used to not having ground beneath my feet.
Her mom got annoyed with having me floating around everywhere, so Luna levitated Franklin instead. He immediately asked her mom to let Luna go back to levitating me and she only gave in when Luna started making her hair fly in random directions.
Back to my dream though. I was floating. I could feel cool air around me. I went higher and higher into the air. Then something hit my head with a thud and I fell to the ground, waking up the moment I hit the mattress. Luna jumped and nonsense began spilling out of her mouth.
It took me a few minutes to adjust back to reality. I looked around the small room Luna and I had been sharing. It seemed strange to me. I had been high above everything just a minute before. And one thought had been very strong in my mind as I drifted through the sky. One emotion. I had felt like that feeling was what lifted me off the ground.
Luna was still blubbering when I had truly awoken. I looked at her carefully. Had I really been floating or was it just a dream? If I really had been, had Luna done it? She would have been giggling if she had done it. She was far from giggling.
"Luna?" I whispered. She shook her head and crawled into the corner and curled up into a ball. I had no idea what to make of her strange behavior. Drowsiness overcame me before I could think much about it. Dreams of flying, not floating, but actually flying, through the sky consumed my mind.
"Luna! Not while she sleeps!" Luna's mom was saying.
"I'm not doing that, Mom!" Luna snapped back, "Go ahead, read my stupid mind! I'm not doing it!" I didn't want to wake up. I had been having a good dream. Luna and I had flown out of the atmosphere and gravity no longer applied. I smiled. Then I fell and hit the mattress, as I had been doing every morning for over a week now.
"Every night?" Luna's mom said quietly to her daughter. Luna nodded and then looked at me concerned. The room was spinning slightly. Luna's mom gaze pierced me and I got a headache. I knew she had to be reading my mind. My brain turned on suddenly.
"Hey! My head! Stay out!" I blurted and scrambled backward, my face turning bright red. Luna's mom smirked.
"I'm not going to say anything. It's not like it's news to me or anything," she laughed. Luna looked puzzled; I looked more than just annoyed. The mattress became extremely cold and Luna's started shivering.
"Emma!" Luna said. I could see her breath. I exhaled and saw my own. Luna's mom laughed again, giving me a look that made me turn even redder, if that were possible. I forced myself to calm down and the room grew warmer.
"You do realize you're completely mental, right, Emma?" Luna's mom laughed. I would have sworn my face was literally on fire. "C'mon, Franklin's burning pancakes again." She walked out, still smirking. Luna looked at me, clearly wondering what her mom had found in my mind, then turned and followed her mom out. I didn't get up at first. Stupid telepath. Of course, she had been reading my mind for years without me even knowing. And, the thought suddenly occurred to me, she had been reading Luna's mind for years too. An idea hit me and I jumped up and followed the smell of burnt pancakes to the kitchen.
"Good morning!" I said happily as I walked in.
"Jeeze, Em. You were sulking a minute ago and now you're a little ray of sunshine. What are you, bipolar?" Luna laughed. I rolled my eyes at her and took the plate Franklin was handing me. Luna's mom was still smirking and whispered something to Franklin. He looked between Luna and I and then smirked too.
"And you're not?" I laughed. My pancakes suddenly flew off my plate and landed on Luna's. I rolled my eyes.
"What? I'm hungry."
"You want cold pancakes?"
"Don't be stupid. Your pancakes are always the warmest. You're always warm." A weird feeling appeared in my stomach and spread through my body momentarily. I couldn't help but smile and I felt my feet leave the ground.
"Hey! Put me down!" I laughed, the weird feeling not leaving.
"I'm not doing that," Luna said quietly. I fell back down suddenly and stumbled as I hit the ground. The feeling disappeared as quickly as it came. Luna looked scared.
"Uh, Franklin, why don't you go take Luna to help her work some more?" Luna's mom said quickly. Her smirk was gone. Franklin grabbed Luna's arm and took her out of the kitchen. "Emma," she said slowly. She reached out her hand and placed it on my head and instead of the headache I expected, I just felt numbness. I felt drowsy and my legs gave way suddenly. She caught me and then I began to dream.
It was a cold, misty night. Luna and I were standing in a forest clearing, laughing. Luna used her powers to lift me up into the air. Moonlight shone on her soft blonde hair and she smiled.
"I wish I could be up there with you," Luna said in a voice that sounded more like music than speech. I reached out my hand toward her.
"You can." I grabbed her tiny hand carefully and lifted her into the air. She wrapped her arms around my neck and we floated higher and higher into the air until the forest became just a tiny speck below us.
"Emma," another voice said softly. My eyes fluttered open. I was back in the kitchen. I floated in the air for a moment but then gravity discovered me and pulled me straight down to the earth. Luckily, Luna's mom caught me and set me down on solid ground carefully.
"Was I--?" I said quickly.
"Defying gravity?" she finished. "Yes."
"But . . . I mean, how?"
"Don't ask me things I don't know the answer to, Emma."
"You made me do it though. You knew. You know how I've done everything I've done."
"No, Emma, I don't. You freeze things when you get scared. You heal things when you're concerned and feeling sympathetic. You float when you dream. All I did was help you dream. I don't know what really does it though."
"You saw what I dreamt last night, didn't you?" I felt my cheeks flush slightly.
"Only what you could still remember. Look, I'm not going to get involved in whatever you may dream about. Relax. You may want to learn how to lock me out though because you make it very clear who you care about and if anyone else got a hold of that information, things could get dangerous for all of us."
"I'm a danger to all of you, aren't I?" I knew I was, but I also knew she wouldn't admit to it lest I get up and leave like I had considered doing. I didn't want to put their lives in danger any more than I already was just by knowing them. Luna's mom treated me as if I was her own daughter and I knew she wouldn't let me run off on my own. She had only sent me to Franklin because she knew she would be coming after me shortly.
"We're each a danger to each other, but we're all in more danger alone. Emma, you've saved my daughter's life twice, and Franklin's and mine once now. You can't just run away because you're scared you might hurt someone. Without you, all three of us would be dead by now. Luna needs you to stay here." I sighed and looked at my hands carefully. I closed my eyes and tried to remember my dream. Gravity slowly lost its hold and the ground and my feet parted.
Her mom got annoyed with having me floating around everywhere, so Luna levitated Franklin instead. He immediately asked her mom to let Luna go back to levitating me and she only gave in when Luna started making her hair fly in random directions.
Back to my dream though. I was floating. I could feel cool air around me. I went higher and higher into the air. Then something hit my head with a thud and I fell to the ground, waking up the moment I hit the mattress. Luna jumped and nonsense began spilling out of her mouth.
It took me a few minutes to adjust back to reality. I looked around the small room Luna and I had been sharing. It seemed strange to me. I had been high above everything just a minute before. And one thought had been very strong in my mind as I drifted through the sky. One emotion. I had felt like that feeling was what lifted me off the ground.
Luna was still blubbering when I had truly awoken. I looked at her carefully. Had I really been floating or was it just a dream? If I really had been, had Luna done it? She would have been giggling if she had done it. She was far from giggling.
"Luna?" I whispered. She shook her head and crawled into the corner and curled up into a ball. I had no idea what to make of her strange behavior. Drowsiness overcame me before I could think much about it. Dreams of flying, not floating, but actually flying, through the sky consumed my mind.
"Luna! Not while she sleeps!" Luna's mom was saying.
"I'm not doing that, Mom!" Luna snapped back, "Go ahead, read my stupid mind! I'm not doing it!" I didn't want to wake up. I had been having a good dream. Luna and I had flown out of the atmosphere and gravity no longer applied. I smiled. Then I fell and hit the mattress, as I had been doing every morning for over a week now.
"Every night?" Luna's mom said quietly to her daughter. Luna nodded and then looked at me concerned. The room was spinning slightly. Luna's mom gaze pierced me and I got a headache. I knew she had to be reading my mind. My brain turned on suddenly.
"Hey! My head! Stay out!" I blurted and scrambled backward, my face turning bright red. Luna's mom smirked.
"I'm not going to say anything. It's not like it's news to me or anything," she laughed. Luna looked puzzled; I looked more than just annoyed. The mattress became extremely cold and Luna's started shivering.
"Emma!" Luna said. I could see her breath. I exhaled and saw my own. Luna's mom laughed again, giving me a look that made me turn even redder, if that were possible. I forced myself to calm down and the room grew warmer.
"You do realize you're completely mental, right, Emma?" Luna's mom laughed. I would have sworn my face was literally on fire. "C'mon, Franklin's burning pancakes again." She walked out, still smirking. Luna looked at me, clearly wondering what her mom had found in my mind, then turned and followed her mom out. I didn't get up at first. Stupid telepath. Of course, she had been reading my mind for years without me even knowing. And, the thought suddenly occurred to me, she had been reading Luna's mind for years too. An idea hit me and I jumped up and followed the smell of burnt pancakes to the kitchen.
"Good morning!" I said happily as I walked in.
"Jeeze, Em. You were sulking a minute ago and now you're a little ray of sunshine. What are you, bipolar?" Luna laughed. I rolled my eyes at her and took the plate Franklin was handing me. Luna's mom was still smirking and whispered something to Franklin. He looked between Luna and I and then smirked too.
"And you're not?" I laughed. My pancakes suddenly flew off my plate and landed on Luna's. I rolled my eyes.
"What? I'm hungry."
"You want cold pancakes?"
"Don't be stupid. Your pancakes are always the warmest. You're always warm." A weird feeling appeared in my stomach and spread through my body momentarily. I couldn't help but smile and I felt my feet leave the ground.
"Hey! Put me down!" I laughed, the weird feeling not leaving.
"I'm not doing that," Luna said quietly. I fell back down suddenly and stumbled as I hit the ground. The feeling disappeared as quickly as it came. Luna looked scared.
"Uh, Franklin, why don't you go take Luna to help her work some more?" Luna's mom said quickly. Her smirk was gone. Franklin grabbed Luna's arm and took her out of the kitchen. "Emma," she said slowly. She reached out her hand and placed it on my head and instead of the headache I expected, I just felt numbness. I felt drowsy and my legs gave way suddenly. She caught me and then I began to dream.
It was a cold, misty night. Luna and I were standing in a forest clearing, laughing. Luna used her powers to lift me up into the air. Moonlight shone on her soft blonde hair and she smiled.
"I wish I could be up there with you," Luna said in a voice that sounded more like music than speech. I reached out my hand toward her.
"You can." I grabbed her tiny hand carefully and lifted her into the air. She wrapped her arms around my neck and we floated higher and higher into the air until the forest became just a tiny speck below us.
"Emma," another voice said softly. My eyes fluttered open. I was back in the kitchen. I floated in the air for a moment but then gravity discovered me and pulled me straight down to the earth. Luckily, Luna's mom caught me and set me down on solid ground carefully.
"Was I--?" I said quickly.
"Defying gravity?" she finished. "Yes."
"But . . . I mean, how?"
"Don't ask me things I don't know the answer to, Emma."
"You made me do it though. You knew. You know how I've done everything I've done."
"No, Emma, I don't. You freeze things when you get scared. You heal things when you're concerned and feeling sympathetic. You float when you dream. All I did was help you dream. I don't know what really does it though."
"You saw what I dreamt last night, didn't you?" I felt my cheeks flush slightly.
"Only what you could still remember. Look, I'm not going to get involved in whatever you may dream about. Relax. You may want to learn how to lock me out though because you make it very clear who you care about and if anyone else got a hold of that information, things could get dangerous for all of us."
"I'm a danger to all of you, aren't I?" I knew I was, but I also knew she wouldn't admit to it lest I get up and leave like I had considered doing. I didn't want to put their lives in danger any more than I already was just by knowing them. Luna's mom treated me as if I was her own daughter and I knew she wouldn't let me run off on my own. She had only sent me to Franklin because she knew she would be coming after me shortly.
"We're each a danger to each other, but we're all in more danger alone. Emma, you've saved my daughter's life twice, and Franklin's and mine once now. You can't just run away because you're scared you might hurt someone. Without you, all three of us would be dead by now. Luna needs you to stay here." I sighed and looked at my hands carefully. I closed my eyes and tried to remember my dream. Gravity slowly lost its hold and the ground and my feet parted.
12 March 2008
Fire and Flames
Luna was chained to the wall, unconscious. She looked nearly dead. Her mom ran over to her quickly and tried to break the chains. No use. They wouldn't break.
"Emma," Luna's mom said, "freeze the chains, we might be able to break them if you do." I nodded and got up and tried to freeze the chains.
"I shouldn't have left . . ." I whispered. The chains grew colder, but not enough to break them. I swore under my breath. Luna's mom pulled me back suddenly.
"She's faking it!" she gasped. Next thing I knew, I was flung backwards and crashed into the wall. I jumped back up quickly, leaving the water tank on the floor, and saw Luna's mom lying on the ground, not moving. I ran over to her side. She wasn't dead, only knocked out.
"Come to pretend to be a hero again, Emma?" Luna's voice snarled in my ear. I spun around. She had gotten out of her chains and was staring menacingly at me. "Just like when you attacked me in the alley and made it look like someone else did it?"
"What?!?" I blurted out.
"Oh, don't play dumb, Emma. I know it was you. Trying to look like a hero, but you're not. Ever since second grade, you've always been trying to act like your a better person than everyone else, but you're not!" I felt an invisible force suddenly force me backward and I tripped. "Oh, poor Emma fell? Guess what? I don't care! I HATE YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" Then she leapt at me. A thick sheet of ice formed in between us at the last possible moment, and there was a loud thud as she smashed into it. It cracked and I scrambled to my feet.
"Luna--" I said, but she cut me off.
"What? You have to use ice to protect you? Ha! Won't work." Then she put out her hand towards the ice and sent it flying straight at me. I put up my arms to shield myself, and flames shot out of my hands, melting the ice and burning Luna's shoulder.
"Sorry! You okay?" Luna looked at me as darkly as possible then looked around the room quickly. Her eyes found a knife on the floor and it shot straight toward my head. I ducked and it pierced the wall. "Have you lost your /mind/?!?" If she didn't want to be saved, then fine; I wouldn't save her.
"No, but you're about to have no need for one. Once I KILL YOU!" She lunged at me again and I pulled her to the ground with me.
"Luna!" I yelled back, struggling with her and finally pinning her beneath me. "Why the hell are you trying to /kill/ me?!? I'm your best friend!"
"No, you're not!" she screamed and I suddenly realised she was crying. She started slapping my shoulders hysterically and more guilt than I had ever known welled up within me and a sick feeling started eating at my insides. "You're not! You're not! You're not!"
"Luna--"
"SHUT UP! I HATE YOU!"
"I'm sorry!" I yelled right back.
"No, you're not! You're just a stupid liar!"
"I was trying to protect you!"
"Ha! Yeah, right. From what?"
"From me! And from someone taking you to get to me." I paused, she seemed to calm down a bit. An idea hit me. A song. One we both knew. One that meant a lot to both of us. "'Let me feel you, carry you--'" I whispered.
"'--Higher. Watch our words spread hope like--'" she said quietly, no longer hitting me or struggling to get away. Tears were sliently falling down her face.
"--Fire.'" Flames lit up in my hands for a brief moment. "I shouldn't have left like that, Luna. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" She nodded and I stood up. I put out my hand and she took it and stood up.
"As long as you can forgive me for trying to kill you." I laughed and nodded. I walked over to her mom and knelt beside her. I placed my hand on her head and focused on healing her. My hand started to tingle and then she sat up suddenly. She looked between Luna and I quickly.
"It's okay now," I said.
"Sorry, Mom," Luna muttered.
"Don't worry about it, Luna," her mom said. "Let's get Franklin and get out of here." I nodded and she stood up. I put my hand on Luna's burnt shoulder, healing it as the three of us walked out.
Franklin was limping into the warehouse as we walked out. "Oh, you already got Luna?" he said.
"Emma got her," Luna's mom said. "Let's get out of here before your brother and his friend defrost." And with that, the four of us left and headed back to Franklin's home.
"Emma," Luna's mom said, "freeze the chains, we might be able to break them if you do." I nodded and got up and tried to freeze the chains.
"I shouldn't have left . . ." I whispered. The chains grew colder, but not enough to break them. I swore under my breath. Luna's mom pulled me back suddenly.
"She's faking it!" she gasped. Next thing I knew, I was flung backwards and crashed into the wall. I jumped back up quickly, leaving the water tank on the floor, and saw Luna's mom lying on the ground, not moving. I ran over to her side. She wasn't dead, only knocked out.
"Come to pretend to be a hero again, Emma?" Luna's voice snarled in my ear. I spun around. She had gotten out of her chains and was staring menacingly at me. "Just like when you attacked me in the alley and made it look like someone else did it?"
"What?!?" I blurted out.
"Oh, don't play dumb, Emma. I know it was you. Trying to look like a hero, but you're not. Ever since second grade, you've always been trying to act like your a better person than everyone else, but you're not!" I felt an invisible force suddenly force me backward and I tripped. "Oh, poor Emma fell? Guess what? I don't care! I HATE YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" Then she leapt at me. A thick sheet of ice formed in between us at the last possible moment, and there was a loud thud as she smashed into it. It cracked and I scrambled to my feet.
"Luna--" I said, but she cut me off.
"What? You have to use ice to protect you? Ha! Won't work." Then she put out her hand towards the ice and sent it flying straight at me. I put up my arms to shield myself, and flames shot out of my hands, melting the ice and burning Luna's shoulder.
"Sorry! You okay?" Luna looked at me as darkly as possible then looked around the room quickly. Her eyes found a knife on the floor and it shot straight toward my head. I ducked and it pierced the wall. "Have you lost your /mind/?!?" If she didn't want to be saved, then fine; I wouldn't save her.
"No, but you're about to have no need for one. Once I KILL YOU!" She lunged at me again and I pulled her to the ground with me.
"Luna!" I yelled back, struggling with her and finally pinning her beneath me. "Why the hell are you trying to /kill/ me?!? I'm your best friend!"
"No, you're not!" she screamed and I suddenly realised she was crying. She started slapping my shoulders hysterically and more guilt than I had ever known welled up within me and a sick feeling started eating at my insides. "You're not! You're not! You're not!"
"Luna--"
"SHUT UP! I HATE YOU!"
"I'm sorry!" I yelled right back.
"No, you're not! You're just a stupid liar!"
"I was trying to protect you!"
"Ha! Yeah, right. From what?"
"From me! And from someone taking you to get to me." I paused, she seemed to calm down a bit. An idea hit me. A song. One we both knew. One that meant a lot to both of us. "'Let me feel you, carry you--'" I whispered.
"'--Higher. Watch our words spread hope like--'" she said quietly, no longer hitting me or struggling to get away. Tears were sliently falling down her face.
"--Fire.'" Flames lit up in my hands for a brief moment. "I shouldn't have left like that, Luna. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" She nodded and I stood up. I put out my hand and she took it and stood up.
"As long as you can forgive me for trying to kill you." I laughed and nodded. I walked over to her mom and knelt beside her. I placed my hand on her head and focused on healing her. My hand started to tingle and then she sat up suddenly. She looked between Luna and I quickly.
"It's okay now," I said.
"Sorry, Mom," Luna muttered.
"Don't worry about it, Luna," her mom said. "Let's get Franklin and get out of here." I nodded and she stood up. I put my hand on Luna's burnt shoulder, healing it as the three of us walked out.
Franklin was limping into the warehouse as we walked out. "Oh, you already got Luna?" he said.
"Emma got her," Luna's mom said. "Let's get out of here before your brother and his friend defrost." And with that, the four of us left and headed back to Franklin's home.
10 March 2008
Frozen.
We were in front of an old warehouse. How cliché. "Remember the plan," Franklin whispered, slowly pushing open the door. I grabbed the hose attached to my tank of water and followed. A moment later, there was a bright flash of light and Luna's mom yanked my arm, barely getting me out of the way of the electricity.
"Aw, how cute. My little brother thinks he can come rescue the little telekinetic girl from his evil big brother. Isn't that right, Frankie?" A glow of light lit up a scarred face that may have once looked like Franklin's. A snarl twisted itself upon the face and a growl escaped its lips. Then he looked straight at me. "Oh, you brought me a present, did you, Frankie?" He stepped forward and Franklin shot a warning blast of electricity at him.
"Don't you dare touch her," Franklin growled.
"Give me my daughter back, Freddie," Luna's mom said menacingly. Her eyes seemed to be on fire. Freddie cackled sickly.
"How lovely to see you again, Zaney. How's the family doing?"
"About as good as this will feel." Luna's mom closed her eyes and the twisted smile on Freddie's face disappeared suddenly. He groaned and grabbed his head in pain. Franklin sprayed him with water suddenly and, thinking quickly, I focused on the times I had frozen my surroundings, my palms facing Freddie. He froze quickly along with the stream of water. I couldn't help but feel proud. A smile forced its way onto my face for a split second, but it vanished a moment later as I was flung suddenly backwards.
"Emma!" Franklin yelled. A man grabbed my hair and leapt into the air and out of the house, rising up into the air fast. The man suddenly screamed and let go of me, at least 15 feet off the ground.
"Catch her, Franklin!" Luna's mom screamed. He did, luckily, but fell over in doing so and didn't get up right away. "Emma! Go find Luna! I'll hold him off!" The man who could fly was thrashing around in the air, screaming, punching the air, clutching his head, falling suddenly, taking back off, etc.
I ran back into the warehouse, then changed my mind a moment later. I grabbed the hose attached to my water tank and aimed at the man who could fly. I shot a stream of water out of it and put out my other hand and concentrated hard. At first, nothing happened. Only water shot out. Then it started to freeze and ice missiles shot through the air and nailed the man who could fly. He dropped to the ground and didn't move. Luna's mom looked at me in shock.
"C'mon! Let's get Luna!" I said, and grabbed her arm and pulled her in the warehouse.
"Wait, I'll find her," she said, closing her eyes. She reopened them a moment later and ran down the hall and turned right. I followed her and wished I hadn't a moment later. My throat went completely dry and the room started to freeze. I sank to my knees, shaking. My heart froze.
"Luna . . ." I whispered.
"Aw, how cute. My little brother thinks he can come rescue the little telekinetic girl from his evil big brother. Isn't that right, Frankie?" A glow of light lit up a scarred face that may have once looked like Franklin's. A snarl twisted itself upon the face and a growl escaped its lips. Then he looked straight at me. "Oh, you brought me a present, did you, Frankie?" He stepped forward and Franklin shot a warning blast of electricity at him.
"Don't you dare touch her," Franklin growled.
"Give me my daughter back, Freddie," Luna's mom said menacingly. Her eyes seemed to be on fire. Freddie cackled sickly.
"How lovely to see you again, Zaney. How's the family doing?"
"About as good as this will feel." Luna's mom closed her eyes and the twisted smile on Freddie's face disappeared suddenly. He groaned and grabbed his head in pain. Franklin sprayed him with water suddenly and, thinking quickly, I focused on the times I had frozen my surroundings, my palms facing Freddie. He froze quickly along with the stream of water. I couldn't help but feel proud. A smile forced its way onto my face for a split second, but it vanished a moment later as I was flung suddenly backwards.
"Emma!" Franklin yelled. A man grabbed my hair and leapt into the air and out of the house, rising up into the air fast. The man suddenly screamed and let go of me, at least 15 feet off the ground.
"Catch her, Franklin!" Luna's mom screamed. He did, luckily, but fell over in doing so and didn't get up right away. "Emma! Go find Luna! I'll hold him off!" The man who could fly was thrashing around in the air, screaming, punching the air, clutching his head, falling suddenly, taking back off, etc.
I ran back into the warehouse, then changed my mind a moment later. I grabbed the hose attached to my water tank and aimed at the man who could fly. I shot a stream of water out of it and put out my other hand and concentrated hard. At first, nothing happened. Only water shot out. Then it started to freeze and ice missiles shot through the air and nailed the man who could fly. He dropped to the ground and didn't move. Luna's mom looked at me in shock.
"C'mon! Let's get Luna!" I said, and grabbed her arm and pulled her in the warehouse.
"Wait, I'll find her," she said, closing her eyes. She reopened them a moment later and ran down the hall and turned right. I followed her and wished I hadn't a moment later. My throat went completely dry and the room started to freeze. I sank to my knees, shaking. My heart froze.
"Luna . . ." I whispered.
Abducted.
Franklin was already making breakfast when I got up. "You like pancakes, right?" he asked as I walked into the kitchen. I nodded. "I'm going to go to the store tonight after I go to the library to get you some books. Make me a list of what you want, okay? I'm a terrible cook though."
"I can cook," I said. He put the pancakes on two plates and handed one to me. "You teach me and I'll cook." He smiled.
"Just tell me what you need me to buy." I nodded and there was a loud, hurried knock on the door. Franklin set his plate down and hurried to the door. I watched from the kitchen. Luna's mom toppled in the house and quickly shut the door behind her. I knew something had to be terribly wrong. I had never seen her look so scared. Her clothes were filthy, she was clutching her side and she seemed to be partially burnt.
"Help me, Franklin," she gasped. I hurried over to the doorway.
"What happened?" I asked. She suddenly calmed down and smiled.
"Hi, Emma. How are you?"
"What's wrong?" I ignored her question completely.
"Nothing. Everything's fine. Don't you worry." She smiled again and I felt my head seem to slow and relax. Franklin looked between us, almost angry. Luna's mom turned towards him, her smile disappearing instantly. "Franklin, you know why."
"Stay out of my head," he growled at her.
"I already got one child taken from me! I'm not about to let her risk her life too!" I understood suddenly.
"What happened to Luna?!?" I blurted out.
"Nothing happened to her," Luna's mom smiled fakely. "Just relax. If I wanted to be cold, I'd move to Antarctica." I looked at the ground which had frozen all around me.
"Oops."
"You see that?" Franklin said to Luna's mom, resuming their conversation. "She's not weak."
"She doesn't have control!" Luna's mom said hysterically.
"You're not her mother!" She stopped suddenly and seemed to give up.
"What happened to Luna?" I asked softly. Luna's mom looked at me for a few minutes before responding.
"She wasn't exactly happy you left." She paused. "It looks like a tornado came through our house and half the town."
"What? A tornado?"
"Luna's telekinetic. She destroyed everything in her path, including one of my ribs. Actually, if you could fix that, Emma, that'd be helpful."
"Er . . . " I put my hand on the side she had been clutching when she came in and tried to focus on fixing it. Nothing seemed to happen. I shut my eyes and forced myself to relive the night Luna and I had been attacked. The tingling feeling I had felt came to my hand weakly at first. Then, suddenly, I could feel the sensation shoot through my entire arm and then spread all throughout me. A minute later, I sank to my knees and the feeling disappeared. Luna's mom swore under her breath and knelt beside me. "Better?" I asked weakly.
"Yes, but you went too far. You have a limit, Emma. Stop trying to go past it."
"So what happened to Luna? You just said she kind of lost it." I looked up at her, my strength already returning. I hadn't gone too far, like she thought. I just wasn't expecting the tingling to spread all through me.
"She was seen. Someone took her. I couldn't stop them." My throat went dry. And I knew there was no way I would let Luna's mom stop me from going along with them to help.
"Was Freddie a part of it?" Franklin asked. Luna's mom nodded. "With the flyer?" She nodded again. "Hold on." He ran off to another room then to the kitchen and then returned with three tanks of water with hoses attached to them and three harnasses. He strapped one tank to his back, tossed one to Luna's mom, and spun me around and strapped one to my back. I nearly fell over from the weight, but sucked it up and stood up straight. "Douse them in water, especially Freddie. Emma, don't hesitate to freeze them once they're drenched. Ready to go?" Luna's mom nodded and I did the same.
"Be careful, Emma," Luna's mom said. Then we walked out the door. Franklin took a cell phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed a number.
"Mom? It's Franklin . . . I know, Mom. Where's Freddie? . . . Mom, he kidnapped an innocent girl! . . . I don't care if he's family! Where is he? A child's life is on the line here. What would you do if someone took your child? . . . Thanks, Mom." He closed the phone. "Follow me." He started running down the street and Luna's mom and I followed just behind him. He turned left. We followed. Right. Right. Left. Down an alley. Up a hill. Left. Abrupt stop. We were there. Sickness filled my stomach. I tried to push away my fear, but it was no good. Luna's life was on the line.
"I can cook," I said. He put the pancakes on two plates and handed one to me. "You teach me and I'll cook." He smiled.
"Just tell me what you need me to buy." I nodded and there was a loud, hurried knock on the door. Franklin set his plate down and hurried to the door. I watched from the kitchen. Luna's mom toppled in the house and quickly shut the door behind her. I knew something had to be terribly wrong. I had never seen her look so scared. Her clothes were filthy, she was clutching her side and she seemed to be partially burnt.
"Help me, Franklin," she gasped. I hurried over to the doorway.
"What happened?" I asked. She suddenly calmed down and smiled.
"Hi, Emma. How are you?"
"What's wrong?" I ignored her question completely.
"Nothing. Everything's fine. Don't you worry." She smiled again and I felt my head seem to slow and relax. Franklin looked between us, almost angry. Luna's mom turned towards him, her smile disappearing instantly. "Franklin, you know why."
"Stay out of my head," he growled at her.
"I already got one child taken from me! I'm not about to let her risk her life too!" I understood suddenly.
"What happened to Luna?!?" I blurted out.
"Nothing happened to her," Luna's mom smiled fakely. "Just relax. If I wanted to be cold, I'd move to Antarctica." I looked at the ground which had frozen all around me.
"Oops."
"You see that?" Franklin said to Luna's mom, resuming their conversation. "She's not weak."
"She doesn't have control!" Luna's mom said hysterically.
"You're not her mother!" She stopped suddenly and seemed to give up.
"What happened to Luna?" I asked softly. Luna's mom looked at me for a few minutes before responding.
"She wasn't exactly happy you left." She paused. "It looks like a tornado came through our house and half the town."
"What? A tornado?"
"Luna's telekinetic. She destroyed everything in her path, including one of my ribs. Actually, if you could fix that, Emma, that'd be helpful."
"Er . . . " I put my hand on the side she had been clutching when she came in and tried to focus on fixing it. Nothing seemed to happen. I shut my eyes and forced myself to relive the night Luna and I had been attacked. The tingling feeling I had felt came to my hand weakly at first. Then, suddenly, I could feel the sensation shoot through my entire arm and then spread all throughout me. A minute later, I sank to my knees and the feeling disappeared. Luna's mom swore under her breath and knelt beside me. "Better?" I asked weakly.
"Yes, but you went too far. You have a limit, Emma. Stop trying to go past it."
"So what happened to Luna? You just said she kind of lost it." I looked up at her, my strength already returning. I hadn't gone too far, like she thought. I just wasn't expecting the tingling to spread all through me.
"She was seen. Someone took her. I couldn't stop them." My throat went dry. And I knew there was no way I would let Luna's mom stop me from going along with them to help.
"Was Freddie a part of it?" Franklin asked. Luna's mom nodded. "With the flyer?" She nodded again. "Hold on." He ran off to another room then to the kitchen and then returned with three tanks of water with hoses attached to them and three harnasses. He strapped one tank to his back, tossed one to Luna's mom, and spun me around and strapped one to my back. I nearly fell over from the weight, but sucked it up and stood up straight. "Douse them in water, especially Freddie. Emma, don't hesitate to freeze them once they're drenched. Ready to go?" Luna's mom nodded and I did the same.
"Be careful, Emma," Luna's mom said. Then we walked out the door. Franklin took a cell phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed a number.
"Mom? It's Franklin . . . I know, Mom. Where's Freddie? . . . Mom, he kidnapped an innocent girl! . . . I don't care if he's family! Where is he? A child's life is on the line here. What would you do if someone took your child? . . . Thanks, Mom." He closed the phone. "Follow me." He started running down the street and Luna's mom and I followed just behind him. He turned left. We followed. Right. Right. Left. Down an alley. Up a hill. Left. Abrupt stop. We were there. Sickness filled my stomach. I tried to push away my fear, but it was no good. Luna's life was on the line.
05 March 2008
Franklin
A large hand grasped my shoulder firmly, shaking me with greater force than necessary. "Wake up, little girl, wake up," a deep voice said. I awoke suddenly and a deep, pained noise escaped my throat. The hand let go. My eyes opened.
"Where am I?" I blurted out, sitting up in fear.
"Passed out on my doorstep, it would see. Who are you?" A man was kneeling next to me, looking nearly as confused as me. He was balding, possibly in his late 40s. I felt as if I recognized him, as if from a picture or something. Suddenly, the previous night's events flooded my memory. I looked at the black numbers on the door. They were the same as the one's Luna's mom had told me.
"My name's Emma. I was sent to you by a friend," I said. It seemed to make something in his mind click. Curiosity replaced the confusion on his face and then a grin spread across his face.
"The Sun to her moon," he whispered. "Get up. We can't have you sitting around on the doorstep and getting passer-by wondering all day. In." He stood up and opened the door. I looked at him carefully. How was I supposed to know if I should actually trust him? After all, he was a complete stranger to me. Luna's mom trusted him though. But she could be wrong about him. I shook the thought from my head; I had no where else to go. I stood up and walked nervously through the doorway. He followed me and closed the door.
Sunlight streamed in the windows, lighting up a small, messy room. There were papers spread out everywhere. Sketches, drawings, strange models covered every surface. "Sorry 'bout the mess," he said casually. "Would you like something to eat? I'm going to make myself eggs. Want some?" I wasn't sure if I should take food from a stranger and hesitated to answer. "Tell you what, I'll make extra anyway and if you get hungry, you can have some." He smiled and walked off into another room which I took to be the kitchen.
I looked closer at some of the papers near me. There were strange symbols I didn't know all over all of them. I saw a pile of photographs on the coffee table and picked them up. Each of them had red ink on them, circling faces, details, things deemed important. There was writing on some, but the handwriting was too hard for me to make out. I wasn't really looking very closely at the pictures though. The man came back into the room with two plates of scrambled eggs as I was glancing at the pictures.
"Breakfast, sunshine!" he said, smiling like it was Christmas. I gave him a confused look, and he merely laughed lightly. He handed me a plate and a fork. "Sit. Eat." He pushed a bunch of papers off the couch to clear a spot for me. He then threw some stuff off of a chair and sat in the chair. I sat down as he had told me to and nervously began eating. I hadn't realised how hungry I was until I had cleaned my plate and saw that he had only eaten about half of his food. "There's fruit on the counter if you're still hungry. Help yourself. Just put your plate in the sink." I blushed slightly and walked into the kitchen. I set my plate in the sink where there was already a large pile of dishes. There were some apples on the counter so I decided to grab one and go back into the entry room.
"Er, I didn't catch your name," I said.
"Franklin," he said. "Why don't you get some rest though? You must be tired." He stood up and motioned for me to follow him. He took me to a small room with just a mattress and some blankets laid out on the floor with a digital clock beside it. In the corner, was the backpack I had brought with me. "Sorry I don't have a better place for you to sleep. This is the best I can do." He smiled weakly."
"It's great," I smiled too. "Thank you." He blushed a bit then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. I didn't think I'd be able to sleep, but laid down anyway. I fell asleep almost immediately.
It was late in the afternoon when I awoke. I didn't get up immediately. I was thinking about how my life was going to be while I was here. Luna's mom told me not to expect him to be a very good parent and to watch for when the time would come that I had to leave, so I knew better than to think I'd have a perfect life or something. Despite her many warnings about Franklin, Luna's mom had also told me to trust him. He seemed okay. He didn't seem very capable of attacking anyone, just a bit irresponsible, if anything, judging by the mess that covered his home.
"Emma? You awake?" Franklin knocked softly on the door.
"Yeah, just woke up."
"What kind of pizza do you like? I'm about to order some."
"Er, I'm not picky," I muttered truthfully.
"I'll get cheese then." I heard his footsteps walk away then heard the beep of him dialing the phone. I fell back asleep again until there was another knock on my door.
"Emma? The pizza's here." His footsteps took him away, back to the front of the house. I got up and followed his footsteps and the smell of pizza to the entry room.
He had cleared off a small table in the corner with three chairs next to it. The pizza was on the table and he gestured toward one of the chairs. "Sit and eat." I did as instructed and he followed suit. "So, uh, school."
"What?"
"You're a kid. You're supposed to go to school." I gaped at him. I hadn't thought about school at all. "I was told not to let you out of this house until you leave here for good, so I can't send you to school." I couldn't think what to say. He seemed to be thinking out loud, rather than asking me. "You'll have to be homeschooled. Do you think you could teach yourself? I don't know much about school stuff. The only teaching I can do is helping you with your powers." My heart jumped. Luna's mom must've told him. I guess I should have expected she would tell him since it was the reason I had left in the first place, but it just caught me off guard. He noticed too. "Of course I know you have powers. She sent you to me because she thought you needed someone who could understand your powers." He gave me an odd look.
"You . . . ?"
"You're not the only one in the world with powers." He pointed at the TV at the other side of the TV and sparks shot from his hand at the power cord. The screen turned on suddenly. "I've never paid a single electric bill in my life." He smiled. "You shouldn't have to pay for air conditioning when you get older if you can control your power."
"And you're going to teach me how?"
"Yes. We can start tomorrow, if you want. I can go to the library and get you some school books. If you make sure to still learn school stuff, I can teach you about your powers. Agreed?" I nodded. "Put your plate in the sink when you're done. I've got some work to do." He got up, turned the TV off, and walked out of the room. I finished my pizza, left my plate in the sink, then went back to my new room. I was awake for a few hours, just thinking about everything that had happened recently, trying to make sense of it all. I finally went to sleep with excitement for learning more about my powers the next day.
"Where am I?" I blurted out, sitting up in fear.
"Passed out on my doorstep, it would see. Who are you?" A man was kneeling next to me, looking nearly as confused as me. He was balding, possibly in his late 40s. I felt as if I recognized him, as if from a picture or something. Suddenly, the previous night's events flooded my memory. I looked at the black numbers on the door. They were the same as the one's Luna's mom had told me.
"My name's Emma. I was sent to you by a friend," I said. It seemed to make something in his mind click. Curiosity replaced the confusion on his face and then a grin spread across his face.
"The Sun to her moon," he whispered. "Get up. We can't have you sitting around on the doorstep and getting passer-by wondering all day. In." He stood up and opened the door. I looked at him carefully. How was I supposed to know if I should actually trust him? After all, he was a complete stranger to me. Luna's mom trusted him though. But she could be wrong about him. I shook the thought from my head; I had no where else to go. I stood up and walked nervously through the doorway. He followed me and closed the door.
Sunlight streamed in the windows, lighting up a small, messy room. There were papers spread out everywhere. Sketches, drawings, strange models covered every surface. "Sorry 'bout the mess," he said casually. "Would you like something to eat? I'm going to make myself eggs. Want some?" I wasn't sure if I should take food from a stranger and hesitated to answer. "Tell you what, I'll make extra anyway and if you get hungry, you can have some." He smiled and walked off into another room which I took to be the kitchen.
I looked closer at some of the papers near me. There were strange symbols I didn't know all over all of them. I saw a pile of photographs on the coffee table and picked them up. Each of them had red ink on them, circling faces, details, things deemed important. There was writing on some, but the handwriting was too hard for me to make out. I wasn't really looking very closely at the pictures though. The man came back into the room with two plates of scrambled eggs as I was glancing at the pictures.
"Breakfast, sunshine!" he said, smiling like it was Christmas. I gave him a confused look, and he merely laughed lightly. He handed me a plate and a fork. "Sit. Eat." He pushed a bunch of papers off the couch to clear a spot for me. He then threw some stuff off of a chair and sat in the chair. I sat down as he had told me to and nervously began eating. I hadn't realised how hungry I was until I had cleaned my plate and saw that he had only eaten about half of his food. "There's fruit on the counter if you're still hungry. Help yourself. Just put your plate in the sink." I blushed slightly and walked into the kitchen. I set my plate in the sink where there was already a large pile of dishes. There were some apples on the counter so I decided to grab one and go back into the entry room.
"Er, I didn't catch your name," I said.
"Franklin," he said. "Why don't you get some rest though? You must be tired." He stood up and motioned for me to follow him. He took me to a small room with just a mattress and some blankets laid out on the floor with a digital clock beside it. In the corner, was the backpack I had brought with me. "Sorry I don't have a better place for you to sleep. This is the best I can do." He smiled weakly."
"It's great," I smiled too. "Thank you." He blushed a bit then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. I didn't think I'd be able to sleep, but laid down anyway. I fell asleep almost immediately.
It was late in the afternoon when I awoke. I didn't get up immediately. I was thinking about how my life was going to be while I was here. Luna's mom told me not to expect him to be a very good parent and to watch for when the time would come that I had to leave, so I knew better than to think I'd have a perfect life or something. Despite her many warnings about Franklin, Luna's mom had also told me to trust him. He seemed okay. He didn't seem very capable of attacking anyone, just a bit irresponsible, if anything, judging by the mess that covered his home.
"Emma? You awake?" Franklin knocked softly on the door.
"Yeah, just woke up."
"What kind of pizza do you like? I'm about to order some."
"Er, I'm not picky," I muttered truthfully.
"I'll get cheese then." I heard his footsteps walk away then heard the beep of him dialing the phone. I fell back asleep again until there was another knock on my door.
"Emma? The pizza's here." His footsteps took him away, back to the front of the house. I got up and followed his footsteps and the smell of pizza to the entry room.
He had cleared off a small table in the corner with three chairs next to it. The pizza was on the table and he gestured toward one of the chairs. "Sit and eat." I did as instructed and he followed suit. "So, uh, school."
"What?"
"You're a kid. You're supposed to go to school." I gaped at him. I hadn't thought about school at all. "I was told not to let you out of this house until you leave here for good, so I can't send you to school." I couldn't think what to say. He seemed to be thinking out loud, rather than asking me. "You'll have to be homeschooled. Do you think you could teach yourself? I don't know much about school stuff. The only teaching I can do is helping you with your powers." My heart jumped. Luna's mom must've told him. I guess I should have expected she would tell him since it was the reason I had left in the first place, but it just caught me off guard. He noticed too. "Of course I know you have powers. She sent you to me because she thought you needed someone who could understand your powers." He gave me an odd look.
"You . . . ?"
"You're not the only one in the world with powers." He pointed at the TV at the other side of the TV and sparks shot from his hand at the power cord. The screen turned on suddenly. "I've never paid a single electric bill in my life." He smiled. "You shouldn't have to pay for air conditioning when you get older if you can control your power."
"And you're going to teach me how?"
"Yes. We can start tomorrow, if you want. I can go to the library and get you some school books. If you make sure to still learn school stuff, I can teach you about your powers. Agreed?" I nodded. "Put your plate in the sink when you're done. I've got some work to do." He got up, turned the TV off, and walked out of the room. I finished my pizza, left my plate in the sink, then went back to my new room. I was awake for a few hours, just thinking about everything that had happened recently, trying to make sense of it all. I finally went to sleep with excitement for learning more about my powers the next day.
26 February 2008
Inevitable.
In the coming weeks, Luna's mom told me where I was to go, how I was to get there, who to find, and everything I needed to know so that, when the time came, I would be able to leave at a moment's notice. She told me I would know when to leave, and when that time came, it was my responsibility to leave. I wasn't to tell her when I was leaving or say anything to Luna about where I was going or that I was leaving at all. She said saying goodbye would be too hard.
Luna knew something was going on. I wasn't myself. I spent my nights writing notes for Luna to explain that I had to leave and that I was sorry, but none of them seemed to come out right. I must have written 100 notes, all saying the same thing. I finally gave up on trying to put it in a note and decided I would trust her mother to explain enough so Luna wouldn't take it personally. It wasn't the way I would have chosen, but I really didn't have any say in the matter.
"Emma . . . " Luna whispered one night as I sat at her desk, silently wondering about my future. It was the middle of the night. I had assumed she was asleep, but I was restless, as I had been for weeks. I turned to look at her. She was sitting up in her bed, staring at me.
"What?"
"Something's bothering you." I sighed. I knew she was going to ask questions I couldn't answer again. She had been asking the same questions for weeks.
"I'm fine."
"Why won't you tell me, Emma? I want to help. I thought I was your best friend." She hit a nerve, as was her intention. I tried to find a way to tell her why I couldn't tell her without saying anything that might put her in danger.
"I want to, Luna, but--"
"Then tell me."
"You don't understa--"
"I would if you told me."
"I can't."
"Why not? I'm not worthy of the truth, Emma? You don't think I have a right to know what's bugging you? You've barely slept in weeks. You won't talk to me. You keep writing stuff and then throwing it out suddenly. You're distant. I'm not stupid. What's wrong?" There was a terrible, sick feeling in the pit of my stomach which I was trying to ignore to no avail. It took me a minute or two to find my voice.
"I . . . I'm leaving . . . Sorry." She gaped at me. I stood up and grabbed my backpack which was filled with everything I'd need. I knew I wouldn't ever be able to leave if I didn't leave right then, so I turned my back on her and walked out of her room. I walked as quickly as I could so I could leave before I changed my mind.
I got to the door and stepped out in icy cold air of the alleyway. I knew it was the last time I would ever be there and I suddenly realised I couldn't breathe. Tears had formed in my eyes. Forcefully, I shook my head and took a step down the alleyway. I didn't get far, however, because a hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back nearly immediately.
"You're mad! It's freezing out here!" Luna blurted, still holding onto my arm.
"Let me go," I said as calmly as I could, though it was difficult to remain calm when I was so close to breaking down and crying. I was scared and wanted to forget everything and go back to life as it had been, but I knew that wasn't possible.
"Where are you going?" She was eyeing me suspiciously.
"I can't tell you, Luna."
"Bull. Tell me where you're going."
"I can't."
"Why not? What is wrong with you lately?"
"Goodbye, Luna." I pulled my arm away and turned my back on her, tears now running silently down my face.
"You can't just leave me, Emma!" I sighed and took a step away from her. "Please," she whispered. A chill went down my spine and the sickness in the pit of my stomach became nearly unbearable. Only the determination not to do so kept me from running back into the house and locking myself in a corner forever. I fought off every instinctive urge of mine and walked silently down the alley, tuning out the sound of Luna beginning to cry. "I HATE YOU!" She screamed. The words echoed through the alley and I quickened my pace, now desperate to leave before my will shattered. I started running. I ran as fast and hard as I could, no longer trying to control my tears as they poured shamelessly down my face. I ran through and out the alley, down the silent streets that I knew I would never again call home. I ran until dawn as the Sun's rays silently lit up the world and the unfamiliar doorway to a new life.
Luna knew something was going on. I wasn't myself. I spent my nights writing notes for Luna to explain that I had to leave and that I was sorry, but none of them seemed to come out right. I must have written 100 notes, all saying the same thing. I finally gave up on trying to put it in a note and decided I would trust her mother to explain enough so Luna wouldn't take it personally. It wasn't the way I would have chosen, but I really didn't have any say in the matter.
"Emma . . . " Luna whispered one night as I sat at her desk, silently wondering about my future. It was the middle of the night. I had assumed she was asleep, but I was restless, as I had been for weeks. I turned to look at her. She was sitting up in her bed, staring at me.
"What?"
"Something's bothering you." I sighed. I knew she was going to ask questions I couldn't answer again. She had been asking the same questions for weeks.
"I'm fine."
"Why won't you tell me, Emma? I want to help. I thought I was your best friend." She hit a nerve, as was her intention. I tried to find a way to tell her why I couldn't tell her without saying anything that might put her in danger.
"I want to, Luna, but--"
"Then tell me."
"You don't understa--"
"I would if you told me."
"I can't."
"Why not? I'm not worthy of the truth, Emma? You don't think I have a right to know what's bugging you? You've barely slept in weeks. You won't talk to me. You keep writing stuff and then throwing it out suddenly. You're distant. I'm not stupid. What's wrong?" There was a terrible, sick feeling in the pit of my stomach which I was trying to ignore to no avail. It took me a minute or two to find my voice.
"I . . . I'm leaving . . . Sorry." She gaped at me. I stood up and grabbed my backpack which was filled with everything I'd need. I knew I wouldn't ever be able to leave if I didn't leave right then, so I turned my back on her and walked out of her room. I walked as quickly as I could so I could leave before I changed my mind.
I got to the door and stepped out in icy cold air of the alleyway. I knew it was the last time I would ever be there and I suddenly realised I couldn't breathe. Tears had formed in my eyes. Forcefully, I shook my head and took a step down the alleyway. I didn't get far, however, because a hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back nearly immediately.
"You're mad! It's freezing out here!" Luna blurted, still holding onto my arm.
"Let me go," I said as calmly as I could, though it was difficult to remain calm when I was so close to breaking down and crying. I was scared and wanted to forget everything and go back to life as it had been, but I knew that wasn't possible.
"Where are you going?" She was eyeing me suspiciously.
"I can't tell you, Luna."
"Bull. Tell me where you're going."
"I can't."
"Why not? What is wrong with you lately?"
"Goodbye, Luna." I pulled my arm away and turned my back on her, tears now running silently down my face.
"You can't just leave me, Emma!" I sighed and took a step away from her. "Please," she whispered. A chill went down my spine and the sickness in the pit of my stomach became nearly unbearable. Only the determination not to do so kept me from running back into the house and locking myself in a corner forever. I fought off every instinctive urge of mine and walked silently down the alley, tuning out the sound of Luna beginning to cry. "I HATE YOU!" She screamed. The words echoed through the alley and I quickened my pace, now desperate to leave before my will shattered. I started running. I ran as fast and hard as I could, no longer trying to control my tears as they poured shamelessly down my face. I ran through and out the alley, down the silent streets that I knew I would never again call home. I ran until dawn as the Sun's rays silently lit up the world and the unfamiliar doorway to a new life.
24 February 2008
Eye of the Storm
The first thing I noticed upon waking was a numb pain throbbing in the back of my head. I reached up and felt cloth wrapped around my skull. My eyes opened slowly and I realised I was lying on Luna's bed. The clock told me it was just before noon. I struggled to remember what day it was. Slowly, the memory of the night before returned to me. It seemed thoroughly unreal to me. As if it had been a dream or a story I had once heard. My head was foggy still and I fell back asleep.
An hour or two later, I was awoken by footsteps. I reopened my eyes weakly. Luna's mom walked through the doorway and to the side of Luna's bed.
"Good afternoon, Emma. How are you feeling?" She smiled warmly. I groaned. "Does your head hurt?" I gave her one of those Are you seriously even asking that question? looks. She laughed. "That was a redundant question. Would you like anything to eat? You must be staving." Food! The idea hadn't occurred to me. I sat up quickly, regretting it a moment later. I was in a lot of pain, which I wasn't really used to.
"Yeah," I managed.
"You used all of your energy tending to Luna instead of yourself which is why you're in more pain than you're used to." I gave her a confused look, but she merely shook her head. "I'll explain more when you're feeling better and we have time to talk about everything that happened last night. Luna thanks you though. She's resting right now, but she's doing much better than she was last night. You saved her life, Emma. Now what would you like to eat? Soup?" I nodded and she walked out.
I used the time she was absent to try and translate what she had said. What was she going to explain? And how did she know I was in more pain than I was used to? Normally, when I had gotten injured, I would rest and wake up almost completely back to normal. That's how I hid the beatings my parents gave me. They assumed they weren't hitting me hard enough since I rarely had any bruises or cuts by the next day. I didn't really know why that was, but it had been that way my whole life and I never really thought about it.
"Here's your soup," Luna's mom said as she walked in. I jumped slightly. I had been so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't hear her come in. "Don't worry, Emma. I'll explain it all soon enough. Just eat some soup and get your rest." And with that she walked out. I gaped at the doorway for a minute or two after she had passed through it. She always seemed to know what I was thinking. It always made me nervous around her. If she could know what I was thinking all the time, I wouldn't be surprised if she hated me. I assumed it was just a coincidence she seemed to know though, since she was always very nice to me and treated me as if I was her daughter. And with that comforting thought, I ate my soup and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
"Emma? You awake? Emma?" Someone's hand was on my shoulder, shaking me softly. I let out an unintelligible sound and the person laughed. It was a soft, pleasant laugh. I felt myself smile. I must've been dreaming. It was a good dream; I didn't want it to end. "Emma, c'mon. I know you hear me." The shaking on my shoulder grew stronger. "Emma! Wake up!" I jumped up suddenly. "Jeeze, Emma!" Luna looked as if she had just fallen over and was looking at me with wide eyes. I laughed, seeing the look on her face and she scowled in return, only making me laugh more. She couldn't keep her scowl and soon joined in on the laughing.
"I take it you're both feeling better?" Luna's mom was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. Luna stopped laughing immediately and I followed suit because her mom didn't look exactly happy. "Did you wake her up, Luna?"
"I acted of not Z's!" I blurted out, maybe a bit too quickly, meaning to say that I had already been awake. Luna laughed suddenly and I shot her a dark look, assuming she was laughing at me.
"Luna . . . " Luna's mother gave her a look I didn't really understand and Luna shut up quickly. She tried to smile at me then got up and limped out of the room silently. Seeing her limp, I suddenly remembered that I had been in pain. I didn't feel the pain any more though. It seemed to have disappeared. Luna's mom shut the door and dragged the chair from Luna's desk next to the bed. She looked as if she was searching for words.
"Why?" I asked impatiently, unaware that I used the wrong word. (I meant to say "What?")
"It's hard for me to explain this, and I don't think your mind is functioning properly enough yet to take it all in, judging your speech. You've been asleep since midday Friday and it's Sunday afternoon now. Can you tell me what happened Thursday night?" I struggled to remember what Thursday was. It took me a moment to figure out that she must've meant the last time I had been up. Even then though, I didn't really know. The memory seemed to escape me every time I tried to remember it. She looked at me sympathetically and placed her hand on my head.
All of a sudden, I wanted to scream; I felt as if my head had torn in two. My vision went completely black. There was a high-pitched ringing in my ears. I smelled cinnamon. My skin felt on fire, though my saliva had frozen in my mouth and throat and I gasped for air desperately. I couldn't remember what had been going on. I wasn't even aware of my own existence.
Then the pain disappeared, my vision lightened slightly, the ringing stopped, my skin cooled, and my airways cleared. I still, however, smelled cinnamon. My hand was on Luna's shoulder. We were walking in darkness. I didn't understand what was going on.
"You're always warm . . . " Luna muttered. Without warning, I felt my cheeks burn and a slight smile form on my lips. Then I was knocked over suddenly and lost my contact with Luna. I realised in horror that I was reliving Thursday night. I couldn't stop myself from scrambling over to Luna, squeezing her hand, and then being thrown back by my hair. Luna screamed. I punched him. He grabbed me and held the gun to my head.
"It you move, I shoot your girlfriend," his cold voice said. I wanted to step on his foot but I couldn't make my muscles do so. His foot launched into Luna's head. I tried to scream out, but my mouth wouldn't move. I elbowed his stomach instead. I got free, tried to hit him again and missed. There was that confusion in his eyes again. "Witch . . ." I slipped on the icy group. His ankles were frozen. I crawled to Luna, touched her shoulder, her face. She was even colder than I remembered. Tears began to form in my eyes again.
"Luna?" She groaned and I felt muscles in my body relax slightly, though I had already known she was alive. Her ice cold hand touched mine.
"Warm . . . " I pulled her up. "Home." We walked to her house. I knocked. The door flung open. Then my head exploded in pain again. A minute later, the contents of Luna's room returned to my sight. Luna's mom had removed her hand from my head and had her eyes shut. Luna was standing in the doorway nervously. I realised I still smelled cinnamon, though I didn't know why. My mind seemed more in focus than before reliving Thursday night.
"Emma?" Luna's mom spoke quietly, her eyes still closed.
"Yes?"
"Sorry about that. Hope your head's all right. I need to explain some things to you. Luna, please leave for now." Luna groaned and walked out. Her mother opened her eyes and looked at me seriously. "I'm not sure how to tell you this, Emma, it's complicated." She seemed to be considering my strength. "I suppose the easiest way is to say you're different. Before I really tell you, you need to understand that you are in danger. You will always be in danger, being different. You should not tell anyone this, not even Luna. Do you understand?"
"I . . . " Promising not to tell Luna something that was obviously important was like promising not to breathe.
"If you tell Luna, you put her in danger. She's already in danger just because you care about her. If someone wanted to get you, you know you would go after anyone who took her. Now, swear to me you won't tell a soul what I'm going to tell you." Hesitantly, I nodded. She sighed, ran a hand through her hair, and looked at me carefully. "Emma . . . you're . . . you're not normal. You've got . . . something in you that makes you very different from most people." She paused. "That man in the alley called you a witch. Do you know why?" I gaped at her. Was she trying to say I was a witch? That was ridiculous.
"No?"
"Well, you're not a witch, but it won't be the last time someone calls you that. Do you remember how the ground and that man both froze?" I nodded nervously. "You did that. Unintentionally, yes, but your fear caused you to use dormant powers within you. You heal amazingly quick too, Emma. I think you know that already. You saved Luna's life Thursday last night, and nearly took your own in the process. You've never used as much energy as you did that night and it nearly killed you. I drugged your soup Friday to put you into a temporary coma. You were likely to try and use your energy which could have killed you since you had none left. I take the blame for that as I let you use your energy healing Luna instead of healing yourself. I'm sorry; this is a lot to take in all at once."
"I . . . what? You put me in a coma?"
"Sorry, Emma. I had to. It was for your own good. You wouldn't have listened if I told you just to rest. I know you, Emma." It was true; she did know pretty well, better than my own parents for sure. My parents! I sat up straight suddenly and looked at Luna's mom in terror.
"I've been here since Thursday?!? My parents are going to kill me!" She looked at the terror in my eyes and just laughed.
"Really? Are you that oblivious? I thought you noticed more than that. Don't worry about your parents; I'll handle it. They won't even know you were gone." She gave me a look as if expecting realization to hit me. It didn't. I just looked at her, utterly confused. I shrugged it off though, since I trusted her.
"So . . . I . . . This isn't just some kind of joke, is it?" I didn't know how to believe what she said, but I knew she wouldn't just make it all up.
"No, of course not. All the proof is right in front of you. Luna is alive thanks to you. You've healed yourself over and over when your parents have beat you." I gaped at her. I had never told anyone about my parents, not even Luna. How could she know? "Would I really make something like this up?" I opened my mouth to speak, changed my mind, and shook my head instead. "I'm sorry this is so sudden, Emma. I've been trying to figure out how to explain this to you for years."
"Years? You've known that I was . . . different . . . for years?"
"You don't remember it, but you fell through the ice when you were 3. Your father freaked out and tried to break through the ice to get to you and got major frostbite in the process. You, however, were unaffected by the cold. You passed out a minute after your father got you out and his frostbite had lessened greatly. He swore your were warm even though you had been under water for 2 full minutes. I knew right away that you weren't just an ordinary 3-year-old."
I looked at my hands, trying to take it all in. If I really could heal and freeze people, like she was saying . . . I shook my head. No. It was crazy to think it was real. It was impossible. No one could just heal people like that. It was magic, and magic wasn't real. . . . But if it was real . . . I thought of the possibilities and I could feel the tingling feeling I had felt Thursday night return to my hands. I wanted to use my ability. Even if it was impossible, it had to be real.
"Emma . . . " she said slowly. I left my wild day dreaming to look at her. "Remember that you can't tell anyone about this; you'll be putting yourself and them in danger. That man in the alley Thursday saw your power. You've got to be careful. If the wrong people find him, they'll find out about you. You're lucky it was dark, or they'd know your face too. When the time comes, you're going to have to leave. There'll be a price on your head already. Don't tell Luna, for her safety. I know you probably will anyway, but don't. She'll understand one day." She paused and I realised there were tears in her eyes. "I've already made contact with various trusted friends of mine who'll take care of you when the time comes for you to leave. You're safe here, for the time being, and I think you'll be okay at home if you want to go back." I rolled my eyes. Like I'd actually want to go home. She laughed. "You're welcome to stay here though. I doubt Luna would mind." She looked at the clock. "I need to make dinner." She stood up and walked towards the doorway.
"This is all real then? I'm not dreaming?"
". . . No." She looked at me sadly then left.
A mix of fear, excitement, and anger danced around inside me. If I had these, well, powers why did I have to run? I could get a job at the hospital and heal people for the rest of my life. Or maybe I could be a portable fridge/freezer. I laughed at the idea. It wasn't fair though. I hadn't asked for this. If someone had asked me if I'd rather be normal or have powers under the condition that I wasn't to even tell my best friend and just leave her like some stupid prick, I would have chosen to be normal. Yeah, it was pretty awesome to have powers. It was every kid's dream. But the price seemed so unfair. Wasn't the point of life to spend it with people you care about? If I was going to be running away, all alone, my whole life, why live it?
I would have chosen a normal life.
An hour or two later, I was awoken by footsteps. I reopened my eyes weakly. Luna's mom walked through the doorway and to the side of Luna's bed.
"Good afternoon, Emma. How are you feeling?" She smiled warmly. I groaned. "Does your head hurt?" I gave her one of those Are you seriously even asking that question? looks. She laughed. "That was a redundant question. Would you like anything to eat? You must be staving." Food! The idea hadn't occurred to me. I sat up quickly, regretting it a moment later. I was in a lot of pain, which I wasn't really used to.
"Yeah," I managed.
"You used all of your energy tending to Luna instead of yourself which is why you're in more pain than you're used to." I gave her a confused look, but she merely shook her head. "I'll explain more when you're feeling better and we have time to talk about everything that happened last night. Luna thanks you though. She's resting right now, but she's doing much better than she was last night. You saved her life, Emma. Now what would you like to eat? Soup?" I nodded and she walked out.
I used the time she was absent to try and translate what she had said. What was she going to explain? And how did she know I was in more pain than I was used to? Normally, when I had gotten injured, I would rest and wake up almost completely back to normal. That's how I hid the beatings my parents gave me. They assumed they weren't hitting me hard enough since I rarely had any bruises or cuts by the next day. I didn't really know why that was, but it had been that way my whole life and I never really thought about it.
"Here's your soup," Luna's mom said as she walked in. I jumped slightly. I had been so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't hear her come in. "Don't worry, Emma. I'll explain it all soon enough. Just eat some soup and get your rest." And with that she walked out. I gaped at the doorway for a minute or two after she had passed through it. She always seemed to know what I was thinking. It always made me nervous around her. If she could know what I was thinking all the time, I wouldn't be surprised if she hated me. I assumed it was just a coincidence she seemed to know though, since she was always very nice to me and treated me as if I was her daughter. And with that comforting thought, I ate my soup and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
"Emma? You awake? Emma?" Someone's hand was on my shoulder, shaking me softly. I let out an unintelligible sound and the person laughed. It was a soft, pleasant laugh. I felt myself smile. I must've been dreaming. It was a good dream; I didn't want it to end. "Emma, c'mon. I know you hear me." The shaking on my shoulder grew stronger. "Emma! Wake up!" I jumped up suddenly. "Jeeze, Emma!" Luna looked as if she had just fallen over and was looking at me with wide eyes. I laughed, seeing the look on her face and she scowled in return, only making me laugh more. She couldn't keep her scowl and soon joined in on the laughing.
"I take it you're both feeling better?" Luna's mom was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. Luna stopped laughing immediately and I followed suit because her mom didn't look exactly happy. "Did you wake her up, Luna?"
"I acted of not Z's!" I blurted out, maybe a bit too quickly, meaning to say that I had already been awake. Luna laughed suddenly and I shot her a dark look, assuming she was laughing at me.
"Luna . . . " Luna's mother gave her a look I didn't really understand and Luna shut up quickly. She tried to smile at me then got up and limped out of the room silently. Seeing her limp, I suddenly remembered that I had been in pain. I didn't feel the pain any more though. It seemed to have disappeared. Luna's mom shut the door and dragged the chair from Luna's desk next to the bed. She looked as if she was searching for words.
"Why?" I asked impatiently, unaware that I used the wrong word. (I meant to say "What?")
"It's hard for me to explain this, and I don't think your mind is functioning properly enough yet to take it all in, judging your speech. You've been asleep since midday Friday and it's Sunday afternoon now. Can you tell me what happened Thursday night?" I struggled to remember what Thursday was. It took me a moment to figure out that she must've meant the last time I had been up. Even then though, I didn't really know. The memory seemed to escape me every time I tried to remember it. She looked at me sympathetically and placed her hand on my head.
All of a sudden, I wanted to scream; I felt as if my head had torn in two. My vision went completely black. There was a high-pitched ringing in my ears. I smelled cinnamon. My skin felt on fire, though my saliva had frozen in my mouth and throat and I gasped for air desperately. I couldn't remember what had been going on. I wasn't even aware of my own existence.
Then the pain disappeared, my vision lightened slightly, the ringing stopped, my skin cooled, and my airways cleared. I still, however, smelled cinnamon. My hand was on Luna's shoulder. We were walking in darkness. I didn't understand what was going on.
"You're always warm . . . " Luna muttered. Without warning, I felt my cheeks burn and a slight smile form on my lips. Then I was knocked over suddenly and lost my contact with Luna. I realised in horror that I was reliving Thursday night. I couldn't stop myself from scrambling over to Luna, squeezing her hand, and then being thrown back by my hair. Luna screamed. I punched him. He grabbed me and held the gun to my head.
"It you move, I shoot your girlfriend," his cold voice said. I wanted to step on his foot but I couldn't make my muscles do so. His foot launched into Luna's head. I tried to scream out, but my mouth wouldn't move. I elbowed his stomach instead. I got free, tried to hit him again and missed. There was that confusion in his eyes again. "Witch . . ." I slipped on the icy group. His ankles were frozen. I crawled to Luna, touched her shoulder, her face. She was even colder than I remembered. Tears began to form in my eyes again.
"Luna?" She groaned and I felt muscles in my body relax slightly, though I had already known she was alive. Her ice cold hand touched mine.
"Warm . . . " I pulled her up. "Home." We walked to her house. I knocked. The door flung open. Then my head exploded in pain again. A minute later, the contents of Luna's room returned to my sight. Luna's mom had removed her hand from my head and had her eyes shut. Luna was standing in the doorway nervously. I realised I still smelled cinnamon, though I didn't know why. My mind seemed more in focus than before reliving Thursday night.
"Emma?" Luna's mom spoke quietly, her eyes still closed.
"Yes?"
"Sorry about that. Hope your head's all right. I need to explain some things to you. Luna, please leave for now." Luna groaned and walked out. Her mother opened her eyes and looked at me seriously. "I'm not sure how to tell you this, Emma, it's complicated." She seemed to be considering my strength. "I suppose the easiest way is to say you're different. Before I really tell you, you need to understand that you are in danger. You will always be in danger, being different. You should not tell anyone this, not even Luna. Do you understand?"
"I . . . " Promising not to tell Luna something that was obviously important was like promising not to breathe.
"If you tell Luna, you put her in danger. She's already in danger just because you care about her. If someone wanted to get you, you know you would go after anyone who took her. Now, swear to me you won't tell a soul what I'm going to tell you." Hesitantly, I nodded. She sighed, ran a hand through her hair, and looked at me carefully. "Emma . . . you're . . . you're not normal. You've got . . . something in you that makes you very different from most people." She paused. "That man in the alley called you a witch. Do you know why?" I gaped at her. Was she trying to say I was a witch? That was ridiculous.
"No?"
"Well, you're not a witch, but it won't be the last time someone calls you that. Do you remember how the ground and that man both froze?" I nodded nervously. "You did that. Unintentionally, yes, but your fear caused you to use dormant powers within you. You heal amazingly quick too, Emma. I think you know that already. You saved Luna's life Thursday last night, and nearly took your own in the process. You've never used as much energy as you did that night and it nearly killed you. I drugged your soup Friday to put you into a temporary coma. You were likely to try and use your energy which could have killed you since you had none left. I take the blame for that as I let you use your energy healing Luna instead of healing yourself. I'm sorry; this is a lot to take in all at once."
"I . . . what? You put me in a coma?"
"Sorry, Emma. I had to. It was for your own good. You wouldn't have listened if I told you just to rest. I know you, Emma." It was true; she did know pretty well, better than my own parents for sure. My parents! I sat up straight suddenly and looked at Luna's mom in terror.
"I've been here since Thursday?!? My parents are going to kill me!" She looked at the terror in my eyes and just laughed.
"Really? Are you that oblivious? I thought you noticed more than that. Don't worry about your parents; I'll handle it. They won't even know you were gone." She gave me a look as if expecting realization to hit me. It didn't. I just looked at her, utterly confused. I shrugged it off though, since I trusted her.
"So . . . I . . . This isn't just some kind of joke, is it?" I didn't know how to believe what she said, but I knew she wouldn't just make it all up.
"No, of course not. All the proof is right in front of you. Luna is alive thanks to you. You've healed yourself over and over when your parents have beat you." I gaped at her. I had never told anyone about my parents, not even Luna. How could she know? "Would I really make something like this up?" I opened my mouth to speak, changed my mind, and shook my head instead. "I'm sorry this is so sudden, Emma. I've been trying to figure out how to explain this to you for years."
"Years? You've known that I was . . . different . . . for years?"
"You don't remember it, but you fell through the ice when you were 3. Your father freaked out and tried to break through the ice to get to you and got major frostbite in the process. You, however, were unaffected by the cold. You passed out a minute after your father got you out and his frostbite had lessened greatly. He swore your were warm even though you had been under water for 2 full minutes. I knew right away that you weren't just an ordinary 3-year-old."
I looked at my hands, trying to take it all in. If I really could heal and freeze people, like she was saying . . . I shook my head. No. It was crazy to think it was real. It was impossible. No one could just heal people like that. It was magic, and magic wasn't real. . . . But if it was real . . . I thought of the possibilities and I could feel the tingling feeling I had felt Thursday night return to my hands. I wanted to use my ability. Even if it was impossible, it had to be real.
"Emma . . . " she said slowly. I left my wild day dreaming to look at her. "Remember that you can't tell anyone about this; you'll be putting yourself and them in danger. That man in the alley Thursday saw your power. You've got to be careful. If the wrong people find him, they'll find out about you. You're lucky it was dark, or they'd know your face too. When the time comes, you're going to have to leave. There'll be a price on your head already. Don't tell Luna, for her safety. I know you probably will anyway, but don't. She'll understand one day." She paused and I realised there were tears in her eyes. "I've already made contact with various trusted friends of mine who'll take care of you when the time comes for you to leave. You're safe here, for the time being, and I think you'll be okay at home if you want to go back." I rolled my eyes. Like I'd actually want to go home. She laughed. "You're welcome to stay here though. I doubt Luna would mind." She looked at the clock. "I need to make dinner." She stood up and walked towards the doorway.
"This is all real then? I'm not dreaming?"
". . . No." She looked at me sadly then left.
A mix of fear, excitement, and anger danced around inside me. If I had these, well, powers why did I have to run? I could get a job at the hospital and heal people for the rest of my life. Or maybe I could be a portable fridge/freezer. I laughed at the idea. It wasn't fair though. I hadn't asked for this. If someone had asked me if I'd rather be normal or have powers under the condition that I wasn't to even tell my best friend and just leave her like some stupid prick, I would have chosen to be normal. Yeah, it was pretty awesome to have powers. It was every kid's dream. But the price seemed so unfair. Wasn't the point of life to spend it with people you care about? If I was going to be running away, all alone, my whole life, why live it?
I would have chosen a normal life.
22 February 2008
The Incident
It all started in a dark alleyway. No, really, it did. So what if my life's a tad cliché? It's my life.
Anyway, it was a warm Thursday late in October and Luna had been having a terrible week. She desperately needed someone to talk to so I stayed after school with her. I knew my parents would kill me when I got home, but Luna was more important. We stayed after for hours. She cried a lot. I hugged her and comforted her. Neither of us really paid attention to the time and by the time we finally began walking home, it was already dark.
Luna's house was at the end of a pretty long alleyway and I always walked with her all the way to her house instead of leaving her to walk it alone. Maybe I was paranoid of clichés. But I'm forever thankful I walked with her down that alleyway that October. Had I not done so, I don't know if I'd still have her around.
As we walked down the alley, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I moved closer to Luna and put my hand on her shoulder as we walked in silence. After what felt like 30 mins, Luna muttered, "You're always warm . . ." I felt a slight smile and redness creep up on my face.
It disappeared, however, rather suddenly as a dark figure leapt out, knocking both of us over and breaking my contact with her. My instincts kicked in immediately. Sixth sense told me where she was and I scrambled over to her. My hand found hers, squeezed, and hers squeezed back. Relief hit me, but it didn't last because I was suddenly flung by my hair into the wall behind me. I screamed. I heard Luna scream my name, then a thud as she hit something else. My fear turned into rage and I scrambled up and blindly began attacking the air in hopes of hitting the stranger who had attacked up. My fist made contact with what I think was his ribs and he let out a groan of shock and pain. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me against his body, locking me there with one arm and holding the ice cold barrel of a gun to my head.
"If you move, I shoot your girlfriend," the deep, cold voice of the stranger growled. I could faintly see Luna cowering on the ground. The stranger lashed out his foot suddenly and I heard a horrible noise and a whimper from Luna that told me that he had made contact with her head. His grip on me had loosened slightly and I used the chance to elbow him fiercely in the stomach. He groaned in pain again and I wrenched myself free. I sent a fist towards the hand I knew had held a gun. I missed. Light hit his eyes and I saw confusion and fear within them.
"Witch . . ." he gasped, as if unable to breathe. I took a nervous step back, but slipped and landed on my butt. The ground, I realised suddenly, was covered in a sheet of ice. Curiosity got the best of me, and I reached towards the stranger's ankles. They were completely frozen. Excitement and fear hit me at once and I decided to get Luna home as fast as possible.
I crawled carefully over the icy ground and found Luna unconscious on the ground. My hand brushed her shoulder softly. She was ice cold like the ground and I suddenly felt my eyes sting and a tears leak from them silently. "Luna?" I whispered, afraid I might not get an answer. I reached up and touched her face. I could feel ice cold blood around her mouth and soaking her hair. She groaned and relief hit me like a tidal wave. An ice-cold hand touched mine and held it weakly. I could feel her shaking violently as she began to regain consciousness.
"Warm . . ." she muttered. I nodded, barely hearing her, and put my hands under her arms to pull her up. Her arms wrapped slowly around my neck as I silently pulled her up. She tightened her weak grip on me and I could feel her shaking in my arms. "Home." She spoke so faintly, it was almost as if she wasn't even alive, just a spirit. Slowly, we walked down the ally, her limping horribly and my ears alert and ready to pick her up and run at the slightest sound. But the ally was silent.
We finally reached her house and I knocked on the back door. The door flung open a moment later and Luna's mom leapt forward and braced her daughter in a tight hug. Luna made a noise like an injured dog and she let go. She seemed to suddenly realise that Luna was hurt.
"Oh, Luna!" she breathed then turned to me. "What happened? No, never mind, get inside, both of you." She helped me carry Luna in the door and lay her down on the couch. In the light, I saw blood stains all over Luna's face, in her hair, on her shoulder. Everywhere. The stranger must have thrown her into the brick wall of the alley. Her skin was horribly pale and she was still shiverring horribly. I started to cry again, seeing how injured she was. I had no idea how she had managed to walk with me to her house. Her mother seemed to be thinking the same thing too. We were both in a sort of stunned silence. Luna broke the silence first.
"Em . . . " she murmered.
"I'll make some tea and call your parents," Her mother said and went into the kitchen. I knelt beside the couch, right next to Luna.
"S . . sorry." I hadn't been expecting that and gave her a confused look. Her hand twitched towards mine and I suddenly realised her eyes were red with tears. I touched her cheek lightly, wishing for a way to take her pain away. Her skin seemed to dance beneath my hand and I pulled my hand away as a reflex. She gave me a curious look. Cautiously, I placed my hand on her cheek again. The tingling, dancing feeling of her skin returned. I could feel her cold skin becoming warmer and noticed that she didn't look nearly as pale as she had when we first got inside. Her mother's footsteps came into the room and I heard her gasp behind me.
"How did--?" she said bewildered.
"How did what?" I asked. She shook her head and set the cup of tea she had been holding on the coffee table. Her eyes never left Luna. She motioned for me to move and she knelt down where I had just been, staring at Luna in amazement. She had a wet rag in her hand which she used to wipe the dried blood off of Luna's face and hair. Then I realised why she had gasped: the cuts on Luna's head had somehow sealed nearly perfectly already. Then she turned to look at me with the same curious look Luna had given me.
"Come here, Emma," she said after a moment, indicating the other side of her. I obliged, though thoroughly confused. She took my hand and placed it on Luna's ankle which was swollen to at least twice its normal size and was likely broken. Again, I could feel her skin dance and tingle beneath mine. I realised I was extremely tired and closed my eyes.
I had begun to drift off when a hand suddenly pulled mine off Luna's ankle. My eyes fluttered open; Luna's mom was looking at me with great concern and worry. I glanced at Luna's ankle; it didn't look very swollen. Had I been dreaming? I wondered. My brain felt foggy and I wasn't sure what was real and what was just in my head.
"You weren't dreaming, Emma," she said quietly. I wanted to ask how she had known I was thinking that, but did no have the energy to do so. "But you've used up all your energy, so I'm not going to make you go home unless you really want to go." I barely understood the words she said, but shook my head anyway. She began to speak again, but I didn't hear her. The last I remembered was collapsing on the floor.
Anyway, it was a warm Thursday late in October and Luna had been having a terrible week. She desperately needed someone to talk to so I stayed after school with her. I knew my parents would kill me when I got home, but Luna was more important. We stayed after for hours. She cried a lot. I hugged her and comforted her. Neither of us really paid attention to the time and by the time we finally began walking home, it was already dark.
Luna's house was at the end of a pretty long alleyway and I always walked with her all the way to her house instead of leaving her to walk it alone. Maybe I was paranoid of clichés. But I'm forever thankful I walked with her down that alleyway that October. Had I not done so, I don't know if I'd still have her around.
As we walked down the alley, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I moved closer to Luna and put my hand on her shoulder as we walked in silence. After what felt like 30 mins, Luna muttered, "You're always warm . . ." I felt a slight smile and redness creep up on my face.
It disappeared, however, rather suddenly as a dark figure leapt out, knocking both of us over and breaking my contact with her. My instincts kicked in immediately. Sixth sense told me where she was and I scrambled over to her. My hand found hers, squeezed, and hers squeezed back. Relief hit me, but it didn't last because I was suddenly flung by my hair into the wall behind me. I screamed. I heard Luna scream my name, then a thud as she hit something else. My fear turned into rage and I scrambled up and blindly began attacking the air in hopes of hitting the stranger who had attacked up. My fist made contact with what I think was his ribs and he let out a groan of shock and pain. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me against his body, locking me there with one arm and holding the ice cold barrel of a gun to my head.
"If you move, I shoot your girlfriend," the deep, cold voice of the stranger growled. I could faintly see Luna cowering on the ground. The stranger lashed out his foot suddenly and I heard a horrible noise and a whimper from Luna that told me that he had made contact with her head. His grip on me had loosened slightly and I used the chance to elbow him fiercely in the stomach. He groaned in pain again and I wrenched myself free. I sent a fist towards the hand I knew had held a gun. I missed. Light hit his eyes and I saw confusion and fear within them.
"Witch . . ." he gasped, as if unable to breathe. I took a nervous step back, but slipped and landed on my butt. The ground, I realised suddenly, was covered in a sheet of ice. Curiosity got the best of me, and I reached towards the stranger's ankles. They were completely frozen. Excitement and fear hit me at once and I decided to get Luna home as fast as possible.
I crawled carefully over the icy ground and found Luna unconscious on the ground. My hand brushed her shoulder softly. She was ice cold like the ground and I suddenly felt my eyes sting and a tears leak from them silently. "Luna?" I whispered, afraid I might not get an answer. I reached up and touched her face. I could feel ice cold blood around her mouth and soaking her hair. She groaned and relief hit me like a tidal wave. An ice-cold hand touched mine and held it weakly. I could feel her shaking violently as she began to regain consciousness.
"Warm . . ." she muttered. I nodded, barely hearing her, and put my hands under her arms to pull her up. Her arms wrapped slowly around my neck as I silently pulled her up. She tightened her weak grip on me and I could feel her shaking in my arms. "Home." She spoke so faintly, it was almost as if she wasn't even alive, just a spirit. Slowly, we walked down the ally, her limping horribly and my ears alert and ready to pick her up and run at the slightest sound. But the ally was silent.
We finally reached her house and I knocked on the back door. The door flung open a moment later and Luna's mom leapt forward and braced her daughter in a tight hug. Luna made a noise like an injured dog and she let go. She seemed to suddenly realise that Luna was hurt.
"Oh, Luna!" she breathed then turned to me. "What happened? No, never mind, get inside, both of you." She helped me carry Luna in the door and lay her down on the couch. In the light, I saw blood stains all over Luna's face, in her hair, on her shoulder. Everywhere. The stranger must have thrown her into the brick wall of the alley. Her skin was horribly pale and she was still shiverring horribly. I started to cry again, seeing how injured she was. I had no idea how she had managed to walk with me to her house. Her mother seemed to be thinking the same thing too. We were both in a sort of stunned silence. Luna broke the silence first.
"Em . . . " she murmered.
"I'll make some tea and call your parents," Her mother said and went into the kitchen. I knelt beside the couch, right next to Luna.
"S . . sorry." I hadn't been expecting that and gave her a confused look. Her hand twitched towards mine and I suddenly realised her eyes were red with tears. I touched her cheek lightly, wishing for a way to take her pain away. Her skin seemed to dance beneath my hand and I pulled my hand away as a reflex. She gave me a curious look. Cautiously, I placed my hand on her cheek again. The tingling, dancing feeling of her skin returned. I could feel her cold skin becoming warmer and noticed that she didn't look nearly as pale as she had when we first got inside. Her mother's footsteps came into the room and I heard her gasp behind me.
"How did--?" she said bewildered.
"How did what?" I asked. She shook her head and set the cup of tea she had been holding on the coffee table. Her eyes never left Luna. She motioned for me to move and she knelt down where I had just been, staring at Luna in amazement. She had a wet rag in her hand which she used to wipe the dried blood off of Luna's face and hair. Then I realised why she had gasped: the cuts on Luna's head had somehow sealed nearly perfectly already. Then she turned to look at me with the same curious look Luna had given me.
"Come here, Emma," she said after a moment, indicating the other side of her. I obliged, though thoroughly confused. She took my hand and placed it on Luna's ankle which was swollen to at least twice its normal size and was likely broken. Again, I could feel her skin dance and tingle beneath mine. I realised I was extremely tired and closed my eyes.
I had begun to drift off when a hand suddenly pulled mine off Luna's ankle. My eyes fluttered open; Luna's mom was looking at me with great concern and worry. I glanced at Luna's ankle; it didn't look very swollen. Had I been dreaming? I wondered. My brain felt foggy and I wasn't sure what was real and what was just in my head.
"You weren't dreaming, Emma," she said quietly. I wanted to ask how she had known I was thinking that, but did no have the energy to do so. "But you've used up all your energy, so I'm not going to make you go home unless you really want to go." I barely understood the words she said, but shook my head anyway. She began to speak again, but I didn't hear her. The last I remembered was collapsing on the floor.
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