Gifted: A Life Away From Earth

Gifted: Chapter Three

The fire blazed on the floor of the forest. The inhabitants of the village scattered around. Smiling, talking, laughing, celebrating. Ithabita sat beside Airama and Seyca sat on the other side of her. He laughed at whatever Hasmot, Havugan, Ursu’s little brother, were saying. Havugan was as short as his sister, but he was six years younger and still aging. He had spiked, blonde hair and bright, blue eyes. He wore a cotton tank top with a hard leather shoulder pad on his right shoulder, which wrapped diagonally around his torso. He had a knife attached to that strap with his gun at the base just by his hip.

   He looked at Ithabita and said something to Seyca. Who said something back, which made Havugan shrug and leave with Hasmot

   “Hey Ithabita,” Seyca said turning to her and smiling.

   “Hi,” she said, Airama grinned at her and left, leaving Ithabita to fend for herself.

   “So I heard you’re anchoring for Airama,” he said.

   “Yeah, it’s true.”

   “I remember when I anchored for Ajy. It was an experience I never forgot. Even though I’d already gone through the transformation.”

   “In a good way or a bad way?” Ithabita questioned Seyca moved closer.

   “Both. In their own different ways, y’know?”

   “Nope. That’s why I asked,” she replied sarcastically. He laughed at her. “What?”

   But her question was never answered because his head whipped over to see Amseul fall to the ground. His face was blank, his eyes glassy and his body unmoving.

   Seyca got up in one fluid motion and was at his brother’s side in seconds. Airama was also there, kneeling over him.

   “He’s not dead. Just unconscious,” she was saying.

   “Are you sure?” Hasmot, Ursu and Seyca kept asking.

   “Yes I’m positive,” she told them firmly. “But you should get him back to your hut for some peace and quiet.”

   “Someone get Ramy,” Seyca said, but Ramy was already there and lifted Amseul up without straining and walked him to his hut. Hasmot, Seyca and Ursu followed closely.

   Everyone sat frozen, but Gesa shattered the silence.

   “I think it’s been a long night. Shall we get some rest?”

   Everyone reluctantly left the fire and went to their huts. They all wanted to know what had come over Amseul, but they listened and went as slow as possible.

   Ithabita also retreated to her own hut. She knew Amseul had visions, but they were never this bad. Not since he got his first one five years ago. He was the first one to go through the transformation, without an anchor. He’d almost never came back and that’s why they always had an anchor now.

   She’d wondered if it was something big and important. That would make sense that Amseul passed out then. That must be it. There was something coming.

   Who was she kidding though; she didn’t even have a power. She was just making random assumptions to fill her hungry mind. She just wanted to have a power to feel closer to her parents.

   She opened a drawer and pulled out a picture. Two adults stood with a smile on their faces, each holding a child. On the back of the photo there was a short note:

Tabitha, our lovely daughter, we’ve sent you away for your own good. People here on Earth don’t understand people like us. They want to hurt us and destroy us. We couldn’t let that happen to you or Mary. We love you and hope you’ve been accepted.

Lot’s and lots and lots of love,

Mom and Dad

(Elaine and Gerad Freeman)

   But they were dead and the note was the only thing she had of them. She barely even remembered them. She found out they were dead from a nearby village, was that there had been a war fifteen years before and it had been devastating. They learned their lesson and accepted change finally. But not before they had killed all The Gifted.

   They accepted aliens who finally ventured there. They found that they needed to look deeper and see that change was good sometimes and they just needed to accept it. It was the only way to be happy. She was upset at them, furious. The war fifteen years ago didn’t matter they were just collecting technology. They wanted to meet other people was a façade and a horrible lie.

   Then she thought of something. ‘What if it’s Earthlings who are finally going to find us and destroy us? To finally put an end to us?’

   That would explain Amseul passing out. It was a frightening and thrilling thought. She sat on the edge of her bed staring at the photo as if willing it to come alive. It could happen. She wasn’t just being overly paranoid. Was she?

   “Ithabita,” someone whispered gently pushing her. She grunted and rolled over hoping that whoever it was would go away.

   “Ithabita,” they said again and she opened her eyes slowly. Beside her sat a blurry Seyca.

   “Wha’?” she asked looking out her window. It was sunny and people were already moving about.

   “Wake up sleepy head,” he pushed her again, harder this time. She blinked clearing the rest of her vision up.

   “Why?”

   “We have to go hunt,” Seyca explained. “To keep me busy. So they decided that you needed to be kept busy too. So hey, they threw us together to make a hunting party.”

   “Why?”

   Seyca shook her and she just stared at him with her big purple eyes. He sighed. “They want to keep me busy from bugging them about the premonition. They want to keep you busy from thinking to much about tomorrow.”

   “I see,” she said looking at his muscled, tan hand that rested by her leg. “Well we can do that later. I’m going back to sleep.”

   He pulled off her fur cover and she shivered at the brisk air. “Ungh,” she grunted and hugged herself in hope to warm up.

   “Maybe you should put on some more clothes,” he suggested eyeing her under garments.

   “Maybe you should give me back my blanket and let me sleep,” she eyed him angrily.

   “Are you always like this in the morning?” he questioned laughing. He got up and walked over to her chair, which had her clothes laying on it.

   “Woke me up on the wrong side of the bed,” she mumbled as he tossed the clothes at her.

   “Oh, so it’s my fault you were sleeping in?”

   “Yes,” she said pulling on her clothes.

   He chuckled went over to the window. “C’mon we need this meat for late tonight, early tomorrow. That’s when she’s going to change isn’t it.”

   “Guess so,” she agreed standing up stretching.

   He raised his eyebrows at her and said, “Sorry for leaving you last night.”

   “S’okay really. He’s your brother. Family comes before friends.”

   “I just felt the need to …” he trailed off.

   “To?”

   He looked at Ithabita and shrugged. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter anyway. Are we ready? Can we go now?”

   She rubbed the side of her face tiredly and just stared at him. “As ready as I can be.”

   “Good. Let’s go get some festive food.”

   Ithabita and Seyca headed out the door and went into the forest.