The Gifted

Chapter 8

Martha claps her hands and herds me towards the entrance. The farther we travel down the echoing tunnel in the light of flickering torches set into the wall, the rough cave like walls slowly turn into wooden walls painted in a pale grey. The musty air full of dust turned into clearer air conditioned air. The smooth stone floor turned into uneven wooden planks. In fact it stopped looking like a cave altogether and looked more like a boring corridor in an office building.
We came to a large hall with proper walls and a more symmetrical wooden floor. There were many passages off this. Everyone heads down a random one and I trail behind.
After ages of walking through this tunnel we come to a large door made of warped wood.
Martha places her hands on the door and pushes it open.
The room is small and cramped. Luke's head brushes the ceiling. The heavy air smells of a sickly sweet perfume and vaguely of smoke. The only light are coming from some glowing lanterns suspended from the ceiling and fairy lights strung on the walls. Everywhere there are puffy velvet cushions and silks draped over cupboards all in some shade of pink and purple. In the centre of the room there is a large loom from which an almost finished shawl is hanging from. I spot a little lady sitting behind there.
"Hello?" She says in a squeaky voice.
Her face is round and squashed and her large purple eyes squint even though she has a large pair of glasses perched on her nose. She is wrapped in seemingly hundreds of shawls which gold flowers patterned onto them.
"We have come for your healing and knowledge" Martha says softly.
"Hmmmmm I don't give out those things for free you know," she answers, her scratchy tone makes me cringe.
Martha reached into a pocket in her jumper and pulled out a ball of primrose pink string and a stump of a candle.
The women's eyes light up in the darkness and she smiles a rather nasty smile, her yellow teeth showing. She snatches up the objects and inspects them suspiciously. Then she stuffs them into a box and turns back to us.
"Bring her!" She commands and beckons me.
I shuffle to her and stand there stiffly.
I try not to whimper when her stone cold hands caress my cheeks.
"Hmmm, quite deep scars there don't worry I'll fix ya" I feel a warm tingling on my cheek and all the pain evaporates. She lets go of my face and I touch my cheek marvelling at the smooth surface where there was rough jagged scars a few seconds ago. Fear replaces my amazement and I whip around.
"What's happening? How did she do that? What do you want from me?" I ask, questions spilling out my mouth.
"Haven't you told the normie about us?" Jakes girlfriend sniggers.
"Stop calling me a normie!!! I don't even know what that is!"
Everyone laughes at me. Even Martha is smirking.
I feel my cheeks boil and suddenly I'm done.
I'm done with all the stuff everyone throws at me all the time.
I'm done with my mum hating me and my dad laughing at me.
I clench my fists and I feel an energy growing inside of me.
Suddenly all the lights in the room flicker and go out. The air is cold and damp. I feel blood welling in the marks my fingernails had made and suddenly a huge energy grows inside of me and everything starts to shake.