Chapter 8: More School...

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When I got back to the dorm Thalia and Kimberly were already almost finished with their homework. They said hello and told me they were going to get dinner if I wanted to go with them. I had a ton of homework and I told them that I wasn't hungry. I worked on my homework for several hours and finally finished when the clock read 8:00pm. I took a shower and when I came out, Thalia was sitting on her bed watching TV. "Hey!" she said. I smiled, "Hey" I said, and jumped up into my bed. It was one of the softest beds I had ever been on. "It's really comfortable, isn't it?" Thalia said. I grinned, "That would be an understatement." I said, and she laughed. There was a few moments of silence, and then Thalia spoke. "So Esme, you just learned about all of this?" she asked gesturing with her hands. I nodded. "Wow, so you must be really overwhelmed." she said. I shrugged, "I'm trying not to think too much about it or my brain might melt. I guess I just always knew there was more out in the world." I said. She nodded with a smile, but I could see she was thinking of something. "When did you learn all about this?" I asked. She gave me a small laugh. "I have known about it all my life. My father is a gifted." she said. I was surprised. "Wow, so you like grew up in this world?" I asked, and she looked over at me. "You don't know about the different realms, do you?" she asked. I looked at her with curiosity. "Well there are two realms, this one... the mortal one, and then the one where most of the different species come from. I grew up in the other realm." she said. I stared at her with an open mouth. "So there is a whole other world?" I asked. She nodded, "That is how people like you and me ended up in this world, and how mortals somehow made their way into the other realm." she said. I shook my head in amazement. "So how did you end up in this realm?" I asked. She let out a long breath. "Well, the gifted aren't really welcome back in the other realm. In fact, we were mostly driven out, and almost all of us live in the mortal realm now. My mother was one of the unlucky mortals who founds themselves in the other realm, but she found my father. They ended up finding a safe place to raise a family. I grew up on a darling farm, and it was a perfect life." she said. Then tears came to her eyes. "Then, they were found by Styx, and my father, mother, and brother where all killed. They burned our farm down. The Styx decided to keep me because I had an ability that was similar to their kind. I was only ten and they thought I could be persuaded to join them. Of course I refused, and they were going to kill me." she gulped. I stared at her, not knowing what to do. "I was saved and brought here." she said. Tears ran down her cheeks. "Who saved you, Thalia?" I asked. Her face darkened. "His name was Gideon. He was a rebel inside the Styx. Later, I figured out the only reason he saved me was because he was part of the group that killed my family and burned my home. I refused to forgive him. I don't know where he is now." she said. She was staring at her hands. "Thalia, I am so sorry." I said. She shook her head. "It's not your fault" she said. "Your grandmother is the one who took me in, and provided me with protection." she said. She gave me a small smile. "Be thankful that you have been protected all this time." she said. I nodded in deep thought. I stood up, walked over to Thalia, and gave her a hug. She cried into my arms, and I couldn't help the couple of tears that fell from my own eyes. How dare the Styx think that they have the right to do that? They needed to be punished for what they have done to Thalia, and many other families. There was no way I was going to let those savage people go around killing innocent people for fun. These people will be brought to justice, even if I have to do it myself. I hugged Thalia a little tighter.

The next day was exactly like the day before, except I actually knew what to expect. I went to each of my classes, and learned even more than I had the day before. Thalia and I had only known each other for a couple of days, but we had already become best friends, and we never left each other's side. Kimberly didn't really seem to notice since she mostly hung out with her boyfriend, Oliver. I continued to enjoy every class, but Mr. Roth's class remained my favorite. I especially loved the comparison essay he asked us to write. Training with John was hard, but I realized the more I worked the easier it became. C and I become close friends as well, and we shared a lot with each other. One day after training, we sat on one of the garden benches just enjoying the beautiful scenery. So C, I know you know everything about other people, but I don't know much about you. I said to him telepathically, and a smile came over his face. I'm glad you care, crazy eyes, but I'm not the sharing type, he said. I crossed my arms, and I knew he knew exactly what I was thinking. You do realize it is impossible to hide your thoughts and emotions from me, right? He asked. I didn't respond, and I looked straight ahead. I decided to challenge him. Fine, if I can withstand your attempts at brain spying for one minute, you have to tell me one of your secrets. If I can't keep you out, you never have to tell me anything about yourself ever. I said to him, and a smirk came onto his lips, you know you're going to lose. He said. I smiled, let's test that theory, ready, set, go, I said. I imagined a wall coming around my mind. My stubbornness kicked in, and I was absolutely not going to lose this. I could physically feel a weight coming over me, pressing extremely hard. I scrunched my face, and my head stated to throb from the effort. Suddenly it went away, and I realized it had been one minute. I had won! I grinned. He knew I was grinning from the scowl that came over his face. That's impossible. He said annoyed. Guess not, I said back. I waited for him to tell me one of his secrets. "Fine. Uh, my secret is... both of my parents are mortal." he said. I stared at him, "Then how do you have a gift, and one so powerful, too?" I asked. He shrugged, "I don't know. I guess nature has a sense of humor sometimes." he said. I tilted my head, "What do you mean?" I asked. "Well, my dad is in jail for child abuse, and my mother is in some insane asylum. I was given to parents who would have struggled to take care of a normal child. They were completely lost with a child born without eyes, and who could access to any of the thoughts around him. Some people are given gifts in life, but they always come with a price. I feel like we spend most of our lives paying that price." he said. His voice started to shake by the end. I stared straight ahead. C was silent. "What does C stand for?" I asked. He didn't respond at first. "It stand for whatever it needs to in the moment." he said, and then he stood up. Before he walked away he picked a flower and handed it to me. I smiled. He tried to seem tough, but on the inside he was just as soft as a teddy bear. He cracked a tiny smile when he heard that thought, and walked away.

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