First Faith

Chapter 8: Dagger

Chapter 8: Dagger

"You can read auras?" I repeated. I hadn't believed that was possible for humans. Pokemon, yes, but humans? Humans with their scrawny brains that hardly any of the species ever used? No. Impossible.

"Yeah. I can sense peoples' emotions. I only found out once my parents died. I hear that people who can read auras usually figure it out after a big emotional event." She stated sadly, "I only have my brother. He's about your age. He was on his journey at the time and had to come home to take care of me. He didn't mind. He never minded taking care of me."

"You don't act your age." I said slowly. She was talking about these events like an adult, with a maturity I'd never guessed a child could possess.

"No." She smiled, "But neither do you."

I realized she was right and that we had more in common than I thought.

"Who did you lose, Paul?" Demi asked.

I looked at the sky.

"I don't know why you're avoiding thinking about him when I can feel how upset you are. I felt it even before we started talking."

"I don't remember giving you permission to read my aura." I said coolly.

"I can't help it all the time. It's hard to control."

Her innocent expression made me wonder if she was trustworthy.

"Why wouldn't I be trustworthy?" Demi asked with a frown.

"You can read thoughts too?" I asked, incredulous. Of course I run into a mind reader. "Well, not all the time, but it's just obvious that you don't trust me. When you're mad about something, those thoughts really scream at me. Same with other people. When people are happy, it more just poofs out in a soft way, but in a way that's really pretty and warm and gets your attention. Negative feelings are more like cries for help, you know?" Demi finished, looking at me like what she'd said made perfect sense.

"Sure."

"So who died?"

"I'm not telling you. Go away."

"The match was a draw so I don't have to leave you alone."

"You forfeited. I won. Go away."

"No! Besides, I was winning."

"You're getting in the way of what I was trying to do." I said, my voice rising.

"And what were you trying to do?"

"I was trying to be alone."

"Why?"

"Because I'm sick of everyone is why." I snapped, done.

Demi recoiled a bit. I turned around. I didn't have to talk to her. I was done talking to her. I didn't want to talk about it.

I remembered that we both seemed like the odd ones out of our age group.

I didn't want to talk to her. I was done talking to the little smarty pants that thought she knew everything, the aggravating aura reader. I didn't want to talk about anything in my life.

I remembered that her parents had died.

I didn't want to talk to her. I was done thinking about how everyone who seemed to matter was dead. I didn't want to talk about how destroyed my heart felt about it, how it seemed like every time I thought about him, I got worse instead of better.