The Thought Keepers: Ability

Chapter 9: Uncle Ethan Explains It All

I froze in place, remembering this morning all too clearly. This was all happening because I took off a necklace for one day? That couldn't be possible. 

Even the thought of putting that thing on again felt like a punishment. I glared at the tiny black stone, wishing it would fizzle into nothing. "It makes me feel like I'm choking. I can't wear it anymore."

"You don't have a choice!" Uncle Ethan exploded, standing up to tower over me. I flinched, feeling tears hit my cheeks.

"This necklace protects you. It keeps you hidden from Shades that want to use you as a weapon, and Unnormals that want to make an example out of our family. It absorbs your abilities and psychic energy. It's what allows you to live as a Normal," Uncle Ethan explained, barely holding onto his patience. I felt like a child again, getting scolded for wanting to play with other kids.

"It weakens me and sucks up my energy," I said. "And somehow, you think it's good for me?"

"Psychic energy is what Shades feed on. They attack us for our abilities," Uncle Ethan repeated slowly, like I was dense. "The necklace was hiding all of your energy. Taking it off was like raising an alarm for every Shade in the area to come and find you."

"Why are they coming for me?" I demanded. I wanted him to admit that there were more secrets, because nothing was adding up. If me being an Unnormal was the problem, then every Unnormal would be in constant danger. But it was just me that Nathaniel targeted, just me that got pushed in front of a school bus. What was so different about me?

"You are more powerful than other Unnormals, and Shades can sense that," he explained. "That's why your mother made this necklace for you."

I'd been walking around like a zombie for years, weighed down by the thing around my neck, and I never understood why. I thought I was sad because I was lonely. I thought I was tired because of my nightmares. In reality, I was drained both physically and mentally because my family thought it was best for me. 

I wiped my face, glaring at the man who betrayed my trust. "I've been having visions for a year, and the necklace did nothing to stop them."

He nodded, looking quite grim all of a sudden. "I've been looking in on your dreams, and that boy is in every single one of them. He's the reason your abilities are activating. The necklace only feels heavy because there's so much psychic energy to keep at bay." 

I stared at him blankly. "You've been looking in on my dreams? I don't understand." 

"Dream-walking is my ability," he admitted. "I was the best person to watch you, to make sure that your dreams stayed dormant. Even if you had strong visions, you never quite remembered them. I did my best to help you sleep at night."

All those times I wandered the empty streets of that desolate, stormy town, shivering from the feeling of eyes on my back, my uncle was the one watching from the shadows? He was the one hidden in the alleyways that I passed, the one peering at me from the dark? 

I took a step back from Uncle Ethan. I was seeing him as a real person for the first time. Not as my uncle, but as a person who I had to set boundaries with. 

"So when I dream tonight, are you going to watch me? When I go to school tomorrow, will I have to wear that psychic collar around my neck?" I pointed to the crystal dangling from his shaking fingers. "It's starting to feel like I'm the one in prison, not the boy from my dreams." 

"Kara," he admonished. "I'm trying to protect you." 

"No, you're trying to control me, and I'm getting too old for your leash to work anymore. I appreciate everything you do, but I can't sleep knowing you're watching me. I can't live if that thing is choking me. I need you to trust that I can handle myself."