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They know more about me
than me.
Annie
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Walking over the quiet walkway at college, I struggle to establish a logic explanation about what just happened a while back. I was so mad that I wished in my desperation that my bullies would choke, but how on earth did they end up choking in real time? Tom's words from two days ago come to my mind along with the strange things that keep happening around me. Am I a normal person?
I bump into someone.
"Hey, watch it!" The person tells me annoyed.
"Sorry"
A couple of boys turn to me, but I am already walking away.
Replaying the scene in my mind again and again, nothing makes sense. Then it strikes me. The heaviness inside me was Tom's deed. He keeps saying that he is my shadow, and he didn't say a thing? Was he so shallower? Unable to stand to unfairness when his friends were involved? I was alone in a golden plater ready to be served and used.
My body trembles out of rage, or is it sorrow or sadness? My foot slips on the step and I hold tight to the handrail. Breathing for a second, I almost fell down. I sit for a second on the step.
"Are you ok?" a passer asks.
I nod and stroll away from the campus.
Alone, I don't need to worry about this kind of situation, well aware that my asthma prevents me from fighting for myself.
My fervent imagination took over like it often did.
Somehow, my hopes became reality. Today, they were choking on their saliva. I can't believe what I saw. Did I use magic? Hogwash! Magic doesn't exist. It's way out there with the fairies and elves and Santa Claus and whatnot.
I notice I instinctively walked down the sidewalk, taking me closer to the forest. Wandering like a lost soul, looking for an empty place for an empty soul.
I remember Tom cornering me to the wall the first night again.
'Am I going insane? Ask myself.
'He didn't mean that. Magic doesn't exist. I might need to seek a psychiatrist...'
"Watch where you're going." A voice screamed next to me.
A heavy breath comes out of my lungs. The metallic column is an inch from my face. I look around the parking lot, but see no one near me.
Where did that voice come from?
Still looking, despite that, I expect someone to walk from in-between the cars. There is no one.
"I'm the one who spoke. Try to act a little normal, will you? You look insane right now."
Plants surround the building placed in a long wooden pot separating the sidewalk from the parking. Moving towards it, I lean over to inspect the other side, but I am alone. Leaning my back to the wooden pot down, I press my head between my knees.
I am hearing voices.
I palm my head, wondering if I am getting hallucinations out of sickness. My temperature is normal.
"I AM in your head."
I close my eyes.
I will end up in a psychiatric institution. Am I losing it? I know things are painful, but... will I be able to go to college? Will I... I whine to myself, curling my body into a ball, and hiding my face in my knees.
"Haha, you won't end up in a psychiatric institution. If one day you do, it's not because you can hear me. I am completely and entirely real. It's called mind communication. It's my gift. Now, follow my lead."
I stop breathing and take a look around. There is no one, Still.
"I want to help you. I know what you did back at the cafeteria. We need to assess your powers and what triggers them. Otherwise, you will be in danger. Meet me at the edge of the forest."
'Only schizophrenia patients have invisible friends they believe are real! This is not proving my sanity.' I tell myself, still hovering over my knees.
"I told you I'm real!!" The voice keeps nagging me.
I get up and start walking again, hoping the voice will disappear.
"Where are you coming from? How is this possible?" I rub my temples and turn red as people are now looking at me with curiosity. I walk faster, pointing my ear to make believe that I am on a phone call.
"Haha, that is such a delightful surprise! Those are great news!" I scream in a joyful noise, trying to pretend that I am on a phone call.
I walk faster to the forest, away from people, worried about being caught in this moment of insanity.
"Keep walking straight ahead and I'll explain everything to you in the flesh."
I notice Tom's car.
Was this the safe heaven my unconsciousness was seeking? Puff!
I peer the edge of the forest. I find Lina, the redhead with whom I had lunch, wavering at me.
I walk to her.
"you are finally here. I received the call and asked to be your guardian." She tells me.
I blink, taken aback.
"guardian?" I have no time to say more since she is already unfolding the rest.
"You're a witch. Normally, a wich's powers reveal's itself around the age of 8, at which point you'd have received intensive training. Somehow, you didn't, but you do now and we need to assess the matter." She ends with a serious face, making me wonder if this can be possible.
My jaw drops.
"Inner powers revealing themselves, and going through training. What the heck does that even mean?"
She shakes her head.
"ok, I will slow down. I'm your mentor and I am here to help shield you from your powers until you can handle your magical outburst by yourself. One of my major tasks is to avoid freakouts like what just happened earlier. My second mission is to teach you about the world of magic."
"Magic doesn't exist," my voice is tense, knowing that many odd things keep happening around me.
"Do you think just anyone could have made girls choke on demand? To make a bottle jump in the air with just their thoughts?" She alludes to the questions I kept asking myself since I got away from the lunchroom.
Was she there that night?.
A phone rings. I look around, and the sound is coming from my pocket.
Crappy Tom didn't take his phone back.
I can't help but mumble words in my mouth. I press the green button.
On the other end of the line,
"I think you've had just about enough time alone. Tell me where you are."
He is ordering me around again.
I huff and look at the trees with murderous eyes.
"I'll see you by car before our next class. There is no way I'll go back to those plastic girls."
I hear him taking a deep breath.
"I get it. They are a bit much. Ok, no more girls. What about the Library? Sounds good?"
My eyes popped. I didn't, though he knew the library existed. His suggestion comes too late. I just want to avoid everyone right now.
Lina laughs.
"I'm in the forest," I pout.
"In the forest? Are you serious? You're confused. Of all the places you could've gone to, you chose the most dangerous for you." He tells me with a sound that makes me think he cares.
Instead of a warm feeling, it annoys me instead.
He treats me like a child. Com-on. Two years and a half is it such a big difference?
I frown.
"What are you saying? There's no one here, except for Lina. What danger is she to me?" I ask him, turning away from her and using my hand to cover my voice while saying it.
He cuts me off. "Good! Hand her the phone."
'Well, I guess now is not the moment to tell him the girl has mental issues.'
I look at her, and she is already handing her hand forward.
'Crap, she reads minds.'
She smirks and grabs the phone.
I wish I could hear that conversation, but somehow I can't seem to understand it. As if I was too far from her, but she was just next to me.
Is that because of magic or just mental fatigue?
I keep staring at her, looking for an answer to this new mystery, trying to read her lips with little success.
She hands me the phone back.
I press it to my ear.
"Stay with Lina. She convinced me to let you handle this between girls."
Hangs out without a pause.
I look at the phone in my hand, and then I look at her.
"Why wasn't I able to hear your conversation just now?" I ask her.
She rolls her eyes.
"Follow me."
She then walks further.
Curiosity has the best of me. I walk at a quicker pace to reach her.
I want to talk, but she silences me with her wavering hand. After a moment, she stops and moves her hand again, telling me to stay still.
I look around and wonder why we needed to remain here, surrounded by trees in a small clearing.
When I look at her, she is turning in circles, touching some trees.
She looks like a hippie, speaking to Mother Nature.
'What the hell Am I doing here?'
I turn my heels to leave.
As if she knew about my intent, she speaks up.
"Ok. Ok. Let's start at the beginning. You need to learn the basics of all magic. The meditation techniques..."
I walk away, regardless of her words.
She is weird. A person with all his mind wouldn't talk to a tree?'
"I can give you answers about what happened earlier and at the club!" She rushes out.
I stop in my tracks and look back at her, crossing my arms. I nod.
"did you notice weird things happening whenever you were too happy or scared or stressed?"
I roll my eyes.
"Of course I do. I get an asthmatic episode. Most of the time."
She frowns.
"What do you usually do?"
"Da-ah," I take my inhaler out of one pocket. "I just couldn't use it today because the last one I have is not working."
She crosses her arms, inclining her head.
I frown and shake my head.
"look it was the first weird thing that happen around me, ok. I am usually home, trying to avoid human interaction because I can't get a hold of my attacks, and I can't jeopardize my health. Me, being there, was new, and it was Tom's ambush that did the deed. Damn, Tom!" I let out as if she had to ask, raising the emotions of the previous night back into my mind.
She cuts me off, rubbing her temples.
"This is worse than expected. Ok, lesson one: Emotions trigger the magic, they fuel magic. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, your energy gets out of control and looks for a way out. It's what happened today. Whatever image or idea crossed your mind happened, liberating you from your emotions and your magic."
I blink, trying to make sense of it.
'I felt better after the first image popped into my head.
I usually imagine my lungs contracting and wishing for my inhaler, but today I couldn't because I knew it broke.'
I look at her, knowing somehow she knows what I just thought.
Ok, let's say I give you the benefit of the doubt. I have questions. Will you answer them?" I ask her, looking at her with intensity.
"I can answer a few, but my answers have a limit. I may have no authority to answer your questions." Her serious tone leaves no doubt.
I frown.
"You need authorization? What do you mean? Who? How? "
She lifts her eyebrows.
"I don't question my superiors. I do, however, execute their orders. And you must execute mine." She ends up pointing a finger at me to her.
Looks like she recklessly follows a cult. Brainwashed. Uh-hum! I shake my head.
"No. No answers, no collaboration. I'm out." Turning my body away, I don't want to be part of a cult. No thanks.
I head out of the woods while I keep mumbling in my head.
Following my mother's needs was enough. I won't accept people telling me what to do or not to do.
Then I hit my nose into something and stumbled backwards.
"Ow!!" I rub my face. My foot hurts from the impact. I make circles with my feet and check if I broke something, but it's only sore.
"Oh, by all means, keep trying. I can wait as long as you like. I have no hurry. Want to try again?"
I turn to her. My hands taking life, I add.
"What did you do?! What is this? You're holding me, prisoner?"
I then shut myself up.
'Magic doesn't exist, it doesn't!!! I am in control of my life and I don't want to be part of this... that association.'
"You have no choice. Until you learn how to keep your powers dormant and how to awaken them at will. You will do as I say. You lost your free will the moment your powers showed."
She closes her eyes and lifts her arms.
I feel something brushing by.
"OW!!"
To my astonishment, the cones of the pines are launching projectiles. They are coming my way from all sides!
This baffling bit**!!
I launch myself to the floor and cover my head.
"OK! OK! YOU WIN! I WILL HEAR YOU OUT!! "I pant.
"Excellent. Here is the lesson you must remember. Magic is efficient when you focused. Visualize the result you wish to achieve."
And that's how I ended up meditating and getting whipped by Lina for hours.
She keeps whipping me with cones. I have to deflect them by creating a protective dome surrounding me.
More nuts strike me.
I hate it, but I can't get out. Darn... I hate her.
I move my hand angrily, as if I could push away the falling projectiles.
As I do, something comes out of me, like a musical vibration emanating from my body.
When I open my eyes, Lina is sitting on her bottom, a streak of dirt visible in front of her where leaves, nuts and pine cones around her.
"I asked you to block, not to counter-attack. Now, replicate what you just did, but keep it tight to your body like an invisible raincoat." She sounds annoyed.
Focusing on my fear of getting whipped again, I close my eyes and picture a bubble around me, completely impermeable and impenetrable. I feel a vibration surrounding me, amplifying my fear of cones. Then I thought it would be funny if they would bounce back on her.
"Ouch!! A-A- Annie!!"
I look back; Something indeed covered her in leaves. Her hair is full of them. She rubs her arms and tries to clean herself up.
I am too taken aback. My wish came true. I look at my hands and study them. When I look up, she is looking at me.
"How can this be?" She scratches her head. "Forget it. The council must have had a reason to block your gifts." She turns around me. "They seem stronger than normal and you combine them with such ease. It's been a long time since I came across a gifted..."
R-R-R... A deep gurgle comes from my stomach, interrupting this vital information.
Darn, I wish she would continue, but she stopped the moment my stomach growled. I hold my stomach, trying to hide the sound, but it's now a symphony.
"Here." She throws me a protein bar. Take this. "Let's head back," she says to me as she stretches to ease her strained muscles.
"Where are we going?" I am so hungry. This won't be enough.
'How long were we here?'
"I don't know yet. I'm calling Tom. Wait, hold on for a bit. I have to remove the barrier." She halts.
I consider her for a second. She puts her index fingers together and makes a triangular shape. A breeze passes through us and I can finally hear the birds chirping happily.
"So, again, breathe and picture your protective bubble. See, we are hypersensitive to other people's emotions. They can easily invade us and generate energy. If you let yourself get invaded by those emotions, you will create uncontrollable magic. This barrier is a basic skill to protect you from these energies."
I nod, even though she can't see me since I am walking behind her.
"So you're saying the emotions I feel are not always my own?"
"Exactly. You need to keep it around you, especially whenever you feel a change in yourself." She nods, pleased at my answer.
As we reach her car, she checks her phone.
"Alright then! Destination: The Pub!"
I sigh. 'I need a break!'
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She's a bit of a badass (ง︡'-'︠)ง but we all need some Lina in our lives.
I'm not liking Lina's blind obedience to her superiors though. Blind obedience always makes me feel icky inside, personally. Please stay on Annie's side, Lina oneesan/ Lina Noona. I hope it's not foreshadowing in the long con. (╥︣_╥)
Did the fact that our struggling cute Annie has powers surprise you?
Or had you picked up on it in the earlier chapters?
Comment, share, and like!! ✍(◔◡◔)