Chapter Three - A Look into the Past

~~~

Mmm… It’s so warm here… And so comfortable… I could stay here forever…

“Hhn? Wha-” My eyes flickered open to bright lights and two concerned faces. I furrowed my brow. When did I… Fall asleep? Faint? Have a seizure? What happened to me? I reached my hand out to Ova and wiped her cheek. She sniffled and rubbed her eyes.

“Blair, are you alright?” Ruby’s eyes were full of worry. I began to open my mouth but Ruby continued on. What was with everyone doing that today, anyway? “Nonetheless, you seem to have fainted from shock and a mixture of exhaustion. I always told Maxi to never wake you up early, it’s not healthy; especially for you,” She was waving her finger. “She just doesn’t listen, so heard-headed. I suppose that’s what helps keep her title of Lyrion. You know all about that though, don’t you?” There seemed to be a twinge of jealousy when she talked about my aunt.

“Wait, what’s a ‘Lyrion’?” My head flopped to the side; I was still weary.

Both Ruby’s and Ova’s eyes widened, “Y-you don’t know? How could the Una not know? It’s that mother of yours isn’t it? Has she been keeping this from you? Has she?” Her voice rose with each syllable, “That just sickens me! How could a mother do that to her child? Especially if she knew her child was the Una! Not to mention her sister is the Lyrion! The Lyrion for god’s sake! Doesn’t she realize how special her position is? I will-”

“Stop it. Just stop it.”

“Wha-?” Ruby began.

“Just because my mother has her issues or whatever doesn’t give you the right to talk badly about her! She is my mother and I love her!” I could feel the fire blaring from my nose. But something clicked then and there; in fact, it’s probably what changed my future, even if it was just a small teeny bit.

“Hold on, how do you know my mother? How did you know about my Aunt Maxi? I just met you today.” I inquired. Ova, who had been unusually quiet for awhile, burst out laughing holding her sides.

“W-what t-type of i-idiot is thi-this?” Ova managed to let out. Unlike her daughter’s reaction, Ruby was now on her knees, facing me.

“I’m very sorry Una. I lost control of my temper. I did not intend to talk about your direct bloodline in such a manner. Please forgive me,” She bowed her head and held out her hands, looking as if she was praying. “And ova, stop that incisive laughing now. It’s disrespectful to Blair; you are her underling.” Ruby said haughtily. In an instant Ova stopped her laughing and went into the same position as her mom.

“I’m so sorry, Blair. I just can’t help but laughing sometimes, ya’ know, right? I’m really sorry!” Ova recited.

Okay, enough is enough!

“What the heck is with all this formal crap?! I just met you and your already treating me as if I’m some sort of spoiled princess! I have news for you, I’m not!” I was standing now, my hands in fists of fury. There were sprinkles of water in my eyes. My arms swayed a bit as I tried to balance myself in the flying airplane.

“You are correct Miss Blair, you are not a princess; you are far more special than any royalty.”

~~~

My eyes lazily looked out the window, my hand under my chin. After everything today, I just couldn’t sleep; which was surprising compared to how I felt earlier. Ova on the other hand, was fast asleep on my lap; I could feel her steady breathing. I ran my fingers through her curly, golden hair

So… She’s my cousin, I thought.

Ruby had started explaining, but something kept holding her back. All I had really heard or understood was that Ruby was mother’s sister; and that didn’t make any sense, because my mother had only ever mentioned one sister; though I haven’t seen any family photos of my Mom’s…

Then that was the end of the conversation because Ruby had gotten up and moved to the front of the airplane.

I looked at my watch; it read 6:00 am; so that would make it 7:00 in Boiling Springs, Philadelphia? Why did I have there so early anyway, I mean, a few hours later wouldn’t hurt, right? This whole thing was really starting to get me ticked off.

I shivered and pulled the blanket to cover Ova and me more. She gave a soft, muffled snort. I continued to stroke her sunshine-like hair, my hand moving in an mechanical pattern. Again my mind began to wander.

At first it was small things, like about a pen I just remembered I had lost or my guitar. Then it started in on people, like my sister, my mother, and then finally, Jamie. I felt something pull at my heartstrings. God, I was going to miss Jamie so much. Besides my family, I think she was the only one I was going to miss. She was my only friend; the only one to ever stick by me.

I mean, at first when we were all youngsters, I had tons of friends. But as you get older, things change. I’m not talking about the regular things such as popularity, or puberty. I’m talking about what separates me from them. I can do what no one else can do. What some people only think about in their dreams. I can see the future. Granted, the future isn’t definite; but seeing into the near future usually doesn’t supply much time for any changes.

I mean, I could keep seeing the future a secret if I really tried, but I couldn’t hide reading minds. Its not like I’m walking down a street and I can read everyone’s mind; I have to know the person. And not just know them, I have to really know the person; favorite color, birthday, a secret or two, etc. The more I know them, the better I can read their thoughts. Well, actually, I take that back. I can’t ‘read’ thoughts. I can’t even hear them. I don’t really know how it works, but what the person’s thinking just sort of gets implanted in my head. It’s hard to explain, it’s almost as if someone had said something, only it took a couple moments to register in my brain. It’s the same thing with ‘seeing’ the future; ‘seeing’ is the wrong term. I just know what’s going to happen, without having to do anything. I know it, like everyone knows 1 +1 = 2 instantly. As for others’ mind though…it’s as if I had no power at all. If you’re not good at it, you start to confuse what people say, and what people think. And that’s how one stupid person found out.

I remember the day clearly. It was a Friday, towards the end of sixth grade, and not a cloud in the sky. All about the school building little children were running and yelling. I walked around the side to reach the fountain, where the older kids hang out. The fountain was spouting water from its center. My peers were arranged in different positions around the fountain, and I was heading towards Jamie, who was sitting down on the fountain’s edge. A girl in my grade named Megan pulled on my sleeve from behind, I turned and stared at her. She started fidgeting nervously and then whispered in my ear.

“I know your secret.” I felt my heart quicken. Maybe she’s talking about another secret. Of course its another secret, no one knows about that. She’s probably talking about a boy…

It always ended up like that. Every time someone mentioned a secret, I got nervous; but it always ended up being something else. I bit my lip and continued to look at Megan. Seeing my reaction, she smiled smugly.

“Now tell me, who’s going to win the races tomorrow?” She barked. I felt all hope of keeping my secret blow away.

The races are a once a month event that the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders participate in; all of the grades were kept separate. The entire thing was one whole day where all we did was have races. Of course, the last race was when the grades were combined. Without the teachers knowing, the students usually made bets. And this girl, whom I now resent, wanted me to cheat for her. Over my dead body.

I turned around, taking a step towards Jamie, who now had an anxious look on her face.

“Hey, I’m talking to you!” The annoying girl behind me shouted.

“And I really wish you wouldn’t.” I spat. I continued approaching Jamie. There was a pause, and for an instant, I thought I had won. I was wrong.

“I’ll tell everyone your secret if you don’t.” She shrieked. By now, almost the entire upper grade levels were watching.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do!” she tweeted, “All those times you answered to my thoughts, when I hadn’t said anything. And all those excuses you made for things you knew about before they happened! Now, tell me whose going to win!”

“No.”

“I will tell your secret!” she sucked in a big breath of air, as if she were about to shout it.

“I don’t care! You’re a waste of a human being if you get pleasure from tormenting others.” I hissed. Though I said I didn’t care, I truly did. That’s why I tried so hard not to show I was different. The only person outside my immediate family that knew what I could do was Jamie. She was loyal to me; in the two years she had known, not a thing had slipped out of her lips. I had seemed normal. And now this insignificant nuisance wanted to ruin that?

My teeth clenched; I stopped walking towards Jamie. I turned around towards Megan, balling and unballing my fists; deciding which part of that pretty face I should smash to pieces first. Apparently to this moron it had looked like I was giving in; I guess nice faces and smarts don’t mix. I’d much rather have a brain.

I marched right up to this petty damsel, crossed my arms, and said “Now, what did you want?”

“Tell - me - who - is - going - to - win - the - races - tomorrow.” She talked and looked at me as if I had a mental retardation.

I smirked; I was waiting for her to repeat it, get my anger even more boiled up. Again my heart raced faster, my body felt as if adrenaline was steaming and pouring through my body. I slapped her; and it felt good. Really good. I couldn’t see very well because I was so angry at the time, but I remember seeing her head perfectly; it was such a huge target, I couldn’t miss. Too bad it wasn’t filled with anything but hot air.

Megan looked horrified; and that satisfied me. But then hatred entered her eyes. “You just touched me! You stupid freak, I hate you! I’m going to go tell the principal about this and your stupid freakish secret!” She started to turn and this time, I was the one to grab her sleeve. She turned around and terror filled her eyes. I was so angry now, all I could think about was breaking every bone in her puny body. But anger doesn’t last forever, and slowly it seeped away drip by drip. I looked at her again and got a better idea than breaking her.

“I know your secret too, Megan.” I whispered.

“Yours is worse, freak! Now let go!” she struggled against my grip, and when I let her go, she went flying to the ground. I was nervous now. My lie hadn’t only backfired, it had gotten Megan angrier. How could I get out of this?

I walked over to Megan, and was towering over her. I wagged my finger in her face as she attempted to stand up. “You’ve been a very naughty girl, Megan.” And I glued my hand to her forehead. Her eyes looked up at my wrist and said “You’re touching me again, freak! What the heck is your prob-”

Megan’s eyes were closed but that’s not what I was focusing on. There was a strange purple light coming from my arm and I couldn’t stop staring at. Everyone else seemed to be staring at it too.

After another five seconds the light faded, and Megan was back on the ground. People around me talked in confusion; I felt my ears get hot. I tried not to listen, and for awhile it worked. But when I could start hearing what people were talking about, I was utterly shocked.

They weren’t talking about me. Most of the conversations went something like, “So… what were we talking about?”, “I know right, I can’t wait for the races either! I’m so pumped!” or “Did you see that TV show on last night?” Slowly the conversations changed as people began noticing Megan and me. Some said they thought we were playing a game, others thought practicing for a play. I had to think of something fast before people realized I had done this too her.

I bent down to Megan and felt her forehead. I sat up looking all worried, though I couldn’t care less if she had only fainted, and began shouting for help. The older kids took over and I was able to slip away as teacher began looking at the child.

I sat down - suddenly exhausted - next to Jamie. She took looked up from her notes.

“You think people will be talking about me and Megan on Monday?” I asked, suddenly concerned about what had just happened.

“What happened between you and Megan?” She asked.

“You’re kidding, right? You were watching the whole time.” I said, annoyed and slightly hurt that she’d be joking about something like this.

“Your right, I was watching, but I didn’t see anything happen, Blair.” She said, honesty written all over her face.

Later that day I explained the whole thing to her, at my house. She claims to not have seen a thing. One instant I’m walking, the next Megan on the ground.

No one at school the following week seemed to know anything either, not that I asked. But I was really careful from then on. I was friendly, but no so friendly that a person would talk to me often. I stopped going to parties and sleepovers. Soon, the invitations stopped. I stopped talking to people in my class. Soon everyone stopped attempting to talk to me. Except Jamie. Jamie was always there. And for awhile, I thought she always would be. But then graduation came and she planned to go to a different high school than me, one with more art programs. I was still undecided. So even though it was our last year together - even the states would be different - I thought we would have most of the summer together; but unlike most things, I was wrong.

I went over the accident with Megan again, and something kept bothering me, I just couldn’t figure out what.

Then it hit me. The same anger and emotion that had hit me that fateful day, and happened to me again a couple of hours ago. And strange things happened after that too! But I couldn’t stay focused; somewhere in all the thoughts swirling around in my head, I fell into a dreamless sleep.