Ciarán?" a voice queried from the side of the room. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5I5PXpFOO
The person in question, a boy currently in his teenage years, stares blankly at the John McLaughlin painting hanging on the wall in front of him. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlobbCvzJu
It was the only splash of color that he could see in the otherwise pristine white walls or perhaps even in the whole sparsely decorated room. The settee provided for him to sit on was upholstered in soft white velvet. The smooth linoleum floors glistened like cold hard marble. The table in front of him, though made of stainless steel was topped with white-ash wood, tinted and glazed to an almost-white color, muting down any hint of warm hues from its natural state. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJ8c7DBqHL
Ciarán lowers his gaze for a moment, watching how the meager rays of sun light floats into the room and hits the glass covering the painting. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DF2c4zBRq
He frowns. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiIxpcdqJJ
Though the painting was a truly a classically modern work of art in its contemporary genre, he still felt the colors were too subdued.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZ4zs90TYo
Too structured. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRTabiB3bQ
Too pale. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiNUwuPjfB
Too enforced to be in their respective place. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vwLRSTdYO
For Ciarán, his preferences were more widely attuned with the abstract, where warm and cool colors collide while the viewers' eyes are captivated by the vibrantly wild and raw quality of the piece at hand, never truly sure of whether where it belongs or stay in one place. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAewUXM5JX
Even he would prefer a Noland. Though similar in style it at least had a vivid quality that would contrast well with the sterile whiteness of the room. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOOTPeTLke
Ciarán could see it now, images begin to swirl in his head.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMN95maY0J
Colors all around him, hazy and blurred, they appear almost like sfumato except for a form that sharpens in the middle. Its shape resembles a silhouette, obscured by the bright light at its back yet Ciarán could still make out the details. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvSQmsaUY5
Closer and closer, he manages to focus his eyes to the silhouette.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdyiBq5pbi
"Mr. Byrne." The voice calls again. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2pxBHTZ6h
This time, the tone laced in subdued impatience.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CqGfJ1psO
And like a pin bursting through his bubble of thoughts, Ciarán snaps back to reality and to the white-clad room.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKX4EF5ptY
Slowly, he lowers his eyes further until they land on the stern-looking figure behind the table1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EP9L38kmx
His wayward gaze meets her cold calculating stare. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsaEeNmRAwu
The same stare she had gifted him the first time he met her a few weeks ago. The same stare that always made him feel like there's something more lurking from her albeit reserved appearance and charismatic smile. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7mePOlGjM
It made him feel like she's waiting – waiting for something to happen. Only, he wasn't sure what it was. It was times like this that he always dreaded the past few weeks, having to attend sessions with her. Sitting on the same old chair and facing her as he pours out all his thoughts of delusion while she writes them down, each paragraph labeling him closer to being mentally insane. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOPllsXZ3n
" Ciarán, are you with me?" She asks, a slight crinkle etched on her brow.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgC2ykYuSN9
"Yes?" He hesitantly replies, his voice a bit too husky for his age.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw364FBt1Th
"Do you know why you're here?" 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJ8HbS3qZm
It was always the same question she asks to start their session. One that which Ciarán always fail to answer coherently.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHDTIc3hLf
"Uhh," he gulped, the sound almost audible in the room. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXiVNCEGzIm
He looks around, his eyes darting from side to side, as if the whole room was closing in. He never was good at being asked on the spot. Or being the center of attention – be it in a crowd or with just another person. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFI7c8u2KX
With a deep inhalation, he replies "No."1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZ8PogzjeI
He watches as she scribbles something on her notepad. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdvGt8Ej21
He glances at the clock on the right side of the desk, listening as it ticks away by the second.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVjOFTKyLe
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK!1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlw4RMGR5rV
" Ciarán, are you aware of the events that led you here?"1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKYV8tBSMZ
He gives her what he hopes to be a sheepish smile. "Honestly Doc, I don't really kn-"1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQx18YAOUJb
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK! 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOy5eXdVuB
The clock goes on. Louder and louder like an echo.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Zt60w02VT
Like being in the deepest depths of the sea, it drowns his ears until all that he could hear was the drumming sound of his own pulse.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJmKdnfGdR
" Ciarán?" The doctor asks again, her pen dangling a few centimeters from her notepad. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDS8nQGywk
Ciarán barely hears her, as if the very waves of sound were stuck, suspended on the surface as the waves they were. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOU0JY9BkpW
Ciarán rubs his temple as a new sound begins to appear. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvvITpGAbb
This time, it was a piercing sound, almost like a slow drumming of static before turning into a constant ringing. His childhood physician had jotted it down as a mild case of Tinnitus but he knew it wasn't the case. The ringing kept on occurring in sporadic rates throughout the years. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1PXmYVrVS
He continues to rub his temple, shaking his head until it finally disappears. At least, for the meantime.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnPb49Bm4S
He clears his throat. "I'm sorry, you were saying something?"1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1TkAE2ahj
She sighs and walks around the table. She stops in front of him, leaning gracefully on the side of the table. Arms planted by her sides, she looks down and looks at him again in the eye. This time her expression lacks most of their icy reserve.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKT9ezwwhK
"Ciarán, I know our last few sessions didn't exactly start on the right foot. I also know that you don't want to be here but please remember that I'm just trying to help you."1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCM8yaJHof
Right, as if he hadn't heard that spiel before. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMS0juy9Mj
"Well, I don't exactly recall myself asking for help." He mutters, unable to conceal the bitterness in his voice. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7qvt9MGmB
He turns his head away, not wanting to see her reaction. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bFVLUK48A
When he did glance her briefly through his periphery, he adds, "So you might as well just write that down because that's all you're gonna get."1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfK8KNUFSP8
He didn't see her gaze softening but he did hear her sigh. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFqzDPFA2u
"Unfortunately, I can't do that." 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8oqqH7VLUS
She reaches in the right pocket of her slacks and pulls out a small silvery object. When she raises it to his view, it got caught in the reflection of the light. The fleeting bounce of light was enough to catch his attention.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2sCHhxulO
"Ciarán, what do you see?" she asks, holding up the object closer to him.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FDggTQDgL
"A quarter?" he responds skeptically, not sure of where the sudden shift of subject would lead to.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNgkgZvObD
"Now, that's where you're wrong. This," she gestures at the coin, "is more than just a quarter. It's a memorabilia passed down through generations and it holds a certain part of a past almost like a story." 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBz0VDrmVOP
She places the coin on the table by its rim where both sides can be seen. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5b9wqnMaYJ
Still not letting go of the coin, she adds, "In fact, on my grandfather's word and many of those before him, had sworn that they still see glimpses of the past and helps them remember. Now, I don't particularly believe in such phenomena that can't be logically explained and experienced in a non-vicarial manner. Shall we try to find out?"1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32EN4NA39t
Ciarán merely shrugs before the doctor spins the coin. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4L6DdP2x3
Round and round, it goes, until all the naked eye could see was a flashing blur. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ccCevlNhn
"Ciarán, if you may, I need you to look at the coin. I want you to focus on it and slowly, take a deep breath and let it out."1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaOnyYJB7I
Eyes transfixed, he follows the instructions of her lulling voice. Breathing deeply, he exhales, letting go of the tensions that once knotted his shoulders.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aXZlqncZT
"Good. I want you to keep on doing that while I ask you some questions. You're gonna answer them, won't you Ciarán?"1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gI5kbpA6h
"Yes," he breathes out.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xWKdTBxBr
"Very good. Now, let's start all over again. Why do you think you're here?"1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kxPaLsalf
"I," he licks his lips and gulps, a slight a hesitation in his voice. "I'm here because-because... I can move stuff with my mind."1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCcImlDwqG
"What sort of stuff?"1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRB1N53s2Sj
Another gulp. The clock ticks twice before he answers. "Anything. I 'pushed' the end of a crane to crush Sam's dad. I-I swear I didn't," he breaks off, his chest shaking at the memory, "I didn't mean to... do it."1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ837ydEmY2D
The doctor lays a comforting hand on his shoulder. Its warmth temperature brought a much-needed respite to calm the cold vicious nerves entangling his lungs. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPn5gLuFvs
"Hush, relax, Ciarán. Nobody thinks that you did it on purpose."1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNra7IyE6a3
"But they do." He mutters harshly, "you should've seen them. Sam... Mike... Mrs. Lopez...the other kids at school, even- even my sister. They've always looked at me like I'm some sort of a freak." 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWdrFmiFKd
He bites out the last word, remembering the cruel words the others had called him. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8GoyFCa9U
"But are you?"1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJn0v4OLJ51
"No!" He breaks his gaze from the coin, facing her squarely and shrugging her hand off his shoulder. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Xa02gBLgH
He looks her straight in the eyes before turning his head back towards the coin, "At least, I don't want to be. Maybe I am a freak, I wouldn't know if I were one."1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHBvC1ztgb
"I don't." 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdRdI1K6UX
His eyes, while never leaving the coin, widen in surprise. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTRI0Y2NC4
"How would you know?" He snorts incredulously. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSinupE6YLA
The doctor merely shrugs. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjVGjEM5o4
"I don't know for sure. But what I can say is you're a special young man."1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcPjvpveVP
"Come on, doc. You can't possibly think I would believe that nonsense. You're just saying this for my sake." 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqarLmlRXk
She tilts her head to the side, a confused expression on her face. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLOL92xMA9
"You keep insisting that gift of yours is a curse, and here I am telling you otherwise. Yet, you still won't believe. What really eats you up from the inside? What else makes you think that you're a freak, besides the telekinesis?" 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzeDBlfhGr
He shakes his head, his voice rough, "No, you just don't get it doc. It's not just the mind-moving-telekinesis-shit you're going on. I'm a freak!"
Out of nowhere, the painting hanging on wall dropped on the floor in a loud thud. The glasses on the wall vibrating in a moderate hum, cracks threatening to break the surface. The forgotten glass of water on the table bubbles, slowly tipping off the rim of the glass.
Ciaràn leans in, his eyes clouded with an eery gleam. The coin spins faster than ever, losing its own shape in its motion and appearing like a blur.
He grits,"I'm a freak because whenever I sleep inside my room, I always wake up in who-knows-where. The recent one was in my neighbor's house. In bed. With his daughter. I'm a freak because wherever I go, I see her while no else does– and she distracts me like hell!"
CRACK!
The glass from the windows finally breaks, the water spills upward.
He can feel it now. The power he had been keeping at bay flows through this veins in an electric rush. He clenches his fist to reel it back in. He barely succeeds.
The water stops in midair, the splashes like rain drops floating above them. It suspends on an invisible force.
He motions his head to her and asks bitterly, "So you tell me, doc, do you still deny that I'm a freak? An insane freak?"
"Yes." She simply replies.He grunts and takes a deep breath. Slowly the water falls back down to the glass. The cracks on the window recedes.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3T4bqmGzN
Ciaràn grits his teeth, his gaze unblinking and still focused on the coin. As if by looking away, he would lose grip over his sanity and temperance.
"From what you've just told me, I don't think you're special,"
Ciaràn scoffs.
"Rather, you are a very special young man who had been through so much pain and enmity and in need to relax." 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclfjlE6VAl
She places her hand again on his shoulder, applying a bit of pressure this time. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHF8KJCqZJ
"Breathe."1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMr5sMlDOYI
He defiantly does so. Again and again he breathes until the flow of air comes easier into his lungs.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8gKTDYPeu
"Better," she remarks. "Now, about the girl. Can you tell me more about her?"1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlb0HzXUNky
"What about her?" he asks, unsure at the turn of their conversation.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHDF86LwBa
"Anything. Any thing you can think or remember about her."1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTe9u4Ien8S
"I don't-" he tilts his head to the side, "I don't know what to say."1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rT5XLQ2gl
Ciaràn thinks back to the blurred form earlier, to the silhouette who had her back against the bright light. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡks7Sp1Vnsl
Slowly, he can see her clearly now. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisDvaKDloq
The haze disappears, showing the fine details of her face kissed by the warm sunlight. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSUvPlEvu7
Threading across a field towards him, floating like a nymph. Hair as dark as grey ash whipping wildly against her ethereally stunning visage. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2AjPElKI3
He blinks, and all of a sudden he finds himself mere inches from her. She slowly turns her back to him, silently urging him to follow her. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzLB38bpXa
He respires as he watches as her movement in the wind causes the silk strands to lightly caress a pair of wide sensuous lips. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuDV3x9Ld0
Her eyes. Christ, her eyes! 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjir9ndZ6Ie
Like the misty sky from the mountains tops after a cold wintry night and speckled with light silver-grey specks, captivates his senses. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkl0p0B0Otl
And when she smiles sensuously, when those beautifully curved lips meet, a merest hint of a dimple appears and he finds his jaw slacks.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvEQTVwu3i
He really was insane. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SfDH6GT0W
He had to be. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzzJjBsy0v
No one could be that beautiful as her and still be real.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8F0zbSHwN
"It's alright, take your time. Just think and say something about her like a"-1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatarPbCytV
"Like a story?" he inquires, the side of his mouth quirking as if amused at the idea.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuytXAtDgRm
"Yes. Exactly. Like a story," she nods encouragingly.1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PB03JDKlo
Ciaràn lets out a shaky laugh to himself. 1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyb83tINwa
"I don't even know where to begin."1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5juSRClPh
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Copyright © 2018 by Andrea Cassandra Lei Meñosa1107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdSmRNJdbt
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