Ciarán?" a voice queried from the side of the room. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAizkkQVDzXk
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. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAAjW5AhvPid
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. 738Please respect copyright.PENANALNpjoxErZd
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. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAStVf5PqQkx
He frowns. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAYNmzsJ6dK9
Though the painting was a truly a classically modern work of art in its contemporary genre, he still felt the colors were too subdued.738Please respect copyright.PENANAv7jyBwoCq7
Too structured. 738Please respect copyright.PENANACQbqSMuHoF
Too pale. 738Please respect copyright.PENANASw0JeiT3a6
Too enforced to be in their respective place. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAXMWVyLsGhj
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. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAf2hKvI3aF7
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. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAG3zRukfKCz
Ciarán could see it now, images begin to swirl in his head.738Please respect copyright.PENANAdNn80I4wxD
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. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAI6hdKf9y1b
Closer and closer, he manages to focus his eyes to the silhouette.738Please respect copyright.PENANAATCffdtuCS
"Mr. Byrne." The voice calls again. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAGNnY9RENeu
This time, the tone laced in subdued impatience.738Please respect copyright.PENANAyHtFRo3AZO
And like a pin bursting through his bubble of thoughts, Ciarán snaps back to reality and to the white-clad room.738Please respect copyright.PENANACKfiso55io
Slowly, he lowers his eyes further until they land on the stern-looking figure behind the table738Please respect copyright.PENANACPvW7O4sLh
His wayward gaze meets her cold calculating stare. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAKE0xgNF25F
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. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAoK4YSwecPF
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. 738Please respect copyright.PENANA1K39VzjZn1
" Ciarán, are you with me?" She asks, a slight crinkle etched on her brow.738Please respect copyright.PENANAJEO3fa3SjE
"Yes?" He hesitantly replies, his voice a bit too husky for his age.738Please respect copyright.PENANAB3bq7QFqGm
"Do you know why you're here?" 738Please respect copyright.PENANAh4EkF8q4er
It was always the same question she asks to start their session. One that which Ciarán always fail to answer coherently.738Please respect copyright.PENANAqYamlDvDHM
"Uhh," he gulped, the sound almost audible in the room. 738Please respect copyright.PENANA90PppiCwdO
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. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAoWumFpxIqz
With a deep inhalation, he replies "No."738Please respect copyright.PENANApqxq2rUMQW
He watches as she scribbles something on her notepad. 738Please respect copyright.PENANACvnKqlO4jo
He glances at the clock on the right side of the desk, listening as it ticks away by the second.738Please respect copyright.PENANA7w8s4liqPX
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK!738Please respect copyright.PENANAHjrHmbeVcJ
" Ciarán, are you aware of the events that led you here?"738Please respect copyright.PENANAdjussl54VD
He gives her what he hopes to be a sheepish smile. "Honestly Doc, I don't really kn-"738Please respect copyright.PENANAkN3imk5rZs
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK! 738Please respect copyright.PENANAnPc99ophar
The clock goes on. Louder and louder like an echo.738Please respect copyright.PENANAMiGMXfRAdk
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.738Please respect copyright.PENANAAdDNZmHbZl
" Ciarán?" The doctor asks again, her pen dangling a few centimeters from her notepad. 738Please respect copyright.PENANA7eyfaH4Xma
Ciarán barely hears her, as if the very waves of sound were stuck, suspended on the surface as the waves they were. 738Please respect copyright.PENANANaaNZgrYBa
Ciarán rubs his temple as a new sound begins to appear. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAJoXN7ek8y3
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. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAzAHJsZlX8v
He continues to rub his temple, shaking his head until it finally disappears. At least, for the meantime.738Please respect copyright.PENANAFRcGn7sHNt
He clears his throat. "I'm sorry, you were saying something?"738Please respect copyright.PENANAU2kAJNvF8S
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.738Please respect copyright.PENANAT5hvSn2FGw
"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."738Please respect copyright.PENANAaaHofDaHWV
Right, as if he hadn't heard that spiel before. 738Please respect copyright.PENANA4xVkiDCEwC
"Well, I don't exactly recall myself asking for help." He mutters, unable to conceal the bitterness in his voice. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAhics26Ejaz
He turns his head away, not wanting to see her reaction. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAw39MRQGWRx
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."738Please respect copyright.PENANA0NJZExZKxK
He didn't see her gaze softening but he did hear her sigh. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAADI8uEDbhg
"Unfortunately, I can't do that." 738Please respect copyright.PENANAVFGw73gkBt
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.738Please respect copyright.PENANAWXZpIQzv0c
"Ciarán, what do you see?" she asks, holding up the object closer to him.738Please respect copyright.PENANAKiWgoV8MJy
"A quarter?" he responds skeptically, not sure of where the sudden shift of subject would lead to.738Please respect copyright.PENANA7nir3egdp7
"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." 738Please respect copyright.PENANARIMCk3CmTw
She places the coin on the table by its rim where both sides can be seen. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAQoYwEmVFUM
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?"738Please respect copyright.PENANA3DAKZGHuAP
Ciarán merely shrugs before the doctor spins the coin. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAM1Qp3OD3SX
Round and round, it goes, until all the naked eye could see was a flashing blur. 738Please respect copyright.PENANA38hnni9oBt
"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."738Please respect copyright.PENANAj97zIOhPoa
Eyes transfixed, he follows the instructions of her lulling voice. Breathing deeply, he exhales, letting go of the tensions that once knotted his shoulders.738Please respect copyright.PENANAKOSrwI4AxS
"Good. I want you to keep on doing that while I ask you some questions. You're gonna answer them, won't you Ciarán?"738Please respect copyright.PENANAnm2pZucowD
"Yes," he breathes out.738Please respect copyright.PENANAqpf8T8AoQA
"Very good. Now, let's start all over again. Why do you think you're here?"738Please respect copyright.PENANAQ806WmYb7T
"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."738Please respect copyright.PENANA7ZWOMwBEgQ
"What sort of stuff?"738Please respect copyright.PENANAwmwxyEkzt0
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."738Please respect copyright.PENANAkqtCFyS1lT
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. 738Please respect copyright.PENANA9BNgZm6g8W
"Hush, relax, Ciarán. Nobody thinks that you did it on purpose."738Please respect copyright.PENANAqhyRmDcv2G
"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." 738Please respect copyright.PENANAtdG02E28rE
He bites out the last word, remembering the cruel words the others had called him. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAyMLlynniOQ
"But are you?"738Please respect copyright.PENANAy1XbWuRANB
"No!" He breaks his gaze from the coin, facing her squarely and shrugging her hand off his shoulder. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAoS8jPk6lpG
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."738Please respect copyright.PENANAALViGLlrPC
"I don't." 738Please respect copyright.PENANAKsrJE104XM
His eyes, while never leaving the coin, widen in surprise. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAIo2ebXJwpS
"How would you know?" He snorts incredulously. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAVbm3VlZTzK
The doctor merely shrugs. 738Please respect copyright.PENANALDbxENSrhw
"I don't know for sure. But what I can say is you're a special young man."738Please respect copyright.PENANA7DtbNcOfDN
"Come on, doc. You can't possibly think I would believe that nonsense. You're just saying this for my sake." 738Please respect copyright.PENANAr1rav2jBK1
She tilts her head to the side, a confused expression on her face. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAdTo6ntwOTq
"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?" 738Please respect copyright.PENANAlPpUa949qo
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.738Please respect copyright.PENANAUTWms4x5h4
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." 738Please respect copyright.PENANAWIvTFSmcKj
She places her hand again on his shoulder, applying a bit of pressure this time. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAYvWIrbEQsa
"Breathe."738Please respect copyright.PENANAvKpPhI8SqL
He defiantly does so. Again and again he breathes until the flow of air comes easier into his lungs.738Please respect copyright.PENANAtxTdPpX28k
"Better," she remarks. "Now, about the girl. Can you tell me more about her?"738Please respect copyright.PENANAVDAt4BNol1
"What about her?" he asks, unsure at the turn of their conversation.738Please respect copyright.PENANA8pf1wH0mIf
"Anything. Any thing you can think or remember about her."738Please respect copyright.PENANA6db5X7fGTx
"I don't-" he tilts his head to the side, "I don't know what to say."738Please respect copyright.PENANAWKSnFByfTq
Ciaràn thinks back to the blurred form earlier, to the silhouette who had her back against the bright light. 738Please respect copyright.PENANApfHMSVASQd
Slowly, he can see her clearly now. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAdE0sm8xRDu
The haze disappears, showing the fine details of her face kissed by the warm sunlight. 738Please respect copyright.PENANA5pEVQfpAX3
Threading across a field towards him, floating like a nymph. Hair as dark as grey ash whipping wildly against her ethereally stunning visage. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAVX6Aw9mFjv
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. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAmthPM2Ebq1
He respires as he watches as her movement in the wind causes the silk strands to lightly caress a pair of wide sensuous lips. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAYBYOiveKkd
Her eyes. Christ, her eyes! 738Please respect copyright.PENANAcOk0ZJFgs9
Like the misty sky from the mountains tops after a cold wintry night and speckled with light silver-grey specks, captivates his senses. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAKeX9HlTOG8
And when she smiles sensuously, when those beautifully curved lips meet, a merest hint of a dimple appears and he finds his jaw slacks.738Please respect copyright.PENANA19gnAuxr0J
He really was insane. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAifaZymZ1eO
He had to be. 738Please respect copyright.PENANAwgaU6HYvCS
No one could be that beautiful as her and still be real.738Please respect copyright.PENANAGX34t65uE9
"It's alright, take your time. Just think and say something about her like a"-738Please respect copyright.PENANAQovIDWB1Zh
"Like a story?" he inquires, the side of his mouth quirking as if amused at the idea.738Please respect copyright.PENANAaxHU2tGoaM
"Yes. Exactly. Like a story," she nods encouragingly.738Please respect copyright.PENANAVpFfBbIESX
Ciaràn lets out a shaky laugh to himself. 738Please respect copyright.PENANATmHxEruc8N
"I don't even know where to begin."738Please respect copyright.PENANASMPLcdGg7O
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