Ciarán?" a voice queried from the side of the room. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToO0cQZFO7
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. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTZ3zMc71f
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. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AsOWL0G9b
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. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0ZLYDHIVs
He frowns. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxr05sYu62
Though the painting was a truly a classically modern work of art in its contemporary genre, he still felt the colors were too subdued.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dLWYuNZww
Too structured. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHj2IIH9akn
Too pale. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmkMPBztzB
Too enforced to be in their respective place. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTb4lLJnliJ
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. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAsNTeo9E8
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. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MlWMcnp4v
Ciarán could see it now, images begin to swirl in his head.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnerZBA70R
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. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5y9nzmcn2i
Closer and closer, he manages to focus his eyes to the silhouette.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCtfdEZk6E
"Mr. Byrne." The voice calls again. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNV6PP8AV6
This time, the tone laced in subdued impatience.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVneF0r9d9B
And like a pin bursting through his bubble of thoughts, Ciarán snaps back to reality and to the white-clad room.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhb573OuLPt
Slowly, he lowers his eyes further until they land on the stern-looking figure behind the table1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbaOEtDpOW
His wayward gaze meets her cold calculating stare. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CfDUK5cpC
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. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBA9wKnDKx
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. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJ0YVq1cZy
" Ciarán, are you with me?" She asks, a slight crinkle etched on her brow.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjfBlubX08
"Yes?" He hesitantly replies, his voice a bit too husky for his age.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡionQkvV8aj
"Do you know why you're here?" 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJ9bvOST6K
It was always the same question she asks to start their session. One that which Ciarán always fail to answer coherently.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bdSGjtqE5
"Uhh," he gulped, the sound almost audible in the room. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY31akLuEi8
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. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwAyGTWVIB
With a deep inhalation, he replies "No."1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFyIoTVYC4
He watches as she scribbles something on her notepad. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KM3U2Pspv
He glances at the clock on the right side of the desk, listening as it ticks away by the second.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWP8Kl8pi47
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK!1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡayi4rdf0HL
" Ciarán, are you aware of the events that led you here?"1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpJsXk7hHf
He gives her what he hopes to be a sheepish smile. "Honestly Doc, I don't really kn-"1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkotovnjCk
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK! 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Qca5crNZH
The clock goes on. Louder and louder like an echo.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rAriZFmLK
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.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRwRdKtNmM
" Ciarán?" The doctor asks again, her pen dangling a few centimeters from her notepad. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vbv30gdJr
Ciarán barely hears her, as if the very waves of sound were stuck, suspended on the surface as the waves they were. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpH0eaUYVK
Ciarán rubs his temple as a new sound begins to appear. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK93rH101Pf
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. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF472XgMfoD
He continues to rub his temple, shaking his head until it finally disappears. At least, for the meantime.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyYwkh3faK
He clears his throat. "I'm sorry, you were saying something?"1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5JNI41r0d
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.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolkmYnHrTj
"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."1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTS1svXGhIX
Right, as if he hadn't heard that spiel before. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0vuubmLIy
"Well, I don't exactly recall myself asking for help." He mutters, unable to conceal the bitterness in his voice. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBhpElKINe
He turns his head away, not wanting to see her reaction. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhw9IqG0dx
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."1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCbPyrKRKy
He didn't see her gaze softening but he did hear her sigh. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKdMzmpjxV
"Unfortunately, I can't do that." 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcn4Lvzl5jv
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.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgc5w2amSvk
"Ciarán, what do you see?" she asks, holding up the object closer to him.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6curIzwkQ
"A quarter?" he responds skeptically, not sure of where the sudden shift of subject would lead to.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwobiskCPOo
"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." 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXMTbPYMNc
She places the coin on the table by its rim where both sides can be seen. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kMrzteWBk
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?"1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡareDCf4LLi
Ciarán merely shrugs before the doctor spins the coin. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJF5e4tFxx
Round and round, it goes, until all the naked eye could see was a flashing blur. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPuZD2A5RD
"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."1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiejIWj25XH
Eyes transfixed, he follows the instructions of her lulling voice. Breathing deeply, he exhales, letting go of the tensions that once knotted his shoulders.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDHA0VKDHS
"Good. I want you to keep on doing that while I ask you some questions. You're gonna answer them, won't you Ciarán?"1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJpAuZwjhy
"Yes," he breathes out.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KDifU3xbh
"Very good. Now, let's start all over again. Why do you think you're here?"1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUTz4MVFn7
"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."1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mncREdnsO
"What sort of stuff?"1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfx3ToY0E9Q
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."1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdt00PZhUY
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. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9mX4wHO9h
"Hush, relax, Ciarán. Nobody thinks that you did it on purpose."1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpLpcu0rRV
"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." 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORZELsxgME
He bites out the last word, remembering the cruel words the others had called him. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKUMgSbIj6
"But are you?"1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vDcCdszyh
"No!" He breaks his gaze from the coin, facing her squarely and shrugging her hand off his shoulder. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZLLsgr668
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."1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCgNsXTyIG
"I don't." 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHhN2teySp
His eyes, while never leaving the coin, widen in surprise. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6096QZTsJz
"How would you know?" He snorts incredulously. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WQGOMBqFq
The doctor merely shrugs. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0jqv9STZo
"I don't know for sure. But what I can say is you're a special young man."1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfJ5P9iHuV
"Come on, doc. You can't possibly think I would believe that nonsense. You're just saying this for my sake." 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IV3A5cijS
She tilts her head to the side, a confused expression on her face. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQQwQPyrfb
"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?" 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttW5Bujwfs
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.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYKTfoVNwt
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." 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRC8QnkxJS
She places her hand again on his shoulder, applying a bit of pressure this time. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdz2gHqu9GO
"Breathe."1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjJlFPmQ9g
He defiantly does so. Again and again he breathes until the flow of air comes easier into his lungs.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHrDgx0bj7
"Better," she remarks. "Now, about the girl. Can you tell me more about her?"1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDIWrZjOjw
"What about her?" he asks, unsure at the turn of their conversation.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xVrcs8A4i
"Anything. Any thing you can think or remember about her."1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsJFX3ZMME
"I don't-" he tilts his head to the side, "I don't know what to say."1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmNjMzJkCR
Ciaràn thinks back to the blurred form earlier, to the silhouette who had her back against the bright light. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJP40AmYvKv
Slowly, he can see her clearly now. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRXq7rQk6L
The haze disappears, showing the fine details of her face kissed by the warm sunlight. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE98Kx6ZwaR
Threading across a field towards him, floating like a nymph. Hair as dark as grey ash whipping wildly against her ethereally stunning visage. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiogN2sqf6r
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. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFvKt4spgc
He respires as he watches as her movement in the wind causes the silk strands to lightly caress a pair of wide sensuous lips. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDetU0UkLT
Her eyes. Christ, her eyes! 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ycdiVVG9c
Like the misty sky from the mountains tops after a cold wintry night and speckled with light silver-grey specks, captivates his senses. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICmn7Xa8xQ
And when she smiles sensuously, when those beautifully curved lips meet, a merest hint of a dimple appears and he finds his jaw slacks.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJ78hba6Uw
He really was insane. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67KUqEC014
He had to be. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUoAnWQt3n
No one could be that beautiful as her and still be real.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4TBJ02gwz
"It's alright, take your time. Just think and say something about her like a"-1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrW6mSN29oK
"Like a story?" he inquires, the side of his mouth quirking as if amused at the idea.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlncW7pxDBJ
"Yes. Exactly. Like a story," she nods encouragingly.1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qHqZHoHJD
Ciaràn lets out a shaky laugh to himself. 1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyN2OGZL1p
"I don't even know where to begin."1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKppIizrSWj
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Copyright © 2018 by Andrea Cassandra Lei Meñosa1224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGecSKKhSa
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