Ciarán?" a voice queried from the side of the room. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETMar6GNX2
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. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgw4Fj5Gk1
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. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstOpUaoREe
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. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTMYgvM45d
He frowns. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeouFc7c34q
Though the painting was a truly a classically modern work of art in its contemporary genre, he still felt the colors were too subdued.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRwU4X19r2
Too structured. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoi8yIvDWL
Too pale. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyN2qR4NmX
Too enforced to be in their respective place. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbT8doE3pL0
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. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRLZn0ldTJ
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. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBdvChCeuU
Ciarán could see it now, images begin to swirl in his head.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaFLFvjtIw
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. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5KFwO6QhO
Closer and closer, he manages to focus his eyes to the silhouette.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNrmfJ5TRi
"Mr. Byrne." The voice calls again. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjkiSvh2tY
This time, the tone laced in subdued impatience.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48XPS1hNOJ
And like a pin bursting through his bubble of thoughts, Ciarán snaps back to reality and to the white-clad room.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjhEqn5hAk
Slowly, he lowers his eyes further until they land on the stern-looking figure behind the table1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdffRyDqi7
His wayward gaze meets her cold calculating stare. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaP5hzsQU0
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. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4lH8D5uQi
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. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf92p5592jM
" Ciarán, are you with me?" She asks, a slight crinkle etched on her brow.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIl4dkjVtl
"Yes?" He hesitantly replies, his voice a bit too husky for his age.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzJFeOfchv
"Do you know why you're here?" 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnV9CBK7Bv
It was always the same question she asks to start their session. One that which Ciarán always fail to answer coherently.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKIKHBtRSk
"Uhh," he gulped, the sound almost audible in the room. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vTCPAkqq5
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. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibnCDUnBpI
With a deep inhalation, he replies "No."1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVO2Dc4LhG
He watches as she scribbles something on her notepad. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ITYsFfN7H
He glances at the clock on the right side of the desk, listening as it ticks away by the second.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5p18WbgOK
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK!1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3hlXPxDhO
" Ciarán, are you aware of the events that led you here?"1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDl6cCT9aZs
He gives her what he hopes to be a sheepish smile. "Honestly Doc, I don't really kn-"1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsIdN6tsfX
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK! 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6n64h8nZf
The clock goes on. Louder and louder like an echo.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPaxT2yXP5
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.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7USjDJFzYR
" Ciarán?" The doctor asks again, her pen dangling a few centimeters from her notepad. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNk20YZdY5
Ciarán barely hears her, as if the very waves of sound were stuck, suspended on the surface as the waves they were. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qMy1tTItX
Ciarán rubs his temple as a new sound begins to appear. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1RulszNSu
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. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyS0KuXksC
He continues to rub his temple, shaking his head until it finally disappears. At least, for the meantime.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3SbAl5I7qa
He clears his throat. "I'm sorry, you were saying something?"1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSfnXcYsYH
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.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxptjPSYrES
"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."1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RZXTbsxMe
Right, as if he hadn't heard that spiel before. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLM0ZyzgUC1
"Well, I don't exactly recall myself asking for help." He mutters, unable to conceal the bitterness in his voice. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACxD4xjuQN
He turns his head away, not wanting to see her reaction. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsg4chs6Kro
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."1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfEsFXE6s7
He didn't see her gaze softening but he did hear her sigh. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX90ylmCwiG
"Unfortunately, I can't do that." 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdk8BWZEvC
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.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirQaFAMumR
"Ciarán, what do you see?" she asks, holding up the object closer to him.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrE2VCVISsu
"A quarter?" he responds skeptically, not sure of where the sudden shift of subject would lead to.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlF4jKcXA3
"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." 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyMeDxHSSl
She places the coin on the table by its rim where both sides can be seen. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcbPppjZqP
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?"1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXRr31Whjz
Ciarán merely shrugs before the doctor spins the coin. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3d5MBZY44
Round and round, it goes, until all the naked eye could see was a flashing blur. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFFYpxwUPr
"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."1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc11Vwxyrsb
Eyes transfixed, he follows the instructions of her lulling voice. Breathing deeply, he exhales, letting go of the tensions that once knotted his shoulders.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZWj3RvJjv
"Good. I want you to keep on doing that while I ask you some questions. You're gonna answer them, won't you Ciarán?"1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3shXWo0kM3
"Yes," he breathes out.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovqYHM6pht
"Very good. Now, let's start all over again. Why do you think you're here?"1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMimOtxCEu
"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."1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFmC92EeXV
"What sort of stuff?"1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVCv4AT88n
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."1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGCDG3rEJ6
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. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuK1CJNPfYk
"Hush, relax, Ciarán. Nobody thinks that you did it on purpose."1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjGOpFlzW2
"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." 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVK8t2ZTjvC
He bites out the last word, remembering the cruel words the others had called him. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYAQXKO2p1
"But are you?"1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUaApJAlxi
"No!" He breaks his gaze from the coin, facing her squarely and shrugging her hand off his shoulder. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcExFHDodq
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."1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVEuQSdDK4
"I don't." 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0IkVAltsQ
His eyes, while never leaving the coin, widen in surprise. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZHZ6zwWS2
"How would you know?" He snorts incredulously. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcONm7Ha0al
The doctor merely shrugs. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOXB5FgxsM
"I don't know for sure. But what I can say is you're a special young man."1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFO3LScBdI
"Come on, doc. You can't possibly think I would believe that nonsense. You're just saying this for my sake." 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAvV9tlfjx
She tilts her head to the side, a confused expression on her face. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFwoLE5D2h
"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?" 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxTwnMRMjU
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.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGzozzE2w0
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." 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwNfxmvj0C
She places her hand again on his shoulder, applying a bit of pressure this time. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclLFVakHWJ
"Breathe."1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKn8L42LcS
He defiantly does so. Again and again he breathes until the flow of air comes easier into his lungs.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw33oMTGz4e
"Better," she remarks. "Now, about the girl. Can you tell me more about her?"1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVBebCi4K5
"What about her?" he asks, unsure at the turn of their conversation.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzAtk9tj6j
"Anything. Any thing you can think or remember about her."1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KIvsOalRA
"I don't-" he tilts his head to the side, "I don't know what to say."1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4nv9hXdLx
Ciaràn thinks back to the blurred form earlier, to the silhouette who had her back against the bright light. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pUpHRtgtf
Slowly, he can see her clearly now. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQhtZwb7Sm
The haze disappears, showing the fine details of her face kissed by the warm sunlight. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjeKTtDphLw
Threading across a field towards him, floating like a nymph. Hair as dark as grey ash whipping wildly against her ethereally stunning visage. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCBfr07Iey
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. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOCYj7QMve
He respires as he watches as her movement in the wind causes the silk strands to lightly caress a pair of wide sensuous lips. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGYkdWzp7e
Her eyes. Christ, her eyes! 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFMtMC89th
Like the misty sky from the mountains tops after a cold wintry night and speckled with light silver-grey specks, captivates his senses. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaExmSwAE87
And when she smiles sensuously, when those beautifully curved lips meet, a merest hint of a dimple appears and he finds his jaw slacks.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5LxvviyE3
He really was insane. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmo6NYzUPu
He had to be. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkgVIm8Rgi
No one could be that beautiful as her and still be real.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgEevziMnE
"It's alright, take your time. Just think and say something about her like a"-1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQEBXYrIK7
"Like a story?" he inquires, the side of his mouth quirking as if amused at the idea.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMuXh3nMpM7
"Yes. Exactly. Like a story," she nods encouragingly.1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFkF0pI6pyt
Ciaràn lets out a shaky laugh to himself. 1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1KHRlGmsv
"I don't even know where to begin."1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8PEMhuAUB
1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpA9IFW9Dne
1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQnkwacSlo
1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6fIgH2nAm
1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKAEowRycn
1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡma7YgrDK1k
1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNsbbM59AW
1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PkmA8Rm1O
1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDATWoNJ8D
1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UHrd33ain
Copyright © 2018 by Andrea Cassandra Lei Meñosa1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNpaECEjYC
All rights reserved.
ns216.73.216.238da2
