Ciarán?" a voice queried from the side of the room. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxRz9wsjpD
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. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WmShnBodL
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. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHrtZWWy4g
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. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZfuEmUfU9
He frowns. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwa68NXa1Z
Though the painting was a truly a classically modern work of art in its contemporary genre, he still felt the colors were too subdued.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLLVkeDVaW
Too structured. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsj8GEnmtD
Too pale. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KKGDM9E91
Too enforced to be in their respective place. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGI2W8NwDx8
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. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CBiofJzBC
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. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxZXYj7PQT
Ciarán could see it now, images begin to swirl in his head.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjmmvry5ns
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. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWmM1Tls9Y
Closer and closer, he manages to focus his eyes to the silhouette.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkJp1lvjNB
"Mr. Byrne." The voice calls again. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYIC7HgPnL
This time, the tone laced in subdued impatience.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4GnHCpSCF
And like a pin bursting through his bubble of thoughts, Ciarán snaps back to reality and to the white-clad room.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGzeXB2oQi
Slowly, he lowers his eyes further until they land on the stern-looking figure behind the table1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1cAy4f67n
His wayward gaze meets her cold calculating stare. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxECPd5Qro
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. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoW1yibrIP
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. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCa3deFdQR
" Ciarán, are you with me?" She asks, a slight crinkle etched on her brow.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqoXwgurI74
"Yes?" He hesitantly replies, his voice a bit too husky for his age.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkD9lTF04UG
"Do you know why you're here?" 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5c75xo16ax
It was always the same question she asks to start their session. One that which Ciarán always fail to answer coherently.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzhn9eB1Kt
"Uhh," he gulped, the sound almost audible in the room. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98y0bZV7KH
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. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEqQReUkqz
With a deep inhalation, he replies "No."1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwID9YpB4D
He watches as she scribbles something on her notepad. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbWQYdfOvK
He glances at the clock on the right side of the desk, listening as it ticks away by the second.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16WiPjyqCw
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK!1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVqpnvCL8i
" Ciarán, are you aware of the events that led you here?"1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWvHdE329q
He gives her what he hopes to be a sheepish smile. "Honestly Doc, I don't really kn-"1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lLhv6WVKQ
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK! 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafvz0kH6Mz
The clock goes on. Louder and louder like an echo.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT39FODnHmi
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.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21tux53LRP
" Ciarán?" The doctor asks again, her pen dangling a few centimeters from her notepad. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIHcwhsxKY
Ciarán barely hears her, as if the very waves of sound were stuck, suspended on the surface as the waves they were. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LSaw8I5S9
Ciarán rubs his temple as a new sound begins to appear. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthRT1r4Nst
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. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1zhV61ASp
He continues to rub his temple, shaking his head until it finally disappears. At least, for the meantime.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSyDu8uBpp
He clears his throat. "I'm sorry, you were saying something?"1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCcUIB3eNU
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.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFeGVBtOBp7
"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."1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HXJyDR6jT
Right, as if he hadn't heard that spiel before. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFavpa5jeA
"Well, I don't exactly recall myself asking for help." He mutters, unable to conceal the bitterness in his voice. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbtolJaivk
He turns his head away, not wanting to see her reaction. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCDQ8zdHkW
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."1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbgx19EaKY
He didn't see her gaze softening but he did hear her sigh. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUINGh9r5hQ
"Unfortunately, I can't do that." 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRMyma6EYB
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.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9UQ2SFa6l
"Ciarán, what do you see?" she asks, holding up the object closer to him.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqF2Bdaaoq
"A quarter?" he responds skeptically, not sure of where the sudden shift of subject would lead to.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHNlMMmips
"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." 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcfLr4NIYd
She places the coin on the table by its rim where both sides can be seen. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJByi6sReI
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?"1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWzV4aRYld
Ciarán merely shrugs before the doctor spins the coin. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoAL2Gbn3h
Round and round, it goes, until all the naked eye could see was a flashing blur. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhcpKsNGbi
"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."1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCa5yEEzC5
Eyes transfixed, he follows the instructions of her lulling voice. Breathing deeply, he exhales, letting go of the tensions that once knotted his shoulders.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7zdfAm0Z3
"Good. I want you to keep on doing that while I ask you some questions. You're gonna answer them, won't you Ciarán?"1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGtdZdrSDz
"Yes," he breathes out.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHIgQAYXc1
"Very good. Now, let's start all over again. Why do you think you're here?"1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94b2o6NTWB
"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."1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfE9YmL3QOe
"What sort of stuff?"1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlthOUBpZmx
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."1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlD8YhkXm7k
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. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuZ0Os6Tfp
"Hush, relax, Ciarán. Nobody thinks that you did it on purpose."1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UMUrR9iJh
"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." 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT4jJoJ639Y
He bites out the last word, remembering the cruel words the others had called him. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTwKVITeg8
"But are you?"1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlV3g8Uxez2
"No!" He breaks his gaze from the coin, facing her squarely and shrugging her hand off his shoulder. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgogiSH8EOU
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."1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoFGj1HfPM
"I don't." 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkA3UqP8YMZ
His eyes, while never leaving the coin, widen in surprise. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAe3fW4kZz
"How would you know?" He snorts incredulously. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86RrZ2AHCv
The doctor merely shrugs. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6KrUB54P0
"I don't know for sure. But what I can say is you're a special young man."1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlC9cICdzbI
"Come on, doc. You can't possibly think I would believe that nonsense. You're just saying this for my sake." 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1L2c5h3cF
She tilts her head to the side, a confused expression on her face. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLnVl61O4J
"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?" 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOH5ZWXtDQ
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.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekAZOIAp5S
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." 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ViHJhTgZF
She places her hand again on his shoulder, applying a bit of pressure this time. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8TEWJHPhI
"Breathe."1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiZZTI1fa8
He defiantly does so. Again and again he breathes until the flow of air comes easier into his lungs.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhR9YPFsOz
"Better," she remarks. "Now, about the girl. Can you tell me more about her?"1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcj9zQd2kM
"What about her?" he asks, unsure at the turn of their conversation.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxEQgi3CEX
"Anything. Any thing you can think or remember about her."1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBsM3eVyl1
"I don't-" he tilts his head to the side, "I don't know what to say."1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6yGklXpzQk
Ciaràn thinks back to the blurred form earlier, to the silhouette who had her back against the bright light. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbV2AU2sUr
Slowly, he can see her clearly now. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1TMkKmUWt
The haze disappears, showing the fine details of her face kissed by the warm sunlight. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkISXL2M4K
Threading across a field towards him, floating like a nymph. Hair as dark as grey ash whipping wildly against her ethereally stunning visage. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiIWI17lja
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. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXreKJQWFBW
He respires as he watches as her movement in the wind causes the silk strands to lightly caress a pair of wide sensuous lips. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeasu2RF6W1
Her eyes. Christ, her eyes! 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9M9VW7O8K
Like the misty sky from the mountains tops after a cold wintry night and speckled with light silver-grey specks, captivates his senses. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNaZRvpmj2m
And when she smiles sensuously, when those beautifully curved lips meet, a merest hint of a dimple appears and he finds his jaw slacks.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6D47G8b5X
He really was insane. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87i2isykoV
He had to be. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRq2AqkNfgc
No one could be that beautiful as her and still be real.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡva9xKey2MT
"It's alright, take your time. Just think and say something about her like a"-1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonHenBCB6Q
"Like a story?" he inquires, the side of his mouth quirking as if amused at the idea.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiIHxjJaT8
"Yes. Exactly. Like a story," she nods encouragingly.1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTU9pBPd7j
Ciaràn lets out a shaky laugh to himself. 1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqi1BUqfXgz
"I don't even know where to begin."1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3C5rHO6XR
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Copyright © 2018 by Andrea Cassandra Lei Meñosa1030Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPcxAJYcQP
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