Ciarán?" a voice queried from the side of the room. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0s8bUfO7Qr
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. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45DcOM0BNx
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. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxnX2NDFwU
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. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBM5XaHx9p1
He frowns. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHz9fsG11I
Though the painting was a truly a classically modern work of art in its contemporary genre, he still felt the colors were too subdued.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LObY6Lxpx
Too structured. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAm9OtOvzw
Too pale. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZnK9DtHAX
Too enforced to be in their respective place. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2yPvHk5wE
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. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23JQKolk9v
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. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrie7aQJgmJ
Ciarán could see it now, images begin to swirl in his head.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4qm2QuM1L
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. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOQx5ay0nk
Closer and closer, he manages to focus his eyes to the silhouette.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgBCjxZkVx
"Mr. Byrne." The voice calls again. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBI5b5cuKHw
This time, the tone laced in subdued impatience.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQINnGiug7k
And like a pin bursting through his bubble of thoughts, Ciarán snaps back to reality and to the white-clad room.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIAhZJ30HG
Slowly, he lowers his eyes further until they land on the stern-looking figure behind the table1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIPBK3Txh7
His wayward gaze meets her cold calculating stare. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstfcxqWHnM
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. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sT5HViJaR
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. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8xx0EoOwm
" Ciarán, are you with me?" She asks, a slight crinkle etched on her brow.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1lRkWE35i
"Yes?" He hesitantly replies, his voice a bit too husky for his age.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEKEzIx28o
"Do you know why you're here?" 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOI0LkkgRX
It was always the same question she asks to start their session. One that which Ciarán always fail to answer coherently.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxY2sDZRPR9
"Uhh," he gulped, the sound almost audible in the room. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOWHCeZ3mu
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. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSMVftphh2
With a deep inhalation, he replies "No."1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKRs03uVA2
He watches as she scribbles something on her notepad. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklcs6t6X4a
He glances at the clock on the right side of the desk, listening as it ticks away by the second.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7mvN4CFbd
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK!1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAGEEyq5Pg
" Ciarán, are you aware of the events that led you here?"1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJYNccT9HE
He gives her what he hopes to be a sheepish smile. "Honestly Doc, I don't really kn-"1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIEJHGo1Ub
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK! 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4NbzVSfDn
The clock goes on. Louder and louder like an echo.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdHF0INZB2
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.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMX4fONqH2Q
" Ciarán?" The doctor asks again, her pen dangling a few centimeters from her notepad. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5glLuehuO
Ciarán barely hears her, as if the very waves of sound were stuck, suspended on the surface as the waves they were. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXj1bMSDgI
Ciarán rubs his temple as a new sound begins to appear. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT52F6UEnUX
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. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXK5YbO82B
He continues to rub his temple, shaking his head until it finally disappears. At least, for the meantime.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcM4RRGkUs
He clears his throat. "I'm sorry, you were saying something?"1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlWpeAo4HM
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.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRTZv3rY2G
"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."1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJiVBE21M1M
Right, as if he hadn't heard that spiel before. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnPR5EiYLZ
"Well, I don't exactly recall myself asking for help." He mutters, unable to conceal the bitterness in his voice. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAE7cEXauQ
He turns his head away, not wanting to see her reaction. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKa3CNI8F2i
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."1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGsXUGaSDA
He didn't see her gaze softening but he did hear her sigh. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTSpxkjMQG
"Unfortunately, I can't do that." 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYhLUNN2uZ
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.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QASNYvR32
"Ciarán, what do you see?" she asks, holding up the object closer to him.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sg94I8O5P
"A quarter?" he responds skeptically, not sure of where the sudden shift of subject would lead to.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMfvHNhhzgR
"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." 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6507UVi7z
She places the coin on the table by its rim where both sides can be seen. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhGJaBDDcW
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?"1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXontJJ84T
Ciarán merely shrugs before the doctor spins the coin. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkL67XNVI3
Round and round, it goes, until all the naked eye could see was a flashing blur. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqNdzLME2M
"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."1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Q5SJm5JDX
Eyes transfixed, he follows the instructions of her lulling voice. Breathing deeply, he exhales, letting go of the tensions that once knotted his shoulders.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIM2noBpP8x
"Good. I want you to keep on doing that while I ask you some questions. You're gonna answer them, won't you Ciarán?"1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7ej1emN3j
"Yes," he breathes out.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRM4bLBEjOm
"Very good. Now, let's start all over again. Why do you think you're here?"1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgR2jG2xLqH
"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."1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGd6IJLsjg0
"What sort of stuff?"1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bVfOOgtbu
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."1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4mAypeSUM
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. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0LMQzRnKX
"Hush, relax, Ciarán. Nobody thinks that you did it on purpose."1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mbFIgtZHg
"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." 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1HoaeYCOI
He bites out the last word, remembering the cruel words the others had called him. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtszt5WjCKm
"But are you?"1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2oNSQyAez
"No!" He breaks his gaze from the coin, facing her squarely and shrugging her hand off his shoulder. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCec9VmXlz5
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."1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvZr5DtGYt
"I don't." 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUE8HEjovW
His eyes, while never leaving the coin, widen in surprise. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cTuSrAJuJ
"How would you know?" He snorts incredulously. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBWPLxf58b
The doctor merely shrugs. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkmbaTacp1
"I don't know for sure. But what I can say is you're a special young man."1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0Y0FEteTV
"Come on, doc. You can't possibly think I would believe that nonsense. You're just saying this for my sake." 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOZAnMaccE
She tilts her head to the side, a confused expression on her face. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHDFdhMCnJ
"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?" 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP18gfOPibA
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.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJQ8H70n9q
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." 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBN08if32yQ
She places her hand again on his shoulder, applying a bit of pressure this time. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtGxtzOyTr
"Breathe."1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BEhIeBOkr
He defiantly does so. Again and again he breathes until the flow of air comes easier into his lungs.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNymBuKCTC
"Better," she remarks. "Now, about the girl. Can you tell me more about her?"1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCHbXqFaNu
"What about her?" he asks, unsure at the turn of their conversation.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqA0aYMtZ9
"Anything. Any thing you can think or remember about her."1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MHOf9eQwf
"I don't-" he tilts his head to the side, "I don't know what to say."1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBVBpiQykC
Ciaràn thinks back to the blurred form earlier, to the silhouette who had her back against the bright light. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiJK6vCALg
Slowly, he can see her clearly now. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQCNhWLhvC
The haze disappears, showing the fine details of her face kissed by the warm sunlight. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvgVUA9QWJ
Threading across a field towards him, floating like a nymph. Hair as dark as grey ash whipping wildly against her ethereally stunning visage. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwUCmcyvqa
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. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyk5t2eiyN
He respires as he watches as her movement in the wind causes the silk strands to lightly caress a pair of wide sensuous lips. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomTVSHWepX
Her eyes. Christ, her eyes! 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QErq0Bu3K
Like the misty sky from the mountains tops after a cold wintry night and speckled with light silver-grey specks, captivates his senses. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZq4x7zZB0B
And when she smiles sensuously, when those beautifully curved lips meet, a merest hint of a dimple appears and he finds his jaw slacks.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTmBouIhEB
He really was insane. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6GA6srFtS
He had to be. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwCx2eLXSS
No one could be that beautiful as her and still be real.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5myK5DL5Y
"It's alright, take your time. Just think and say something about her like a"-1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZnfjCmI1d
"Like a story?" he inquires, the side of his mouth quirking as if amused at the idea.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYSqW3nvkN
"Yes. Exactly. Like a story," she nods encouragingly.1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MpGP22e1l
Ciaràn lets out a shaky laugh to himself. 1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX81VPmECfP
"I don't even know where to begin."1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMmwvVCUDA
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Copyright © 2018 by Andrea Cassandra Lei Meñosa1071Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyJL97yCyZ
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