Ciarán?" a voice queried from the side of the room. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Fp5ISwtL7
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. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UzGPHHIsZ
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. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUBZ77h5rr
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. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluYoM2C2aZ
He frowns. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNGfGzqXeQ
Though the painting was a truly a classically modern work of art in its contemporary genre, he still felt the colors were too subdued.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOX7dl6QPXv
Too structured. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNnRyr3Ybn
Too pale. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoRRh0QkA1
Too enforced to be in their respective place. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqxVTBVszc
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. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFwL0ChkuCs
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. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatN5aQ12NI
Ciarán could see it now, images begin to swirl in his head.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcQa6HaKrh
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. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuHrMz9yiV
Closer and closer, he manages to focus his eyes to the silhouette.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBcmp6kOLg
"Mr. Byrne." The voice calls again. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGuY7d5KPp
This time, the tone laced in subdued impatience.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nODD3qADx
And like a pin bursting through his bubble of thoughts, Ciarán snaps back to reality and to the white-clad room.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IdkjEYeSx
Slowly, he lowers his eyes further until they land on the stern-looking figure behind the table1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwq6rKPXU4v
His wayward gaze meets her cold calculating stare. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvhDta6dnU
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. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDvDuH99Nh
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. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtWp16Sxgq
" Ciarán, are you with me?" She asks, a slight crinkle etched on her brow.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnykDig3QP9
"Yes?" He hesitantly replies, his voice a bit too husky for his age.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTaWMt6jxR
"Do you know why you're here?" 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmma3aGNJ6m
It was always the same question she asks to start their session. One that which Ciarán always fail to answer coherently.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVRnOY4reY
"Uhh," he gulped, the sound almost audible in the room. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFaIquHgGb
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. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sBMW71IrR
With a deep inhalation, he replies "No."1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0E9uAkWKe2
He watches as she scribbles something on her notepad. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDe3AOBZOzk
He glances at the clock on the right side of the desk, listening as it ticks away by the second.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefdXJ2Tmyp
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK!1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5SbZxhM0Z
" Ciarán, are you aware of the events that led you here?"1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpfQ4DSnxB
He gives her what he hopes to be a sheepish smile. "Honestly Doc, I don't really kn-"1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNajQlPH9cO
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK! 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ajVKEVH8L
The clock goes on. Louder and louder like an echo.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnHK2BLQrW
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.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3GEsrVzEK
" Ciarán?" The doctor asks again, her pen dangling a few centimeters from her notepad. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjyKrJdc53l
Ciarán barely hears her, as if the very waves of sound were stuck, suspended on the surface as the waves they were. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5gBrhXXmZ
Ciarán rubs his temple as a new sound begins to appear. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6rdiJhZkDC
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. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdM20ivLbkA
He continues to rub his temple, shaking his head until it finally disappears. At least, for the meantime.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lp2PHUMMl
He clears his throat. "I'm sorry, you were saying something?"1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1iACZy1ED
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.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIofoz5jepk
"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."1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrNcxkk6pW
Right, as if he hadn't heard that spiel before. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1lsDGKdWu
"Well, I don't exactly recall myself asking for help." He mutters, unable to conceal the bitterness in his voice. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk78TTCrECD
He turns his head away, not wanting to see her reaction. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQ3gqtrkwT
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."1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWc7Y8EzLI
He didn't see her gaze softening but he did hear her sigh. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAq1kaJcGLU
"Unfortunately, I can't do that." 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZ8Y4vPSoO
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.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAAWm569V1
"Ciarán, what do you see?" she asks, holding up the object closer to him.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepc9ALKtfF
"A quarter?" he responds skeptically, not sure of where the sudden shift of subject would lead to.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBnCm2cKmU
"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." 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg758VhRI0R
She places the coin on the table by its rim where both sides can be seen. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtq27gjEUY
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?"1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPNYYRANMi
Ciarán merely shrugs before the doctor spins the coin. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSIffhOboL
Round and round, it goes, until all the naked eye could see was a flashing blur. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYtO5ZJSvc
"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."1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOBbk79Sb2
Eyes transfixed, he follows the instructions of her lulling voice. Breathing deeply, he exhales, letting go of the tensions that once knotted his shoulders.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfWysPgelf
"Good. I want you to keep on doing that while I ask you some questions. You're gonna answer them, won't you Ciarán?"1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88PwwmX0LB
"Yes," he breathes out.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx74VMJGyyy
"Very good. Now, let's start all over again. Why do you think you're here?"1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLL4C0LJOX
"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."1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhC6nSHrOO
"What sort of stuff?"1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgGtHc7oSL
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."1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilBFXsHQRI
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. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaUreUFtR0
"Hush, relax, Ciarán. Nobody thinks that you did it on purpose."1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6EKcdCBCK
"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." 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmUHwQtaj6
He bites out the last word, remembering the cruel words the others had called him. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwF1xSfmNL
"But are you?"1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2L7J4CovV
"No!" He breaks his gaze from the coin, facing her squarely and shrugging her hand off his shoulder. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaXcMaXBQi
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."1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTOLPRyEaF
"I don't." 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPjnBq7FF7
His eyes, while never leaving the coin, widen in surprise. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZGZhp1UcE
"How would you know?" He snorts incredulously. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlScb4SLBT
The doctor merely shrugs. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRft6ElegNS
"I don't know for sure. But what I can say is you're a special young man."1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdMZABeNtJ
"Come on, doc. You can't possibly think I would believe that nonsense. You're just saying this for my sake." 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpu3reSgVgq
She tilts her head to the side, a confused expression on her face. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NTSK2ETSh
"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?" 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKhwckaXGn
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.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoe5uKhWmD
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." 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8mqVTE2b2
She places her hand again on his shoulder, applying a bit of pressure this time. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmxSA9rLb6
"Breathe."1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ibb7AdBQi
He defiantly does so. Again and again he breathes until the flow of air comes easier into his lungs.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKPy4WcwXQ
"Better," she remarks. "Now, about the girl. Can you tell me more about her?"1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXfrBpuAl7
"What about her?" he asks, unsure at the turn of their conversation.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy61dOcnwS4
"Anything. Any thing you can think or remember about her."1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseTV8l43pA
"I don't-" he tilts his head to the side, "I don't know what to say."1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTEVsJuQZG
Ciaràn thinks back to the blurred form earlier, to the silhouette who had her back against the bright light. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUfhTI552t
Slowly, he can see her clearly now. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBlMHv1TeB
The haze disappears, showing the fine details of her face kissed by the warm sunlight. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8lAIT0BBj
Threading across a field towards him, floating like a nymph. Hair as dark as grey ash whipping wildly against her ethereally stunning visage. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQeY97xGGN
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. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmCrtMNvEO
He respires as he watches as her movement in the wind causes the silk strands to lightly caress a pair of wide sensuous lips. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOe4TCrrHpM
Her eyes. Christ, her eyes! 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uGwFLTFdr
Like the misty sky from the mountains tops after a cold wintry night and speckled with light silver-grey specks, captivates his senses. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDsvqcNzp2
And when she smiles sensuously, when those beautifully curved lips meet, a merest hint of a dimple appears and he finds his jaw slacks.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7Fr0e45RM
He really was insane. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmxsh9BUsK
He had to be. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7lTLBX59S
No one could be that beautiful as her and still be real.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSP8wvLhoB
"It's alright, take your time. Just think and say something about her like a"-1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSspIvkYRz
"Like a story?" he inquires, the side of his mouth quirking as if amused at the idea.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60OWTI5xsc
"Yes. Exactly. Like a story," she nods encouragingly.1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs72xAVuhPO
Ciaràn lets out a shaky laugh to himself. 1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfyEq5v0kD
"I don't even know where to begin."1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwR3G4jmvvN
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Copyright © 2018 by Andrea Cassandra Lei Meñosa1083Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sgcnJYDMz
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