Ciarán?" a voice queried from the side of the room. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ChKemvbMa
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. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9TcXFzyVc
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. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4tmdtF3wx
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. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4dPPaCvRv
He frowns. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCxrE8cDuc
Though the painting was a truly a classically modern work of art in its contemporary genre, he still felt the colors were too subdued.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmucmQ68IO6
Too structured. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWu92le6io
Too pale. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhY3U7lPb4j
Too enforced to be in their respective place. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIJI5clY4i
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. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeb3oa8QJJT
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. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynXq5g5Mom
Ciarán could see it now, images begin to swirl in his head.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSIWFYrGSS
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. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpRpIPdM90
Closer and closer, he manages to focus his eyes to the silhouette.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YbIRSBzEI
"Mr. Byrne." The voice calls again. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIgd8GmJ11
This time, the tone laced in subdued impatience.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8RapdArK4
And like a pin bursting through his bubble of thoughts, Ciarán snaps back to reality and to the white-clad room.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VX3tgLW96
Slowly, he lowers his eyes further until they land on the stern-looking figure behind the table1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMrvxdhPhss
His wayward gaze meets her cold calculating stare. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UP5tW6ceG
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. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPA1kFqcfuy
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. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpkKJf7fAS
" Ciarán, are you with me?" She asks, a slight crinkle etched on her brow.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbE6pm0WjJX
"Yes?" He hesitantly replies, his voice a bit too husky for his age.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NDWkJKXe4
"Do you know why you're here?" 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7PSp4SIOo
It was always the same question she asks to start their session. One that which Ciarán always fail to answer coherently.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7ApDqaBlK
"Uhh," he gulped, the sound almost audible in the room. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOq4fMkeNn
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. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFs65y0PIMs
With a deep inhalation, he replies "No."1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskGc4xBPUF
He watches as she scribbles something on her notepad. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUJqYoGTeC
He glances at the clock on the right side of the desk, listening as it ticks away by the second.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQ1C85sMrF
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK!1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8Dcd2Rs2u
" Ciarán, are you aware of the events that led you here?"1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡal7EId5uwm
He gives her what he hopes to be a sheepish smile. "Honestly Doc, I don't really kn-"1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyERbaAZaw
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK! 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1dwZIAbvJ
The clock goes on. Louder and louder like an echo.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkr3IrqXAv
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.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7yXDnBwgb
" Ciarán?" The doctor asks again, her pen dangling a few centimeters from her notepad. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbAfPipOI6
Ciarán barely hears her, as if the very waves of sound were stuck, suspended on the surface as the waves they were. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAa54qQNrKI
Ciarán rubs his temple as a new sound begins to appear. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIR1PKn5Zao
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. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuScehT34d3
He continues to rub his temple, shaking his head until it finally disappears. At least, for the meantime.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyljooDd9w
He clears his throat. "I'm sorry, you were saying something?"1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj22DZRIchH
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.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUC9n4tlsIp
"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."1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ670RrQ2s9X
Right, as if he hadn't heard that spiel before. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1N44thDXiD
"Well, I don't exactly recall myself asking for help." He mutters, unable to conceal the bitterness in his voice. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4oQhoang3
He turns his head away, not wanting to see her reaction. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAITBqa7lm
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."1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdY0cqzwJIi
He didn't see her gaze softening but he did hear her sigh. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyP52TQYanh
"Unfortunately, I can't do that." 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrkieX2GsB
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.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjz5mMxm3p
"Ciarán, what do you see?" she asks, holding up the object closer to him.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPWB0e8LbY
"A quarter?" he responds skeptically, not sure of where the sudden shift of subject would lead to.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFWUz8Zerz
"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." 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfhxVOt216
She places the coin on the table by its rim where both sides can be seen. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfMRHHGYab
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?"1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Qe4mJvfEE
Ciarán merely shrugs before the doctor spins the coin. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aS2t2ryHm
Round and round, it goes, until all the naked eye could see was a flashing blur. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewLZz5pMi7
"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."1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpRc50oeoQ
Eyes transfixed, he follows the instructions of her lulling voice. Breathing deeply, he exhales, letting go of the tensions that once knotted his shoulders.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygkuWFzLPT
"Good. I want you to keep on doing that while I ask you some questions. You're gonna answer them, won't you Ciarán?"1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡid0Kw22L8U
"Yes," he breathes out.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0doUAeKBY
"Very good. Now, let's start all over again. Why do you think you're here?"1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DSN0VRQgf
"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."1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbbRN3snxZ
"What sort of stuff?"1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd08qb5yP2I
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."1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpyNYHLBxT
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. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvfrcN6f9G
"Hush, relax, Ciarán. Nobody thinks that you did it on purpose."1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNuGPvGrlc
"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." 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwuNd4C9ND
He bites out the last word, remembering the cruel words the others had called him. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxr72Q0vozR
"But are you?"1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBhy8Ikbrv
"No!" He breaks his gaze from the coin, facing her squarely and shrugging her hand off his shoulder. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6C9kYYr97
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."1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wbgQNlNzV
"I don't." 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMQQ5DTJ3X
His eyes, while never leaving the coin, widen in surprise. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN63YJQgA3X
"How would you know?" He snorts incredulously. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW274ng4kyE
The doctor merely shrugs. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqSIjNQba4
"I don't know for sure. But what I can say is you're a special young man."1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dgYeH8SbI
"Come on, doc. You can't possibly think I would believe that nonsense. You're just saying this for my sake." 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoK8qpTKN88
She tilts her head to the side, a confused expression on her face. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRcMfqJlPW
"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?" 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHldzaHKFd
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.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjg0nr3s5mg
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." 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8F9ouJS5r
She places her hand again on his shoulder, applying a bit of pressure this time. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLRo9IHcrZ
"Breathe."1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpB29flUMTi
He defiantly does so. Again and again he breathes until the flow of air comes easier into his lungs.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtS6lEmpVns
"Better," she remarks. "Now, about the girl. Can you tell me more about her?"1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNi1DfKFMm
"What about her?" he asks, unsure at the turn of their conversation.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYrBsx0xj9
"Anything. Any thing you can think or remember about her."1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZhkvKDWhM
"I don't-" he tilts his head to the side, "I don't know what to say."1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91R1yWWHIV
Ciaràn thinks back to the blurred form earlier, to the silhouette who had her back against the bright light. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oznQDrgGz
Slowly, he can see her clearly now. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bfPbOJ89k
The haze disappears, showing the fine details of her face kissed by the warm sunlight. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9EiZNLYMt
Threading across a field towards him, floating like a nymph. Hair as dark as grey ash whipping wildly against her ethereally stunning visage. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOawuUW26Px
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. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnoIuNtf8l
He respires as he watches as her movement in the wind causes the silk strands to lightly caress a pair of wide sensuous lips. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0u3d4CMam
Her eyes. Christ, her eyes! 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqObyHy8mk
Like the misty sky from the mountains tops after a cold wintry night and speckled with light silver-grey specks, captivates his senses. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVhksrMKTu
And when she smiles sensuously, when those beautifully curved lips meet, a merest hint of a dimple appears and he finds his jaw slacks.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxDj9lC3KN
He really was insane. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4miL8T1pFq
He had to be. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI56qoqdRA9
No one could be that beautiful as her and still be real.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25x0EZsPuM
"It's alright, take your time. Just think and say something about her like a"-1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGhfXEdBSy
"Like a story?" he inquires, the side of his mouth quirking as if amused at the idea.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLZMplUao8
"Yes. Exactly. Like a story," she nods encouragingly.1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUze9sm4pXr
Ciaràn lets out a shaky laugh to himself. 1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOW5mpeEQf
"I don't even know where to begin."1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLa1YJgdYwQ
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Copyright © 2018 by Andrea Cassandra Lei Meñosa1097Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXhQVqmmlu
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