From Kaleb finn's contest: Magic Powers
*The sentences that start and end with an asterisk are new. I didn't submit that part to the contest because it exceeds the word limit. However, I will add it here :)*
[Now]
I was lying flat on the couch, about to fall asleep to the sound of news reporters and sirens on TV. My brother was in his room, either playing Dragon Quest or snoring his head off. I was surely not expecting a visitor at this time, but the doorbell rang twice. The first time it rang, I assumed they were packages, so I began to drowse without another thought. Then the bell rang again, followed by harsh thumps on the door, jolting me awake.
Stifling a yawn, I stretched out my back. "Coming," I called.
When I squinted through the peephole, I was surprised by the person standing on the other side. It was a girl who looked about fourteen years old. She was alone in a gray, snow-stained coat and her face was bitter white. Her expression pleaded, Rolf, let me inside.
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[Hours Earlier]
Saturdays were supposed to be the same every week. I'd wake up around eight and linger in bed for another thirty minutes. I'd check my phone to receive around three notifications, two of them from the news and one text from Mom saying she's going to work. I'd skip downstairs and grab a container of strawberry yogurt or make myself a bowl of cereal. Then I would watch TV in the living room until Bryson woke up, and we'd play Dragon Quest until our brains hurt.
I was not supposed to be stuck with some superpower that made me question my entire existence.
Around eight forty-three AM, my mother was still at home. She was in the living room sneaking into a coat, gripping onto a pink plastic bag. Something was inside it. Something she didn't want me to see.
"Mom?"
My mother swung her head and raised her eyebrows when she saw me. "Hey, Rolf," she said, smiling weakly.
"I thought you didn't have work today." This came out more as a question.
"Oh, I don't. I just have to make a quick stop at the store."
And that's when it happened. A small shudder rose on the back of my neck, but all I felt were goosebumps and cold skin. I heard a voice in my head, hissing one word: Lies. It was more of a voice rather than a thought. And when I heard it, I somehow just knew that my mother was lying. It was more than a sense. I just knew.
"What's in the bag?" I questioned.
She paused. I could feel her trying to come up with a response. "Items to return."
But there it was again — a shudder on the back of my neck. Instinctively, I touched it. Goosebumps. Even though I wanted to know what was really in the bag, I let it go.
***I didn't tell Mom or Bryson about this lie detecting power. I tried to convince myself I was hallucinating because it was only morning. But it felt more than that. So, a few hours later, I headed into Bryson's room. Of course, he was playing a video game.
"Do you knock?"
"Bryson, I'm going to ask you a question." I shut the door behind me. "Answer truthfully, okay?"
"I'm busy." He was practically thrashing the keyboard with his fingers.
"It's only one question."
He didn't respond, so I took the opportunity. "Do you miss Dad?"
The thrashing stopped. I held my breath as he started rocking back and forth in his chair, his eyes still frozen on his screen. "No. I don't know. Maybe a little."
He wasn't lying.
"I kind of hate him." He paused. "You should leave. I beat you
I nodded and left the room, wondering why I chose to ask this question. But
I didn't tell Mom or Bryson about this lie detecting power. I tried to convince myself I was hallucinating because it was only morning. But it felt more than that. So, a few hours later, I headed into Bryson's room. Of course, he was playing a video game.
"Do you knock?"
"Bryson, I'm going to ask you a question." I shut the door behind me. "Answer truthfully, okay?"
"I'm busy." He was practically thrashing the keyboard with his fingers.
"It's only one question."
He didn't respond, so I took the opportunity. "Do you miss Dad?"
The thrashing stopped. I held my breath as he started rocking back and forth in his chair, his eyes still frozen on his screen. "No. I don't know. Maybe a little."
He wasn't lying.
"I kind of hate him." He paused. "Mostly because he never comes home for Halloween or Easter, I guess."255Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3lzjRAFXd
The shudder was back, but it was quieter and less tingly. "Half-lie," I whispered.255Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmp6T4BLpCv
I left him alone, wondering why I chose to ask this question. I propped myself down on the couch, lowered the volume on the TV, and tried to fall asleep to wake up from this dream.
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255Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ps4N1kZRu
[Now]
The girl didn't say a word when I asked who she was. Instead, she forced the door open with her hands, and invited herself into our home.
I uttered, "Get out." She didn't move, but she appeared frightened as I was. "Get out, or I'll call the police. Now." I couldn't tell if she was lost, but she was definitely not from here.
The girl moved to the TV, which was still on the news channel. I stared at her, and then to the screen. The headlines roared: "Missing Girl in Lexington — Last Seen in Gray Coat."
"You're..." My throat tightened.
She finally spoke. "You will regret it if you turn me in."
"You shouldn't be here. I'm not getting arrested."
She said nothing, and instead commanded me to turn around. When I stood frozen, she heaved and stepped towards me. I tried to shift my feet, but I couldn't. I couldn't move a muscle.
Lexington. That's 115 miles away.
"My name's Zella," she stated, inspecting the back of my neck. "And you're Rolf."
I blinked. "How'd you know?"
The more Zella explained, the more puzzling this was. She had a power. A power like mine. But instead of lie-detecting, she could sense powers. There were numbers on the back of my neck that only she could see, and those numbers represented which power I had.
"So you came over a hundred miles alone?" I asked her.
Zella nodded. "Believe it or not, you're the closest person I could find. The thing is, I'm not sure how I got this power, and that's what I'm going to figure out. But I can't do it alone.
"I've been thinking, what if I got this power for a reason? What if they wanted me to find people like me for a reason?" Before I could admit she was being ridiculous, she interrupted, "I know you have questions. Don't worry about my parents. Or yours. Don't worry about where I'll stay for the night. I just need you to tell me you're in. That you'll help me figure this out." Her eyes pleaded the same way she did when she was standing outside in the cold.
One thing I didn't like was agreeing to something without knowing everything about it. But I didn't have a choice.
"Okay." I lowered my voice. "I need to think. We're probably going to die at some point."
"Or we won't."
"I might help you, if you promise I won't die. In any circumstance."
"Easy. You and your family will be safe."
I let out a deep breath. "Who are you searching for next?"
She smiled and closed her eyes. "Next on the list, only miles away. Odette Calderon."
ns 15.158.61.48da2
