Ciarán?" a voice queried from the side of the room. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH34XUD0Fq9
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. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxADfyVtFaq
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. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrNr8pqjzA
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. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclFncMUTXp
He frowns. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYwEwi5lV4
Though the painting was a truly a classically modern work of art in its contemporary genre, he still felt the colors were too subdued.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7eCymjDh3
Too structured. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUibBi07cQT
Too pale. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCLtF694HV
Too enforced to be in their respective place. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEwx9wkB6y
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. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcp83k6seN
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. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vEa3uRCJV
Ciarán could see it now, images begin to swirl in his head.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiz8c2Zis2y
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. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIutqSfc6Lh
Closer and closer, he manages to focus his eyes to the silhouette.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvW4jVGTRTj
"Mr. Byrne." The voice calls again. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMChOoOmrl
This time, the tone laced in subdued impatience.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnv3hhe7ea
And like a pin bursting through his bubble of thoughts, Ciarán snaps back to reality and to the white-clad room.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQREmDi1AOW
Slowly, he lowers his eyes further until they land on the stern-looking figure behind the table914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjnves8MO5
His wayward gaze meets her cold calculating stare. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlecW6rGZGY
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. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0hQzhhs2C
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. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vYRE4oqaZ
" Ciarán, are you with me?" She asks, a slight crinkle etched on her brow.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0S3Kyyzsce
"Yes?" He hesitantly replies, his voice a bit too husky for his age.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvciusOyUx
"Do you know why you're here?" 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvkrRqI2qg
It was always the same question she asks to start their session. One that which Ciarán always fail to answer coherently.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UMF1fxyyc
"Uhh," he gulped, the sound almost audible in the room. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ydFzEu8EO
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. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaXP0UuhiF
With a deep inhalation, he replies "No."914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAa7VTw5Bd
He watches as she scribbles something on her notepad. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49fqqQdB1h
He glances at the clock on the right side of the desk, listening as it ticks away by the second.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9OCF3XzAJ
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK!914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOjGACGKiO
" Ciarán, are you aware of the events that led you here?"914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OqtE8AI4p
He gives her what he hopes to be a sheepish smile. "Honestly Doc, I don't really kn-"914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhI57Or6uOb
TICK! TOCK! TICK! TOCK! 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgevMDfE4rf
The clock goes on. Louder and louder like an echo.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWQ0CXiYcd
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.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQQxkCUCJ3
" Ciarán?" The doctor asks again, her pen dangling a few centimeters from her notepad. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxcYjcD2NK
Ciarán barely hears her, as if the very waves of sound were stuck, suspended on the surface as the waves they were. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7iCVZlL14
Ciarán rubs his temple as a new sound begins to appear. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeTTos4ZNN
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. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZVmq5Gvb3
He continues to rub his temple, shaking his head until it finally disappears. At least, for the meantime.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8bqW5zPdB
He clears his throat. "I'm sorry, you were saying something?"914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKc0crQY1w
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.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyy8rcgelaQ
"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."914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY15DhLsHJq
Right, as if he hadn't heard that spiel before. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6a6WzO5c0
"Well, I don't exactly recall myself asking for help." He mutters, unable to conceal the bitterness in his voice. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuRRmrGItU
He turns his head away, not wanting to see her reaction. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4Yf5SjREa
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."914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMaNfzwg3Yy
He didn't see her gaze softening but he did hear her sigh. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENVXSKzgYM
"Unfortunately, I can't do that." 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7kVgCoOab
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.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdGq4Orhiv
"Ciarán, what do you see?" she asks, holding up the object closer to him.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSladQHhwb2
"A quarter?" he responds skeptically, not sure of where the sudden shift of subject would lead to.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKSAzgqLWg
"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." 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeslGVjSb3
She places the coin on the table by its rim where both sides can be seen. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4HDxqYjoX
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?"914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKkD9GDCJE
Ciarán merely shrugs before the doctor spins the coin. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYcda0XJxF
Round and round, it goes, until all the naked eye could see was a flashing blur. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHwxxkSjaL
"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."914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMHAVt3IAA
Eyes transfixed, he follows the instructions of her lulling voice. Breathing deeply, he exhales, letting go of the tensions that once knotted his shoulders.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7uukW4zWM
"Good. I want you to keep on doing that while I ask you some questions. You're gonna answer them, won't you Ciarán?"914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftKy5zVpYj
"Yes," he breathes out.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMXP1WrnqD
"Very good. Now, let's start all over again. Why do you think you're here?"914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYARatDRUT8
"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."914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioWc5Y4en6
"What sort of stuff?"914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7ubpoQ6I2
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."914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVjVw3H0Q3
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. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3Q8fXekd6
"Hush, relax, Ciarán. Nobody thinks that you did it on purpose."914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EA7mkvbdY
"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." 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwWxnATdlg
He bites out the last word, remembering the cruel words the others had called him. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMttL8wLVpH
"But are you?"914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfgGGjvmj5
"No!" He breaks his gaze from the coin, facing her squarely and shrugging her hand off his shoulder. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSZ3HFCE4W
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."914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xIikqE8Ao
"I don't." 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZKDvQacS8
His eyes, while never leaving the coin, widen in surprise. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZh82xoSJwU
"How would you know?" He snorts incredulously. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNsrDSfQ9g
The doctor merely shrugs. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxjhcyDdkL
"I don't know for sure. But what I can say is you're a special young man."914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrqdXabdNc
"Come on, doc. You can't possibly think I would believe that nonsense. You're just saying this for my sake." 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8s1WoVmq4
She tilts her head to the side, a confused expression on her face. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgtrb2HB7R
"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?" 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfz56LDu8JH
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.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznNaADkLsX
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." 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7eBUQMcMWk
She places her hand again on his shoulder, applying a bit of pressure this time. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9xhgTcbU2
"Breathe."914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hdh1nymZd
He defiantly does so. Again and again he breathes until the flow of air comes easier into his lungs.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OcnKBlVyE
"Better," she remarks. "Now, about the girl. Can you tell me more about her?"914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2hYItBXn6
"What about her?" he asks, unsure at the turn of their conversation.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevh0DqqIxt
"Anything. Any thing you can think or remember about her."914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOALTpZ7xEm
"I don't-" he tilts his head to the side, "I don't know what to say."914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimlzbuYyhd
Ciaràn thinks back to the blurred form earlier, to the silhouette who had her back against the bright light. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD19vvrBRbD
Slowly, he can see her clearly now. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlXuMXT64s
The haze disappears, showing the fine details of her face kissed by the warm sunlight. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SzC4uUhSU
Threading across a field towards him, floating like a nymph. Hair as dark as grey ash whipping wildly against her ethereally stunning visage. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxgiEv1MJq
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. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFmuf44Tha
He respires as he watches as her movement in the wind causes the silk strands to lightly caress a pair of wide sensuous lips. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdcR3KzRLU
Her eyes. Christ, her eyes! 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagsIeErAUI
Like the misty sky from the mountains tops after a cold wintry night and speckled with light silver-grey specks, captivates his senses. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74Gm7iIOKJ
And when she smiles sensuously, when those beautifully curved lips meet, a merest hint of a dimple appears and he finds his jaw slacks.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgS2Wvov9e
He really was insane. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3e7NkmuwJ
He had to be. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1Rh4a5G92
No one could be that beautiful as her and still be real.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIdySIXjQf
"It's alright, take your time. Just think and say something about her like a"-914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA31cWQkojr
"Like a story?" he inquires, the side of his mouth quirking as if amused at the idea.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjdhTWWQyR
"Yes. Exactly. Like a story," she nods encouragingly.914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0OvUviP5r
Ciaràn lets out a shaky laugh to himself. 914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1mTTuHgsw
"I don't even know where to begin."914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEDB1yqTXH
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Copyright © 2018 by Andrea Cassandra Lei Meñosa914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfVgvtF0QK
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