she is worth the training if this is any indication of her potential.”
This was getting trippy. I couldn’t follow what they were talking about. I thought of the tea party in Alice in Wonderland and wondered if Stephen was the Mad Hatter or if it was Troy who was running things. That, combined with the formality, it was not indicative of what I knew of Stephen at all. Wait, what did I know about this family or Stephen? Maybe his family had gone to boarding school somewhere in Europe or something. I had seen that sort of thing in the movies, those people always seemed so much more elegant and formal. Real people didn’t talk like this though. And I was getting very nervous of them talking about me as though I was not really human or here.
“Stephen, maybe you should just bring me home if I’m unwelcome.” This situation had crossed over from strange to downright bizarre. Oddly enough, though, I wasn’t panicking at all.
“Claire, I told you that we could help you to develop your talent, but in order to do so, there are some things you need to know. Things about how the world really looks, not how we’re taught to see it. Do you remember the first time we met? Have you wondered how I knew that you were special?” Hazel eyes burned into mine with such intensity, I found myself leaning in and I nodded assent, not even thinking to snort at his use of the word “special.”
He sighed, “I need you to hear me out. As strange as some of this is going to sound, I want you to remember that I am your friend and I won’t lie to you.”
Taking a deep breath, I tried to sound calm, “Okay, I’ll try.” I felt some anxiety leaking through. Were my newfound shielding abilities keeping me from feeling the full range of my own emotions? Were their abilities lulling me into a false sense of security? I should be running away.
“Let’s sit down. Tonya, do you mind?” He asked her breaking his gaze from mine only briefly.
She gave up her claim on the seat, spun and glided into the kitchen without a word.
Stephen and I sat down next to each other, our knees mere inches away from each other. Years of practice made me cautious not to touch and I automatically scooted backward. “My family and I are gifted, like you. We all have special abilities and use these abilities to train others like you to better handle their gifts. However, your talent is stronger than any I have worked with before.” At this, there was an odd rumbling from the kitchen. “I’m pretty sure it’s stronger than any of us have worked with, which is why I’ve called you here tonight.”
“I don’t understand, Stephen, you said that you could help me. I’m sure you can work with mine, even if it is different.” Hearing how I was different, even among others like me, only served to solidify for me how freakish I really was.
Stephen ran his hand through his hair, leaving it sticking up in some funny ways. It gave me something else to look at other than his eyes and I was grateful. “It isn’t that simple. You see we are able through a special talent that we share as a family, to absorb most of the outside influences and essentially block you from outside stimuli as you learn to manage your own shields in a sort of safety bubble. But yours work differently, they go back and forth instead of just one direction. I haven’t seen their equal before. We might need to call in a favor from another family more capable, but that would put us in debt to them.” Something definitely growled in the kitchen. Not a dog, though. It sounded like a pissed off cat. I hoped it was locked up; cats hated me.
“Who is this family? Are they cousins or something?” I was definitely missing part of the puzzle; I didn’t understand why owing a favor was such a big deal. Stephen wasn’t telling me something. “I can repay
This was getting trippy. I couldn’t follow what they were talking about. I thought of the tea party in Alice in Wonderland and wondered if Stephen was the Mad Hatter or if it was Troy who was running things. That, combined with the formality, it was not indicative of what I knew of Stephen at all. Wait, what did I know about this family or Stephen? Maybe his family had gone to boarding school somewhere in Europe or something. I had seen that sort of thing in the movies, those people always seemed so much more elegant and formal. Real people didn’t talk like this though. And I was getting very nervous of them talking about me as though I was not really human or here.
“Stephen, maybe you should just bring me home if I’m unwelcome.” This situation had crossed over from strange to downright bizarre. Oddly enough, though, I wasn’t panicking at all.
“Claire, I told you that we could help you to develop your talent, but in order to do so, there are some things you need to know. Things about how the world really looks, not how we’re taught to see it. Do you remember the first time we met? Have you wondered how I knew that you were special?” Hazel eyes burned into mine with such intensity, I found myself leaning in and I nodded assent, not even thinking to snort at his use of the word “special.”
He sighed, “I need you to hear me out. As strange as some of this is going to sound, I want you to remember that I am your friend and I won’t lie to you.”
Taking a deep breath, I tried to sound calm, “Okay, I’ll try.” I felt some anxiety leaking through. Were my newfound shielding abilities keeping me from feeling the full range of my own emotions? Were their abilities lulling me into a false sense of security? I should be running away.
“Let’s sit down. Tonya, do you mind?” He asked her breaking his gaze from mine only briefly.
She gave up her claim on the seat, spun and glided into the kitchen without a word.
Stephen and I sat down next to each other, our knees mere inches away from each other. Years of practice made me cautious not to touch and I automatically scooted backward. “My family and I are gifted, like you. We all have special abilities and use these abilities to train others like you to better handle their gifts. However, your talent is stronger than any I have worked with before.” At this, there was an odd rumbling from the kitchen. “I’m pretty sure it’s stronger than any of us have worked with, which is why I’ve called you here tonight.”
“I don’t understand, Stephen, you said that you could help me. I’m sure you can work with mine, even if it is different.” Hearing how I was different, even among others like me, only served to solidify for me how freakish I really was.
Stephen ran his hand through his hair, leaving it sticking up in some funny ways. It gave me something else to look at other than his eyes and I was grateful. “It isn’t that simple. You see we are able through a special talent that we share as a family, to absorb most of the outside influences and essentially block you from outside stimuli as you learn to manage your own shields in a sort of safety bubble. But yours work differently, they go back and forth instead of just one direction. I haven’t seen their equal before. We might need to call in a favor from another family more capable, but that would put us in debt to them.” Something definitely growled in the kitchen. Not a dog, though. It sounded like a pissed off cat. I hoped it was locked up; cats hated me.
“Who is this family? Are they cousins or something?” I was definitely missing part of the puzzle; I didn’t understand why owing a favor was such a big deal. Stephen wasn’t telling me something. “I can repay
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