Short Story Soup

Nothing But The Truth

A/N - This was my entry for the third round of the Profectus Prompt Challenge, in which it came in first place!

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Maria has waited 18 years of her life for her magic to be awakened. All of her peers had; it was tradition. And that day, she was going to discover her magic.

All of her peers had predictions of what their magic would be. They would often inherit some or multiple different types of the magic their parents had. But for Maria, who grew up in an orphanage and whose parents were complete mysteries, the possibilities were endless. And she was ecstatic.

She and her classmates lined up, most of them discussing their predictions, and others describing the process of magic awakening. Maria overheard that their parents had experienced a jolt of energy, and the magic left them involuntarily. That's why, they said, the class always had to stand back, otherwise they could get injured.

The line began winding down, and Maria watched her classmates, one after the other, use their magic for the first time. Some had forcefields, others had lightning bolts, and many were the same as their peers' magic. Maria wondered for a fleeting moment if her magic would be unique.

After what could have been hours in her mind, Maria's turn had arrived. The teachers gathered around her, still keeping a reasonable distance, and suddenly, she felt like she would explode with power.

In an instant, Maria blacked out. As her vision gradually returned, she froze in shock.

Everyone in the class was clawing at their throat as their eyes bulged with terror. What had happened? They were supposed to stand clear so they wouldn't be hurt by the energy burst! She'd never heard of someone's awakening affecting the whole class, it was only ever an issue if someone got too close, and yet every single person in the classroom was now affected. And then, somehow, it got worse.

"I stole a car last weekend!" cried out Terry Simmons.

"I'm only dating my boyfriend because I want to be popular!" yelled Tiffany Jones.

"I still wet my bed!" stammered Jimmy Norris.

After that, everyone started telling their hidden truths. One after the other until they all ran together in a droning conversation.

"I'm sexting with my dad's new girlfriend!"

"I bully Jessica to do my homework!"

"I pick my nose!"

"Coach Bill told me to keep it a secret, but I love him!"

"I hate my mom!"

"I love you Ms. Grey!"

"I stuffed a sock in my pants to look bigger!"

"I farted at the movies with Jenny and blamed it on the little kid in front of us!"

"I'm addicted to catfishing guys on Tinder!"

"I'm taking steroids!"

"I'm sleeping with my stepsister!"

"I masturbated in the boy's locker room!"

"We know!"

"I watch clown porn!"

"I'm cheating on my boyfriend!"

"I broke my mom's favorite vase and blamed it on my sister, and they sent her to a military academy!"