The Awakening of Gardenia

Chapter One

Darkness was scratching at my skin, begging to be released. The moment I allowed only a little bit out, my eyes turned a raven black and power raced through my veins latching onto whoever was closest. It started to become a manifestation, a shadowy hand, large enough to engulf a man.

"Clara, stop it," he said, a plea for mercy. Usually I would stop, just scare him enough to never cross me again but the darkness continued to pour out of me.

"How does it feel.." I asked him, but my voice sounded croaky and uncanny. "To be the one begging for mercy?"

The hand wrapped around his throat, finger by finger, until his face turned a pale blue. Weakness shone in his eyes and I knew it was over; the suffering I had endured for years prior. I was strong, and free to live a life, void of fear.

"Clara," he croaked, his final words tasting like a reward. Until he yells my name again.

"Clara! You're going to be late for school, don't make me knock down this door." Jasper's voice pulled me from my dream, like a pair of tweezers would pull a splinter, but it's only when I open my eyes that his words register. "Flowers," I mutter under my breath. I wasn't accustomed to swearing, but at this moment it felt very needed.

I go into auto-pilot mode, getting changed first, brushing my teeth second and taking the last thirty seconds for any extra grooming. My hair is a black untamed mess and my socks don't even match but by the time I'm downstairs I have one minute to spare before we have to leave.

I go into the kitchen to quickly grab an apple and my books that I left from the night before, but stop short at the sight of Jasper and my mother. My mother, kind and delicate, is nodding along to the lecture that Jasper is most likely giving her. Probably something to do with me.

Her smile slips for a second while she has her back to him but he hardly notices anything, besides when I do something wrong or if the whole tub of hair gel isn't sitting directly on the top of his head. He swings his head around to me and I have to remind myself he can't actually read my thoughts, unlike the mind readers, Jasper was a knowledgeable.

"Good morning mother and Jasper," I say with a tight lipped smile. It's supposed to come out genuine, but I know it doesn't matter what I do, I'll always do something wrong.

My mother just smiles at me while Jasper glares. "Shouldn't you be gone by now?" he asks turning around to check the clock, but in that split second I choose my fate.

I grab an apple and run out the front door before I hear what else he has to say. Maybe I should stop giving him reasons to act the way he does but even when I'm perfect, he finds a flaw.

Alissa's car is just at eye distance and I run to it like my life depends on it. Jasper won't chase after me, I know that, but fear isn't rational.

"Hey," Alissa says when I hop in and shut the door. I only reply with a grunt of acknowledgement. Alissa has her own problems in her life and that's probably what makes us such good friends. She understands me and I understand her, even when no one else in the world does.

The first few years at the 'School of Gardenia' taught us just how unlikeable we are. Apparently not knowing what your power is was as rare as crabgrass growing during winter, and with my luck it was only Alissa and I who didn't know.

Of course now, she's grown into her power of manipulation. She's one of the strongest at school, which made her able to climb the popularity ranks but she's never cared about that. When she finally discovered her power, she knew people would treat her differently, and with me still not knowing my power I was scared. She was my only friend.