THE GIFTED

C H A P T E R 1

The class starts, so does the students to wonder. "Aren't we supposed to introduce ourselves first, before the class?" One of them thought. And it was loud for one of them, who's having a hard time because he can't focus on the class. His classmates' thoughts are distracting him. He doesn't even know why he's anxious to experience this again.

He covered his ears in hope of blocking them. Useless, it's all in his head. He can read mind, and can hear them too. Especially if he's not feeling well. They said, 'great power comes with a great responsibility', so does their gifts that comes with consequences. It was twisted, as what they call it. Why call it 'gift' when they're bound to struggle with it, if they were out of their mind.

As he was busy trying to block their thoughts. Alganier felt a tap on his shoulder and turn around, to meet the eyes of his classmate. Her shoulders are slouching, her eyes shifting here and there. "I could sense your emotion and feeling, here take this." She lowered her head, her hands stretch out to hand him some candy. His eyebrows raised as he took it from her. Mouthing a small words of gratitude.

With a shrug, he opened it and toss the candy to his mouth. Within just few seconds, he calms down and were able to blocked all the unwanted noise on his head. For almost an hour and half, the class was dismissed. Everyone else are either getting to know each other, while the rest are just sitting at their desks.

"Everybody!" Someone called in front of the class. She has short-straight-silky hair, with few strands of bangs, along with her cat-like eyeliner. "I'm Madison, you can call me me Maddie." She introduced with a smile, that grab their attention to notice she actually have a lip piercing on corner of her right lower lip, below it was her mole, that complements her look.

The rest of the class followed next, introducing each other without the guidance of their teacher. None of them talk about their gifts, but it happened anyway, when Madison asked, "Why did teacher Kath, didn't ask us to introduce ourselves?"

"I made her." One of the female student, named Florence. She had fierce look, long-brown-wavy hair, a perfectly curl lashes, and a straight eyebrows.

"You made her what?!" Carl asked in bewilderment. His wide eyes, reflecting on his glasses.

Jerald gasped in astonishment, covering his mouth with his hands as he laugh. "No way, you made a clone teacher." Florence didn't even hold her eyeroll, as she glare at Jerald and Carl.

She took a deep breath, holding back herself from cursing each ot them. "What I mean is, I made her not ask, about introducing." She cross her arms, and walk to sit on one of the desk. "That's my gift, I can manipulate people's mind. But it sucks, I can't read their minds."

"I don't think you'd like it, if you do." Now everyone's eyes were on Alganier. His hands clasps together on his table. He was looking down at his desk, and when speaks, only his eyes that moves toward Florence. They locked eyes. "People have horrible thoughts, and some are even nasty to think about." Florence arched one brow, eyes still on him. Her face shows no emotion, as the room fell silent. "Don't even try." He said firmly, with a friendly face, taking Florence off guard.

Suddenly, Jerald broke into fit of laughter, confusing all of them, beside Alganier. "Oh y'all, he's mind reader. I remember one of our classmates backstabbed him, he end up sharing their thoughts loudly for everyone to hear." He snickered as he throw a glance at Alganier, who was now giving him a questioning look. Jerald wink. They all gulp as they look at Alganier. He was embarrassed to even say.

One of the students bit his lip, as he brace himself to speak. "He's lying." He finally said. With much more confident, he support his claim, that Jerald is indeed lying. "I can tell if people is lying or not." He told them. Some were giving him skeptical look, while the others look amazed.

"Let's see! Let's see!" Joanna cheered, jumping on her seat. Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought of something, that she can use to prove, their classmate Micheal is telling the truth. "I hid Betty's laptop." Betty who was beside her, had her eyes grow bigger, remembering her precious thing that went missing this morning.

Betty was about to throw a hand, and a handful of scold, when Micheal answered. "You're lying." Joanna smiled sheepishly, as she hug Betty.

"My turn." Betty added. "Joanna and I went to sneak at someone's room, and broke their things."

"It's true." Everybody couldn't even hide their surprised. They didn't even bother to ask, if it's correct or not, and asked Betty and Joanna right away, on why they did it. "They did something terrible to us, we're just taking out revenge."

"Tell me, us, what's your gift. You two." Madison challenge them. No one answered. "Are you two that close? You're willing to help each other, to destroy someone's property?" Heather who gave Alganier candy, and who can feel or rather sense, someone's feelings and emotion. Back away, sensing Madison's hot-boiling temper. No one notice yet, but there are red flashes on her eyes. Only Heather sees it, as she's the only one focus on Madison, due to the capacity of her anger, it's beyond two persons anger combined. Scaring Heather. "Answer me."

Heather got startled, as the person beside her shook her shoulder. "What's wrong?" His voice, it calms her down. It was as if, the worries and uncertainty on her mind and heart are gone. Then it clicked on her.

"Do something." She whispered to him. "Calm Madison down, or she will explode in anger."

"What do you mean?"

"We don't know what her gift is, just yet. So we don't know what her anger could lead as well." He nodded right away, and stand up, getting their attention.

"Maddie!" He called happily, the heavy breathing of Madison that is too loud for Kenley. Slows down, and fall into rhythm as she calms down. "Let me ask them, myself." He smiled, showing his tiny dimple. With his hands on his pocket, and a chin up. Jeffrey walk with all his glory, towards the two girls. "Now ladies, may we get an answer from the both of you?"

"I can communicate with animals, both of us. And they did something terrible. They killed my cat! Our other fur friends told us, it's them. They were lucky, I only have their things destroyed and nothing else!" Betty cried on Joanna's arms, still grieving on her loss. Her pet is like her very own child, and she's too hurt, to let it be.

Jeffrey didn't even blink, nor his smile falter as he approach Betty, patting her shoulder. "You'll be alright soon." He then stood up straight again, and flash his smile to everyone. "Okay, now let's move on to next one. Let me start, I'm Jeffrey, as I've said earlier, and I'm gifted with ease. Yes, I can calm anyone, anything, if I wanted to, in anyway I want." He turn his head to Madison. "Your turn." She swallowed the lump on her throat, looking at everyone else but Jeffrey.

"There are things we're not supposed to know, and we wish we never knew. And there are many more, that we are yet to know. That are still hidden, so let's keep it that way."