Beautiful Minds

Willow Tree

I have always been like a mirror to others. I remember the first time I touched a child who had fallen of his bike, and I immediately began crying with him. It's almost as if I could feel his pain, the exact scrape on his knee and pain in his wrist. When I was little myself, people always considered me to be highly empathic. I suppose that is one way to put it. It was only after I told my mom that leaving dad was the best thing for her, even though she was incredibly sad over it, that people had grown suspicious of this empathy of mine. My mother never showed that she was sad, I just always knew when she was. Some other mothers around her would eventually strongly encourage her to seek therapy for her depression, because it supposedly had made me depressed as well. It took a while to learn to hug her again. I had to trust her that she wouldn't affect my own emotions in a negative way anymore. This was a year-long process, unfortunately.

But it was at this moment that I would expect tears falling out of my own eyes after I had given her a goodbye hug. "Don't be worried mom, I will be fine," I sniffed. "Oh Marley..." She quickly held my cheeks with a faint smile. "Always crying in my place." "You know this place allows me to work on it," I assured her. I quickly used my sleeve to wipe my teary eyes. The last thing I wanted was for people to see me cry on my first day here. "Besides, people will understand me here. Perhaps I'm not the only one who can sense emotions," I shrugged. "All I want for you is to be safe," she nodded. I understood her worries. I couldn't read thoughts, but overtime I had learned to connect the dots here and there. A school full of people with psychic abilities didn't exactly sound like the most safe environment to send your child off to. "Now," she began as she placed the last bag in my hands and held my hands with a loving smile, "call me as much as you need, I will be right there when you need me." "Thank you," I nodded. I took my suitcase and began walking up the stairs to the entrance of the school.

I turned around one last time to wave my mother goodbye as she drove off, and began looking around the place. People walked around carrying their books and backpacks as their eyes were glued on me. I immediately became paranoid that some of them would be able to read my thoughts, or do something to me from a distance. A new girl at a psychic school, it did sound like quite the target. I quickly hopped up the stairs in my vulnerable thoughts. I almost bumped against another guy because I was too fixated on the small piece of paper that was mailed to me a few days back. It showed the room number that I would be staying at. After a few turns I finally seemed to have found it. I opened the door and was greeted by a beautiful window right across the room with a willow tree standing outside. Its leaves were dancing in the wind as it embraced every little bit of sunshine sneaking through the clouds. On my right I could see a wall full of photos. I closed the door behind me and inspected them. A lady frequently occurred with very straight black hair and sunglasses. Kissy faces, white pearl teeth, and bubble tea was also a frequently occurring theme.

After I unpacked all of my stuff and had hung up some of my own artworks on my wall, I discovered the note book inside the drawer of my nightstand. I had read about its existence in the mail, and that it was supposed to be my diary for the psychic therapy sessions I would sit through. The mail explained it was best to start writing in there as soon as possible, especially considering my first day here would be such a change in my life. But before my pen could touch the paper, the door suddenly swung open. The girl I had seen in the photos walked in, talking loudly on the phone. "Yeah, but you told her that right? Well then it's her fault. You weren't rude, you just stated your personal boundaries. What an utter bitch, just cut her already." My eyes stared into the void, widened, as I tried my best not to judge what she just said. After placing her backpack down she turned towards the counter and started fixing some of her make up. "No, honey, I gotta go. Roommate's here." I frowned, not appreciating the idea that she talked about me before even having made me aware that she had acknowledged my presence. She put her phone away and turned to me. I smiled faintly and stood up. "Hi, it's Marley. They/them pronouns," I stated as I attempted to shake her hand. "Dakota. Dinner's ready in ten," she said with her monotone voice, not at all replying to my hand. She quickly threw a brush through her hair and stormed out of the room again. I frowned at the door for at least a minute after she closed it shut, trying to process what just happened. Was that rudeness, or did she know about my psychic ability and refuse to touch me?