Esper

Esper Chapter 11: Mysteries, Lies and Truths

Part 1

(My head...all these voices...they haven't stopped since the incident.) Harper Wolf dug his thumbs into his temples, trying to block out those distant whispers reverberated in his mind. (I can't even sleep at night. At night, they're worse!) The sounds of a little girl crying, as loud orchestral music, and police sirens blared would penetrate each and every dream! (...That one voice, it's his. I know him way too well.) A familiar voice, one that he could focus on, looked for solace, his friend. (A bossy one, constantly thinking.) The unfamiliar busybody only thought of work, and planning, rarely delving into frivolity. (More cynical thoughts, of course.) Depressed and embittered, another lacked any key to escaping their own wandering thoughts. (Then there's the greedy one; only wanting.) An ambitious voice, one that refused to allow others to obstruct their goals remained steadfast.

Yes, Harper was hearing others' thoughts. He could hear familiar voices, faint but ever present everywhere he went, while others would get louder as he passed individuals on the streets. (Man, that girl is fine as shit!) Some would think. (I need to earn some extra money for that car.) Others would go on about. (That bastard! He didn't even call me back!) People would scream in their heads! (...Should I turn myself in...) Was whispered. What would a young man like him do? Could he use this power to help? He didn't know...not until... (It's not worth it...Just one step...) The subway... (Then it'll all be over...) He watched another young man. (I...I love you...I love you, Mom! Dad!)

(Seriously?!) Harper wanted to stop the boy, but an entire train platform, two sets of tracks, and an ocean of people separated them! His own inability to move at a moment's notice would allow a preventable tragedy, one that would be all his fault, to take place! (No...don't kill yourself! Don't die! Your Mom! Your Dad! They'll be sad!)

His foot left the platform as the train approached, but then...words, thoughts, visions, were blasted into the boy's mind! Words like, father, mother, sadness, regret, guilty, suicide, love; and visions of his parents blaming themselves for his death halted the boy in his tracks! The train whizzed by...and the boy lived, none the wiser to the fact that Harper had saved him.

Part 2

"Well...say something!" Amala Singh's amethyst eyes shot ferocious scorn toward Calvin Wolf! The man could only counter with an expression of disbelief. His son, Harper, shuddered behind him, feeling tension pollute the air like static before a lightning strike! That vile criminal accusation, it was snarled aloud, stealing the voices of all parties involved!

"Amala...?" Nicolaus Thompson's personal knowledge of Amala was limited. For her to have not only revealed such a traumatic experience, but confronted an object of said ire before him, a near unswallowable lump of discomfort lodged itself in his throat.

"...It's been some time since we'd last seen each other." Calvin finally broke the hushed silence. With an awkward air gripping the quiet cul-de-sac, it felt like time slowed to a crawl for both Nicolaus and Vergil Trask, who basically wandered into a hostile reunion. "Are you not sleeping well? You have bags unde-"

"Shut up, you piece of trash!" Unrestrained vitriol was dragged from deep in Amala's soul! The man before her was unforgivable! "I want you...I want you to go ahead and lie again! Lie like you did on the stand all those years ago! Right here, right now, in front of your son, to my face, to the world! Say...say you didn't m-molest me! Say you weren't the reason that Chelsea, Sasha, Loran and Patricia...all killed themselves...!" As strong as she tried to appear; ignoring her own voice cracking, and tears welling up in those resolute eyes, the adrenaline alone kept Amala from falling back on her unsteady legs. Unyielding in her beliefs, she felt wholeheartedly, her actions were righteous...or at least...

Harper, Nicolaus and even Virgil all waited with baited breaths as the setting sun collected the last of its warm rays from across the darkening sky. "Amala, I know what happened at Mrs. Helga's was horrible for you...and I didn't help at all-"