Birth Right

Following in the Shadows

Chapter 9

                After the first encounter with Dan, I was extra cautious. I read his mind so often but it was still the same shroud of mystery that covered it. He was fascinated. No. He was obsessed with me. In every class I could feel his eyes staring at me. Ironically, he happened to have exactly the same classes as me. It made me feel uncomfortable. His revelation made me realise many questions. How could he have known about my abilities? How could he have found me here? Why wasn’t he one of the boys in my dreams? In the weeks that followed I became uneasy. I felt constantly on edge.

                One particular day springs to mind. I was walking home as I usually do. I had my headphones in on full blast drowning out the world. It was Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. I was walking down the final street towards my house which was nothing but trees and the isolated gateway leading up to my own. I was singing the song to myself. As it happens, I have a tinkling voice that sounds like angels as everyone put it.

                I feel it in my bones, enough to make my system grow.

                Welcome to the new age, to the new age,

                Welcome to the new age, to the new age,

                Woah oh, woah oh,

                I’m Radioactive, Radioactive.

                Woah oh, Woah oh,

                I’m Radio-

                I stopped singing. I heard the thoughts. It was his thoughts. Dan’s. He was near. I felt myself get nervous. He was following me. I knew it. I quickly turned around. I saw the faint shadow of someone dive behind one of the trees. I stood still and looked back at the tree. My heart was pumping so fast. I could feel it pound against my chest. I looked in front of me. I wasn’t that far from the gates. I could make it. For some reason I knew I shouldn’t talk to him.

 I began running. I ran so fast. I could hear the footsteps of him running behind me. They were getting louder. He was getting closer. I ran through the two huge iron gates. I kept running towards my house. I used my energy to throw the gates shut. I then used my trained abilities to latch the gate and shut the lock. I could hear his anger and frustration as he rattled on the gates but I didn’t stop running. I didn’t turn back. I just kept going.

                Jeez. All I wanted to do was talk to her. Those gates closed awfully quick. I will have to find another way. I don’t want to reveal my ability to her straight away.

                I ran into the house and straight to my room. What was his ability? What does he want with me? I knew if he did corner me no matter what he would do I wasn’t going to use my abilities. I couldn’t trust him. I knew that now for sure.

                The next school day went by fairly easily. He wasn’t at school. I don’t know why he wasn’t but I really didn’t really care. It was a Thursday and after school every week on a Thursday I help out in the school Library. It is just one person that looks after a thousand books at least. It was a woman in her 30’s, she was thin and had delicate little glasses and wore pretty clothes often with flat shoes on. She always wore her blonde hair in a bun. Her thoughts were kind and clear and her love for books just drew me to her. I help her restock books, repair books and other things which often gives me extra privileges like being the first in line to read new books. I spent my usual an hour and a half there helping her.