Proven

Chapter 16

Tellers never did anything wrong--ever. Except for becoming a Teller. It's the single stupidest decision I've ever made. My life could have been easier, but I was a power hungry little girl. I still am. It's nice to be able to stop dreaming about having my abilities and actually have them. Little girls and boys watch Peter Pan and wish they could fly. I would watch Peter Pan and then go watch actual people fly around a gymnasium. Other watch The Incredibles and daydream about being incredible. I was incredible. Still am, too.

But where I am right now isn't incredible. It's incredulous, but not in the good way. I sink back into the soft cushions of the rocking chair, trying to sink into it. Not comfort wise, but literally. When I was younger, my mom read me the stories about this room.

"Which book tonight, Cara?" Mom knelt next to the bookshelf and beckoned me over. Her hair was pulled back into a loose braid, the one she always wore right before bed. I teetered over to her, my small feet flopping against the floor.

I looked over all of the picture books. They were lined up neatly according to color. The blues all sat next to each other with the reds next to them. That night, I remember wanting something new. There were at least fifty books on the small bookcase, and we had only read forty-nine of them.

"This one," I jabbed a black one with my stubby index finger.

Mom bit her lip and hesitantly reached out a shaky hand. I'd never seen anybody act that way, I wondered what was wrong. Yet she still pulled the little black book out and handed it to me. As soon as I touched it, I knew something was off. Even at my age, I was able to identify evil.

The words were engraved in gold on the cover, but I couldn't read yet. I squinted at the book, trying to read the over still. Mom scooped me up with her small arms and carried me over to my bed. It was a big girl bed, meant just for me. I crawled underneath the pink bed covers while mom sat at the foot of the bed and read the story to me.

"Now, Cara, I need you to understand something," she looked down at me.

"Yes," I nodded sleepily. "I can understand something."

"This book is going to be scary," she warned, her fingers tracing over the lettering. "And one day, you will do what this girl in the book does."

I shivered, but tried to act calm for my mom. She couldn't know I was scared already.

"Your life..." She trailed off as a tear came from her eye. "Your life may go away. But if you do what this girl does in this book, you will live. I can only read this book to you once. And then you can never open it again. So please...please listen, Cara."

I was too innocent to understand exactly what she meant. But I nodded vigorously anyway.

"Once upon a time, there was a girl named Gaia," she began, showing me a black and white drawing of a teenage girl. "She could read minds, they called her a Teller."

Mom had talked about Tellers before. She adored them and always wanted me to be one.

"This girl got caught by her enemies and whisked away to a log cabin. There was a rocking chair in the corner of this cabin. Because she wanted to know what was going on, she went to the rocking chair. When she sat in it, she focused on getting comfortable and melting into it. Soon enough, she had become the rocking chair."

What my mom was saying sounded impossible. I couldn't believe anything about the story. But I still listened to it.

"That night, the enemies came in to hurt the girl. But they couldn't find her. So they took the rocking chair away to a dump and left it there. Gaia was able to become a girl again and escape into the wild. Never again could she show her face to people again. The end."

Mom closed the strange book and handed it to me. That night, I had terrible dreams of getting hurt by the evil people. I clutched the book like a teddy bear all through my next few years. Once in a while, I tried to open it, but it never did.

I snap back to the present where I am still trying to become the chair. Paige is still knocked out on the floor, her hair spread out around her. We're both wearing our black body suits, but hers is coated in dirt. Sighing, I rush over to her and put my hand on her back.

"Paige, wake up!" I shake her body violently, trying to figure out how much time I have. If the story was accurate, they'll be here soon.

As soon as she groans, I slide my hands under her armpits. She makes an agitated noise while I drag her across the floor.

"Alright, alright!" She staggers to her feet and yanks away from me. "What?"

"We need to sit in those rocking chairs or else we're gonna die," I say.

I go behind her and push until she moves. She obviously never read the book. Maybe it was only for me, I'll never know. Or at least, not if I don't live. Before she sits down, I sit in my chair.

"Now just relax," I say, curving my back into it. "I know it sounds stupid, but just do it."

She does the same as me, even closing her eyes. Before I know it, she's gone. And I'm sure that I am too.

Hours pass, and then I hear the footsteps.

A/N

Hello! Thanks so much for reading this far into my story. If you want to, you can comment or vote. If that's not a possibility for you right now due to wifi issues, it'd be great if you could come back later. Thanks again!