Spall

Jake

Jake

I have never known a normal life. I don't know what it is, don't know what it feels like. Mom says I'm special, different, original, but at school, I don't have any friends because I'm always the odd one out. Why? Because I can see things, that I'm not supposed to see. Hear things, I'm not supposed to hear. Feel things, that I'm not supposed to feel.

They come in dreams, dreams that are more like nightmares, because they haunt me, they hunt me down and bully me, just like everyone at school. These...visions, mom says its a gift, but it's a curse, an evil spell I have to overcome, and I always seem to be asking myself: why me?

I was in the seventh grade at Madison Jr. High school in Pittsburgh. It was March 5, and I dreaded the next day. Why? It was my birthday, and I was turning 13. Why did I dread my birthday? I knew I would get all the birthday "presents."

"Hey! You! Sightseer! Happy Birthday!" people would say. "'Cause I have a nice big punch for you! It'll be fun! For me." Then I would duck and dodge the many oncoming kicks and punches.

I looked at the clock. It was 8:30 at night, and I was getting tired, but I kept telling myself not to go to sleep. No more dreams for me, no, no, no. I couldn't help it, my eyes began to droop, so I decided I would close my eyes, not sleep, just rest, but I slept anyway. Next thing I knew, I was dreaming.

I was in a big room with no walls, filled with people, and in my dream, I felt something I never felt before; like I belonged. There were things and people in the air, or being lifted with one arm. There were people racing each other at the speed of sound. There were force fields appearing at random places at random times. There were people flickering between being invisible and visible.

There were things exploding, people lighting on fire, people stretching to cover a wall, people changing into animals and things, anything you can think of and somebody had that power.

Then I was awoken by a harsh shaking. Since I fell asleep facing my alarm clock, the time was the first thing I saw. The clock's bright red glow shined 12:01. Next I looked at the face above me. I saw bright green eyes and a pale face. I saw short, brown hair and a huge smile. He looked to be around my age. I wasn't scared when I woke up at midnight in bed by a stranger staring at me. I had odd habits like that.

"Who are you?" I inquired.

"My name is Echo Anderson. You are Jake Owens." said the boy named Echo.

"Pardon me?" I asked again. "How exactly do you know that?" Echo adopted a sarcastic gape for an expression.

"I would think you, a sightseer of all people, would know how we know you!" the odd boy exclaimed, a heavy layer of banter coating his voice. I gave him a baffled look, reflecting how I was feeling. "We send trackers out, disguised as humans, and they stay hidden in the shadows, watching for anybody with the characteristics of an Overachiever, which is what we call ourselves. If we were correct as we watched you, you dream things up in the future, present, or past, and you think it is a curse instead of a gift. At our school, we teach you how to use your powers for good, how to control them, we teach you to think of them as gifts instead of curses."

"Why now? Why not take me away earlier?"

"You're thirteen now. When an Overachiever turns thirteen, either Julian or I take them away to Flemming." Echo explained.

"Why you? What's Flemming?"

"Flemming is the school for us. Julian and I are the only ones that are farthest along with our training. Well, besides Alex, but he's not in Transportation, so that doesn't really work out so well. Other than that, though, we just have normal powers, like you. Actually, you're the first person with this power that we've had in...well, forever! That could make you quite popular."

"Popular? Me? I think you have the wrong idea..." I trailed off.

"Then I guess you'll get a surprise then when you get there." And that was my hint that we had to go.

Then a thought occurred to me. "What about my mom?"

"What about her? When all Overachievers come to Flemming, we always erase the family's memory of you, we already did it for your mother. Now she'll think she never had any children, but if she sees you, it might spark back in her memory that you were her child, and that is way too dangerous, Flemming could be exposed!"

My heart skipped a beat. "So I'll never see her again?"

"Not likely."

I didn't know what to do, turn back and stay with my mom forever but remain with this curse, or go forward, get rid of my curse, or at least learn to control it, but never see my family again? I was ashamed to say that I couldn't bring myself to turn back.

We walked out the front door to a wagon-like cart with nothing attached to it to pull it, though it was covered with bright pillows inside. It looked comfy.

"Here's our ride!" said Echo cheerily. I still didn't know what would pull us.

"What's gonna pull the wagon?" I asked.

"I am; I have telekinesis power. Quite rare." he said proudly.

We got in the wagon, which was very cozy and warm compared to the cold night. Echo flicked his hand upward, causing the wagon to rise. He then shifted his hand forward and I was thrown back in the seat since the wagon advanced so quickly. We rode in silence for a bit until Echo was sure the wagon would go to the right place.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"No," I yawned. "Just tired."

"Try to get some sleep then."

I closed my eyes, thinking about everything that had just happened. Eventually, though, I fell asleep, and for once, I didn't have a single dream.