Abandoned

Summoner Selections

      Zachary wasn't quite like other kids. Yes, most of his quiet attributes and shyness could be summed up perfectly as being an introvert (which was just fine) and possibly a mute, but his parents, classmates, and teachers could all agree that there was something...
     Different. Off, maybe. Even the air around him felt somewhat electrified; some people just couldn't stay near him for too long without feeling like they needed to move away from him. Some described it as a vibrating feeling, while others simply felt strangely energized and wanted to go shake it off.
     Yet, despite his differences, he was still a good kid. He was loving to his parents and little sister, he got good grades, and the few friends he got close to could all agree, he was a good person, 'aura' aside.
     He and aforementioned friends were eating lunch under the shade of a golden-leaved tree in the midsummer. Now, you could always stay inside and play PC games, or watch cartoons, or really anything- hardly anyone bothered just hanging out outside anymore. But that was the good thing. No one was around, and the peace of the afternoon was kept to themselves, a boy and a girl talking, with Zachary politely listening.
     Tuck was looking through his bag for one of those Reese's cups he'd packed while Elizabeth talked about her big dreams for the Summoning selection this coming Friday.
     "Can you believe it? I finally have a shot at becoming a Summoner! It's a-"
     "Dream come true? Don't worry, we get it." Tuck interrupted. It wasn't his fault- ever since the day she turned twelve, literally the only thing that excited Elizabeth was the Summoning selection. Every year, one lucky twelve year old was chosen from each school to live near the Sky Arena and train to become a Master Summoner. They could command monsters, fight evil ghosts, and go on secret missions for the Ministry.
     "You excited, Zach?" Tuck asked. Zach looked up and pondered for a moment, head tilted. On one hand, who didn't want to live a Pokémon-esque life of monster battling? Even Tuck, who always tried to play it cool, had the vibe that he too would like to go.
     But... Did he really want it?
     Not really. He liked his life here, with his family. He didn't really care for how much violence it sounded like there was either.
     He looked at his friends and shrugged. Elizabeth started with a "What?! How could you not-" but Tuck put a hand over her mouth and shrugged too. He gave her a look and she quieted down as he removed his hand. Zachary hated being embarrassed about something, and though he had never spoken a word, it was obvious through his body language. So they stayed quiet, and simply took in the silence. It was nice...
     This was the last Saturday of summer. On Monday, they would be back to school again, and on Friday, one of them might be gone for years.
     Zachary's heart ached at that. What if one of them was chosen? He didn't want to never see them again, but it could very possibly happen. He wasn't yet twelve - he would be on Wednesday - but even he would qualify. There wasn't even a way to say no for all he knew. Everyone who had been asked had ended up going.
     He just wanted everything to be normal again.
     ...But after his birthday, nothing ever was.