Deadly Eyes

Gifted Gene

I have another brother. Johnathan. Everyone thinks he was a miscarriage... how many lies can my family pile up?

"Ophelia I know this is hard for you to understand but hear me out ok? Your parents were in love from the beginning. They knew if they weren't careful your mother would become pregnant but it happened anyway. When Johnathan was born they could tell he was different. A child with abilities usually doesn't display any traits till they turn 16, but your brother was different. He started seeing things and causing distraction at a very young age. Your brother is what they call a projector. You are a seeker. You can see the death of an individual before it actually happens. Your brother on the other hand can manipulate a persons mind to make them see things that aren't actually there".

"Your uncle, your fathers brother, had the same gift. He killed people and it drove him to insanity." Jonah interrupts.

My head is swimming with this new information and the feeling of bile rising in the throat causes me to gag. Jonah grabs my hand and squeezes. "You don't have to go through this alone. My dad and I are here for you." He squeezes my hand one last time before letting go.

"What happened after he was born?" I ask reluctantly. Eric turns a corner, sending us down a dark road.

"Sadly, your bother started grabbing the attention of a few certain individuals who believe that gifted children would be the downfall of our world. They are called The Circle. The Circle is a group of 100 elders who's sole purpose is to rid of all gifted children before they have the chance to discover what they are."

"They just kill innocent children?!" I can feel the anger and worry build up inside me. Anger caused by the thought of babies dying at the hands of disillusioned adults. Worry caused by the thought of what that means for me.

"No! They don't kill them. 20 years ago, the elders made a cure to what they call the "gifted gene". It is a powerful serum that is injected into the child's chest. The chemicals work to fight against the gifted gene and shuts it down like chemo does to cancer cells. It is a very painful process that most infants survive. The older gifted on the other hand.... not so much." he look at me like he is expecting a reaction I; however, don't give one. 

"I'm confused. How do you know all of this?" the pieces start to click together in my head. He couldn't have.... Eric wouldn't. "You... you use to work for them, didn't you?". Eric looks like he is about to cry. Why?

"I did. I lied to you when I said no one had seen him since childhood. I was part of the group that was sent out to find Johnathan. Around four years ago he was hiding out with a friend who also had the gifted gene. He was 16 at that time. I didn't understand why we were going after him... none of us did except two of the older members. Once I saw the others inject him I was repulsed by the group I had once so openly joined and supported. I always believed that if you trained the gifted that they could harness their abilities and use them for good. He fell to the ground screaming. My partners underestimated his strength and he fought back.  He can only alter someones mind once he has contact with them. After making contact he can affect you from any distance and any time. Using his abilities, he killed 5 of my friends and escaped through the woods. The serum didn't kill the gifted gene like we thought it would. Something in your families blood line changed the serum and caused his powers to be escalated. He lost his humanity".

"Humanity?" the story of my lost brother is swirling in my head, threatening to tear me apart at any second. 

"Yes. Ancient legends believe that humanity is something spiritual inside us that keeps us good, sets our moral compass in the right direction. In some special cases, specific families are known to have an allele in their blood that enables them to turn off that sense of humanity. The serum also possesses the ability to alter your genes and manually turn off your humanity if you belong to one of those specific families". He pauses for a second. "I'm sorry Ophelia. If I would have known I would have stopped it and tried to save him". He seems sincere and I believe him.

Jonah is sitting next to me in the back seat and I want so desperately to lay my head against him and let the warmth of his body burn away all of my problems. 

"Something else we have yet to mention is your secondary gift. Some children are known to develop a secondary gift as they age. The secondary gift is known to be more less frequent than the primary gift, yet more powerful and... dark. Secondary gifts are abilities that reveal a gifted's true spirit. Their deepest, darkest secrets help form the secondary gift" Jonah explains to me. 

I look up to see he is looking at me like he is afraid ill run away. "How are you doing with all of this?" he asks, pulling me against his side. 

"I'm....." I trail off because i'm not sure how i'm doing. Everything lately has been one long, dull, pain. The only moments I feel something are those I spend with Jonah. I decide to change the topic instead of giving him a fake answer. 

"Are you gifted?" I can feel him tense up. Eric jumps like someone scared him and looks longingly into the rear view mirror at his son. "I'm sorry you don't have to answer" I quickly spit out.

"I was" is all he says. After that the air is filled with a screaming silence that could be felt miles away from the three of us. I don't press anymore. Did something happen to Jonah? Was he a victim of the disturbing affects of the serum?