Flower Boy

It Arrived

    I sat on an old wooden chair, sorting through the letters that me and my mother received. All I could see were coupon books and bills. That is, except for one. A mauve envelope with a purple star seal. White, handwritten cursive letters read: Skye Hazletine. Nothing more, nothing less. My hands started sweating. Who would write a letter specifically addressed to me? I hardly had any friends. Maybe it was a relative? But it wasn't even in all my known relative's handwriting.

    As I took a gulp for air, I carefully took the letter out of the pale purple-gray envelope. "Skye Hazletine," I read aloud. "The Department of Supernatural and Other Magical Cases have taken note of your powers. The semester starts on August twenty-fifth. We suggest you start packing immediately, as we will take students in to get settled into their dorms as early as July thirtieth. Sincerely, DSOMC."

    "I'm... unregistered," I put a hand over my mouth. I couldn't believe that I was a criminal, and didn't know. "What are they going to do to me?" I sniffed. The DSOMC protected those that are gifted with supernatural abilities, and I was one of them. But what? I was nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, I never even stopped to consider if I had supernatural powers.

   As my hands continued to shake, I wandered over to my door. Slowly, I opened it and walked down the creaky, wooden steps that seemed to be centuries old. My mother sat on the sofa, not even hearing me come down. I dropped the letter on the dusty table, watching the dust bunnies scatter. 

   "Mom..." I sobbed. She turned her head and slowly got off the couch. Her eyes drifted over to the letter. Without saying a word, she embraced me with a look of sorrow on her face. Her graying golden locks smelled of rose. 

    "There's no way... It can't be... there must be a mistake..." she muttered. "Your father was no supernatural entity, and neither am I. I don't understand... I don't understand." Her woebegone eyes told the story. If I saw it in hers, mine was probably the same. 

   "I'll go pack." I finally mustered up the courage to say a word. I turned to go back upstairs, but inside, I felt like screaming. It seemed that in only a matter of minutes, my life shattered right before my eyes.