The Marked

Revelation And Repentance

"Guys, I'm talking to Emma. She's sitting right next to you, Mike." He looked at me like I'd hit my head, and turned to glance at the seat next to him. Emma had begun eating her side of steamed broccoli while I had been speaking to Mike, and I desperately hoped that he would suddenly see her. However, as he turned back to face me there was only a slight look of confusion on his face.

"Um, I don't think there's anyone there. . . But I do feel this sense as if someone is. . . Is someone using their ability on us?" Sighing as I tried to think how I would explain all of this to him, I was surprised to hear Shea answer him instead.

"Yes and no. Emma is a girl in our class who has the Unseen Mark. However, it has developed into a passive ability, and now it is extremely difficult for people to notice her, and they even forget about her after a minute of not paying attention to her. You don't remember Mike, but you just heard practically her entire life story."

I wasn't sure how to describe Shea's tone as she spoke, but it was almost as if she was. . . regretful. Mike looked shocked, and turned to stare at Emma. After a moment, he lightly held out his hand, and she looked up at him. It was a few inches behind her back, so she reached out to touch his elbow that was right next to her face.

Mike's body seized in surprise at the unexpected touch that seemed to come from nowhere, and then he blinked slowly as she evidently came into view. She smiled sadly at him, and went back to eating her broccoli. Shea then sighed, and held out a hand to Emma. The others were looking at us like we were crazy, but Mike quickly explained that he could see someone, and began explaining what she looked like to them.

Emma slowly looked up to meet Shea's eyes, and I waited tensely for whatever Shea was about to say. "I didn't realize. . ." Shaking her head, Shea started over. "That's no excuse. I was a jerk to you for no good reason, and I believed stupid rumors. I shouldn't have made wild accusations when I had no idea what the truth was. I hope you can forgive me."

Emma smiled sadly then, and nodded. Shea sighed in gratitude, but before she could say anything else Emma spoke, a somber tone to her voice. "I forgive you, but you won't remember, so what difference does it make?" Shea seemed surprised at her words, but I could understand what she was saying. If Shea looked away from Emma for more than a minute, then she would forget ever having this conversation, and would go back to believing Emma was a troublemaker.

"Hey, I've got an idea," Shea said, and took a small white smartphone out of her pocket, unlocking it and quickly clicking through her apps. "What if I get your number and we text and talk on the phone?" Shea seemed so hopeful, that I felt bad for her when Emma shook her head no, and reached across the table to take Shea's hand.

"I don't have a phone. I was supposed to get one after my first week of school so that I could keep in contact with my parents, but they forgot." Shea's shoulders slumped, and I realized that she was out of ideas. She desperately wanted to make amends, and her one idea had been shot down. Mentally sighing as I wondered if this was a good idea, I took my own phone out of my pocket.

"Here." Emma stared at the phone in my hand for a moment, not understanding what I was offering her. "Take it," I said, and then she held up both hands and shook them at me in denial, making claims that she couldn't just take my phone, and I simply stood up and leaned across the table, dropping it in her lap. Tom and Ryan looked at me like I was crazy, but soon it was just Tom. Ryan was too busy looking in wonder at the phone that I had dropped in her lap.

Ryan looked up at me then, and his eyes were full of concern. "Dude, your phone just fell into oblivion." Not understanding what he meant at first, Emma laughed and jumped in to explain.

"I'm not invisible, just unseen. Meaning, the things that come into contact with me, like clothes and phone, I suppose, become unseen also. If I concentrate really hard, I can even make other people that I'm in close contact with unseen, but its really hard." In the end, Emma sent a text to everyone at the table saying who she was, and that she now had my phone.