Queen of Hearts

Three

The hardest part about having my ability was figuring out what it actually did. I made mindmaps, watched videos, talked to my dog about it; I basically was Sherlock Holmes. After reading tons and tons of fantasy books, I came up with a conclusion: I could change people's emotions with my mind. Of course, this turned out to be wrong, but still, it wasn't too bad for a newly 10-year-old to figure out. 

Melanie happened to be the first and only person who's emotions I changed that summer. Honestly, for a while, I tried to forget it happened and tried to make myself believe that it was just me asking her to dance that made her happy. But deep down I knew that wasn't the truth. I had felt myself change something, move something, which Melanie then responded to. 

So, of course, 5th grade for me was a nightmare. Not only did I have to stress with the normal stuff like crushes, puberty, and actually getting graded on my work, but suppressing myself from feeling the invisible sensation again. And not-to-brag or anything, but I was hella good at keeping myself in check. Anytime I felt the invisible rope or dial, I shoved my hands in my pockets and clenched my hands into fists. I went a full year without one incident. Not only was a good at not using my 'power', but I never told anyone about it. 5th grade me kept her mouth shut at all times. 

I had plans that summer to be chill, keep under the radar so I wouldn't do something stupid like make my mom super mad at me (at the time, I had no clue what I could and couldn't do, but I prepared for the worst like the little nerd I was). So when the news came about that I was being sent to a camp in the middle of the woods, and that I had to go pack-my-bags-right-now-young-lady-this-isn't-a-disscusion-we're-having, let me tell you, I flipped out. I'd never really thrown tantrums before, but man, was my kicking and screaming Olympic level. 

5 hours later though, I was in my families minivan on my way to Vermont. My dad spared the details and just told me that it would be a team-building camp for 6 weeks. 

6 weeks. 

6 weeks which I had NOT prepared for. The entire ride, I was sweating, trying to figure out what to do, if I would be able to suppress my power, and why I was even going to this god darn freakin' camp in the first place (I was 10, the only curse word I knew was "asshole"). But when we arrived, I was mixed with both fear and awe. 

Tall pines reached up into the air, and it smelled really good, like dew and fire combined. From the car window, I peeked out to see where I would be living for the next 6 weeks. I was surprised, but I actually loved what I saw. Log cabins of different sizes and shaped dotted around a flat forest land. Behind one, I could see a hearth with benches around it. And even farther back in the distance, I spotted a lake with a swing on a tree near it. Everything was so pretty, but something felt wrong at the same time. That was when I realized it. 

"Dad," I squawked. "Where is everyone else?" Looking around, I saw no one in sight. It was empty, except for a silver Honda parked in front of one of the main cabins. Mom had gotten out of the car and was unpacking my stuff from the back of the trunk. 

"We're checking you in early, sweetheart," he grumbled. I turned to him. "Why? Why do I need to be here early?" I was on the verge of crying, and man, I was really tired that day. But I could see my dad was growing impatient. "You are here because Mommy and I are taking a trip to California for a while." I nodded, not fully understanding, but understanding enough that the conversation was over. "Ok," I mumbled.

 Mom came around from the back of the car and grabbed my hand. "Let's get you settled in, ok baby?" I nodded again and hopped out of my car seat to follow her. She was leading me to one of the bigger cabins, the one with the car in front of it. "I think this is the right one..." she muttered. Mom released my hand to knock on the door. After a few seconds, no one answered, so she knocked again. "Hello?" she called out. "Anyone here?" More silence. "That's odd," she said. "I just called a few hours ago, someone definitely should be here." 

Suddenly, we heard a thud, as if someone fell. After a few moments, we heard more thuds, but they were like steps. Through the screen door, I could see someone coming toward us. But they didn't seem tall enough to be an adult. They kept running toward the door though, so my mom pressed her hand against my chest to push me back. Good thing she did, because that door sprang open the second the person pushed through. 

Standing in front of me was not an adult like I had expected. No, instead it was a boy, around my height. "Hi!" he exclaimed. "My name is Cole!"