Starting Life From Another Choice Than Zero

Chapter 16 - Abilities

All air seemed to escape him then. The many fears, the many horrors, a tight constriction hindering breath. The beats of his heart... the poundings in his chest, barely, he could almost feel it - the agonizing compression, the painful embrace of the Witch's touch.

A smile, radiating pride, Irma looked at him, the blue hue of satisfaction shimmering in her eyes, juxtaposing the manifestation of evil that sprouted from her being.

The Unseen Hand swayed at his direction, fingers long, thin and slender - fingers that coalesce with the death and devastation of one too many, fingers that twisted and contorted an unsalvageable trauma, tainting him forever - fingers... that now wiggled playfully towards him. A gesture not unlike one of a warm friendly greeting.

"I was five when I realized I had this. I like to refer to it as my 'helping hand'. It's real... handy when you're up to things you aren't supposed to be doing. Nothing too serious though."

His shocked, mistaken for speechlessness. His horror, mistaken for fascination. Irma remained oblivious to it all.

"Ain't just for display either, I can make it do whatever I want it to do. I can make it stretch longer, make it twist and turn and-"

"Stop, stop it," interjected Subaru, his voice finally surfacing.

Tense, strain - whittling the atmosphere to a sullen solemnity. In his inflection, Irma grew aware of it, frowning with her head tilted slightly. "Pardon? Something the matter?"

Subaru's gaze slowly wandered back to the Unseen Hand, hovering still, before, within a second's pass, the repulsive shape, the elongated darkness - it spurted forward towards him.

Immediately with a shout, Subaru recoiled backward, a deep sonorous thud rippling across the wooden enclosure as his head bashed the other end of the carriage, his eyes stirring in a frenzy, finding Irma in between movement, her body leaning closer to where he once was.

"DON'T," Subaru began, breath in a frantic rhythm, "PUT THAT THING ANYWHERE NEAR ME."

Irma, in a visible state of confusion, was in a fluster of expressions. "Wha - what happened? Did I do some-"

"GET RID OF IT!"

"What? Get rid of what?"

"THAT - THAT THING. NOW!"

"Wuzz happenin?"

Irma had roused abrupt, the thunder and shouts, stirring her within the seams of consciousness and an aimless stupor. Her misty white eyes lazily adrift in assessment to the scene presented before her.

Understanding seemed to dawn on her face, then a tiresome sigh escapes her lips. "Sister, I've warned you plenty already. You show that thing to anyone and they're gonna scream. I don't blame Supa... I don't blame him for freaking out. It's only natural."

"But..."

"Yes, I know you think it's the coolest thing in the world. To others though? It looks as if a demon sprouted from your back, like some kind of purple plant monster."

After a noise of reluctance, Irma finally relented and the Unseen Hand evaporated from sight. Her expression still lingered a trace of grievance as she turned towards Subaru, who breathed with ease at its disappearance.

"Well, uh... My apologies, then. Seems my sister isn't the only one lacking in proper social etiquette. I'll try not to freak you out anymore," spoke Irma.

A pillow was flung and collided with the side of her head.

"Keep talking. I have plenty of pillows still," warned Ilma.