DEVIATE X / / AN UNORDINARY FANFICTION

XXIII.

"See? I told you it was good!"

"Eh, it was alright."

The sunlight beamed through the linear skylight of the mall's ceiling as we poured out of the theater, accompanied by the same occupants who watched the same movie as us. I felt the damp iciness of the paper cup uncomfortably bite into the skin of my fingers as I scanned for a nearby trash can to chuck my water-downed soda in.

"Man, don't hide it!" Isen replied gleefully. "I saw you bawling your eyes out at the end!"

"What?? No! That was you!" Blyke replied sheepishly.

As we made our way down to the first floor, a new fog began to shroud my mind with an innumerable, relentless amount of thoughts, but this time, I didn't feel like I was stumbling blindly down a path. Instead, stretched out before me was a set of various paths, winding and branching out in completely different directions. There was an endless amount of scenarios that I accounted for when John and I had time to properly talk out our.....feelings, with the only variable factor being John's reaction.

It was difficult to think about the unpredictability of his response towards the following conversation. Through the thick of my own selfishness, I yearned to be with him even though I had my own issues to solve. It was selfish to ask him to wait for me when I had no idea when I was going to be ready to be with him. I didn't want to think about the inevitable, the day that I would turn around and he wouldn't be there to support me anymore. The day that, if I needed him the most, he would be nowhere to be found. The day I'd be forced to accept if he no longer wanted anything to do with me.

In the midst of my own fears, I felt Blyke's strong hand overlap my wrist, melting my field of vision back into mall's scenery. Perplexed, I cocked my head to face him, but his eyes were fixated on something in front of us.

A large sign caught my eye first, accompanied by a man sitting at a table.

Measures 1-10

Score of 5+ gets a prize!

"....An ability reading table?" I questioned reluctantly as Blyke began to drag me in the direction of the vendor.

"I already know my ability level!" Remi shouted in protest as Isen pulled her along.

"Yeah, it really isn't necessary," I added nervously, ebbing with an edge of persistence as I began to resist the force of Blyke's impatient pulls.

I understand seeing a potential business opportunity, but was this even appropriate to market this into a business? There were certain bounds of propriety that shouldn't be crossed, and this undoubtedly was one of them. Ability levels should be kept discrete for the most part. Were people naive enough to blatantly to divulge their ability level to a stranger?

"Exactly, so it's an easy prize!" Isen replied before Blyke promptly set me in front of the table. "Delta first."

The vendor offered a gentle smile as he reached out for my hand. Without a second thought, a soft outline of red enveloped my hand as he attempted to grab it, his hand curling around thin air as I pulled it away in a blur. Confused, his glowing eyes met mine as I stepped away from the table.

"I'm not comfortable with this," I told Blyke, panning my crimson eyes over the vendor. "I'll pass."

"What's the harm in it?" He asked, scratching the back of his head and sighed in defeat without awaiting my response. "I suppose if you're not comfortable with it, then I don't want to force you."

"How splendid! You scored a five!" The vendor informed enthusiastically as he released Remi's hand. "How lucky I am to come across such a powerful young lady!"