The Vision - Chapter 5

I flatten my skirt nervously, hoping I looked ok. I was wearing the back pleated skirt and white shirt with no jacket or tie. It was a really warm day though and no one I had seen so far had been wearing a jacket. I was in simple ankle white socks and ballet flat shoes. My hair was into a purposefully messy ponytail and my makeup was looking good. I was hoping to be early, snag a seat at the back and become relatively unnoticed but I burnt my toast, got lost and still hadn’t been to my locker, so here I was ten minutes into class and just arriving. I knock.
"Come in." Says a male voice. I open the door and step in, still leaning on the handle and glancing at the timetable in my hand.
"Is this form five history?" I ask, the middle aged male teacher smiles.
"Why, you must be Bridget Parkins."

"Bree." I correct automatically.
"Come on in, Bree."
"You’re the girl that had that arrow in her back, the one with Mr Julian." A red haired boy in the front row blurts out before blushing.
"In the flesh, well most of it." I smile nervously as I close the door, there were a few laughs from around the room.
"There’s one seat over there, if Will wouldn’t mind sharing a text book?" I follow his eyes to see a bulky blonde guy sitting alone at a desk, grinning cockily. My shoulders dropped even more, I couldn’t even get a nice girl to meet and show me where to go for the rest of the day.

I take a seat next to him and Will slides the bok into the middle and points to the top of a paragraph as the teacher starts reading again. It was about the civil war.

Anglish passes in an uneventful whir and a bell soon chimes through the corridors, you could hear it echoing down before it actually sounded in your room. I take my time getting up and walk to the teachers desk.
"Bree, how can I help you?"
"Um, I was just wondering if you could show me where the lockers are My Kenneth." I heard his name a few times during class.
"Sure, follow me." He leads me only a few rooms away.
"Thanks, that’s all I needed."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I’ll be fine." I assure him. He nods and leaves. I check the bottom of my timetable and walk to find my locker.
"Lucky 13." I murmur as I pick up the lock and try to spin in the numbers. It took me a few minutes and by ten most of the other kids were gone but I finally got it open. Not really in any hurry to get to my next class, English literature.

The lockers were different from the little wooden ones we had at my old school, these were the real American style lockers that were thing and had two shelves in them. It also had a hideous grey backpack hanging from a hook and the books all neat and tidy. I sort through them quickly and grab a pencil case that was already full, several spare equipment in another container. This school was so weird. I grab the pencil case and books, leaving the bag and close the locker, fitting the cool metal lock back through the loop.

H9, where the hell is classroom H9? Crap, I am late again when I finally found the right door and no wonder it took me so long, it was probably the only classroom so far that wasn’t in the two side by side corridors. Eventually a kind looking person pointed me in the right direction. I knock on the door hesitantly, feeling like a complete idiot and blushing already.
"Come in." The voice was familiar, it was Luken.
"I got lost." I say, smiling sheepishly. Without a word, or even an expression really,, he turns back to the class.

"Class, meet miss Bree Parkins. It’s her first day and I am her mentor so I want you all to make her feel welcome. Take a seat, Bree." My shortened name sounded almost odd coming out of his mouth and there was a murmuring through the class when he mentioned he was my mentor. I smile shakily again and walk further into the class. There were a few spare seats but I headed to one that was next to a nice looking girl. Before I could ask her if I could sit she smiles and pats the seat next to her. Utterly relieved I dump my stuff onto the desk and sit down, folding my skirt under me.
"As I was saying, I am sorry for missing class on Monday I was…preoccupied." I could feel his eyes on me at the word preoccupied and as several people follow his gaze to glance at me I hold his. I could already feel my cheeks burning at the intensity of it. And when he looks away and continues I look at my desk again, trying to breathe normal.

Maybe I didn’t want him to be my mentor after all. I would never be able to act like a civil person in the line of that gaze. I wished for Lisa. I had a feeling that Luken would be very strict and I had a feeling my unruly tongue was going to get me in a lot of unappreciated trouble.
"Please open your books. Molly, would you please stand and read from where we were up to." A slightly perky blonde girl across the room stands and opens her book. The girl next to me murmurs.
"I’m Ashley."
"Bree." I smile, then we turn our attention to the blonde girl.

Ok, so truthfully I wasn’t really paying attention to the class. My main goal was to just get through the class. Just get through my first day, that was all. So when lunch time rocked around I didn’t get lost, I didn’t get a chance because the massive crowd of students pushed me into a large cafeteria like hall which was named the dining hall. I grab a tray and some food and drink. There were a couple of tables of teachers, a lot of students and a lot of still empty ones. I was just standing there with my tray looking like an idiot when someone called me over. Of course it was Ashlea, the only person I actually knew here so far. More relieved than I could put into words I start towards her.

Someone came at me from the side, they were too busy with their nsoe in abook to watch where they were going and crash, right into my bad shoulder.
"Hey!" I yelp.
"Oh sorry." He steps around me and continues on. My shoulder burned again but I force a smile and slide into a spare seat beside Ashlea.
"Rough few day?" Asks and unfamiliar red haired girl.
"You have no idea." I say.
"You’re that girl that got hit with an arrow!" I turn my attention to a cute looking boy at the table.
"Yeah." I say hesitantly.

"Oh, you mean the one that Mr Brax teleported into the middle of that classroom!"
"Yeah he kinda…saved me life." I say, wondering if they would believe me. But a blonde haired and brown haired girl sitting on the other end of the table both start fanning themselves.
"Oh how romantic. Brax is soooo hot!" I let out an involuntarily laugh but then see I wasn’t the only one.
"Eew." I say, but no one notices. The cute boy threw a piece of bread at them which they playfully batted away.
"No offense Tom, you’re kinda cute." He snorts once and keeps eating.
"So you’re his charge?"
"He’s my mentor." Ashley nods.
"Which means you’re his charge."

"Oh." I say, feeling like an idiot, but Ashley rushes on.
"Sorry Bree, I didn’t even introduce you. I’m Ashley, haha, that’s tome and Wade. And Sarah, Lonnie and Tara." Sarah was the red head, Lonnie the blonde and Tara the brunette. Everyone smiles friendly.
"Gang, meet Bree."
"Hey." I say, giving a small wave. My shoulder burned by I ignore it, not giving up this opportunity.
"Bree, Hey! First day?"
"Of classes, yeah."
"How old are you Bree?"
"I’m sixteen."
"What have you got next?"
"I don’t know I-"
"Have you had a session with Brax yet?"
"No but-"

"Is this different from your old school?" The questions came from all directions. I was getting a little flustered.
"I didn’t go to school." That shut them up.
"How old are you again?"
"Sixteen."
"And you don’t go to school?"
"Um, I did, up until a few months ago."
"Oh, ok then."
"Anyway, how long have you guys been here?" I ask, trying to take the spotlight off me for a while.
"A few years for me." Says Tara.
"Sarah and I both got here about a year ago. We share a dorm." Sarah nods in agreement and I open my mouth to say something when someone taps on my shoulder.

"Um, excuse me? Gal I think you might want to go to the sickbay." Says a dark skinned girl. I gasp and jump up.
"Aw, crap!" I mutter, pulling on the shoulder of my crisp white shirt. Blood had leaked across it from my shoulder. The girl walks off.
"Bree, oh my god! Want me to come to sickbay with you?" Asks Ashley.
"Naw, it’ll be ok. See you in class." I walk off towards the side door, the one that I thought led to near the sickbay. Before I got there someone falls into stride with me.

"Bree." He greets.
"Luken, hey."
"Had a little accident, did we?" I chew on my lip.
"Um, someone bumped into me." Luken nods once, sharply. I turn left.
"Wrong way." I turn right.
"How’s your first day going?" He asks me. I don’t reply, pretending I haven’t heard him.
"What’s wrong?" He sounds concerned.
"Huh? Oh, nothing, just thinking."

"About your first day of school?" He says doubtfully.
"No." I say, chewing my lip again. It was a terrible habit that I had to get around to breaking someday. My lips were always torn up, not a good look. I could feel the curiosity radiating from him but he was a gentleman and doesn’t ask. We walk on.
"I was thinking about the day we met." I blurt out into the too-quiet corridor.
"In the forest." It wasn’t a question but I nod anyway, still chewing my lip.
"I can’t imagine they would be happy thoughts." Chew, chew, chew.

They weren’t. I remember the feelings of confusion and them talking about dark magic had totally freaked me out. I remember trying to think of an escape. It had all happened so fast…

"Your lip is bleeding."
"What? Oh, oh crap." I wipe my hand across my lip and a small smear of blood comes away. I start sucking on my lip. We walk the rest of he way in silence, a few students giving us curious glances. I stole a few glances at Luken. He just looked serious. I felt my humor (however dry) would be completely lost to him.
And then my vision kicked in, but this time it was different.

It hit me like a physical slap in the face, I actually flinched back. The world around me erupted in so many colors and sounds that I couldn’t take it all at once. Also, voices leaked in, but I couldn’t make sense of them either. I couldn’t even get my bearings, all the colors melded into each other and the world tilted. Or was I tilting?
"Bridget! Bridget! Are you using your vision? Bridget!" Someone stepped into my view and knelt down.

The man was breathtaking. His inner aura glowed an aqua-ish color at the moment, but it was flecked with silver.
"You’re beautiful." I blurt out. My knee’s hurt, I must have fallen over. I see the man lean back slightly, then lean forward.
"Bridget, are you ok?"
"It hurts." I whimper, the air seemed multicolored and swirled around me. It was like some super charged drug effect. I loved it, but was utterly terrified of it. And then it stopped. And it stopped like another blow, I flinch backwards and drop my head into my hands as it throbbed. I was on my knee’s, my legs spread on either side of me.
"Bridget?"
"It stopped." I say between gasps. He lifts me by the shoulders and leads me the rest of the way to sickbay. We were closer than I thought, it was around the next corner. But this gave me enough time to compose myself.

"Sit down." He leads me to the closest bed.
"What happened?" Asks nurse Peat, who had already bustled over.
"She just used her powers for the first time here. I think it gave her a bit of a shock.
"I’m fine." I say, and Luken throws me a doubtful look. "It’s my shoulder that hurts." I lie, it wasn’t actually hurting that much, and the bleeding had stopped. I throw Luken a dark glance as Nurse Peat looks at my bloody shirt.
"Out!" She shoo’s him, closing the curtain.
"Shirt, darling." She says, pulling over a tray of stuff. I unbutton my shirt and slip it down past my elbows. She pats something on my shoulder and I flinch and look at it. Big mistake. I had avoided looking at it in the mirror and now I knew why.

The flesh was badly torn, ripped around the edges, in a slash along my shoulder blade. It had barely even started to heal yet and the wound looked bad. The more I looked at it the more it seemed to hurt. I look away, swallowing deeply. I wasn’t the person to faint at a drop of blood or anything but that sight would make anyone queasy. Anyone, that is, except a nurse. She busily spreads stuff on it and bandages it up.
"Sorry darling, there’s not a lot more I can do. Pity you don’t have one of those healing powers." I join in her laughter and hoped she didn’t notice that mine sounded shaky.

"Oh, and I think I have another shirt in here." She rummages through the bedside table dresser and produces a white shirt which I take and struggle to put on with one shoulder practically immobile. She sweeps the curtain aside and walks off without another word. What an odd lady. Don’t get me wrong, she was nice, just…different. I turn towards the door and see Luken still standing there, watching me. I wanted to linger on his sharp features and admire his face and chest but my eyes just slide straight over him and to the door I was walking to.
"How are you?" Asks Luken as I finish buttoning up my shirt.
"Chipper." I say in a dull voice.
"How’s your head?"
"Fine." I answer curtly, he doesn’t reply so after a few moments I steal a glance at him. He was looking ahead, no expression on his face. It hurt that my short answers didn’t seem to phase him at all. He didn’t care. I sigh, I suppose I should be used to this by now.

"Why did that happen?" As if expecting my question he immediately replied.
"This school is full of power strengthening spells and charms. This helps someone to achieve their full power and learn to control their own strength. Mainly, its to help the students." I swallow, looking at the ground, lost in thought.
"What if it hurts some of the students instead?" I ask quietly. He slows his pace, then stops. I turn to look at him, surprised. He watches me with those all-knowing eyes and sighs.
"I have to go." He says suddenly. I feel my shoulders dorp but quickly collect myself.
"Ok, see ya." I wave and turn around to find my way back to my room. But I was chewing my lip again. I actually revealed something to him and all he can says is ‘I have to go.’ Stupid Typical man.

I don’t see Ashley or any of her friends, school was almost over, and I didn’t want to go to the end of class. So in the common room I make myself a sandwich (for later), grab a drink, and head to my room to watch TV.

Before I go to bed that night I sigh, and sit on its edge. I fidget, then sigh again. I had never preyed before, but I was nervous about class tomorrow. Ok, so my first day was over, but I wasn’t there for most of it and I had a weird feeling about tomorrow.

I didn’t want to kneel, it felt stupid. I didn’t know who to prey to. This god they spoke of here, Zin, seemed like a good option but every time I opened my mouth to say her name now it would not come out.
‘powers stronger than me…’ No.
‘The almighty one…’ No.
‘The holy spirit…’ No…but there was something there. Then suddenly it sprang to my mind.
‘To all pure spirits…’ It felt odd against my tongue but I said it anyway.
"To all pure spirits, please help me to get through tomorrow. Protect me, just for that day and I will be thankful’

When I was saying it, it felt good, but after wards I sat there feeling stupid, so I just went to sleep. I was not going to prey again.

The next day I had Luken first class, and I didn’t get lost, and I wasn’t late, so I was feeling pretty good all around. When Luken walked in I noticed the class hushed noticeably and I look around. All of the girls had a dreamy look on their face and all the guys sat up straighter in obvious respect. I commit that to memory, young as Luken was, he was respected greatly around here. I wondered why, he wasn’t that special.

But as he walks in, another man follows him. I hadn’t seen him before, but the other students seemed to recognize, and respect him, too. I look him over.

He was strong, and I mean he had some serious muscle going on. His face was full of too sharp angles and his hair had a crew cut. But he smiled as he came in, looking rather relaxed. Luken looked small and weak in comparison to this guy.

Luken, with no need to hush the class, starts immediately with the introductions.
"Class, as most of you already know, this is Damien. Damien is head of security here and has the ability to control minds and is ranked among the most powerful of his kind." These words had no particular effect on anyone in the class, except me. I could immediately feel myself stiffen and become wary of the man, who smiled a little at the class.

Now that it had been brought to my attention my mind was something I was overly aware of, not something I wanted messed with by someone else. Mind control. Hmmm. Not the kind of ability you would expect from a guy like this, I was rather expecting…fire control? Or something like that, if that’s even possible.

Shaking my head slightly to clear it I notice Luken nod to Damien and then go to sit near the side of the room. Damien leans against Lukens desk, facing the class.
"Morning class. Today I just wanted to give you a little lesson about how the mind, and mind control, works. It is not an easy process. To be able to get into one persons mind is a rare talent, but to be able to leave a thought, make it think it was there own, and convince them to do it is not an easy task. When-"
"I heard that you can send and receive messages from people who also have…the ability." Damien, unphased at being interrupted, nods.

"This is true, not a task that makes so much effort. Having conversations in only your mind. It takes a lot of concentration, especially when talking to someone else at the same time." He grins, obviously remembering some former experience.
"But the further away the person is, the harder it makes it to reach their mind. And reading minds is not the constant buzz that people claim to go crazy from, it takes effort. It drains you, and you certainly should not use it every day." But he smiles and flicks his eyes to one side to indicate himself guilty. The class laughs.
"Can you control someone’s mind in here?" A boy from the back of the room calls out.
"Ok. You there!" I jerk my head up automatically and was shocked at having those deep brown eyes staring into mine. He meant me.
"Come up here." He says. I feel myself blush as I slide out from behind my desk. I knew why he had chosen me, because I was staring at my desk and probably looking like I wasn’t paying attention, but I was. I was just thinking deeply about what he was saying.

I get to the front of the room before I start to worry again, I didn’t want him to control my mind. He turns back to the class.
"What shall I have her do, eh?" Suggestions erupt from everyone almost at once.
"Jump out a window!"
"Cluck like a chicken!"
"Run in circles!" Each suggestion got more and more insane and I smile weakly.
"Do a pirouette!" A girl in the front row yells. Damien points to her.
"That’s a good idea, nothing to embarrassing now, eh?" He stands up and turns to face me, his face becoming serious.

I felt him, I actually felt him in my mind. Well, I thought I did anyway, and I completely panicked, though I made sure to keep my exterior calm. I tried to fight against him. I could hear his voice, whispering the suggestion.
I don’t move.
He frowns, then pushes harder.
I totally panic, I knew I was too weak because I could feel him right in the center of my mind, the one place in my life I thought was private. I could feel my hands twitch and begin to raise and I gave up fighting against him completely.
That was when he collapsed.

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Thanks for all the comments guy but I have decided that
I WILL NOT BE CONTINUING THIS STORY UNLESS I GET 10 COMMENTS ON THIS CHAPTER!!! so please comment, good or bad.