by Aaron Slade
The schools on the Military Bases I attended taught this subject as well. Nothing was more important than rebuilding society, which was why the Military took action against the humans. I heard several girls on the other side of the classroom whisper Casper’s name, and suddenly I realized that Casper wasn’t called out of class by chance. Mrs. White didn’t want him to witness the discrimination apparent on everyone’s face.
“What finally made the human population extinct?”
Kelly’s twin sister raised her hand.
“When all the humans were branded, they could no longer blend-in with the rest of society. Many extra-humans took revenge on them. All the Homo sapiens died within three years after being branded.”
I couldn’t tell if Mrs. White’s disappointment was from the lesson or her students. “The brand was intended to separate humans and extra-humans,” Mrs. White said, “but it turned humans into targets.”
“Like Casper,” Kelly said with a cackle.
The class erupted with laughter except for Sara and me. Sara looked behind her to see how I was taking the joke, but she wasn’t the only one. Several people around the class were waiting for a response from me. I pretended not to notice them, and concentrated on my notes. I watched the chalk piece write down key facts and dates, copying them into my notebook.
Mrs. White waited for the class to get quiet, with a disapproving look. “You can all laugh, but Casper is an important part of history. Humans were extinct for over a hundred years, and Casper’s birth means we may see more humans in the future.”
It was easy to forget that Casper wasn’t human. His ability was just a secret for the time being, and soon enough everyone would be sorry they had acted so foolishly towards him. I couldn’t wait for that moment. They’d all see they were monsters.
“If the Military allows more humans to be born,” Kelly said, “then aren’t they allowing the same ignorance and violence that destroyed society to be reborn as well?”
Kelly’s twin sister nodded in agreement and then crossed her arms. In almost every row of desks, people agreed and encouraged the twins.
“There’s no reason to think that,” Mrs. White answered.
“Of course there’s reason to think that,” Kelly argued. “Casper gets in fights daily. No one likes him, and he hates us too. Just imagine what he would do to us if he had more humans to help him. The only reason Casper Vance isn’t a legitimate threat is because he’s the only human. If there were more of them, you can bet they would rise against us.”
“Rise against us?” I repeated. “Don’t be ignorant. Casper is the same as all of us.”
Everyone in the class stared at me for my outburst. There was so much I wanted to yell at them. They were the closed-minded ones– not Casper. They had perpetuated the hate in Casper’s life all this time. It was no wonder he could never see his ability before with people like this in his life.
“Casper hates all of you,” I said, “but it’s because all of you hate him. No one should have to hate anyone. Casper is different; he’s not the poison all of you make him out to be. He’s kind, and generous, and he’s good– which is a miracle considering that he’s grown up surrounded by all of you.”
Sara and Mrs. White’s lips curved in to small grins, but everyone else in the class looked at me with disgust. An awkward silence fell in the room. The boys that once looked at me as the pretty new girl now gave me dreadful looks.
“You should be careful, new girl,” Kelly said. “If more humans are born, they will probably be Casper’s offspring. He can’t have children by himself, so you should reconsider your dating life if you know what’s good for you.”
I held her gaze, looking right back in her serpent eyes. “Are you threatening me?”
She smirked. “I’m just saying that as much trouble as Casper finds himself in, you would be wise not to stand too close.”
“That’s enough,” Mrs. White hissed. “Today’s lecture isn’t about Casper. I’ll see you after class, Kelly. You and I need to have a talk about respect.”
Kelly shot me several dirty looks, but stayed quiet the rest of class.
I sat in silence, trying to calm down and keep back tears. Everyone’s dislike of Casper ran deep, and I wondered what Casper’s ability would be like without the grudge everyone held against him– and the grudge he held against everyone else. Things had to change if Casper wanted to control his ability.
Casper:
It was mornings like today that I enjoyed having a principal for a father. He called me out of first period, and the two of us went downtown for a father-son breakfast. It was really random, but I didn’t question an opportunity to get out of school. We went to Jenny’s Dinner, which served a buffet breakfast of bacon, pancakes, eggs, and anything else I’d ever eaten for breakfast. The brief break from school ended after an hour. Dad teleported back to his office after telling me to hurry back to campus in my car.
Before I got in my car, I found a flier under my windshield wiper. I unfolded it, finding a picture of diverse Military Soldiers. The caption at the bottom read: Serve your territory with honor. Help rebuild society. Own property. The flier brought up all the hours I’d spent weighing my options for after high school. I would hate myself if I became a soldier. I wanted more than that. I wadded up the flier, and tossed it in my back seat.
The distinctive sound of the school bell made me forget about my brief breakfast with Dad. I rushed to my next class, feeling like I’d been away from campus for longer than just an hour. I met up with Evee in second period. She sounded stressed from history class, and I wondered how much homework Mrs. White had assigned. Evee refused to talk about first period, pretending to concentrate on homework she had neglected. Second and third period bored us into a near sleep due to the fact that our teachers rambled on about nothing– literally nothing. The teachers were just as ready for summer break as we were for graduation.
The two of us walked through the hallway to fourth period, but I hesitated when I saw the mammoth figure of my number one fan outside the classroom. Randy stood outside the door, leaning against the wall as if waiting for something– or someone. I passed by him, hoping that I wouldn’t be his target this morning, especially when it had been such a good morning. My amber aura faltered slightly as I turned my back to him, followed by a cold shudder. My fears were confirmed when he grabbed me by the back of the neck and forced me against a wall using all the strength in his fingers and massive arms. Everyone around us waited anxiously to see what he would do to the human.
“STOP IT!” Evee shouted. She beat her dainty fist on his bulky arm holding me against the wall.
Randy ignored her, but snarled in my direction. “I don’t get a greeting today?”
“Good morning, Randy,” I said. I kept my head down, but forced his hand off me.
Randy jerked out of my grip, arching an eyebrow at me. He used more of his weight to pin me against the wall, crushing my shoulder blades.
“Since when do you fight back, runt?”
“Just get off me,” I demanded. My aura flickered.
Randy pulled me away from the wall, only to slam me against it harder than before. My skull made a deep thud against the concrete. After a brief dizzy spell, I tried to fight him off me, but he wouldn’t budge. The whole time Evee yelled for a teacher as everyone watched the show, but I knew Randy was smart enough to wait until teachers were out of sight. He was bigger and stronger, and he knew it. My teeth grinded and I felt my mouth scowl. I wanted to hurt him– I wanted him to suffer. My whole body started to shake either from anger or muscle fatigue from trying to force him off me. My aura slowly disappeared until it was completely gone, leaving everything around me darker in its absence.
“You’re so weak,” Randy said, laughing. “Just because you have a girlfriend now doesn’t mean that you’re ready to take on a class one.”
I could feel my rage growing inside of me, but he was right. I was weak and defenseless. Two of me wouldn�
�t even equal Randy’s enormous size.
“Just let him go, Randy,” Evee yelled. Her voice left anger behind and turned to pleading.
Randy laughed. “Your girlfriend has to fight your battles for you freak. You’re pathetic.” His squeezed a pressure point on the back of my neck, making me squeal.
He released his grip on me, and gave me a foot of breathing room. I adjusted my shirt, but as soon as I let my guard down, Randy surprised me with a sucker-punch to the stomach. The blow to my gut was just as bad as any burn I had suffered at his hand, except more nauseating.
A low moan croaked out of me as all my breath was forced out of my lungs. I knew my face was turning red due to a lack of air, which would be nothing once the embarrassment hit me. Evee knelt down to my side as Randy walked off to take his seat on the other side of the classroom. Mr. Botwin walked in just in time to see Evee help me crawl to my desk. Blood rushed to my head even faster as Allen Young and his friends began snickering, followed by the rest of the class that had enjoyed watching Randy throw the punch. Mr. Botwin didn’t bother questioning what was so funny, or why I had decided to quit breathing. He walked to his desk and ignored me with a book in front of his face.
Adam appeared from nowhere in his usual desk, and he was surprised to find me freshly bludgeoned. He shot Randy a nasty look, but he was too late to help me this time.
“What happened?” he asked.
I was still having trouble breathing. “My– aura– disappeared.” Aside from the pain, it was all I could think about. Over the last few hours, I managed to establish better control of seeing the light, but now it was gone again.
“Of course it did,” Evee said. “You hate Randy.”
A familiar depression swept over me. I still didn’t have an ability that would allow me to best Randy. All I could do was see colors that nobody else could see. Whatever dreams of revenge I had for Randy were never going to happen.
“I guess I’ll never be able to fight Randy,” I said.
“You shouldn’t want to fight Randy,” Evee responded.
“That’s going to be hard, considering he and I still have a few weeks before graduation.”
Evee came closer to me, and Adam leaned in to listen as well. “I think for the sake of your ability, you’re going to have to forgive Randy and people like him for the way they’ve treated you.”
Adam and I made eye contact, both of us thinking the same thing: It would never happen!
“You’re joking,” I said. It was the first time Evee and I disagreed. I didn’t mean to talk down to her, but I felt differently– spitefully so. “They don’t deserve my forgiveness.” I felt my face snarl. I caught eyes with Randy, before I lowered my gaze. Imagining a group of people less deserving of forgiveness was difficult. Evee had no idea what she was saying.
“Would you try for me?” Evee asked.
Not fair. How could I tell her no? “I don’t think I can do that,” I told her realistically.
She shook her head in disappointment. “Boys are so hot-headed.”
“You think you could forgive him if you were in my shoes?” I challenged.
“When it comes to forgiveness, Casper,” she said, sounding irritated, “there’s something I know that you don’t.”
I gestured for her to continue. “Go on.”
“You don’t forgive someone for them… you do it for yourself,” she said. Her words were eloquent like she’d put some thought into them, or possibly read them somewhere. “If you can forgive Randy, I think you’ll have better control of your ability– you wouldn’t carry so many negative feelings around with you.”
“That would require a miracle, Evee,” Adam said. “There’s only so much Casper’s capable of.”
Evee spent the remainder of class making her point– and remaking her point. She wouldn’t back off. When class ended, Adam teleported the three of us to the cafeteria where Evee continued the debate. The lunch line was already full. We took our place in the back of the line– Evee now talking over the muffled, brassy music from the band room. Evee’s main argument was that forgiving everyone would be worth the control I gained over my ability, but all the auras had disappeared. Everything looked the way it did last week, and I knew it was because of Randy.
“All I’m saying,” Evee continued, “is that what Randy did today proved just how much anger you’re keeping buried deep inside of you.”
“I know,” I said. “But I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because forgiving him wouldn’t change anything,” I snapped. “He’d still pick fights, and my ability would still be the same. The colors don’t change– they’re just there… Whether I see them or not, the colors don’t do anything.”
Evee let out a sigh, accepting my side of the argument, but obviously disappointed in me. “Hold my place in line. I’ll go save our seats at the table.” She walked toward the table where Sara and Seth already sat with their lunches.
I hated myself for disappointing Evee.
The lunch line wrapped around every wall in the cafeteria, and somehow I was the last person. The line moved slowly, but eventually I stood in front of the band room. I listened to the music and thought that it sounded nice, finding a little peace in the melody. While I listened, a soft violet light attracted my eyes. It seeped under the cracks of the thick band room door. I guessed that only I could see the light because no one else seemed to react to it. I knew it was an aura when I got closer. I slowly opened the door and snuck in as the band rehearsed. I stood motionless out of sight, letting the door close softly behind me.
The violet light flooded the room, hanging in the air like a cloud of colorful, translucent fog. At the epicenter of the light was the band. Auras of every color imaginable filled the space around the musicians and their instruments. Pinks, blues, reds, and yellows blended with the harmony of the music into the violet light that filled the room.
The aurora lingered around the conductor as his hands flowed in the rhythmic pattern of the music. The light was fluid, rhythmically swaying back and forth like water on a beach. It was like I could see the music. The light flashed like a beacon as the song’s dynamics grew louder. I felt the music pulsing in my chest like a second heartbeat. The familiar tingling sensation crawled down my spine. I closed my eyes and let the intoxicating energy in the room fill me, as if gravity pulled the light toward me. Even with my eyes closed, I could still sense all the auras.
The violet rays in the room dimmed, when the music faded to a softer volume. One student playing a dingy-brass French horn began a solo. Her aura shined brighter the longer she performed, and the pale, pink hue around her intensified with the volume of her horn. The rest of the band started to play again, and the violet light returned stronger than before as the song reached a booming finale.
It took me a few moments, but I finally understood. It wasn’t the music I could see. I could see what the musicians felt as they played their instruments. The colors were brilliant, and I sensed the energy of the group’s blended aura. Being this close forced me to feel what they felt. What I felt was beautiful and indescribable– no one sensation could sum up the feeling of the music. It was so complex, like a ball of different emotions growing in my stomach ready to explode. The exhilaration of moving incredibly fast hit me, and for a moment I didn’t think I could stand the feeling any longer when my whole body tensed up. I shut my eyes, feeling like I’d open them somewhere far away from Fallon. It felt like driving through the desert at speeds so fast only Mom could describe.
I opened my eyes as the song ended, causing the auras in the room to fade as the students relaxed with their instruments. The feeling in my stomach lessened, and the rush subsided. I left the room before anyone realized that they had an audience.
The lunch line appeared shorter now, and I joined Evee at the back of the line. I was still processing what had just happened in the band room.
“Where did you go?” Evee asked. “I have more to say.” Evee was
relentlessly still determined to make her point, but this time I didn’t resist.
“I think you’re right,” I said before she could start her argument all over again.
She expected more of a fight. Her look of surprise quickly changed to skepticism. “What changed your mind?”
I looked back at the band room door, both the light and the music gone. I didn’t know how to explain it to her.
“There’s something about my ability I still don’t understand,” I said, remembering the rush I’d felt from the music. “I don’t know if I can forgive Randy… or anyone else for that matter, but I’m going to do my best to let go of my anger.”
She smiled and took my hand, igniting to life the bright pearl aura where our hands touched. If I wanted to understand my ability completely, letting go of my anger might help. At this point, I was desperate for answers. I had to try.
FORGIVNESS
Casper:
I couldn’t concentrate on Seth’s conversation at the lunch table. Too many things distracted me.
After a week, Fallon had become a new place in my eyes. Wherever I went, people filled my eyes with the astonishing colors of their auras. My new extra-human trait only worked about half the time. It was hard to control, especially when Randy or Adam were around. Randy brought out my anger, and I couldn’t help but worry about Adam, who had stopped sleeping. His anxiety about joining Zana’s team consumed him. I thought hard about telling Dad about Zana, but Adam reminded me that I’d promised as if he knew what I was thinking.
I loved seeing things differently. My environment had become a magical place, but the credit couldn’t be given to my new eyes, but to the girl who gave them to me.