‘I think you would make a great artist if you really wanted to. But that’s my point of view. Find your true calling and follow it.’
Grandma Sophie sighed. ‘I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like for you but I do know you have great potential. You are the Author of your reality. Within you lies strength, passion, real talent and creativity to create wonders. You are only limited by your mind.
‘Anything is possible if it’s truly in your hearts desire.
‘Certain things happen for a reason. Certain things happen with divine timing.’
You are a miracle by simply breathing
You are loved. You are enough.
‘Abilities may seem like everything right now, but unless you were planning on using them to help people, abilities shouldn’t dictate your destiny. You are the smartest girl I know. You can be anything you want. Don’t let external forces rule your heart.’
Tears streamed down my chicks. Grandma Sophie gently rocked me back and forth.
‘You are loved. Like an orchid among daisies, you are special,’ she said looking at some flowers growing along the banks of the lake. ‘You are enough.’
Chapter 20
Not being able to concentrate and missing school the past few weeks set me back quite a bit. I was behind in Math and chemistry.
’And that’s it for chapter seven,’ said Mr Cleary. He stared at the clock mounted above the board. We still had fifteen minutes left before our next period. He scribbled “Page 48” on the blackboard and said, ‘If you turn to page forty-eight of your textbooks, you’ll find a little exercise.’
The class sighed and groaned.
‘Settle down,’ Mr Cleary said, ‘It’s straightforward if you’ve been paying attention the past week. You’re welcome to work in groups of two to four.’
There was a ruckus as the students dragged their chairs to form groups.
I looked over my shoulder. Most of the kids had lab partners and remained where they were. Rory and Christie moved their chairs and joined Izzy and my ex-lab partner Allie. Besides me, Gael was the only one left without a partner. I grabbed my books and went over to his desk.
‘You mind if I sit here?’ I asked him.
‘No,’ he said ‘,but I must warn you, I am not the best when it comes to chemistry.’
I sat down next to him.
‘Neither am I,’ I told him.
Gael explained the bonds to me.
The bell rang.
‘Complete the exercise as homework,’ Mr Cleary said. ‘You have till Friday.’
The class groaned. There was a commotion as everyone rushed out.
‘Hold on,’ Mr Cleary said over the noise. ‘Chairs as you found them please.’
Chairs squeaked as they were dragged against the floor to their rightful places.
‘Shall we meet up to complete the homework later?’ Gael asked.
‘Sure.’
‘Does lunch work with you?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Cool.’
***
The dinning hall seemed foreign. It had been weeks since I had stepped foot inside. My lunch was packed as usual so I skipped the long queue to the food stall. Gael waved me over to a table where he sat with Oliver and two other kids. I walked passed the adroit table as I made my way towards Gael. Izzy led the conversation. Allie didn’t seem to be paying much attention. She glimpsed at me as I walked passed.
‘Hey!’ Gael said. ‘Have a seat,’ he said motioning to the empty chair beside him. He introduced me to the gang.
‘This is Tom, Oliver and Jane,’ Gael said pointing at each one.
I greeted everyone.
They greeted me in unison.
Gael and I wrapped up our assignment and joined in the conversation around the table.
‘We’ll be going to the mall would you like to join?’ Oliver offered when the bell rang.
‘Sure I said.’
***
‘That settles it!’ said Oliver, triumphantly. ‘As agreed loser has to buy dessert.’
Tom lost a bet with Oliver that Jane had looked up on the Internet to confirm as we sat around the food court at the mall. The consensus was that the loser would buy dessert for everyone.
‘Fair enough,’ Tom sighed and got up.
Gale followed him. ‘I’ll help you carry.’
‘I gotta use the little girls room,’ Jane said getting up. It was just Oliver and I at the table.
‘So you can talk to animals?’ I asked.
‘Yeah.’
‘It must be awesome.’
‘They don’t actually talk to me. They communicate through images and emotions. I can sense or feel hungry when they do for example.’
‘Cool. Can you communicate to all animals?’
‘No, only rodents for some reason. My Mum and brother can though. My Mum took me to the animal shelter she volunteers at once and she was able to communicate to a bear injured from a trap.’
‘Awesome.’
‘Indeed, I hope to work with animals someday. You know as a vet or at an animal sanctuary.’
Jane stretched her arm around Tom and tickled Oliver in the ear as the five of us walked down the street. Oliver chased Jane. They played down the street and disappeared to the left street ahead.
Tom said something but I wasn’t paying attention. The image of Oliver and Jane playing and the five of us strolling down the street felt like déjà vu. An image of a group of kids I was saw a few months ago as I waited for Allie outside a boutique came to mind.
‘Hope?’ Gael called. ‘You okay?’
‘Yeah,’ I assured him.
‘I was asking which way your place is?’
We were at a crossroad.
‘Oh, I’m on the right,’ I said.
‘We’re on the left,’ Tom motioned. Oliver and Jane were in a bubble tickling and playing.
‘I’ll escort you,’ Gael offered.
‘I can manage,’ I said. ‘My place is about ten minutes away.’
‘I don’t mind,’ Gael insisted.
‘Cool.’
‘Awesome,’ Tom said. ‘See you.’
He followed Oliver and Jane.
’Enough you too!’ Tom hollered at them. They composed themselves.
‘Goodbye!’ They waved to Gael and I.
‘Goodnight!’ Gael and I said in unison.
‘So, why do they call you Tulip?’ I asked as we strolled home.
Gael looked over to his side. He looked at a lawn on the side of the pathway. There were some violet rose buds sprouting there. He knelt down and extended his hand over them. The buds and stems rose with Gael’s guiding hand, slowly growing and blossomed into beautiful violas.
Gael plucked one of the flowers and gently tucked it behind my right ear. He gazed into my eyes a moment too long until I looked away.
‘That’s why,’ he said.
‘That’s amazing.’
Gael could control plants. He could accelerate the growth of a germinating seed to full growth within minutes. His optimal limits and the time depended on the size of the tree. He could also control the growth and direction of roots.
‘Not to some. One of the adroit noticed me using my abilities to straighten and talk to some tulips hence the name.’
‘I wish I could do that or anything special for that matter.’
‘What do you mean?’ he asked.
‘Haven’t, you heard the tale of Hopeless Goodman? The whole school knows. I have no special abilities. I have abnormal genes. There’s a whole new term for my unique condition and an entire medical paper written about it.’
‘You seem pretty normal to me,’ he assured me.
I wasn’t sure what to say to that.
Gael moved in closer. He put his arms around me.
‘Hold on to me.’
I put my arms around him. I looked down, as the ground grew smaller.
‘You can fly?’ I gasped. ’I am so envious of you right now. Flying’
s one of the rarest ability. Why don’t you fly everywhere? I bet that would shut those adroit up.’
‘I’m still getting the hang of it and I also don’t really care about what the adroit think.’
I would have flaunted my abilities in front of Izzy and the adroit.
We slowed down. I looked down. We were hovering above my street.
‘I’m on the fifth house on the left,’ I told Gael. He slowly began to descend towards my house. He landed in the driveway.
‘Thanks,’ I told him.
‘You’re welcome.’
Silence. He was still holding onto me. He let go.
‘I have two left feet but I love to move them,’ He said. ‘Would you go to the dance with me?’
‘Sure.’
‘Awesome… I’ll see you Monday,’ he said before flying away. I watched him slowly float and disappear into the scintillating night sky.
I entered the house and leaned against the closed door. I felt the flower still tucked behind my ear. Cody stomped down the stairs making whoosh sounds. He leaped and glided down the stairs. A towel tied around his neck loosely hung and floated behind him like a cape. He wore a beanie with cutouts for his eyes to conceal his face. Cardboard cutout initials “KT” were stapled on the forehead.
’Who are you supposed to be?’ I asked.
He stood tall with his hands on his hips in a heroic pose and proudly boasted, ‘Kid Titan! Poponet of Hope!’
‘It’s proponent,’ I corrected.
‘Proponent,’ he repeated.
‘Do you know what it means?’
He shook his head.
‘It means someone who promotes or stands for something,’ I explained.
Cody nodded before floating into the living room.
***
Allie walked into the dinning hall. She looked at the adroit table and walked past them. She took a seat at an empty table and began to pick at her food.
When Izzy had told all the kids I had AD, they all began to avoid me. Being a late bloomer herself, Allie didn’t seem to be bothered. She sat down beside me.
I got up and took my lunch over to Allie’s table. Gael and the rest of our table followed me.
Chapter 21
‘I’m sorry,’ Allie said when we were alone watching the stars on her rooftop.
‘For what?’ I asked.
‘For being a total wench.’
‘It’s okay—’
‘No it’s not,’ she interjected. ‘I hurt my best friend all for a stupid boy.’
‘You don’t owe me an explanation.’
‘I do. I need to get it off my chest,’ she said. ‘I let myself get absorbed into the superficial adroit world. You were right, Eric never showed interest in me. I allowed myself to be used by the adroit all for a boy who I deluded myself into believing might like me.’
‘What changed your mind?’
‘They asked me to steal money?’
‘Seriously?’
‘Serious,’ she sighed. ’It started with sneaking into places. The cinema, the club, then it was sneaking alcohol from the bottle stores. I drew the line when Izzy asked me to swing by the cash register for some cash while I snuck some alcohol and snacks. I feel like a complete idiot for letting it go on for so long.’
***
I was in English class taking notes. An origami paper butterfly fluttered onto my desk. I looked around for clues of its origins. Everyone was busy taking notes except Eric. He smiled at me. The origami butterfly had the words Open me written on one wing. I opened it.
‘Would you go to the dance with me?’
***
‘Hey!’ I heard Eric call from behind my open locker door. I collected my math book and closed it.
‘Hi,’ I responded.
‘Did you get my, um note,’ he stuttered.
‘Yeah,’ I said.
‘What do you think?’
A few months ago the Winston High Dance was out of question. I was sure no one would ask me. Now I had two invitations. My choice was obvious but it still sucked having to disappoint someone.
‘It was wonderful,’ I told Gael, ‘but Gael already asked me. Sorry.’
‘Oh, okay,’ he responded. He turned to leave. He
stopped and came back.
‘What are you doing after school?’
‘Uh, nothing much,’ I said.
‘Can we meet up?’ he asked. ‘I have something I’d really like to show you.’
‘Okay.’
‘Meet me at the sports field.’
‘Sure,’ I said.
***
‘Hope?’ Allie called.
‘Yeah.’
I had lost track of the conversation around the lunch table.
‘What do you think?’
‘About what?’
‘About joining that kid over there.’ She motioned at a young boy sitting by herself at lunch. He seemed to be in the ninth grade.
‘Sure,’ I agreed.
Allie walked over and join the boy. I followed.
‘What’s your name?’ she asked.
‘David.’
‘Hey, David.’ She extended her hand for a handshake. David accepted it. ‘I’m Allie. This is Hope.’
‘Hey,’ I said shaking his hand.
‘You new here?’
‘Yeah.’
Gael, Oliver, Tom and Jane joined us.
***
Eric was waiting at the bleachers when I crossed the sports field to meet him.
‘Hey,’ I said.
‘Hey,’ he responded. He flew from the bleachers to meet me on the sports field.
‘What was it that you wanted to show me?’ I asked.
He took my hand into his. Butterflies in my stomach fluttered as the ground below us grew small. I squeezed his hand a little tighter.
‘You okay?’ he asked.
‘Yeah.’
Flying with Eric was more liberating. He used his telekinetic abilities to move us both through the sky. He didn’t have to hold my hand, but it helped to know he had me. It was as though I was flying.
We swiftly moved through the sky to the outskirts of the city. Eric landed us in front of a dilapidated old milling plant near a stream. There were shrubs and weed growing around. Some of the windows were cracked. Eric lifted a metallic latch and pulled the large sliding door open.
The interior wasn’t as dilapidated as the outside. There were two electronic cabinets in the corner and some panels and electrical equipment tied to them. There was a laboratory set up with a large electron microscope. The lab equipment in the dim lit mill was illuminated by rays of light that flowed through the high windows. There was a sleeper couch in the corner with some blankets.
‘What is this place?’ I asked.
‘My lab,’ he said with pride, ‘but it’s not exactly what I wanted to show you.’
He walked over to the lab equipment. I followed. The equipment smelled of antiseptics and cleaning agents, a hospital smell I was very familiar with.
‘Shut up!’ Eric hissed.
‘I didn’t say anything,’ I told him.
He opened the fridge/cooler and retrieved a glass slider. He slipped the slider under the electron microscope. He looked through the lenses and adjusted it.
‘Take a look,’ he said stepping aside.
I looked through the microscope lenses. All I saw was the classic corkscrew DNA.
‘Beautiful isn’t it?’ he said.
I backed away from the microscope uncertain of the beauty he was referring to.
‘It’s your DNA,’ he explained.
‘I don’t understand,’ I said. I looked around. The case on the desk seemed very familiar. It was the case from the hospital robbery. The equipment in the corner looked familiar as well.
‘Your DNA is the key to equality,’ he mused. ‘Like Dido, your blood is the key to saving humankind.’
‘I… don’t understand,’ I uttered. Was this some kind of hoax.
&nb
sp; I looked around. My eyes lingered on the familiar electronic cabinets in the corner and then it dawned on me. They were the long range inhibitors stolen from the jail a few weeks ago.
‘You are responsible for all those people losing their abilities?’
‘Yeah,’ he said with pride.
‘Why?’ I asked.
‘Equality,’ he replied bluntly.
‘A lot of people, including my Mum got seriously hurt.’
‘I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt,’ he earnestly said.
’At first, I thought I could achieve it by tapping into every network tower and transmitting the power inhibitor signal. Although it worked, it had some obvious side effects.
‘I sought a less painful and more permanent solution. By synthesising your OME3A disorder into an airborne virus, I believe we can achieve the equality we talked about.’
Eric was serious. My heart was beating against my chest.
’Take me home,’ I demanded.
‘Hold on,’ Eric pleaded.
‘I want to go home!’
‘Just here me-’
I turned towards the exit. Eric put his hand around my wrist. I shrugged it off. Eric raised his arms disarmingly. ‘I won’t hurt you.’
’Aren’t you tired of being labelled?’ he said. ‘Don’t you think the world would be a better place if we were all equal?’
I had a feeling of nostalgia. It was like I knew Eric but not the self-absorbed adroit version whom I was certain would not have been able to build the machine. I asked why but the question I should have asked was how. How was Eric able to accomplish all this in a few weeks. Eric wasn’t exactly always a genius. Although his grades had shockingly improved he had been a C student since I’d known him. He couldn’t have come up with the ideas he was suggesting — at least not the old Eric. It’s as though he was an entirely new person. One I felt I could trust but I couldn’t condone his plans. He went from adroit to A-plus rebel practically overnight. Change is possible, but that kind of change was uncanny.
‘Get me out of here,’ I said. ‘I want to go home.’
He ignored my plea.
‘I thought you of all people would understand, Hope. I have the power to change the world, and that’s what I’m doing. This is the way forward. Ability neutralisation is the key to achieving balance.’
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