I stood on my tip-toes as my fingers searched for the cool metal key that unlocked my sanctuary, my current safe haven, to others known as the old ancient library.
Ms Richmond was always sloppy with keeping things a secret so it wasn't long before i found out where she kept the key. With a confident click the door, my freedom to be myself and forget all that has been confusing me was open. As i expected it to be, it was dark and gloomy much to my delight.
I walked happily over to the back desks and sat beside the one i favoured the most, the one at the very end with the old chair that i loved to sit on and look out the window that showed the marvels scenery of freedom i wished to have.
As i clicked the dim lamp light on i placed the red leather book of what I'm hoping holds my answers, and my sketch book. It wasn't long before i flipped over the pages to the chapter i skimmed through weeks ago.
Telepathic
I read the information thoroughly 'ones are gifted with the ability to read individuals thoughts. Mind-readers as they are commonly known are rare but yet are not extinct, those who hold the gift are born with it and to my research some have committed suicide due to them being unable to disconnect their thoughts from others. These gifted ones are not immortal; they only live an average human life expectancy. As centuries past the record of theses ones become almost impossible to locate. To my research, relatives or bloodlines of these Telepathic ones may contain this gift. Some generations of offspring may not have this gift but some, by slim fortunate chance receive it.'
I leaned back staring down at the beautiful handwritten authentic book, contemplating the realness, the possibility of this research being fact and not mere fiction. The movies, books, the stories I'd heard about 'immortals' never came to mind as a possibility of being...real. But now, what do i believe?
I do believe there is something that Eloise reads that no other can. I do believe she knows about my weird day-dream/nightmare. I do believe that from everything I've seen and heard that Eloise as idiotic and nuts as it sounds is well Telepathic.
Only what else is Rylan, Skylar, Matthew and Eloise keeping? What are they trying to keep me from discovering?
I looked over to my open sketch book; it was open to where i last had it, at the picture of Rylan.
I furrowed my eyebrows, what secret could possibly be worse than the one i hold?
My eyes studied the portrait, everything i so vividly recalled matched his face perfectly but in the crook of his neck i found yet another one of my little puzzling doodles.
It was a cottage, the cottage i went to with Rylan, and leaning on the porch frame was a familiar body. She leaned slightly on the frame, her figure slim yet curved. Her face was smooth with no blemishes, a pasty white much like the one beside her. Her smile wide and joyous along with her wide open and love filled eyes. Her hair curled loosely down to the small of her back, beside her stood the guy whose face took most of the picture.
The small little sketch was one of Rylan and i. We looked happy, i looked happy. It looked like i had nothing to hide and Rylan knew everything about me as he had his hand around my waist and standing close by my side. The way our skinned matched, the way we both looked perfect together made me heart beat at an uncontrolled rate and my spine shiver with fear.
I didn't know what to think.
So many things are puzzling me, mostly things about Rylan, some because of Eloise but entirely things about me. Self-absorbed yes, but obnoxious, no. Something is happening to me and i don't know what just like i don't know what is happening around me. In few words, I'm utterly confused.
"Would you like for me to explain?" Eloise's bell voice surprises me. I look up her small shy and apologetic smile and nod 'as long as the explaining doesn't leave me more confused' i thought to myself testing my new belief. She chuckles "I'll try to make a note of that, sorry" she answers two things at once.
She makes her way over towards me and before i can comprehend she sits beside me and wraps her arms around my neck "I'm so glad you know!"She exclaims "I'm sorry that you couldn't find out earlier, well to be honest i only know what to be called until recently" she adds absent minded.
I was hurt, the girl i once thought more as my little sister rather than now a dear...friend? And it hurt me knowing she couldn't trust me, come to me for anything. It hurt that two strangers knew before i did when i met her before them. 'Shut up Arabell your being selfish!' i yelled at myself
"No you're not being selfish Arabell" Eloise said as she let me go "i hadn't told anybody apart from my parents who thought i was insane" she continues with a heavy sigh "my parents sent me to an institution because they thought i wasn't 'normal' because i heard voices and well it was their voices i heard. In the end i pretended not to hear any voices but it did feel like i was insane, but the voices were those of people around me and well the voices were their thoughts. They sent me here believing this place would be my recover after coming out from the institution. I felt so alone Arabell, so out of place, hearing what everyone thinks of you and what they think of those you care about it drives you mental. But when Matthew and the boys told me why i heard voices i was happy, relieved mostly. I mean i have a rare gift and now i don't need to be ashamed of it" she said smiling, tears brimming her beautiful eyes.
I sat there stunned; she hears everyone's thoughts, and everything they think about, especially viewpoints on her and her friends. I couldn't imagine the insanity she must have felt.
'Why...why did Jenifer bully you into doing her work? I mean you can hear her thoughts, her secrets' i thought knowing she could hear me.
"Jenifer found out about the institution and said she would tell everybody about it, meaning more insanity for me. She wanted to make sure i had no friends and that i'd stay an outcast." She replied
'What did Eloise every do to that bitch?' i thought angrily.
"Her brother and i went to the same institution" she smiled "she didn't exactly like it when i told her i knew him and how i knew him in front of her friends...worst mistake ever" she smiled, i shook my head. Some of the answers had been answered but many more still remain. 'what else are they hiding?' why can't i know now i know about Eloise?' the book in front of me came to mind 'could they have a 'gift'?'
"We're not hiding anything Arabell" Eloise insisted. I shook my head 'yeah just like I'm not hiding anything either' i thought bitterly. "Please Arabell, just trust me on this" she said persistently again "you can trust me" i flinched at the words "Eloise do you know what my nightmare was?" i asked her avoiding the subject subtlety.
"Yeah...some thoughts can become movies, like showing what is being pictured in their minds and well when you thought about it, it came as a picture to me, it scared me...that's why i ran. i needed to get far away from well everybody after that. Who...who was that man?" she finished. I shook my head "nobody" i said quickly obviously too quickly as Eloise eyed me questionably.
Another question came to mind 'what did Rylan do to me?' the feeling of being controlled by him rattled me, the fact i couldn't have done anything to protect myself scared me but what terrified me was how easily i had let him come close 'your an idiot Arabell, a fucking idiot! You let him get close! Why? Why did you do that? Argh! I hate him! I hate him for...for making me open up...for letting him in...for "Arabell it's not your fault...Rylan didn't mean to control you...he has the ability to control your brain, which means he can control your emotions, body everything" she said softly "I'm so sorry, his really sorry" she looked down at her hands that are folded neatly in her lap. "he hates himself for everything." I blinked 'he can control the brain? He has a gift too? What about Skylar? Matthew?'
"yes Arabell, Skylar is a Compulsor, he can control the body with a touch, command it to do anything he wants it to. Matthew well his wife, that died well she was a telepathic that's why he came here, to help those who have gifts, to help them understand the supernatural things about themselves, about me" all of her words shocked me. There is a supernatural world! ;One that is hidden and one that I've been allowed to discover. Skylar has the gift of Compulsion which scared me; Matthew had my sympathy and respect because he was helping those like Eloise who don't know what's wrong with them.
I smiled they weren't hiding things from me, all i had to do was ask. "Thank you Eloise. I'm sorry i doubted you. So that's what Skylar and Matthew were worried about when they came to my room, they thought i would tell and ruin the secret, which i won't, i promise." I said, thinking aloud "ahh yep that's right" she said chirpily.
"But I'm really angry at Rylan so don't expect me to be all nice and friendly to him" i warned her, she shook her head while she laughed amused
"Can you try and not read my mind though?' i asked her cautiously
"I'll try" she replied smiling confidently and with more ease.
I smiled although feeling uneasy. 'can i trust then with my secret when they can trust me with theirs?'