Teddies hanging in the zephyr

Pinned with wooden clothespins,

there they hang, blowing in the 

chilly air of an overcast day.

All four synchronized by their loneliness,

an orchestra all their own,

in which they play symphonies of isolation.

Remembering when they were

cuddled with warm human hands

that belonged to a special child, each unique,

rather than cold wooden pins.

Instead of having tea-time and dress up,

they dangle on the line, sustaining little 

remaining life. Their only companions are each other.

Droplets of cool water stuck to dampened fur,

fall to the ground, like the invisible tears

the bears cry, as they reminisce of

past owners and happier times.

Now they can only continue to hang on the line,

pinned up, swaying side to side, and going nowhere.

A single tear falls, dries up with time,

and soon they become silent as a mime.

Place of Zen

I savor every bean,

picked from fresh coffee plants,

now blended together in

front of me, I’m caught in a trance

 

I find myself in new worlds

as I sit, thinking in my head.

pen and paper in my grasp,

envisioning worlds we only read

 

Nobodies turn to heroes

on a quest to save the girl.

Riding high in the skies on

scaly dragons whose tails furl.

 

Swords in hand, they will slay those

overpowered by corruption.

Gleaming light while fighting,

a dark past spews as an eruption

 

If not a fantasy world,

I see through eyes of psychotic

deranged souls that have no heart.

I fear it, but it’s so hypnotic.

 

Love triangles seen galore,

an endless loop of tensions,

friction between mates proves to

be a true test of relations.

 

Just a sample of my ideas as

I sit here all day writing,

with soft chairs and wooden tables,

coffee and act of people watching.

 

It is from observation

of these people around me,

in which I see rich stories,

one more day well spent, I see. 

Oh Home, Sweet Home (Version 2 Revised)

What did I do to deserve this?

The brush has been snatched away

now used to paint my sky ash gray.

My own home, the last place I want to be.

Black shadows lurk about the place,

and try to drag me into a world of abyss.

At night I hear the whispers around me,

that speak of evil things, and then laugh.

This place, it is like hell frozen over.

These people, whom reside here with me,

are not what one can call

the best people in the world.

Fights, abuse, cruelty, hate.

Scars and bruises, both physical and mental.

The only emotions I feel are hopelessness and despair.

But even when one foot and then the other

take me to the outside world,

where I thought I could escape,

the darkness that emits from this place

I call home, constantly chases me,

like the shadows of naked branches

that eerily reach out for my life.

Even if I manage to get far from home,

I can still feel the ice cold grasp which is

around my neck, choking me with malice.

I can never escape these pains from home.

I close my eyes and always wish of

awaking anew, in a new home.

 

Someone, please come save me?

Downtown

Cars drive by hurriedly,

passing me by, I feel like

I am left behind.

My feet carry me along

the crowded sidewalk, where I see

people passing each other,

rushing by with chins held high,

being quite egotistical of oneself, plenty

even submerging themselves in

their own little iPod world,

absorbed into their frappucinos and

triple venti expressos, lattes, and

hell, even cans of red bull.

All a part of society, yet completely isolated.

 

Homeless bums sleeping in the street

beg for money as they try not to starve.

But not one person spares a dime,

leaving them to slowly rot

and decay in their own filth.

A five dollar bill I hand to one,

I see his tiny eyes light up like the Northern Star,

opening wide like a blossoming flower.

A smile forms on his scruffy face,

which reveals holes in between yellow teeth.

‘Thank you so much, I am eternally grateful’

he says to me. ‘No problem. Enjoy’ I say.

I walk away, trying to

blend in with the crowd, but I know

I cannot group myself with such people.

 

A part of society, but completely isolated,

because I stood out from the crowd

by doing a selfless act.

 

To me, it’s just another day downtown.

Morning Elixir

A white cardboard cup

That brings ecstasy with the white and green,

Sometimes brown logo, which is known throughout the land,

Which now stands, three decades strong.

The steam rises above the cup,

Which reaches out to the heavens.

The satisfying, delightful aroma of

Fresh roast, brewed just for me.

Rich flavors of cinnamon, nuts,

Vanilla beans, chocolates,

The bitter smell of a latte,

All lingering about the air,

Hypnotizing sense of smell with a

Seductive wisp that barely grazes

The tip of my susceptible nose.

Inside the cup lies

The flavorful concoction,

Which is the elixir to the

Beginning of a new day.

Range of pitch black to

Shades of creamy beige,

Ribbon like swirls of off-white,

That is the cream and milk,

Twirled around in the middle.

Topped with luscious cream, so fluffy

Like that of a cloud,

Sprinkled with flavored powders,

Like colored snow.

A drink of morning bliss, pure decadence.

The liquid heaven touches my lips,

And I feel only bliss, a sense of

Elation, which only this drink can bring.

There is no moment that can surpass

The pleasure that I can get from this form of ambrosia.

I embrace every moment.

After the cup is empty, only then can I start the day,

With the high I get from this morning elixir.

Teddy Bear

The fluff of the cloth

Is puffy and soft.

Remember when

All trust was in

A stuffed bear friend?

Memories of childhood held

In this one toy,

Which brought only joy.

 

Children would cuddle it

Do as they saw fit.

It was this little bear

That drove away all fear.

When it went missing

Tears began flowing,

Until parents retrieved

What was so treasured.

 

Time has passed,

Children have matured

But remain as bold

Even as the stuffed bear grows old.

Buried by time,

Silent as a mime.

One day, an unearthed memory,

Washed with care, now hanging to dry.

Best Friends

This poem is dedicated to my best friend, Cassie. Here is a dedication:

Thank you for everything that you have done for me. You have a very special place in my life and I know I can count on you for a lot of reasons. You are my best friend, and I cannot imagine my life without you in it.

Now, onto the poem.

 

We are so much alike, you and I.

It is like they say, when great minds think alike.

When I wear my favorite shoes, you do too.

Same exact shoes, it’s like we both have ESP!

We have same tastes in many things such as

music, games, books, food, drinks, fun.

But we differ in many ways too, but that’s okay.

You are the yin to my yang,

    cream to my coffee, honey to my tea,

the biscotti to my mocha.

I really cannot see how life would be without you

right beside me, always there for me

when I am stranded on the road of life, I know

I can always turn to you first, and you will share

your wisdom with me, and provide words that carve a future road

that I will take as I continue life,

but not without you.

I am lost without you,

    forever alone in my heart.

Life is unimaginable for me when you are not in it

    together with me.

I find you to be almost like a sister to me.

Yes, you are what I call a

    best friend.

Blood is Life

when people think of blood

it might scare them.

but I like to think of it as the life stream

without it, we would not be able to live.

so cut me. cut me so that I may be

able to see the precious flow of life.

the crimson red flowing down my white skin.

this is what makes life.

blood flows down and soaks into white sheets

where it soon blossoms like a freshly cut rose.

“Dealings”

Mr. Vorsh seemed to slither over to a table with a large, ceramic mug filled with fresh, hot coffee nestled on a small plate, pulled out a chair, and sat down, setting his briefcase down on the floor next to him. He was dressed more formally than the other customers in the shop, with his trademark jet black suit. Mr. Vorsh wasn’t the only person at the table. It seemed he had a business client already sitting there, with his own coffee on the table, which was already a quarter-of-the-way down. The man was reading a newspaper, and only until Mr. Vorsh cleared his throat to announce his presence did the man notice and quickly folded up the newspaper and put it away.

“Ah, Mr. Vorsh! I apologize; I was quite into the news today. Did you hear about the armed robbery at the restaurant yesterday? I think it was a Black Angus. Scary, huh? You never hear about robberies in restaurants usually.”

“Yes, fascinating.” Mr. Vorsh replied, clearly uninterested as he took a sip from his large coffee mug and set it down on the plate again with a small clink. His face was clearly void of emotion.

“Oh, you’re here strictly on business terms, it seems.”

“Indeed, Mr. Myers.”

“You can call me Evan, Mr. Vorsh.”

“Okay, Evan. Yes, I am strictly here on business terms. Shall we get to business then?” Mr. Vorsh replied coldly.

“Well, before we start, is there another name I can call you by instead of ‘Mr. Vorsh’ all the time?”

“No, I am strictly on business terms; therefore I only prefer being called by Mr. Vorsh. You insisted I call you Evan, but I’m not insisting on anything.”

“Oh, okay.” Evan quickly said as he took a large drink of his coffee.

“Now, let’s see…you have contacted me for several reasons.”

“Yes Mr. Vorsh, that is correct.”

“You are having several finance problems. You are in search of a better job. And your love life is in dire need of a new spark. Am I correct?”

“Yes, that is correct, sir.”

Mr. Vorsh stared at him frostily for several moments, with such intensity that Evan shivered slightly, but nothing noticeable to all the other customers. After seeing Evan shiver, Mr. Vorsh broke his icy gaze and pulled his briefcase to the table as he moved his coffee to the side to make room. He opened the briefcase that was apparently filled to the brim with neatly organized papers. Evan could only stare in amazement at all the paperwork Mr. Vorsh carried around with him on what could be a daily basis. Mr. Vorsh rummaged through the paperwork until he seemed to find what he wanted and pulled out a folder.

“Evan Myers, Evan Myers…” Mr. Vorsh said as he rummaged through the folder that was as thick as a book with paper.

“What is that?” Evan asked, quite surprised.

“It is all of your information, Evan Myers…see, I must know my clients before I am allowed to go through with helping them. It is part of my policy…” retorted an emotionless Mr. Vorsh.

“So you have a file like that for every client of yours?”

“Indeed I do. Now, let’s get down to business. First, about your finance trouble; it appears that you are several thousand dollars in debt, mostly because of credit cards and payments for things your normally can’t afford. Indulging in luxuries before necessities, Mr. Myers…something that people really shouldn’t do.” Mr. Vorsh said harshly. “Because in the end, they almost always seek my help.”

Evan just looked at Mr. Vorsh with a slight bit of fear as he could detect something about his voice that just sounded forbidding. Something about him is just…off, he thought to himself.

“The financial issues will easily be taken care of, Mr. Myers, you need not to worry. By the end of the week, you shall be debt-free. Now, moving along here…”

Mr. Vorsh delved through more of the file and then spoke again.

“You would like to get a better job than your current one, yet you are having issues with finding a new job, is that correct?”

Evan nodded his head shyly as he put his coffee mug down after taking another large drink. His mug was three-quarters empty, and he began to slosh around the bottom of the coffee absentmindedly.

“Your current job is being a twenty-seven year-old cashier at a small discount bookstore, I see. Don’t like your job?”

“Oh, I do. But because of my debts, I need to have a better paying job.”

“Lots of people say that. I’ve heard it many, many times.” Mr. Vorsh said without looking away from the papers. “You broke up with your latest ex-girlfriend about two years ago, and haven’t had another since. So…you want to use me as a…dating service?”

Mr. Vorsh looked up and gave Evan a twisted look of confusion. Evan looked down at the table as he began to blush. His hand quickly reached for his coffee mug and he hid his face from Mr. Vorsh as he gulped down the rest of the little coffee left and kept the majority of his face behind the mug, and only mustering up the courage to nod his head slowly after several moments. A long sigh could be heard escaping the mouth of Mr. Vorsh.

“Very well,” Mr. Vorsh said as he began to write several notes down on Evan Myers’ file, with Evan slowly lowering his cup down to the table to watch what he was doing. “I will help you with your situation, but there will be some paperwork that you must sign…”

Mr. Vorsh dug deeper into the briefcase even though it looked smaller on the outside than what it actually was. On the inside, it seemed like a vast, infinite space filled with endless stacks of paper. After several seconds of probing the papers, he finally found what he was looking for. He pulled out a thick stack of paper that was about one hundred or so pages thick and slid it slowly towards Evan. The same thin and fragile hand that gave Evan the papers also reached into the left breast pocket of the suit and pulled out an expensive looking, unique pen that was emblazoned with onyx stones that spelled out V-O-R-S-H on the barrel. He handed the pen to Evan with a slight curl at the end of his lips, forming what seemed like a smile.

“What is in all of these papers?”

“Oh, it’s all just legal garbage. Like five pages to say something that can be said in one sentence. You don’t have to read all of it, just skim it if you so desire. But you will need to sign in three places throughout the document.” He reached over and flipped through the pages, searching for the three specific pages that required Evan’s signature. “If I can just have you sign on those three pages after you are done skimming the document…” he said quickly in a sly voice and then cradled his mug of coffee and drank it, all while keeping his misty colored, soulless eyes on Evan.

Evan warily took the documents after Mr. Vorsh showed him the pages to sign. His eyes rapidly went left to right as he began to scan the first page of the document. Moments pass, and he flips through a few more pages and skims it more. After about five minutes of browsing the papers, his fingers flipped back to the three important papers and his hand picked the pen up and he scratched his signature into the pages with the pen’s almost luscious black ink. He then put the pen down and neatly handed the document back to Mr. Vorsh.

“Very good, Mr. Evan Myers,” Mr. Vorsh said with a certain coolness in his voice as he gathered all the briefcase’s papers and organized it. “I will contact you tomorrow after I have everything settled for you. Your debts will be permanently erased, you will have a new job that will certainly take care of all your financial needs, and you will have a new love life. You take care, and enjoy the rest of your day.” He said more deviously than usual.

Mr. Vorsh quickly finished the small bit of coffee that was sitting in his mug, set the mug down on the plate with another soft clink, and then slid the chair back and gathered his composure, picked his suitcase up from the table, and moved so fast out of the coffee shop, as if he glided effortlessly along the floor.

Evan looked out the door even after Mr. Vorsh had already left the area. He continued to space out for several minutes until he saw a girl carrying a pot of freshly brewed coffee walking around the shop. He eagerly waved her down.

“Yes, how may I help you, sir?” the girl asked kindly.

“More coffee, please.”

“Here you go,” the girl said as she poured steaming hot coffee from the pot to his empty mug. “Cream and sugar?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Evan quickly opened up several packets of sugar and cups of cream and dumped them into his steaming coffee, and stirred it around. He picked up his newspaper again and began to go through it once more, even though he had already read most of the articles while waiting for Mr. Vorsh earlier.

“Hi there.”

Several moments passed, with Evan finally realizing that the voice was directed at him. He lowered his newspaper only to be greeted with a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her mid twenties. Her hair was a dark, cherry red that shone brilliantly when the rays of sunlight hit them, making them appear to sparkle with brilliance. Her eyes were a radiant, emerald green that just twinkled like a real emeralds, with just enough plumpness in her lips that made them downright seductive, and even more so with the gloss that she had on that only made them appear succulent. Her breasts were fully figured and emphasized by the somewhat low cut tank top that she was wearing, exposing slight cleavage. Much skin from her legs showed with the short black skirt that she was wearing, and finished off with black leather boots. Her fresh, glowing skin seemed to exude some sort of mysterious aura all around her, almost as if this girl was like a goddess. She was sitting in the chair across from Evan, where Mr. Vorsh sat only about fifteen minutes ago.

“And you are…?” Evan managed to say, amazed by the beauty that was sitting in front of him.

“My name is Mai. Heh, nice to meet you…” Mai greeted cheerfully as she held her hand out, waiting for a response from Evan.

Several moments of silence pass by between them, with the coffee shop rustling about like normal. The eerie silence between Mai and Evan made it almost seem as if they were separated from the rest of the people in the shop, like slow-motion. In an effort to ease the tension up between them, Evan reached for her hand and then quickly withdrew it after his hasty greet.

“Am I supposed to, well, know you?” Evan questioned as he stared into her eyes, becoming dazed by her sparkling eyes.

“Well, no. But you looked sort of lonely here, sugar. You know, sitting by yourself in a room full of people, drinking coffee alone.” She winked at him inconspicuously, which he noticed, but made nothing of it.

“So you just came here looking for the hopeless loser?” Evan chuckled lightly.

“I guess you can say that, sweetie.” She said as she stared into his eyes, almost sucking him in to a hypnotic spell. She slid his cup of coffee towards herself and took a sip.

“Are you from around here?”

“Maybe; I’m in a lot of places, I like to travel. But I am planning on staying in this town for a while…” she said slyly, charm oozing from her voice.

The two of them continued to talk, with Evan continually asking small questions to keep a conversation going, as well as trying to learn more about her. The conversation continued for several minutes while Evan continued to stare into her eyes, now completely caught in a trance. He moved his hand to take the coffee back from Mai’s side of the table and raised the cup to his lips to take a sip of the now only warm coffee, all the time not taking his eyes off Mai. He set the mug down on the plate with the all-too-familiar clink sound that echoed throughout the shop. An absentminded looking smile formed on his face.

“Would you like to come to my place for a little, Mai?”

Mai looked as if she finally got what she wanted, and a huge smile formed on her face, which she failed at her attempt to hide. Her eyes seemed to twinkle even more so at the mere idea. She nodded eagerly and quickly gathered her belongings hanging off the back of the chair and waited impatiently as Evan swiftly guzzled the remaining coffee, collected his possessions, and the two made their way out the door of the coffee shop, the small bell at the door jingling as they disappeared.

 

Evan pulled into his apartment’s parking lot in his ’91 Honda Accord, which used to be a luscious black, but now with age, the coat has dulled to a dark gray finish, with spots of scratched off paint. Within seconds, he parks the car in his assigned parking and the pair got out of the car and he leads them to his small studio apartment, which had his clothes all over the place.

“Sorry about the mess…” Evan quickly said as he rushed to pick some shirts and pants up and tossed them in the hamper that was next to the washer and dryer on the wall farthest from the entrance.

Mai looked around the apartment with her luminous green eyes, clearly not minding the messy state that the place was in. All she could do was retain a small smile on her face as she walked around, finally taking a seat on the small fabric couch that was in the middle of the studio, a 28” television sitting on a small stand about four feet away. She looked over her shoulder to see Evan trying to clean the place up a bit, but she was growing more impatient.

“Hey, relax about the mess. I don’t mind. Just come and sit down with me.”

Evan sighed and dropped everything he was holding in his hands to the floor. He walked over to the couch and took a set next to Mai, and then began to search for the television remote after finding it sandwiched between the armrest and the seat cushion.

Mai inched closer and closer to Evan until her skin was touching his, with just his layer of clothing separating them. She then leaned in next to his ear and began to whisper something along the lines of “let’s have a little bit of fun…” and wrapped her arms around his neck, gently biting his ear.

This must be Mr. Vorsh’s doing, Evan thought in his head, but his body was enjoying the touch of her tender lips on his ear, her pearly whites nibbling his ear.

She didn’t seem to show any intentions of stopping as she began to kiss him passionately, and he didn’t even try to resist her seductive moves on him, because he’s missed having any sort of love life.

In a matter of minutes, she was already all over him. The two of them continued with no signs of letting up. Evan embraced her, and the rest of the day passed on as if it were only several minutes.

 

Evan’s cell phone was going off, making him stir in his bed, as he blindly fumbled on the nightstand next to him where he always had his phone, only to realize it wasn’t there. His eyelids opened and he almost flew out of the bed as he ran to where the ring tone was coming from, finding it in his slacks pocket which was on the floor near the couch. He hurriedly flipped the phone open and put it up to his ear.

“Mr. Evan Myers!” the voice said at the other end before Evan could even open his mouth.

“Hullo, goo morning, Mr. Vorsh…” replied a groggy-sounding Evan, who just wanted more sleep.

“I have great news for you. I promised you a new job, and I indeed have come through with my part of the deal.” Mr. Vorsh continued on the phone. “I will need you to report to this new job today. And don’t worry about your job at the bookstore; I have already taken care of that for you…”

Evan’s eyes suddenly perked up immediately after hearing he had a new job.

“That’s great news indeed, sir!” Evan said, his voice sounding as if he had already been awake for hours. “Where do I need to go?”

“You will need to write this address down, and come to this building ASAP.” The emotionless voice of Mr. Vorsh continued.

Evan cradled the phone with his shoulder as he searched for a scrap of paper and a pen and began to scratch an address down, and then repeated the newly acquired information back on the phone to confirm.

“Fantastic, Mr. Vorsh! I shall see you soon.”

Evan began to get dressed and rushed to get ready to head to his new job. Only while he was making a quick breakfast did he notice Mai just barely waking up in the bed. She stretched and yawned, then saw that he was about to leave.

“Are you leaving for work already?”

“Yeah, I got a new job today.”

“Oh, good luck. I’ll be here, waiting for you…” she said as she let out another yawn, and sprawled back on the bed and went back to sleep.

Evan just stared at her body laid out on the bed, happy that he finally had a beautiful girlfriend that didn’t mind his current lifestyle, which was going to change soon anyway. He grabbed his car keys, phone, and headed out the door, closing it behind him until the click sounded, which signaled it was locked.

Mai turned her head towards the door, and opened her eyes. Making sure that the coast was clear; she got dressed and hurried out, hot on Evan’s tail.

After a tedious drive on the freeway with morning rush hour traffic, Evan finally found the building that he was given directions to go to for his new job. It was a shimmering, towering skyscraper downtown that somehow seemed bigger than the rest of the buildings, and he immediately recognized it as an office building for a big-name computer part manufacturer. He navigated the car to the parking lot that was next to the gigantic building and found a space within seconds.

“Today begins my new life…” he said to himself as he pulled the keys out of the ignition and going out of the car and walking towards the building entrance.

He walked through the main doors and was greeted with a soulless room, with an information desk in the middle and elevators on the two sides behind the desk, and some chairs on the side to form a small waiting area. Evan was a bit confused to see such a huge building with such a plain looking entrance. But he shrugged it off, and walked to the desk, where there was a brunette sitting in a chair, her arm and hand serving as a support for her chin as she lazily clicked away on the computer. After a few moments, she took notice of Evan’s presence.

“May I help you?” she asked without looking at him.

“Yeah, I am Evan Myers? I’m supposed to be the new guy.”

“Oh, yes, Mr. Vorsh told us about you. He is waiting for you on the thirteenth floor. That’s the floor that you’ll be working on.”

“Thank you,” Evan said politely and then walked towards the elevator on the right and headed up to the thirteenth floor. Thirteenth? Hah, just like I thought, his mind thought.

“Alyssa…” Mai’s voice suddenly broke the silence that swept the empty room.

The girl at the desk looked up and saw Mai rushing towards her.

“Evan. He’s headed up to meet Mr. Vorsh, correct?”

“Yes, and you arrived just on time.” Alyssa said as a smile broke out on her face. “I’d think it would be best if you head to your usual place here. Wait until it’s about time for him to get off his first day of his new ‘job’ in order to meet up with him.”

“Understood,” Mai replied, and headed towards the elevator on the left, disappearing as the doors closed.

 

Evan arrived in less than a minute to the thirteenth floor; due to the elevators surprisingly fast speed ascending. He stepped out of the elevator and was greeted immediately by Mr. Vorsh, who was wearing the same black suit that he wore previously.

“Ah, Mr. Myers…Glad you could make it.” He greeted with a smile.

“I’m glad to be here.” Evan answered. “So what is my job?”

Mr. Vorsh signaled to him that he should follow, and lead him through an enormous room filled with what looked like an infinite maze of cubicles. Evan quickly picked up his pace in fear of becoming lost in the sea of workspaces. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of walking through hundreds of booths, Mr. Vorsh stopped at an empty one that seemed to be in the middle of the entire work area.

“This is your cubicle, Mr. Myers.” He said directly as he watched Evan walk into the stall and take a seat in the plush leather office chair and spun around in it. “Your duties are to input all of the data into the company’s databases, as well as any special tasks we may have you do on certain days,” he continued as he pointed to a moderately sized stack of papers that was next to the computer monitor.

“Oh, so that’s it?”

“Yes. It is not a hard job, Mr. Myers. In fact, I expect you to have a good amount of downtime, in which you are free to do whatever you please in our break room…” his hand pointed to the direction of the dark, wooden doors that blended in seamlessly with the rich colored wood of the walls, which appeared north of where Evan’s cubicle was. “Follow me.”

Evan got up out of the chair and followed him towards the large doors. The same boney hands that Evan saw yesterday reached out and effortlessly pushed open the large doors and they stepped inside, with Evan attempting to keep the doors open but they were slightly too heavy for him, although he somehow managed. He was welcomed with a room that seemed almost as big as the work area that he was just in, maybe bigger.

“This is the company break room. There are video games, movies, 50” plasma televisions on the walls, leather couches, a bar, beds in their own stalls for private napping, a fridge that will always be filled with varying foods each day, fully equipped bathrooms just like the ones you would find at home, a closet of proper work attire, and several high end computers equipped with the fastest internet for all your recreational needs, as your desk computers are strictly for work purposes only.”

“Wow, so all of this is for employees here?” Evan questioned.

“Yes, there are several of these large break rooms on each floor in order to accommodate all the employees we have if they choose to stay at work instead of going home, mostly for the reason that these break rooms are filled with enough things to keep all of us entertained for god knows how long, or because they are so devoted to working here that they choose to do so on their own.” Mr. Vorsh explained unperturbedly. “This place was designed to keep the employees happy, of course, after a good time of work. But with hard work there must be time to play as well.”

Evan was half-listening to Mr. Vorsh as he walked further into the break room, examining all of the equipment in the room. There were quite a few ‘oh’ and ‘ah’s that escaped his lips as he studied the room for the next several minutes. But he also noticed that it was completely empty except for the two of them.

“Why are we the only ones here?”

“Simple. It is not five o‘clock yet. This place always has many people after five o’clock. Like I said, only after hard work is there time for play. Now, I suggest that you begin working. Can you find your way back to your desk or do you need me to assist you?”

Evan remembered that they just walked straight from his desk to this break room.

“No, I’m sure I can find my way. Thank you though.”

“Okay, I will leave you be. Oh, and about your debts. I will have all of that taken care of within the next few days. I will come to check up on you later. Enjoy, Mr. Myers.”

And with that, Mr. Vorsh sashayed before Evan could say another word, and once he began walking back to his desk, quickly turning around with the desire to ask a question that he just remembered seconds after, Mr. Vorsh had already disappeared. Evan made his way back to his desk and began to work the day away.

 

After hours of slaving away at entering data to the computer, Evan looked at the clock on his desk. It read 4:47 PM. He let out a sigh and leaned back in the chair, his head on the headrest, but was surprised as he saw Mr. Vorsh staring down upon him from above.

“Ah! Mr. Vorsh!”

“Don’t worry, it’s only natural for you to be a little tired after all the work you put in today. Oh, and this young lady is here to see you…” he stepped aside and Mai was standing at the small cubicle entrance, a smile on her face as she saw Evan.

“Mai! How did you know I was working here?”

“That’s not important, sweetie!” she cheerfully said as she sat down in his lap and gave him small kisses. After pulling away from his lips, she gazed at him intently, putting him back into a trance like yesterday.

“You two can go head towards the break room for some relaxation…” Mr. Vorsh said. “Oh, and while you were working today Mr. Myers, I contacted several of my sources and have arranged for your debts to be cleared and you will be given a fresh slate. It is not gone right away; however, expect them to be gone by the week’s end. I shall email you a confirmation email with all the documentation confirming all of this. So please be on the lookout for that.”

“E-mail?”

“Yes, you have a work email here. It is all set up on your computer already, just open the program. The username and password information are all in the middle drawer on the desk. Well, enjoy yourselves.”

And once again, Mr. Vorsh disappeared in a matter of seconds.

“Let’s go to the break room now and have some fun,” Mai said and she pulled Evan out of the chair and to the break room.

Mai easily opened the large doors with a push with both hands. She tugged on his arm and led the way inside, where there were several other employees already inside. They all took notice of Evan, whom they have never seen before. They all seemed to have the same expression on their face, which was full of hopelessness, but Evan was completely ignorant of the others, as he was still trapped by Mai’s hypnotic beauty.

The couple helped themselves to several drinks from the bar first, with Mai getting several varieties of margaritas, flavored vodka, and a shot or two of tequila, while Evan just got a few beers, Jack Daniels, and a shot of both straight vodka and tequila. After about two hours of downing the alcohol, Evan began to mumble nonsense and laughing randomly, clearly drunk. Mai was only slightly buzzed due to what seemed like high alcohol tolerance, but she followed him as he walked slowly to a leather couch and plopped down in front of it. His mouth uttered something about playing games, and Mai immediately put a random fighting game on and turned the system on, throwing a controller at him which he lazily positioned in his hands. After an hour of playing against each other for fun, Mai got tired of playing and quit, and Evan was beginning to recover from his drunkenness. Soon, they began to watch a DVD and during the middle of the movie, Evan began to pull Mai in towards him and began to kiss her fervently, with her embracing every moment.

It wasn’t long before Evan pulled her up and they walked to the nearest bed and slamming the door of the private stall behind them shut and locking it. Evan then pushed her onto the bed and jumped on the bed after her. The two of them repeated the same thing from his apartment, except with even more intensity than before. After, they both fell asleep.

 

The next morning, Evan awoke to the alarm that was built into the bed stalls. It was the sound of a standard alarm clock, the buzzing sound that always sounded so bad that it eventually woke people up after several rounds. He got up and realized that he wasn’t dressed, and found his clothes on the floor. He quickly put them on and noticed that Mai was still sleeping. Knowing that she couldn’t just stay there, he poked her until she opened a lazy eye.

“Get up. We spent the night at my workplace. You should get back home, you can visit me when I’m off.”

Mai stirred. Then reluctantly, she got up and began to get dressed. Once both of them were fully dressed, they unlocked the stall door and headed towards separate bathroom facilities to clean themselves up and ready themselves for a new day. After both of them were done getting ready, they headed towards the wooden doors.

Mr. Vorsh was standing right outside the doors and Evan stopped in his tracks, but Mai wasn’t surprised. She smiled at him.

“Good morning, Evan.” Mr. Vorsh said with a smile. “I see that you two enjoyed yourselves in their last night.”

“I apologize” Evan said in a sincere voice.

He laughed. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not like I haven’t seen it done before. That is what the room is for. To have fun. It’s home away from home.”

“Well, I guess I should get to work. Mai, you should go home for a bit—”

“No need, Evan. I’m sure Mr. Vorsh will let me stay here with you, right? Home away from home?” she smiled at Mr. Vorsh.

“Indeed, Evan. She may feel free to stay in the break rooms as long as she wants. I have nothing against it. You will see her after your shift is over at five o’clock. Now, you should get to your desk. I also left you a cup of fresh coffee; I know how much you love coffee.”

The three of them went their separate ways: Mai to the break room, Evan to his desk, and Vorsh to his main office on another floor. Evan arrived at his desk, and like he was told, there was a coffee mug filled with coffee. Just like yesterday, he stifled through the paperwork and entered data into the computer, coffee at the side of the desk and always seemed full no matter how much he drank. However, due to his concentration on getting the work done in order for him to have time to relax in the break room, he didn’t notice that his coffee never got cold or reached the bottom of the mug.

This same routine continued for the rest of the week. Getting up in the morning after eventful times with Mai in the break room, getting new work for the day from Mr. Vorsh as soon as he stepped foot outside of the break room, and going to the desk with the never-ending coffee mug always awaiting him. Without even noticing himself, Evan had been living in his workplace for an entire week, never once stepping out of the office to go home.

“Ah, Evan, there you are,” a cold voice reaching Evan’s ears in the midst of the late afternoon work rush. “It seems that you have been keeping yourself quite busy ever since you started here.”

Evan swiveled away from his computer as he finished inputting a piece of data into the databases. His face appeared tired, with visible bags appearing under his eyes. He looked like he hasn’t had time to shave for days, with what looked like five o’clock shadow forming. The appearance showed that Evan had been working hard for days, and then straight to partying with Mai and several other coworkers that he had began to know more. Evan was barely getting only a few hours of sleep before waking up, and repeating the cycle.

“You appear overburdened, Evan…” Mr. Vorsh said without emotion.

“No, I am doing quite alright,” Evan answered. “I got your email this morning about my finance problem I had?”

“Ah, yes. That is what I came to see you about. I have had it all taken care of, and all of your debt is now paid off fully. You have a clean slate now, but that doesn’t mean that you can go and accrue thousands in debt again.”

“Yes, I know. But with this job, all my finance problems will be taken care of too, right?”

“Oh, and you reminded me, I came here also to personally deliver your paycheck stub. You should have the money already in your bank account, as we had already set up a direct deposit for you since you started here.”

Mr. Vorsh pulled out the left side of his black suit jacket and reached into a hidden pocket on the inside. He pulled out an envelope that was addressed to Evan Myers and handed it in front of Evan, who took it eagerly, thirsty for the knowledge of how much he would be making in a single week.

“Wow…” Evan murmured to himself when he saw the stub. “And this is how much I get in a single week?”

“Indeed. Now, I shall leave to let you finish your work. I just wanted to check and see how you were doing today and to tell you the good news…”

He disappeared.

Evan continued to look at the paycheck stub for several more minutes before realizing that he still had work to finish up before the day ended in about forty-five minutes. He put it back in the envelope and set it aside and went back to the keyboard and began to input more information.

 

All of Evan’s life had changed in that one week. After the discussion with Mr. Vorsh about his now-fresh finances, and discovering his first week pay, Evan really saw no need to leave this life he had now obtained. He continued to work all day, and then party all night, then sleeping and waking up. His life became like the classic saying ‘wash, rinse, and repeat’.

Time had continued to pass as Evan became accustomed to his new lifestyle at the office building which he now calls home. It was hard to tell what time of day it was besides looking at the clock, and even that might have been misleading. Almost a year had passed, and Evan had never once had a desire to step outside of the floor that he worked on. However, today was different.

“I want to go for a walk,” Evan said as Mai was wrapped around him in the break room. “I won’t be gone for long. Just wait here, okay?”

Mai tried hard to hold back a smile on her face, so her final expression seemed to be a twisted, devilish smirk. She only nodded as her twinkling emerald eyes were glued to his back as he got up from the plush couch and walked towards the door. The moment he stepped out of the room, she let out a giggle. Mr. Vorsh materialized right next to her, his hand on her shoulder.

“Is he going to try and step out of the building?” he asked as he stared at the door with a demonic grin. “Or should I just say floor? He won’t make it past this single floor, anyways; no way is he going to be able to get out of the building.”

Evan rushed over to his desk to grab his phone and car keys then searched the perimeter of the floor’s walls for the door that led to the elevator in the hallway. After a few moments of scanning, he found the small doors that were clearly not doors for a break room and began to make his way towards them, weaving in and out of the sea of cubicles. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally made it to the door. He grabbed the metal handles and pulled the doors open, but was not greeted with what he was expecting to see in any ordinary office building.

His eyes fell upon an infinite amount of cubicles and his eyes began to widen with what looked like fear. He quickly slammed the doors shut, and then turned his back to the doors and leaned against them. In a few seconds he realized that there were two figures standing in front of him. He looked at the two people and found Mr. Vorsh gazing upon him with icy cold eyes and an emotionless smile fixated on his face, Mai standing next to him, arm slung over his shoulder and a smug expression.

“What is the matter, Mr. Myers? I was told that you wanted to go out for a walk. Don’t your legs work?”

“What is going on here…?” Evan interrogated. “What is this place…?”

“It is hell, Evan.”

“So…I’m in hell?”

“Yes.”

Evan looked around him and found only more and more cubicles. There was no visible exit that he could see with his eyes. The coworkers that he had grown accustomed to saw nothing wrong and continued working like they have always been, every single day. A lot of them were taking sips from their coffee mugs and continued to stare at their computer screens, typing away furiously; some were going in and out of the various break rooms that were located on the floor.

“I just want to go outside for some fresh air!” Evan cried out in a fake voice. “Where is the exit around here?”

“Evan, Evan…” Mr. Vorsh said. “Why would you want to go outside? Everything you could possibly want is right here in this building.”

“Yeah, are you saying you want to get away from me?” Mai questioned him. “You know, I find that offensive!”

“Well, I d-didn’t say I want to get a-away from you…” Evan stuttered. “Could you go with me for a nice walk?”

“You’re so silly,” Mai said as she grabbed Evan up from the ground and hugged him. “Haven’t you realized yet? There is no escape out of this building. You’re stuck; after all, you did sign the contract.”

“That is right,” Mr. Vorsh said. “You did sign my contract, Evan. It is not my fault that you did not exactly look at what you were signing. Just like all the others…” he sighed. “My job does get boring after a while…all these people, signing the contract, giving up their soul without realizing…then the shock factor that comes in when they realize that they can no longer have their regular life back…”

“Man, this beats my regular life.” Evan suddenly said before Mr. Vorsh could get another word out. “My life was total crap until I met you, Mr. Vorsh! What do I really have to lose from my former life? I have everything I could ever want now! There’s no way I would care about my old life.”

Mr. Vorsh looked at Evan with a confused look on his normally expressionless face. “I do not really understand…you said that you’re happy here?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Evan shrugged, holding Mai’s hand. “I didn’t have much in my life. Now I have everything. Well, except for my family and friends…but they never really cared about me that much. This place is pretty awesome. Well, the break rooms, at least.”

Mr. Vorsh did nothing but stare at Evan with his mouth slightly open.

“I already had a feeling about you. My life was in the crapper and I was bored with it and decided to try something new. And lucky for me did I hear about you by word-of-mouth. You help anyone that needs change in their life, and I was bored with mine so decided to contact you. Then you give me everything I could want, what else is there? I just give you my soul, but then I can all of this!” Evan motioned his arms and hands to put attention to the sea of cubicles. “Sure, the job part can be hell I guess, but the break rooms are totally awesome, like a heaven. And with me living here, it also saves me money for gas, no more driving for me!”

No words could be uttered from Mr. Vorsh’s mouth.

“Well, Mr. Vorsh, it is after five o’clock, and if you have nothing to say to me at this time, then I guess I will go and have some fun in which the company so loves to provide to its employees.” Evan said haughtily to him.

He grabbed Mai’s hand and pulled her with him as he began weaving in and out of cubicles to the nearest break room. Mai turned her head and looked at Mr. Vorsh with a puzzled expression, clearly confused as to why Evan was not like the rest of Mr. Vorsh’s past victims.

“So he knew all along…he was just acting dumb.” Mr. Vorsh began to mumble to himself. “He seems to be smarter than the rest of them. I gave him what he wanted…”

Evan popped back behind Mr. Vorsh and tapped him on the shoulder, catching him off-guard. He had a grin on his face.

“You know, I believe that there is no heaven or hell. It’s just whatever the person makes of it. And I think you have given me an awesome new life, Mr. Vorsh. Thanks!” he chuckled.

Mr. Vorsh stared after Evan with a depressed look on his face, watching him make his way again towards the break rooms. He finally let out a deep sigh and his head hung low, staring at the ground. His foot kicked the ground lightly, the shiny black shoes scraping the flat carpet. He stuck out his right hand in front of him and his briefcase suddenly appeared before him, materializing out of nothing. A door seemed to magically appear in front of him as if by his will, and he turned the handle and opened it, revealing the outside world on the other side of the door.

He stepped out of the door, still staring down at the ground, and closed the door behind him. Mr. Vorsh had to look for another fool to play the game and also lose, because he had just been the one that was played for a fool.

Special

I’m debating if I should turn this to a longer work…but for now, it’s just a little piece that I will be turning in to my Creative Writing class on February 11, 2008. If you believe that I should keep working on this, please leave comments or contact me directly. Thanks.

“Do you believe in the supernatural?”

            First thing you would probably think about when you hear this question is stuff like aliens, ghosts, vampires, demons, and all that good stuff. That’s what most people would probably think of when they hear ‘supernatural.’ At least, I think. However, I guess I just thought differently.

            I stared at my friend who I’ve known for years. He could tell from my expression that I was about to just laugh.

“What?”

“Yeah, I asked you if you believe in the supernatural. Well, do you?”

“You’ve known me for years. What brings this up all of a sudden?”

“Just wondering. I know what you like, from all that fantasy stuff, but I’m just asking to see if you actually believe this stuff is real.”

“Dude, I highly doubt that there is anything supernatural that exists in this world. And define what you mean by ‘supernatural’…there’s lots of things that can be thought of as supernatural.”

I stared at my friend, waiting for his answer. He looked like he was in deep thought after I asked him that, and I don’t blame him. I continued to watch him as his brain appeared to be processing the thought of what he considered to be the mystical.

“Well…”

“Yeah?”

“Supernatural as in stuff like good versus evil, dragons, magical powers…”

“Ha-ha! You know, I was honestly expecting one of those typical answers of what average people thought were supernatural. You know…aliens and ghosts, vampires, all that bullshit.”

“Well, that too, but that wasn’t my main focus. I’m bored, and was just thinking about it. Maybe we just read too much fiction and manga, and play too many games. Ha-ha.”

“That could be true. But at least I can still separate my reality from fantasy, unlike you dude. I never once thought of this stuff as ever being even close to real.”

He punched me lightly on the shoulder in retaliation to my little remark about him. I guess I set off a little nerve, but we’re best friends, so it’s not like he was actually mad. He knew I was just joking around.

“Oh don’t hit me Ivan, it was just a joke you dork.”

“Ha-ha, I know dude. Don’t take everything so seriously, Chris.”

We had just finished eating our food at the local diner near our school. I signaled to the waitress behind the counter at the bar that we were ready for our check. I pulled some cash from my wallet and Ivan did the same. We usually split the check in half to make things fair. Occasionally one of us will pick up the check but only if one of us has no cash. The bill was paid, and we both left two dollars each on the counter for tip. We grabbed our backpacks and headed out the door.

“Thank you, boys! Hope to see you again soon,” the waitress called to us as she hurriedly took the tip.

It was a beautiful day. The sky was a beautiful, bright blue, dotted with several brilliant white clouds. The sun was still up high in the sky, since it was only early afternoon. We walked around the building of the diner to get back to Ivan’s car.

To be honest, the conversation that I had with Ivan earlier really sparked something in my mind. Is it possible that there are forces of darkness that are at work? And there are only a select few that possess the power to stop it? It may seem far fetched, but I couldn’t help but have this feeling that it isn’t impossible. Or maybe I’m going crazy from too much fantasy. Whatever the case may be, at this moment I am unsure what to think.

“So I’m dropping you off at home, yeah?”

“Yeah, I have quite a bit to do today, unfortunately,” I sigh.

“Alright, it’s cool. We’ll see each other tomorrow at school anyways. Could you hand me my CD case? I need music to drive, ha-ha.”

I reached underneath the passenger seat and my hands landed on a cold, metal surface. Instinctively I pulled it out and handed the case of CDs to Ivan’s awaiting hands. My eyes saw him pull out the new Linkin Park CD and pop it in the car’s CD player. Now in driving Zen, he pulled out of the parking lot and we were on our way.

 

The next day…

Bzzzzzzzzzzt, bzzzzzzzzzzt, bzzzzzzzzzzt!

I blindly started slapping the nightstand beside me, trying frantically to hit the alarm clock. After moments of half-asleep searching, my hands finally found the clock and turned the alarm off. I rolled out of my bed and got ready for school, as I normally did. It was all just another normal day. Or so I thought.

“Chris, get some breakfast before you step out the door. I took the time to make sausage, bacon, and eggs for you and Cindy,” Mother said as she saw me preparing my backpack near the door.

“Alright”

I grabbed a plate in the kitchen and helped myself to some of Mom’s food. I ate it in a hurry, for I wanted to do some research at the library for a paper. At the rate I was going, I was only going to get about twenty minutes before my first class to have to myself. The food I had on my plate was gone in five minutes. I grabbed my bag and began to head out the door.

“Okay, I’m heading to school! I’ll be back home tonight.”

“Okay, have a good day!” Mom called out after me.

 The sun had barely risen just not too long ago. The time was 6:43 AM. The sky was light purple and a bright orange where the sun was. I kept my hands in the pockets of my jacket since it was cold enough for me to see my breath in the air. This is what I do everyday; walk to school. This was nothing strange or out of the ordinary.

The school was about five minutes away. Classes began at 7:30. My prediction was right on the money; about twenty minutes to get some work done. But little did I know that this was no ordinary day.

“Excuse me…”

A voice I never heard before. It was too deep to sound like anyone I would know from school, and was coming from behind me, almost as if I had been followed this entire time. I turned around, and was greeted with the strange appearance of a pale skinned man in a black suit, even the black sunglasses to match. He reminds me of Agent Smith from the Matrix movies. Remember him? Yeah, all I’m thinking of is that, except this guy appeared to be about 5’9, and had a bigger build. From what I saw, there was a lot of muscle. Of course, this made me even more nervous.

“Who are you?”

“That is none of your concern at the moment. But you are of quite some importance to my boss…”

“Importance?”

“Yes. He sees something about you that makes you…unique. To say the least.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This all sounded like it was coming straight out of a comic book. I never thought there was anything unique about me. I just thought of myself as a normal person, just like everyone else. What the hell was going on here?

“What is so unique about me?”

“Ah, I see. He did tell me about this. Your abilities may not have awakened yet. They are still dormant.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Ah, I see. So even you are not aware of your abilities. This does make things harder…”

“Look, I have to be somewhere. I don’t have time for this nonsense.”

The man began to move. He pulled out what looked like a small handgun. Was he going to shoot me down? But wait…the thing didn’t look like it held bullets to kill. I noticed he was loading a syringe loaded with a bright blue substance into the strange device. I knew I had to get out of here fast. I had no idea what was happening, but that’s all that I did know: get away from him.

Out of pure instinct, my legs began to move. They felt like lead, but my brain didn’t care. It ordered them to carry the rest of my body out of there. I turned my head over my shoulder and saw that the mysterious guy was chasing after me, the gun loaded and ready to shoot. I had the feeling that this situation was hopeless for me. But I don’t give up without trying. If I was going to die, then I can’t go down so easily.

I ran and ran, for what seemed like forever. But every time I looked behind me to see where he was, he seemed to only keep gaining on me. He was like a machine; he showed no signs of exhaustion from chasing me, though I was beginning to get tired myself. But no, I can’t give up now. My life was at stake.

“It is useless to run…you have something unique, and even you should be aware of your own power! What I have here is a serum that will just awaken your power immediately. I figured even you would be curious to what makes you special…”

I was slowing down. Was this all just a bad dream? I didn’t even feel like this was happening, it all seemed too much like fantasy…I must be going crazy…I fail to believe this is all happening in reality. Wake up!

No use. I was still here. Running and running, from something that was not letting me go. I could not go any longer. My legs gave up, and I fell on the concrete, panting. I was staring down at the ground with only the feeling of losing accompanying me.

I just find it too funny that Ivan and I were talking about the supernatural only just yesterday, and then this stuff happens to me. I must be the luckiest guy ever. This entire situation has now changed my perspective on the situation. I now believe that the supernatural does exist, and it is happening to me. The supernatural isn’t just vampires, ghosts, aliens, dragons, and all that stuff. The weirdest shit can happen in real life too. And it was happening to me. Right now.

I looked up and saw the guy walking towards me. Wise guy…he knows I’m a sitting duck now, that’s why he’s just walking to me now. At that moment, I had no idea what was happening. I just knew that I had to be very unlucky. Moments passed, and he got closer until he was only about ten feet away from where I was on the ground. I gave him a glare of hatred, but he didn’t care.

“Seems like you’ve given up. Nice try, though, I will admit that. But now I can carry on with my mission.”

He raised hand that held the gun and pointed it straight at me. He seemed to give me a pathetic attempt of looking like he was sorry.

“Don’t worry, it won’t hurt for long.”

FOOSH.

He had fired the gun with the loaded syringe straight into my neck. All I felt at that moment was immense pain. I cried out but immediately blacked out afterwards…

 

Several hours later…

“Is he awake yet? It’s been long enough, and I want to witness his power.” An unknown voice was talking. “Ah, he is beginning to wake…”

I stirred. It felt like I was drugged, because the world seemed to be spinning once I opened my eyes again. Not a damn clue as to what was happening to me…I felt strange. Something was not right.

I opened my eyes even more, and then was greeted by another strange man that I had never seen before this day. He was also wearing a black suit like the previous man, but his face was revealed fully because of the lack of pitch black sunglasses. He appeared to be in his late twenties, and had shoulder-length black hair. He was looking right at me with his cold eyes.

It was only then which I began to notice my surroundings. I was tied down to a chair and he was sitting in front of me, behind a desk. I moved my eyes to survey the room. It seemed to be a normal office, except everything going on here was not normal.

“What is going on here?” I demanded furiously.

“Your powers. They have awakened. And now it is time for you to be put to use.”

“Who are you?”

“Me? I am your father. Well, technically, because I created you.”

I stare at him, outraged and confused. Created? So what does this mean…?

“Created? Are you trying to tell me that I am…?”

“An experiment? Yes.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I was not even a person, just a mere creation. Was this man trying to play God? And I was the result?

“What was this experiment for?”

“To create a superhuman to uphold justice and law. We are a secret underground organization that was created by the government in secret to help the police with bringing justice and order for the world. My name is Seth Warden, and I’m the one in charge of this operation on permission from the government.”

“Okay…so I’m supposed to help with capture and punishment of criminals?”

“Yes.”

“What are my powers?”

“That is unknown even to us. You must find out these powers on your own. We only know the fact that you were given incredible abilities.”

“And how do I activate these powers…?”

“Also unknown. We only created you; we do not have powers like you so we cannot help you. It is up to you to find out and discover your own new talents.”

“You can at least untie me.”

Seth made a motion and at once three men came out of nowhere and began to untie me from the chair. I got up and brushed myself off. I noticed that they had my backpack in the corner. I walked towards it and grabbed it and was headed out the door until I was interrupted.

“Because you are now a tool for the government, you must always be ready to answer the call of justice. We have also gotten a cell phone ready for you that will only be used for your work purposes.” Seth said and tossed me a cell phone. “You are to answer all calls on this phone. If not, then we suspect you may have been taken by unknown enemies. You are now free to go.”

I hastily stuffed the phone in my pocket and rushed out.

“A blur. Well, we now know what one power of his is.” Seth said as he witnessed me speeding out.

I hurried home and locked myself in my room without anyone even noticing me entering the house. I tossed my backpack in the corner and collapsed onto the bed. I stared at the ceiling with my mind being plagued with dozens of thoughts racing through at once. I held my hands up in the air above me and stared at them, examining them like there was something that would be obvious about them that would give me away. But I found nothing.

I just knew that the supernatural does exist. And I am proof of it. I am no longer normal. I guess I never was from the beginning; I was deceiving everyone and now I have been deceived. After today, there is no longer a normal life for me.