You Call This a Gift? Read online

  I let out a deep breath and made my way to my room. I placed the gift from Kenna on my vanity and sat in my chair and glanced around my room. My head was pounding and my heart was racing, “What is going on with me today?” I asked myself. I placed my head in my hands, contemplating whether to get a glass of water or not. I was extremely thirsty but didn’t feel inclined to move. I lifted my head in an attempt to get up and get it when I noticed a glass of water on the vanity in front of me. I looked at it confused. I don’t remember bringing that in here. “Am I really so out of it that I don’t remember getting water?” I stood and shook my head as I made my way to my bed where I collapsed in a heap. The thoughts of the day were bombarding my brain. I rolled over in annoyance, it was cold and I wished for another blanket, immediately after I noticed I had four on top of me already. I sat up perplexed. “Ok, this blanket is definitely from Marina’s room,” I said in confusion, looking at the beauty and the beast blanket that was gripped between my fingers. “That little brat must have left it in here, I don’t know how many times I’ve told her to keep her things out of here,” I angrily thought.

  I woke up to the sound of the door slamming, little feet running across the house, and the voices of my mom and Marina. Next thing I knew, I had an eight-year-old jumping on me yelling, “Get up, get up, we’re home, come and play!” I gently shoved her off me and told her to go away. She sulked out of the room in tears.

  Following that, I heard my mom’s voice ringing through the house, “Annalisia Desirae Fitz, get out here right now and apologize to your sister!”

  Ugh, I sighed with utter disbelief and made my way out to the living room where my mom was standing hand on hip pointing at my upset little sister. “Why do I need to apologize? She came running into my room, jumped on me, yelled, and left her blanket in my room,” I argued.

  Marina jumped in yelling, “I did not leave my blanket in your room, I took it to school with me; it’s right here in my bag.” She said assuringly while wiping the tears from her eyes.

  “Sure, it is. Let me see it then,” I said with irritation in my voice.

  She reached down unzipping her Cinderella backpack, eyes tightening, tears forming. “It was right here! Mom even saw it! She made me put it in my bag before gymnastics,” she said in confusion.

  Mom looked at me and smiled saying, “Okay, girls, we just have a little misunderstanding here; let's drop it and move on, okay?” Following that, she said, “Now, girls, both of you go to your rooms until dinner.”

  Chapter 7: Anna’s Mom

  My face lit up with excitement, she had her powers! Unfortunately, she got her father’s power instead of mine, but nonetheless a power. My daughter has the gift of telekinesis, or as we call it, “object manipulation”. The ability to summon an object just by thinking of it. “Wow, my daughter is an object manipulator,” I thought to myself smiling. Now all she needs is to realize that she has a gift. She will have so much fun at training camp and become well prepared. I smiled with glee as I made my way to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

  As I stood pushing the food around on the pan, I thought of Anna’s dad and their power. I smiled remembering the way he proposed to me. We were sitting on the beach watching the sunset, our feet catching the splashes from the waves. He asked me and summoned the ring and it dropped in my lap. It was really comedic to me because when the ring dropped, it fell into the sand and then a big wave washed over our laps the ring being pulled away with it. He chased the waves and dove in and out of the water searching for it for at least ten minutes while I sat laughing. When he finally came out aggravated and defeated, he looked at me asking why on earth I was laughing. I then reminded him of his own gift and that he could have simply summoned the ring back from the waves. The look on his face was priceless and it was for sure marked a night we would always remember.

  Chapter 8: Annalisia

  I sat book in hand lost in a world of romance, as Juliet took Romeo's dagger and plunged it into her heart, unable to bare a world without him. I wondered if I would ever find that kind of love. They lay there dead and at peace with each other forever. I pondered over the story details when my mom came in and asked me to join them for dinner. I walked slowly down the hall which felt like a tunnel spiraling around me, the grey slightly stained carpet from the time Marina dropped her grape juice seemed to be floating above my head while the ceiling was on the floor. I shook my head gripping the wall for balance as I continued through the hall into the kitchen. The room smelled of chicken and rosemary. I watched as my mother pulled the pan of chicken out of the oven and took it to the table. The stove was covered with three pots, one of garlic mashed potatoes, another of corn, and finally my mom’s signature sweet potatoes. I moved towards the sink to wash my hands. I glanced around looking for the soap. The sink consisted of one of my mom’s fancy dinner plates, the kind with the gold rim, two spoons, and my cup from this morning. I continued looking for the soap when I heard something drop. I looked down, and by my foot, there was the bottle of soap. I looked around the room in confusion. My mother stood smiling at me. “Am I missing something? Is dropping the soap now a funny thing?” I asked myself.

  I finished washing my hands and made my way to the dining room table. It was a big table, two captain chairs, one on each end, and little chairs, three on each side. I sat in the captain chair opposite my mom. I looked at the table; my mother always had it set beautifully, guests or no guests. My great grandmother’s eighty-three-year-old white lace tablecloth draped over the table. The vase in the center of the table was pale blue and was filled with pink roses and a handful of baby’s breath. The salt and pepper shakers sat evenly apart from the napkin holder which was silver with a crystal edge. We weren’t a rich family, actually quite the opposite, but my mother would never let anyone know that. This house belonged to my great grandparents who were now gone. May they rest in peace. They were quite wealthy and had the house decorated to match. When they died, they left all their money to my Uncle Tim in California. They left the house to my mother here in New York. She left all the expensive decorations around the house and fooled many people into thinking we were higher up than we actually were.

  My mother worked as a veterinarian’s assistant, she had a great love for animals. I remember when I was a child about five or six, I begged for a puppy, but my mom said we couldn’t afford to have one and that sometime in the future we would get one. I never told my mother, but a puppy followed me inside one day and lay with me as I drifted off to sleep. The puppy came back a few times that year, but then stopped coming around. It shattered my heart, as she was becoming my best friend. I had named her Chloe and I’ll remember and miss her as long as I live. I’m sure Chloe has passed away by now, that was ten years ago, and she was already a grown dog. I became sad recalling these memories.

  I took the red-handled spoon and scooped a good size blob of potatoes onto my plate beside my chicken and corn. We joined in hands as we said a prayer of thanks, and then began eating. I was so hungry, which was not a normal thing for me. I was never hungry like this. I shoveled every bite of food in, barely swallowing before asking if I could have seconds. My mother nodded in approval. When we finished eating, my sister and I began clearing the table of dishes while my mother wrapped the leftover food and put it in the fridge. I slid my hands down into the warm soapy water grabbing a plate in one hand and a sponge in the other.

  I finished the dishes and joined my mother on the couch. My sister was in bed sound asleep by nine. My mother and I sat looking at each other in silence. She asked me to get the remote. I looked around and didn’t see it anywhere. She looked down at my lap and said, “Darling, it’s right there.”

  I shook my head in utter confusion. I knew that remote had not been in my lap. I let out a deep, long, well-needed cry, exclaiming, “Mom, I think I’m losing my mind!”

  She wrapped me in a tight embrace whispering in my ear, “You’re not going crazy, you’re special, this is all normal.”

/>   With tears rolling down my cheeks, I lifted my head until my eyes met hers saying, “How is this all normal? How is this okay? I’m seeing things that aren’t there, my head is constantly spinning, and I feel like I’m going bonkers.”

  She looked at me with her sweet smile of comfort and took my hands into hers. “You just need to have an open mind and don’t think too hard. Too much thought on one thing will hurt your mind more,” she said calmly. I shook my head in dismay mocking her words. “Don’t think too hard? How am I supposed to do that? Especially now that I must try not to. That will make it impossible.”

  All I could think about now while sitting here with my mom crying is how I would do just about anything for a pack of skittles, they were my go-to depression snack. I closed my eyes and let my head fall back onto my mother’s shoulder as I let my tears die down. I felt something drop onto my lap and I peered down. I screamed as I flung myself off the couch and gripped onto the fur rug I had just landed on almost slamming into the reclaimed barn-wood coffee table that sat a few feet away from the couch. I stared down in utter fear at a pack of skittles that was sprawled at my feet.

  Then, I stared in aggravation at my mom who sat on the edge of her seat smiling at me saying, “Darling, why don’t you think about a Snickers bar for me?”

  “A Snickers bar? Why in the world would I think about a Snickers bar, Mom? How is that anything worth thinking about right now? Something is wrong with me!” I shouted as a Snickers bar appeared in my hand. “What is going on, I’m begging you to tell me? I feel like I’m in some fantasy book cursed with some terrible power,” I said lowering my head into my lap.

  “Finally, I was waiting for you to say the word ‘power,’ I’m impressed, darling, you figured it out a lot faster than I ever did. It took me weeks to come to the realization, your grandmother was going crazy waiting for me to spit out the word “power,” she replied giggling.

  Chapter 9: Annalisia

  I sat at the kitchen table practicing my newly discovered power; summoning the salt shaker to myself and then sliding it back across the table opposite from where I sat. I repeated this process five or six times. My mom set the plate of lunch she had just prepared in front of me. I looked down at the bowl of chicken noodle soup and the grilled cheese sandwich that had just been placed before me. “Mom, you forgot the…,” I began to call out. I thought for a moment and then used my power to summon a spoon. I giggled at my new ability, it was kind of fun.

  My mom walked over in annoyance saying, “Anna, I am happy that you are beginning to accept your powers and that you are practicing, but that does not mean you can use your power for everything whenever you feel like it. I will not allow you to become this lazy.” She grabbed the spoon from my bowl and returned it to the kitchen stating, “If you would like a spoon, you may get up and walk yourself to the kitchen and get one.” I rolled my eyes while letting out a sigh and continued to eat my soup without a spoon.

  I sat at the table looking at Anna; she seems to have accepted her gift for now, but I still have not shared any information with her other than what her power is. She hasn’t even questioned what mine is, or what else exists, or anything. I watched as she began summoning the salt shaker again. I grabbed the shaker as it began to slide back to its starting place.

  “Anna, that is quite enough. It’s time that we had a talk,” I said sternly.

  “Okay, what is it, Mom?” she asked awaiting my answer.

  “We have yet to discuss any of this. You know only of your own power and nothing of the world around you. Your gift of object manipulation comes from your father Samuel. I had hoped you would receive my power of shapeshifting, but alas, you did not. There are many powers in the world 33 that I have personally come in contact with. Some of the more common supernaturals are werewolves, vampires, witches, teleporters, shapeshifters, mind readers, and flyers. Now some of the more rare supernaturals include you, object manipulators, Time-Turners, and chameleons.

  She looked at me with her thick eyebrows raised to the ceiling and asked, “Do I know anyone other than you that has powers?”

  I gazed down at my feet and slid them around not wanting to reveal the information she was looking for.

  “Mom!” she groaned in annoyance.

  I looked up until our eyes met and filled her in.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about them!” I yelled. “How could you not tell me my best friend is a Time-Turner?” I asked in disbelief. “And my teacher, Mrs. Humai, is my guardian? What even is that?” I flooded her with questions.

  She just looked around and shook her head. “I couldn’t tell you anything until you accepted your gift, I told you that already,” she said annoyed. I’m going to my room I can’t take any of this anymore. [u1]

  “Goodnight!” I said with an attitude.

  I held the phone to my ear and listened to the repeated ringing coming through the speaker. “Hey, girl! What’s up?” I heard come through the phone.

  “Hey, girl?” That’s what you have to say to me? What about, “Oh, hey, I forgot to mention over the duration of our friendship that I’m a TIME-TURNER?!” I shouted. I could feel the silence that persisted for a moment.

  “I, I’m sorry, I wasn’t allowed to tell you,” she said with a sadness in her voice.

  “Do you think for one minute that if it had been me, I wouldn’t have told you?” I asked feeling betrayed.

  “I said I’m sorry, you know I’m not one to break the rules,” she replied distressed.

  “I just can’t believe I’m unable to trust my best friend,” I said while ready to hang up on her. I could hear the crying in her voice as she said, “Please, Anna, don’t say that, I love you, you’re my best friend. I only found out about this a few weeks ago after my birthday; I’m new to all of this too.”

  I sat in silence for a few minutes contemplating what to say next. I could feel my heart sinking just thinking about a life without Kenna. I gathered my thoughts and replied, “I’m sorry, Kenna, It’s just been a lot, but I guess you already know that I’m sorry you had to go through it all on your own.”

  “I wasn’t alone; I had my mom, dad, and my guardian Samuel. Do you have a guardian yet? They’re awesome!” she replied giggling.

  “Mrs. Humai is my guardian,” I said a little confused why she didn’t know already.

  “Mrs. Humai is a guardian!” she shouted.

  CHAPTER 10: Annalisia

  I stood at my locker packing away the rest of my belongings. I gazed down the hall and froze in my place when I saw Davis making his way toward me. He paused for a minute and shooed away his crowd of friends that followed him everywhere. I quickly turned to look in the mirror hanging on my locker and fixed my hair. I felt a tap on my shoulder and swung around. My hair swiped across Davis’ face and my heart sunk in embarrassment.

  “Hey, girl, what’s the rush?” he said with a giggle.

  “Uhm, well, I, uh, you see I was just, you know, I was…” I mumbled gibberish while he placed his finger against his lips to shush me.

  “Anna, relax, I just came over to ask you to sign my yearbook. Maybe you could leave your number in there too and we could hang out over break,” he said charmingly.

  “Oh right, of course, yearbook, ha-ha, sure,” I replied trying to sound cool while utterly failing at it. He handed me his book and took mine signing it with his adorable name then gave me an amused look and winked leaving me with, “See ya later.”

  After Davis was out of view, I sunk to the ground with my yearbook in hand and opened to see what he had written. Right under my picture, he had written over Mason Deren’s photo, “Had fun this year, hope to chill over the summer, HAGS, Davis.”

  I smiled from ear to ear hugging the book against myself. “Eh-hem,” I heard and saw a shoe tapping on the ground in front of me.

  “Hello, Anna, are we going? Come on, I would like to get out of this school and pretend like it never existed,” she said quite seriously.

 
; I stood up giggling. “Well, good luck with that, Kenna, we’ll be back in a few months,” I replied as I started walking down the hall.

  “Hmm, no, we won't. We will be at camp,” she said looking at me confused.

  “What do you mean we will be at camp? That’s just for the summer,” I said surely.

  “No, sweetie, camp is over the summer and then we stay there for school. Didn’t your mom tell you?” She asked sure she had said too much.

  “Mom!” I yelled as I pushed through the front door pulling Kenna along with me.

  Kenna pleaded, “Wait, Wait, maybe you should wait for your mom to tell you.”

  My mother interrupted smiling with, “Tell her what, dear?”