Tick tick tick

My room was silent except for the sound of the second hand in the clock moving.

‘Am I human?’ the question floated into my mind again.

But why at this moment in time?!

I didn’t even want to bother thinking about the question but it made me realize that I had subconsciously began to doubt my humanity.

The humanity that I only know of because I was told of it.

I already know that no other sentient race apart from humans lived in the world.

So then if I doubted my humanity, what was I?

I raised my hands and brought my fingers to my face. I wondered how much blood it would draw if I scratched someone with it. Rotating my hand back and front I admired it for a few seconds. Then I let my hand drop.

My rational mind told me to brush all this off as superstition but I had definitely conjured fire.

I willed a small ball of water to my finger tips and it appears.

I willed it away and closed my eyes embracing the darkness.

A minute passed.

”Come on. Something. Anything.” I mumbled.

I stayed like that for another minute then sat up on my bed.

The question was not just ‘Am I human?’

The questions were ‘If I am not human, then what am I?’

‘And how does my humanity have to do with my memories?

To hypothesize: I am a spiritual being who took over Elizabeth’s body when it died. But for some reason I erased hers and my memories in the process. Come to think of it, my love aversion was it because I was a male spiritual being?

No, before that why was I a spiritual being? I could been a demon, too.

But at this point, I am just humoring myself.

It was just a hypothesis with no answer. But I had to admit something.

I definitely was not normal.

Not that I ever thought I was but it felt fresh to just say it outright… well think it.

                                                                      %%%%%

I yawned wildly as I slowly sat up from the bed. I glanced at my clock and yawned again.

6: 30

“Hmm? AM or PM” I muttered.

Standing up, I walked to my window and spread the curtains then stared at the night sky.

“I want to take a walk” I mumbled and shuffled over to my closet. Pulling on a sky blue jacket and black track pants, I walked out the room heading towards the stairs.

“Valerie!” I yelled. ‘Oops’. “Mom!” I corrected myself.

“Yes?” her voice came from inside her room.

“I’ll be back in an hour. Need some fresh air”

There was some silence then, “Put your food in the microwave when you get back” she replied.

I nodded although she couldn’t see me and walked out.

She was managing pretty well with my attitude. I felt a bit sorry.

I breathed in the fresh air that greet me. This was something air conditioner couldn’t do.

The outside air relaxes me. Almost like home does.

I smiled and walked on.

I decided to try something as I spotted gardening sears laying on the floor.

‘Valerie must have been a bit careless’ I chuckled to myself.

I picked up the garden sears and proceeded to level my nails.

To be honest, I was still freaking out a bit inwardly about the purple gas and stuff. But I figured with the ways things are going, I’ll find out soon enough why I had … well, call them powers or magic.

I squatted and looked at my newly cut nails. The claw was already getting to me so it felt awkward.

I caressed my face and beamed. At least I didn’t need to be careful anymore when I touch my face or skin.

I do wonder why no one commented much on my nails. They were looking so beastly that you could not look at me without noticing them. And yet, only one person in my class commented on them.

‘Maybe they just weren’t interested’ I reasoned and soon enough, I was a mile away from home.

I was careful not to go to unfamiliar zones as I could get lost. I would pop up a flame on my tip when I was alone in an alley or juggle fire ball or water balls. Air is impossible to control, at least for me. I couldn't move it or anything, definitely could not feel any air essence. It's either just me or it doesn't exist

I smiled to myself, very happy with my findings. It's always good to know what you're good at. 

Whistling softly as I walked with the wind I spotted a familiar shade of blonde with the side of my right eyes. I stopped walking turned immediately and like I thought it was someone I knew.

“Maddie?” I muttered.

She was laughing and chattering with a group of people outside ‘Big Fingers’ restaurant.

“Ho~ she has a life~”, I said letting out a smile. (Author’s note: rude much?)

I watched on curiously. I mean who wouldn’t.

The guy with the auburn hair suddenly bent and kissed Maddie softly then left waving back at the group.

I blinked twice for the scene to actually register.

“Wow~ never seen it front row” I chuckled, “She had a boyfriend”

(Author’s note: She’s so innocent without her memories. I’ll soon miss these tranquil days~)

“But they looked gay” I mumbled to myself.

‘Hmm? ‘Gay?’’ I thought. Another word I don’t recognize. I will have to go look up the meaning later. Things such as not remembering some words occurred quite often, often as in every other day so they didn’t surprise me anymore. I just googled it.

Seeing the people in the group waving goodbyes and beginning to scatter, I wanted to walk off but Maddie was heading towards my direction. I changed my mind and called out.

“Yoo-hoo”

She didn’t recognize my voice nor did she realize that she was the one being called at so she kept on walking.

“Maddie” I said jumping in front of her from the shadows.

“Eh?!” she jumped startled then my smirking face registered in her mind, “Oh… Elizabeth you scared me” she burst out laughing.

“Oops?” I laughed and she joined me.

“Friends of yours?” I asked, motioning to the fading away backs that belonged to the group earlier.

“Yea… they are also friends of yours although you don’t remember” she said sweetly.

I smiled, “I see”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

They were Elizabeth’s friends. I have decided to act on the notion that Elizabeth and I are different entities until I find proof telling otherwise. Besides it’s not like there’s anything wrong with my having two personas.

There are people like that. Even though those are usually schizophrenics or crazy people.

And I am not crazy.

(Author’s note: but that’s what crazy people think….)

In simpler words, I’ll call her Elizabeth in my mind and I’ll call myself well, uh, ‘Me’.

I decided to escort Maddie home. Just because I was going to walk around anyways.

We engaged in useless chatter and we talked about miscellaneous stuff. Maddie was the only one I could talk to endlessly like this. It felt weird and nice at the same time.

She talked about the gym she went to, the movies she watched. As the inexperienced one in the group, I mainly listened and putting some input when I recognized what she was talking about. It was fun nonetheless.

We turned to the left into a barely lit alley and the smell of tobacco seeped into my nose.

I looked up to see a cluster of five men, three smoking and all in tank tops. They all had black hair or at least it looked that way. Two had three piercings on each ear, one had two piercings on only the left ear, another had piercing on only his nose and the other had a snake tattoo on him arm with no piercing.

I could see their piercings because of the reflected light but the'r faces were hidden in the shadows.  The dimly lit street light was of very little help

Our eyes met pretty much at the same time. Then silence.

The guy with the tattoo huffed and smirked breaking the silence, “It’s a couple~”

The remaining burst into laughter, “Rendezvous at night eh?” The one with the nose piercing jeered blowing out smoke from his mouth as he fiddled with the cigarette.

Maddie narrowed her eyes and her hand went into her pockets.

“Huh?” one of the guys that was not smoking began, “The guy has boobs”

“Really?”

“Eh?”

“No way”

Came the replies.

“She’s a girl” I spoke up softly, not daring to be pompous.

I was scared out of my wits. You would think a girl with the ability to control fire would be fierce and everything but noooo. I was not visibly shaking or anything but these guys were obviously ruffians.

I didn’t make this assumption based on their piercings though. It was their scarred faces and their lecherous and fierce looks.  

“Ho~” one of the guys with triple piercing replied, smiling hideously as he prepared to smoke again.

The other one with triple piercing laughed and his face came into the light.

‘Pretty’ was what I thought. ‘Dang, this is what they call a pretty boy’

His purple-and-black haircut was done to cover one eye and his eyes were light brown. The smile he wore fitted him perfectly. He more or less was very different from the rest and he wasn’t smoking. But however pretty he was, my heart didn’t even flinch.

I sighed inwardly. ‘Maybe I am really a male spiritual being?’

“Shouldn’t have taken a shortcut” Maddie mumbled.

I turned to her and noticed her pissed off look.

“Hmm?” the tattooed guy spoke and stood straight up, “Did you just say something?”

“Hey, Marco … “the boob noticer began.

“I am not gonna do anything” Marco laughed as he flashed the men a toothy grin then turned back to us.

“She said nothing”, I spoke up again and grabbed Maddie’s arm then proceeded to glide backwards trying to go back the way we came in.

Triple-pierce sprinted and swiftly blocked our exit. A hideous smile flitted onto his face as he spoke, “Let us escort you fair ‘ladies’ home. It is so dark, you might meet some danger”

‘We already did’ I wanted to retort but held back in.

However, it seemed those words caused Maddie to snap.

She withdrew her hand from her pocket revealing her now gloved hand and proceeded to punch the poor soul in the gut.

Yes. Poor soul because she had put so much force into the punch, the man coughed blood and fell to the ground unconscious.

“Hmph” she made a lame stand of victory with her hands on her waist.

I wanted to laugh but I could feel their anger raining on my back. I grabbed Maddie’s hand and was about to make a break for it when someone grabbed Maddie and another grabbed me.

‘Ouch’ I grimaced as I was pinned to the floor.

“You bitch”, boob-noticer cursed, kicking Maddie.

‘He changes character so fast’ I thought stupefied. I glanced at Maddie and she was pinned to the ground just like I was but by nose-pierce.

She grunted and with a Wham used her legs to knock boob noticer off his feet.

The guys pinning her down were late in responding so she propelled her self upwards and with a back flip, she used the momentum in her feet and leveled nose-pierced to the floor and he rolled into the light revealing his obviously dyed red hair.

‘So strong’ I thought admiringly.  I finally looked up to know who was pinning me down.

“Oh~ it’s pretty boy”, I thought out loud.

“Eh?” came the disapproving reply.

‘Shit’

“What did you just call me?” He bellowed.

‘Gosh dang it. Me and my big mouth’ I chided.

“I said, what did you just call me?” he repeated tightening his grip on my skin.

‘That’s going to leave a freaking mark’ I cursed.

“Calm down, Victor” came the tranquil voice, “Hold her down while I take care of this hot headed bitch”

I turned my head towards with voice with considerable effort and I saw Maddie. But this Maddie was bleeding from her legs and head. My eyes widened in disbelief.

“No way” I muttered.

“You didn’t really think before attacking us, did you?” Victor smirked viciously.

There was a groan to my side signaling nose-pierce was getting up and Boob noticer was holding his newly broken leg.

“Red, Tim, let Marco handle the girl” Victor said.

“Was going to do that” boob noticer, also known as Tim replied. I figured he was Tim because nose-pierce had red hair.

Nose-pierce aka Red grunted his aggrement.

The way this was going… Maddie could get killed. She was getting bloodier and bloodier by the second.

However she hadn’t screamed, not once.

‘I need to do something’ I thought. But what?

‘Ah!’ A brilliant idea popped into my head.

And i set my arms on fire.