I sat on the river bank with Enzo and we watched the leaves dance in the slight breeze. I laid back and stretched out my arms, taking in the sweet, fresh air. It was nice to get out of the house and not be escorted by Madi, but I knew that I had to tell Enzo about my secret. Now I was just stalling.

He had pulled out his book again and was nestled against a tree. He seemed to be most at peace when he was reading.

"What are you reading?" I asked him.

"It's just an old book of fairytales. They didn't have these in my Community."

He was still pretty vague about where he came from. It didn't sound like a great place. My Community was boring, but at least we were happy and safe. I sat up and looked at him. "Did you like your Community?"

Enzo kept his eyes on the book, but they didn't move like he was actually reading anything. They seemed to go out of focus and he was quiet for a long time.

"I like it here more," He mumbled.

"Do you miss it?"

"... I miss my family." Tears started to well up in his eyes and he quickly wiped them with his coat sleeve. "But it doesn't matter though. I'm alive, so I should be grateful."

My heart ached at the sight of him crying. I felt foolish for bringing anything up, I should have just stayed quiet. I'd never really seen anyone cry before, other than my mother and Madi, and never was it over anything as serious as losing a family member. being friends with someone was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.

"Enzo?" I asked quietly. He glanced at me, his eyes red and puffy. "Can I... give you hug?" He gave me a slight nod, so I leaned forward and gave him one. I'm not a great hugger, but I guess it's just the thought that counts. I listened to him sob quietly for a few minutes, unsure of what to say. Maybe he didn't need me to say anything. Maybe he just needed to cry.

After a time, he pulled away from me and wiped his eyes again. "Thank you," he said. I smiled, but I felt a little awkward. Did I help him at all? It didn't really feel like it.

We were silent for a while, and I could feel a pit in my stomach. What should I tell him first? My powers? Or about the monster in the garden?

Almost as if he had read my mind, Enzo asked with a smirk, "So are you going to tell me about the day in the garden? I've never seen anyone react to getting a headache like that."

"Ah!" I blushed. I guess he made the decision for me. "Well I did get a headache... after I woke up."

"But what happened before that?" He leaned forward eagerly. "You saw something, didn't you? I knew it!"

"Well, no," I insisted. "Well I mean... umm." The pit in my stomach scratched at my insides. Go away! I hated this feeling.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Don't think I'm crazy for telling you this," I said, crossing my arms stubbornly.

He shook his head. "I'd never think that!"

"Okay..." Here it goes. "I did see something. I can't really explain it, though. It was like a monster, or a shadow- I don't know- was in the garden with you. It was like a black shadow that was standing behind you, stroking your head. It didn't have a face. No mouth or eyes, but when I called your name, it looked at me and screamed... That's when I fell."

I looked up at him with hesitation, afraid of what his face would say. His large eyes that held fear so easily looked like they set to burst from his head. He stared at me blankly and touched the back of his head. I turned my head away from him. Why did I say anything? Idiot! He does think I'm crazy!

I stood up. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. I'm gonna go."

"No, wait!" He grabbed my arm. "I don't think you're crazy, It's just that... I wasn't expecting that answer. I don't know what I expected actually."

"So do you believe me?"

He bit his lip nervously. "... I don't know what to think."

So you're saying you don't believe me? Great.

"Look, I can prove that I'm not making this up." Actually, I had no proof... But I could show him my powers. Maybe then he'd be more willing to listen. "Okay, I can't actually prove that. I haven't seen the monster since that day in the garden. But maybe I just saw it because, I'm different than everyone else here."

He furrowed his brow. "You've said that before. What do you mean?"

"Once I show you, you'll know that I'm being serious about the monster!"

"Show me what?"

I looked around us to find the perfect item to show off my ability. "I can move things with my mind," I said. The words felt weird coming out of my mouth. No one but my family knew. Now that I told Enzo, there was no going back. He was in on the secret.

He blinked several times. "What?"

"Take a look," I grinned. I was kind of exciting to show off to someone outside of my family; like a mini audience. "I'll use the book!" Enzo had left the book laying on the ground, so I willed it to come to me. Effortlessly, it rose, drifted through the air, and landed softly in my hands. I beamed at him proudly. "You see? It's as simple as that!"

Instead of a look of admiration or awe, Enzo took a step away from me, his face full of concern.

"What?" I asked. Why wasn't he thrilled at my powers?

"Zuza..." He said hardly above a whisper. "There's nothing in your hands."