My Mind - My World Introduction

 Hey guys, Amelia here. Sorry if I’m sort of mooching off of Naomi’s idea, but I’ve decided to share a chapter a week from a short novel that I am writing called “My Mind - My World”. It’s about a girl named Juli with ‘powers’. I’m going to try to post it every Wednesday-Thursday. Hope you enjoy!

Introduction

My chances are slim, but I can’t let that stop me. It’s escape or death. And I’m not ready to die. I stand alone in my cell. The door is open. I can go out. Guards pace the halls with tazers, but that’s no problem for me. A thought is all it would take to get rid of them. I sit down on my bed. Then I get up and sit down again. I just have to act normal. I have to act as if I am going out to the yard. I know that the court will want to kill me. One of my visions told me that. But I don’t blame the court. I’m different, too powerful. It’s human instinct to dispose of the unknown. I should stay here. I shouldn’t escape. I am already accused of breaking the law, why should I do it again? But then again...

I’m out of my cell, walking stiffly down the hall, past empty cells, closed cells, cells with people just sitting there, staring mindlessly. I know that feeling. I turn up the stairs, painted calming pastel colors like everything else here. I walk past the metal sign that says ‘Court Prison’ and underneath that, ‘Your Life Awaits, Why Destroy Your Future?’. I didn’t destroy my future! I cry inside my head, and the next thing I know I’m holding onto the bent sign. I drop it quickly and continue to walk. I walk outside and the delightfully cool, fresh air washes over me like every time I go outside. The jail learned mere days after I got here how I get when I’m in small spaces inside for too long. That’s why I’m allowed outside. I can’t use my ability fully inside the building, but I still get fierce. I finally walk through the gates to the yard, then sit down on a hard stainless steel bench, thinking.

Thinking is dangerous for me. Thinking is what got me here. I have this strange ability to-

“Think things into existence, yes.”

Well, usually anyway. It depends on where I am. No matter how strong I am, the power restrictions are always the most powerful.

I turn my head slightly, so I can see who is talking, and see four people in nice suits standing there, outside the yard, alongside one of the mental organizers, Dian. I like showing off my ability to officials, always hoping they will see me as useful. I think of how hard the bench is and how I wish the jail has nicer chairs. Then suddenly I am in a nice, plush seat, reclining.

“Her mind is dangerous, correct?” Asks one of the suited women.

“Well…” Dian says, “her mind is what got her here, and… and well, it can be dangerous. But I don’t believe she knows how to control it. With the proper training, she could use her mind in good, umm, proper ways.”

I like Dian.

“Ahh. But the court doesn’t care about beliefs, do they.” Says one of the suited men. A statement, not a question.

“What has the court decided?” Asks the other woman.

“Well.” Dian lowers her voice and says reluctantly, “They decided to, err, kill her.”

I knew it. I jump to my feet, the chair a bench again, and scream in anger, fear, and some other unidentifiable emotion. I am suddenly surrounded by vicious dogs, snarling and protecting me. They have black eyes and brown bodies. They would provide a long enough delay for me to escape, easily.

“Oh, no she heard me. The power restrictions struggle to control her.” Dian says, sighing.

“We’ll take her.” Says the other suited man, taking a clipboard from Dian and signing a paper.

“What? Wait! She won’t be killed?” Dian says to the man.

“Correct.” Says one of the women.

Dian looks at him, shocked, then looks at me and calls hesitantly, “Juliana! Juliana come here! You are not going to die!”

My dogs disappear with a slight pop and I stare in shock. My thoughts run wild and before I know it my mind is lifting me into the air and I’m flying toward Dian, allowing a small smile to show through my usual grim expression. I land lightly, and look curiously at the people.

“What do you mean, you’ll take me?” I say, staring at the woman who seems in charge. She has blondish brown hair and bluish green eyes, very kind and beautiful looking in my opinion.

“Dian, you may go. Hello Juliana.” She says, but I interrupt.

“Juli. Just Juli.” I interrupt, then I motion for her to continue.

She continues, unfazed. “I am Torina Fanks, but you may call me Tori. My companions are Greg Shunder,” the first man nods; he has light brown hair and bluish gray eyes, a reassuring look on his face. “Hank Toronto,” the second man grins; he has black hair and black eyes, but he seems very mischievous. “and my sister, Samantha Fanks.” The mild woman with strong, harsh blue eyes and blond hair, nods kindly at me. “Or Sammy.” Tori rolls her eyes, but then continues. “We were alerted of your case only two weeks ago, and since then, we have been working to save you. That is exactly what we are doing. As you probably know, the world is at war with the colonies of Mars. We think your powers would serve the world well.”

Powers. I have never heard it referred to as such. My parents homeschooled me so that I would not reveal my ability to the world. They always referred to my ability as a problem, or a predicament. Never powers. I find I quite like that. It makes me feel like more than a hassle. Like maybe I’m useful.

“Okay, when do I leave?” I say, not really minding if I sound disrespectful. After all, I have powers!

“Today!” She tells me, sending me to my ‘room’ to pack.

I arrive in my cell and glance around. Pack what? I guess I have my hoodie, and the picture of me as a girl, sitting on a cloud as my first display of power. I glance around again then walk back to the yard.

When I get to the small gathering of people, the other woman, Sammy I think, looks at me sadly and I can tell I will like her. They lead me to a large black car, a limousine, I realize, and we all pile in. Greg, Hank, and Tori give me a wide berth, but Sammy sits right next to me.

Giving me an odd look, she whispers in a very quiet voice, “Trust me. This is going to be hard. But trust me.” Then continues to talk with the driver about location.

I stare at her, confused by her suspicious behavior, but she reveals nothing. I think about what she is thinking, but when my thoughts extend toward hers, I experience an odd, brick hard wall of thought. I can’t get past it, can’t see through it. There is no visible thought. I probe at the minds of the others in the car, and find them normal. Normally when I enter someone else’s mind, it is like a gallery. I walk through, choosing what to view as I please. I dislike doing this, because it is an extreme intrusion of privacy, but sometimes it is useful.

I stare at Sammy and ponder this for the whole ride, which is about an hour long. I try to think my way into her mind, but the barrier is always there. She can’t be a robot, nor a hologram; I’ve tried those before and I can’t even feel them because they don’t have a real mind.

When the car finally rolls to a stop, we file out in front of a huge bluish gray square building, no decor except for big, blocky letters that say ‘Specials Management’.

“What are specials?” I say, before I can stop myself.

Tori replies, “Specials are, well for lack of a better word, special people; people with… powers. Like you. There are some with the ability to fly, some can read minds, some have extreme speed, it goes on and on. Some have two or three powers.”

“Are there others like me?” I ask, hopeful that maybe I’m not such a misfit.

“No-” Tori starts, but Sammy butts in, leading us toward the building.

“Yes, we think there are, but we don’t know where…” she says the last part oddly, glancing at me and then at Tori.

Quietly, I nod, wondering, pondering, excited, scared, and most of all… hopeful.