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[Sep. 22nd, 2011|09:19 pm] |
Cassidy found herself sitting on a bus heading in the direction of the place where she was born. Really she couldn't believe it herself, the one place she swore just a short twelve months ago she'd never return to. She'd been everywhere else, she explained to the passenger sitting next to her. It was a long bus ride from New York to Chicago and it had been a long time since she'd given up on life's luxuries. Long ago were the days of books and ipods and cell phones, every phone call was a clue, every text was just another way to find her.
She kept her purchases to a minimum using cash to avoid a paper trail and buying only the bare necessities. Traveling light was the only way to travel when running for your life.
"We're all running from something," the woman sitting beside her stated "in one way or another."
"I meant it more in a literal sense..." Cassidy stated quietly. "I've learned to trust no one, anyone can be the enemy."
The woman beside her leaned in, Cassidy's voice suddenly softer causing her to listen more intently. There was a look of genuine interest on her features which caused Cassidy to continue. There was that annoying red flag warning that went up in the back of her mind, trust no one, anyone could be the enemy. But this was Carmen from Dallas, Texas, Cassidy had already heard her story, and there was so much baggage Cassidy had on her shoulders maybe getting it off her chest would help.
"About a year ago I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was working at a sandwich shop in town, we were closing up shop for the night and I left to take the trash out. I heard a fight break out just around the corner and though my better instincts told me to leave it be, my curiosity got the best of me and I had to check it out.
I don't really remember much after that, I woke up in an abandoned warehouse with a bomb to my chest and three guys who seemed to think I knew something about someone. I managed to escape thanks to--"
Cassidy stopped herself, she knew giving out that information was too much, as far as Carmen knew she was just a normal person who lived through a shitty situation, and she intended to keep it that way.
"Well let's just say I think someone up there likes me" Cassidy pointed to the ceiling of the bus and laughed a little, Carmen gave her an agreeing smile, "so you escaped and you're alright now, right?" She asked concerned.
"I escaped, yes, however I've been on the run ever since. How foolish of me to think that everything would go back to normal after that night. Me of all people, huh? Little ol' Cassidy Jones. Sure I was never the most well liked person but I'd never really consider myself bad.
More of an outcast really, lone wolf" she stated with a playful grin though something in her eyes said the smile wasn't as sincere as she'd like it to be. "I've always had..." she searched her vocabulary for the right word. A disorder? A disease? A problem? Incurable and unwanted. "A gift" she decided on, that's what her mother always called it.
"A gift?" Carmen asked intrigued.
"Synesthesia, they call it. My senses are all sorts of mixed up" that was the easiest way to explain it. "I see sounds and all of that, pretty irrelevant to anyone who isn't me right? But growing up in the suburbs the people you go to grade school with are the people you grow up with, and the moment kids caught on to my gift, well let's just say kids can be pretty cruel sometimes.
But its not like that you know, I'm not some charity case, and not everyone is bad. I had my fair share of bullies, teasing, name calling 'the Freak' they called me, real original right? However I had a few really good friends though too, and they kept me sane right up until it happened."
Cassidy's sudden pause in story, hesitating, an internal debate whether she should even continue or not. She was putting too much faith in this woman, Carmen from Dallas Texas, on her journey across the United States, off to travel the world.
"Until what happened?" Carmen asked after a moment.
Her voiced dropped again, eyes shifting though no one on the bus were paying them any mind. "In nineth grade, I don't really know when it all escalated to something that was just for me to something so physical, but I'll never forget the first time I used it.
His name was Robert Johnson and I'd known him since the second grade. Never the leader of the back, Robert would always sit in the background and agree with the torments I received though he'd never actually partake in them and for that I was grateful.
Over that summer Robert grew four inches and buffed up quite a bit, and with a brand new boost of confidence that's when the bullying began. Now I was never much for giving into the bullying, I learned to ignore the hateful words and the physical abuse died down when we got to middle school, though it was mostly just being pushed around on the playground at recess, but something about Robert struck a chord in me. How could someone who I had come to know as a neutral party up until now say such horrible things to me?
It last about a week before I snapped. I couldn't take it anymore, seven years I accepted such treatment and never spoke up about it. Seven years and I stood up for myself, right in the middle of Geography.
Mr. Leyman was going on about syllabi and supplies and the kids behind me were throwing things at the back of my head, Robert being one of them. I stood up and turned to them hand on my cocked hip. "Knock it off" and though there were at least five tormentors my eyes were on Robert.
Quick to impress his friends Robert laughed in my face, "shut up, and sit back down, freak" by now the teacher was involved walking down my row to see what the fuss was about. "Is there a problem here?" Mr. Layman asked.
With a smug smirk Robert cocked his head to the side curiously, "I believe the man asked you a question, Cass-" But he didn't get the word out. I stopped him with my own voice.
"No" two simple letters, one syllable, one unimaginable happenstance that occurred because of one simple word.
Robert screamed out in what I could only describe as unbearable agony. He was curled up in the fetal position, hand over his head screaming about the sounds. "Make it stop! It hurts!" he shouted the whole class watching in horror as he turned red and after only two short minutes of screaming and writhing in pain he passed out.
I'd never experienced this before, but something inside me knew I did this. I caused this to happen, with my voice I had caused this boy a world of pain. I wanted to do it again. I never did. And while the name calling continued throughout the whole of my scholastic career in that town, no one ever had the guts to say it to my face again."
Carmen was speechless, blinking twice before she smiled a little confused. "you're trying to tell me you almost killed that boy because you said no?"
"No" I laughed a little and shook my head "I don't know how it works, I've never...I don't tell people about this and so I don't really know what it is or why I have this ability. I can control senses."
"How do you mean?" Cassidy could tell Carmen was skeptical and why on earth was Cassidy telling this stranger everything? Perhaps she just wanted to trust someone again, this life of a loner thing was hard, Cassidy hadn't had someone to talk to in over a year.
"Like with Robert, he felt pain from a sound. That was me. I can cause pain from sound, I can cause hallucinations that would make you believe you're sitting on a beach in L.A. right now. You'd feel the sun on your skin, smell the ocean air, hear the waves."
Cassidy saw the look in Carmen's face, she knew what would next come out of Carmen's mouth. "Prove it" is what she would have said if the bus hadn't pulled up to Cassidy's stop just then.
"Well this is me," Cassidy stood and retrieved her bag from the over head storage. "I wish the stop wasn't in this part of town" she laughed a little trying to make light of the conversation they just had. "Well it was nice meeting you, Carmen. If you're ever in the city look me up, huh?"
"You were single handedly the most interesting person I've ever met. We will definitely meet again sometime." Carmen smiled and held her hand out to shake and Cassidy gladly accepted it.
She headed off the bus stretching out once she was finally on solid concrete. It was a long bus ride and now she needed to find a pay phone to call someone to pick her up. "Cassidy!"
She turned when she heard Carmen's voice smiling a little. "Hey, did I forget somethi-?" Before she could finish that statement Carmen had her hand around Cassidy's head, a white cloth in her hand as she covered Cass's mouth. She breathed in the chloroform with a gasp and passed out almost immediately. |
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