The power went out here so here… lol… this is some of my personal works… Hope you enjoy a snippet of the zero draft <33
Middays in the Wisconsin summers were a treasure you couldn’t even begin to name.
But is a different thing when you and your best friend, but almost your boyfriend, lose power when you’re back at your second home. He paces the room, his eyebrows dripping with a salty sweat.
“What the fuck are we gonna do?” Yuma complains, rubbing his hands together. “All our food is bad. The fucking roads are blocked by trees that we can’t get clear until tomorrow.”
“Hey,” I explain, stepping closer. My fingers reach to the collar of his shirt, and I pull him closer. “Look at me. We’re okay. We’re gonna be fine.”
He tips his head back, dropping his hands. He chuckles softly, “Wanna read me a manual on how to stay so fuckin’ calm during disaster?”
“It’s not disaster!” I laugh, shaking my head side to side. “It’s a chance to… turn off our phones. Light some candles, let the night flow into moments that we have full control over.”
“Viv…” All of Yuma’s worries seem distant. Broken. Crumbled away, by just the lull of my creative tone. “We should be freaking out, but… with you, I feel… as though my mind is finally in its right place.”
My eyes narrow, realizing how in tune his thoughts are with his verbal language.
“Never have I ever… told any lies.”
“Hey,” Yuma snickers, a mocking tone in his voice. “we agreed before that any mind games were off limits. Because of your talent—”
“My DNA,” Vivi corrects. “A talent is learned. DNA is passed on.”
“Case-by-case,” He shrugs, “It you would’ve let me finished, I was going to say ‘Because of your talent and your special DNA…’ I’d argue that I fall into both of those categories, as do you. My mother was a musician. I was given her talent to strum a guitar. Pluck a piano key and know beforehand exactly what it sounded like before I was even five.”
I blink, “And me?”
“You fall into the talent category, because you have a natural born talent on reading minds,” he explains, sitting down on the couch and leaning over to grab the candle and the lighter against the side table. “And because it was given to you through your mother’s blood, it’s a part of your DNA.”
The right answer to my question was ‘I’ve told lies’. It flashed in his mind before I could even get the chance to attempt to block it.
“Can you hand me my… necklace of maple?” I point to it, closing my eyes before I hear his worry blaze through my skull. Having this power is a curse, because you can’t even cover your ears to block it out. The unlit candle and it’s lighter, he passes it over.
I fidget with the lighter, holding the candle upright as he reaches for the necklace on the table. He puts it around my neck, as I light the candle shakily.
I whisper a soft, “Alright” before I let the glass go, setting it against the table.
“You okay now?” He backs away, tilting his head. “Usually you don’t need it unless you’re in big crowds…”
“Yeah, fine,” I say softly. “Sometimes when you stare at me… Your thoughts get loud.”
He gulps, dropping his gaze to my hands. But then, he turns his head away, closing his eyes, “Sorry…”
