Darkness Within

Night had fallen by the time Harlow reached the comfort of her home.  The stars above her twinkled in contrast to the dark sheet of the night sky. Everything felt different, yet the same after her meeting with Jamal. She felt as though the weight of her arms would pull her down to the ground, causing her to face-plant right into the softened ground beneath her. The ground was still fairly moist from the rain and the smell of fresh sweet buns hung in the air. She reached for the door handle, but as always, her mother got to it before her. The door swiftly swung open, yellow light streaming out into the darkness, illuminating Harlow's flushed face. 

"Where have you been?! I have been worried sick! Your father, ugh!" she stammered in a frustrated fit, "your father went out looking for you over two hours ago!" Aya yanked her daughter inside before giving her a chance to reply. "Now sit down and eat a sweet bun and then off to bed with you!"

"Yes, mom. I'm sorry I was out late again."

Harlow did as her mother demanded and went up to her room in silence. Normally, she would've tried to calm her mother down and get her mother in a better mood so she could freely do as she pleased, but she needed some time alone after all she learned today. Her father would be home soon, more than likely, from the local pub with his friends. Yuki knew that there was no reason to worry about Harlow when she was out late. Harlow desperately tried to forget what happened after Jamal told her he could see her name above her head. The memories of the day's evens swirled in her head in a whirlpool of color and confusion. I shouldn't have let him see my powers, she thought to herself. Very few people actually knew of Harlow's telekinetic abilities, sue to her parents keeping her well hidden whenever she was upset. Her emotions were closely tied to her powers. The more intense an emotion, the more powerful, but uncontrollable her powers became. Luckily, the buffer put on her would protect her from harming others or herself. As long as the buffer is in place, she could do no damage beyond what she could control... at least that was true until today. Before leaving she had asked Jamal how could she reach him, his only reply being "I will come to you, don't worry," which ironically enough, made her worry even more. The one thing she couldn't seem to forget was him warning her about a darkness growing within her. She did not exactly know what he meant, he was too vague. However, darkness calling to her from within was something she struggled with ever since her powers first developed. She shook her head and flopped onto her bed, burying her face into the pile of pillows neatly stacked on the head of her mattress. 

***

"Your power. You're powerful, Harlow."



"Wait, how do you know my name?"



His eyes squinted into a smile, "Because," he looked up at her, "it's written above your head."



"Wha... What?" the world around her began to spin and then, darkness.



"Harlow! HARLOW! Wake up." A voice from above called to her. Harlow opened her eyes to see Jamal sitting above her, worried. 

"You passed out" he said quickly. "Are you alright? You had me worried for a second there, champ," he laughed.

"No, I just regularly pass out. I do it for fun on occasion just to freak people out," her voice was drenched in sarcasm. She looked up at him. "You gonna help me up, big shot, or just sit there?"

He smiled again extending his arm down for her to grab. Harlow hoisted herself up and steadied her feet. Jamal was still looking at her. What is he looking at?, she wondered.

"What?" she questioned.

"Well, let's just say... I showed you mine and now you have shown me yours without me even having to ask," he chuckled.

"Excuse me?" Harlow folded her arms across her chest and raised her eyebrow. "And what exactly is THAT supposed to mean?"

 "It means we have a lot of work to do. You see, right before you completely passed out, everything around the room lifted into the air. It was almost as if we were in some kind of zero-gravity room. But, you lifted in the air as well. Straight up, like you were lying on an invisible table and then everything fell and you gracefully floated onto the floor. You opened your eyes for just a moment and they were red, like fire red. It was pretty blinding, unlike anything I have ever witnessed before. I knew you were powerful, but I sensed so much more than I could have ever imagined." He picked up a notepad from the small desk sitting by the front door and began to scribble down notes.

"Wait..." Harlow was confused. "I did not voluntarily do any of that. I didn't even know I could do that," she paused. Red? Red?, she thought. "My eyes have never been RED before, they have always been either purple or white, but red? None of this makes any sense. I am incapable of doing anything with my powers against my own will. My parents-"

"Put a buffer on you?" he cut her off. "Oh yes. Not a very strong one at that. I temporarily removed that," he waved his hand at her to signal for her to quit talking so he could concentrate.

"You, WHAT!" Harlow shouted. She was livid. Never in her whole life had anyone ever even attempted to remove the buffer on her powers.

"Shh!" he said harshly, "I am trying to find something. He was now flipping hurriedly through a dusty book with strange markings on it. "Ah-ha! Here it is!"







(I'm sorry, I always do this when my time is limited. I'll finish tomorrow).


Why do I feel like she's describing me? "Sorry if I, say sorry way too much"