Awakening

My dreams were not at all pleasant. I wasn’t sure whether or not it was the interference of my other self, but in the dream I was alone, in a room. There was nothing wrong with the room. In fact, if you looked at it aesthetically, it actually looked quite beautiful. But I couldn’t get out, wouldn’t get out. Near the end, someone even started to knock on the door.

I didn’t like it…

“KNOCK KNOCK!!!”

Sitting up immediately, I asked in a tone a bit too loud for the situation.

Me- “Who is it!?”

I wrapped myself in the cover and came forward to the door. I don’t know if you guys had figured this out yet, but as a male bachelor in his teens, I never wore pajamas. I didn’t sleep like I was brought into this world either, but I did go barbarian style. Loincloth only. It was basic courtesy then, to keep myself covered while I answered the door. It wasn’t because I felt insecure or cold, or anything like that, so stop asking!

A hand came out from the wrappings of my cover, and unlocked the door. Then right as I was about to open it, my alarm went blaring.

“BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!!!”

I hurriedly went to shut it off, but in that moment the door creaked open. I whirled around in my covers to face the intruder.

Chloe- “Is this a bad time?”

Me- “No, no, of course not!”

I smiled. It was taking me a bit of time to get used to the fact that she would show up at my room’s doorstep in the morning, but it was definitely something I would miss being taken away.

Me- “Sorry for waking up so late.”

Chloe- “It’s fine,” she remarked casually, “I get up quite early, so there isn’t much to do.”

I stood there awkwardly for a short amount of time, but the fact that time was ‘slower’ for me now allowed to make that short amount of time a single moment for her. Not so awkward now huh!

I nodded,

Me- “Thanks. Did you already have breakfast?”

I was a bit of a foodie, so of course my thoughts switched to this after a short while. But there was nothing that could be done about that.

Chloe- “No, but Nathaniel. Can I talk to you about something?”

I accepted without thinking much about it,

Me- “Sure.”

Chloe- “Thanks.”

She went downstairs, leaving me ample time to get ready. I washed up quickly, and then I got dressed, making sure to put on the pendant. A mental to do list ran through my mind right before I went downstairs to have breakfast.

1. Talk with Chloe.

2. Check into more details about C.H.I.B.I.

3. Use the golden aura’s protection ability, with a fool-proof desire.

I decided I would do option 3 now. The golden aura swirled about my body in preparation. ‘Stop following any of my previous commands.’

All of a sudden, a surge of golden gas flew up from the ground and merged into my body. The golden aura increased in radiance and splendor, and it had also become much bigger. For a simple test, I extended the golden aura as far as I could from my body in a cone.

It took about 5-10 seconds, but it reached about an arm’s length away from my body before it could go no further. Thinking back to my previous result, a foot, I could determine that my ability had gotten much stronger. And if the aura available represented the power threshold like I thought, then…

‘First priority. Protect me from any type of harm. Second priority. Protect everyone who has good intentions towards me from any type of harm, and scale the protection up linearly on the basis of how much good intention they have towards me.’

The golden aura instantly vanished. There was not a scrap left on my body, so I concluded this task exceeded my power threshold. Therefore, it would not be accomplished.

‘Stop following any of my previous commands.’

The golden aura returned to my body, and I was once again cloaked in its radiance and glory.

‘First priority. Protect those I care greatly about and I from potentially lethal harm. Second priority. Create ‘accidents’ for those seeking to greatly hurt me or those I care greatly about. Detect them by spiking in their direction from my right palm if they are within 5 meters of me. Reserve at least six inches for this purpose.’

Responding to my commands, the golden aura gasified and spread out beyond my body. About six inches of the golden aura was preserved, remaining in spike form. I released it, letting it flow freely. Then, with a smile, I walked downstairs.

For a moment, it seemed as if my life had returned to normal. Mom and Dad had already left for work. Grandma and Granddad weren’t home. Breakfast wasn’t made; I had to get cereal. Normal…

I walked over to the pantry to grab a cereal box. Then I poured the cereal, added milk, and proceeded to eat it. Mechanically. Ever since I got the body strengthening, I pretty much never got hungry, nor did I have the desire to sleep. I did so because it was habitual, and I enjoyed it. Today however, the cereal felt tasteless…

Deciding to grab some Coca Dinochomps next time I went to the store, I walked over to the trashcan to dump my bowl out. Damn Raisin Dran and your healthy to the heart nonsense!

Once I was finished with that, my phone vibrated. A text message. My heart started to thump quickly as I pulled up my phone. No one really had my contact number except Chloe anyways, so I knew who it was. She said,

Chloe- “Are you ready? I’m waiting outside my house, so I’m ready when you are.”

Her house…? I recalled back to Friday, and I remembered that her house was a few blocks away.

Me- “I’ll be right there.”

I quickly rinsed my bowl and walked out of the door. Gabe was waiting in the van, but I waved him off. And before he could say anything to me, I went into second gear and ran away.

Although I didn’t execute the running style, it still took only seconds for me to reach her home. Chloe was currently picking up her school backpack, and she didn’t see me. So I let the wind resistance slow me down until I landed ‘gracefully’ by her side.

Me- “You called?”

Chloe didn’t turn her head. But for some reason, I felt like she was smiling. I smiled back.

Chloe- “Your mistress is in need of an escort.”

Ah, was she roleplaying as someone? A list of the animes and mangas that I had seen went through my mind, but I wasn’t able to pinpoint exactly which one she was referring to.

Me- “Then, let us be on our way.”

She held out her hand quietly, expecting me to take it. But this time I didn’t just want to play along. Let’s add a bit of spice to this…

I put my phone on front facing camera mode and handed it to her. She grabbed onto it, and then made a short exclamation. Thankfully she didn’t drop the phone.

Chloe- “What’s this! Your phone?”

She turned around. Her silky black hair whirled around with her, and now tied into twin pigtails, it made her look as cute as can be. Not that I would say that out loud of course, but I couldn’t stop from smiling a little wider.

Me- “A picture. It just occurred to me that I still didn’t have a single picture to your name. Could you take a picture for me?”

Chloe suddenly looked bashful and nervous, but her mouth still had a trace of a smile. She replied,

Chloe- (Nervous laughter) “Thank you. I feel flattered, but asking for something like that feels… Creepy.”

Ouch. Those words felt like a knife had been stabbed into my gut, and tiny needles started to prick me everywhere. Sweat started to pour from different areas of my body, and I felt unbearably hot and itchy. The smile I had was now frozen on my face.

In a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, I tried to moderate my words,

Me- “Eh? I’m only going to use it as a contact photo. You know, so it doesn’t feel strange when I’m texting you, and all I see is a blank face replying back?”

Chloe- “What are you talking about? No, that’s weird!”

I literally almost started crying! I just wanted a photo! I spoke, trying to justify myself,

Me- “We are together almost all the time now! It shouldn’t be that big of a deal!”

Chloe- “About that…”

The knife in my gut suddenly twisted, and then pulled out only to stab at my heart! It was super effective!

Chloe- “I guess we could take one. But only if you’re in it as well, and if you send the picture to me too. Deal?”

I nodded my head vigorously,

Me- “Of course!”

I held up the camera, and I tried to get it in the best position possible. I took what I thought to be a good photo. Apparently, it wasn’t good enough.

Chloe- “Geez, you’re terrible at this! Have you even taken a selfie before.”

Me- “That would be my first.”

What? I wasn’t a picture crazy type of guy. The only pictures I had taken were family photos; the old fashioned kind that simply aimed to catch a group’s figures in a suitable light. I had gotten pretty good at that, but I had no idea what was required for a selfie.

Chloe sighed,

Chloe- “Here, you have to hold the phone up like this. Try not to get your face in the wrong light. Smile!”

She scooted in a little bit closer to me until our bodies were touching. She felt soft. Warm. I tried not to think about it while I smiled for the photo, but the thought of it warmed my heart.

The photo was taken, and she backed away. Our previous contact was now a mere memory. Chloe blushed,

Chloe- “Make sure to send the photos to me, alright?”

Me- “Of course.”

We started walking to school. At first we didn’t say a word. But it was sort of pleasant, listening to the ambient atmosphere of nature and admiring the beauty of it. Together. But when we got to walking by the roadside, the sub-urban type atmosphere was ruined. Chloe broke the silence.

Chloe- “So Nathaniel, I wanted to talk with you about something.”

Me- “Yea?”

I felt a weird feeling in my chest. What was this about? Why was she acting all serious? I gave her my full attention.

Chloe- “Yesterday, you texted me.”

Me- “I did.”

Chloe- “No, that’s not the point! Why are you making this so difficult?”

I scratched my nose in bewilderment. What exactly was I making difficult? She continued,

Chloe- “…I watched the news broadcast.”

She looked at me as if that explained everything. I’m sorry sweetie, but that really doesn’t say anything.

Me- “And?”

Chloe- “I saw your text the other day, but I didn’t respond.”

Is that what this is all about? I smiled,

Me- “That’s nothing. Forget it. You’re talking to me right now, right?”

Chloe flipped back her hair in frustration.

Chloe- “You’re not getting the point! I had to talk to you in person because… I awakened.”