So Unreal
You're only a Child as long as you believe it
by
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The sound of the shower turning off made them get themselves together.
Darien stepped out. She dressed in a pair of black shorts and a black T-shirt, a pair of white socks in hand. She negotiated her bedroom by memory. She was learning the rest of the house, but she had just moved in.
"Are you ready for your test?" Evelyn said, now settled. But every time she was around Darien, she couldn’t help but notice...her eyes. She was thirteen and she had crow’s feet at the edges of her eyes.
"As ready as I can be, but don’t expect too much. I’m not that good at tests."
Evelyn looked to Desmond for approval about doing what she was thinking of doing. Subtly Desmond nodded a yes.
"We really need you to do your absolute best today, Dar. The more we know about you, the more we can help the others that he affects. Do you understand, baby?"
Darien stopped what she was doing. "Are you serious? Serious about helping them?"
"Of course, Darien."
Evelyn and Desmond knew that Darien was closed off from any sense of self-worth. Darien felt as if her life had no value and its only purpose was to serve others. She believed it so whole heartedly that it provided her with a reason to feel good about herself. Other people’s lives motivated her to find a way.
For just a second Darien’s whole body seized. Then it moved again, with purpose. She pulled and tied her hair back exposing the scar on her face. Darien was abused to the point that she felt everyone else was more important than her’s. Knowing that her parents needed her to do well actually make her perform the task better. She flung open her drawer and went through it, almost in a panic. "Where are my sweats, damn it!"
They watched her anxiety build for a few moments as she continued to search. Evelyn sat down in a chair next to Darien’s shaking dresser, reached out and took Darien’s hand. "Slow down, baby. Easy."
"Yes, Amma." Darien answered in Shao manner. Desmond’s native land. Evelyn moved her hand away. She rubbed the hand Evelyn touched for a second. Then she said, "I’ll just use my sight." Darien’s eyes began to glow a resonating white light. Then it hit her. She was flooded with all the information in a one hundred forty foot radius. Her intellect was expanded enough to handle it, however, knowing where every molecule was including everyone’s genetic breakdown was a task for anyone. But she knew where her sweats were!
She walked over to her dresser drawers, pulled out her sweats and put them on. "Let’s get to work."
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About the Book
So Unreal is the story of Darien, a thirteen year old girl that is a member of a group called the gifted. She spent the first half of her life in the care of her loving parents where her astounding intellect and ability to control light was nurtured. Then she spent the second half tortured by a sadistic madman Named Harlequin. When enough was enough she tried to commit suicide by comprehending such a high level of mathematics that she managed to slip between the gaps of reality. This slip sent her sliding back to where she wanted to go the most, back home. Home, to deal with all that the last seven years had kept from her.
About the Author
Romel Khalaf lives and writes in Pasadena, California. He has practiced the Fu-chaio Pai martial arts for four years and studied martial arts in general for ten. This is his first published work and he thinks of himself as the ‘No pulled punches’ author. His goal in writing is to move the reader into feeling something, weather it be love, anger, hatred or jealousy. He is affiliated with a well known Southern California museum and enjoys philosophy, science, psychology and the silver age of comics books. He plans on marrying his fiancee and writing the rest of his life.