Valeria - A Short Story Collection

Chapter 1, Part 3

Valeria POV

I couldn’t sleep.

I was laying perfectly still on the bed with the covers pulled up to my chin. The bed was basically a huge marshmallow and I didn’t dare move, afraid that I would fall off if I turned on my side.

Listening to the sounds outside my bedroom door, I heard Annie and Lucas go to bed and I glanced at the window. When I had waited for a little while longer, I slowly got out of bed. Careful not to step on any creaking floorboards, I floated over to the window and peered out.

The street outside was quiet and completely empty. I carefully pushed the window open and climbed out. Placing my hands on the drainpipe, I pulled myself up and climbed up onto the roof.

I sat down straddling the top of the roof with my back against the chimney. The cold November air was refreshing and I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart, making my breath come out like smoke.

I tried not to think about my future, but it was hard.

For years, all I ever heard was how I needed to protect my powers from people that wanted to exploit them. But after seeing the masters that had taken care of us for so long execute all my brothers and sisters mercilessly, I started second guessing myself.

Maybe they were the ones that were exploiting us? Or were there other people that wanted to use me?

I didn’t know what the future had in store for me, and it didn’t just scare me.

It terrified me to my core.

Tears trickled down my cheeks and I hugged myself as the cold was creeping up on me.

I should have died there.

A sob escaped me and I started rocking back and forth.

Why did I have to be the one that survived?

I allowed myself to cry for a moment, just wallowing in my pain as it threatened to consume me. Then I straightened up and wiped the tears with the sleeve of my pajama shirt.

The thought that I was wearing their dead daughter’s clothes made me feel a little guilty.

I promised myself that I would stay until I had gathered my bearings, and then I would leave. I didn’t want to be a burden for longer than I had to be.

Even though it probably would make Aidan sad if I left.

The thought of the cute little boy made me smile. He just came up to me and instantly decided that we would be friends, even though he knew nothing about me.

If he knew what a freak I was, he would probably run the other way screaming in fear, just like the doctors at the hospital.

But at the same time, he looked at me with such adoration that I kind of wanted to be friends with him. He didn’t know about my powers, but he still wanted to be friends with me. I was willing to bet that even though Mr Sampson was kind to me, it was all an act to get me to trust him. It was only a matter of time before he recruited me for something, and I didn’t know if I wanted that.

I was taken aback by Aidan’s questions though. He just had this innocent curiosity about him, and I thought it was adorable. It had been so long since I had seen a normal daily dynamic like what I witnessed tonight, and it felt comforting to actually be a part of something normal again. I hadn’t had a normal night in a long time.

Even though they really tried to make us forget, I still remembered my family. I remembered my mother’s laugh. I remembered how she and dad used to slow dance in the kitchen while cooking dinner. I remembered my sister Alex that I admired so much. She was two years older than me, and I wanted to be just like her. Everything she did, I wanted to do it too.

When they died, it felt like every chance I had at a normal life died with them.

And maybe that was true.

My hands started glowing softly as I let the energy of my powers flow though my body.

There was nothing normal about me anymore.

Glancing up at the sky one last time, I started to climb back from the roof. I probably needed to try getting some sleep on that marshmallow bed.

The house was quiet when I climbed in through the window and laid down on the bed. Pulling the covers over me, I closed my eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

*

Bang!

I flinched when the gun went off, tears welling up in my eyes as One’s body dropped to the ground. When I turned my head to the side I saw Ten’s body trembling violently.

Bang!

Flinching at the sharp sound, I sucked in a breath and forced myself to hold it before exhaling as Two fell to the floor.

Bang!

Three was down.

Bang!

Four.

Five.

Six.

My heart pounded in my ears and I closed my eyes so that I didn’t have to see it anymore.

I fell to the ground when my trembling legs refused to carry me any longer, and I instinctively reached for the Rubick’s cube with my powers.

My powers would definitely try to stop the bullet from killing me when it was my turn, so I needed to keep them occupied.

The Rubick’s cube floated in front of me, spinning slowly while another shot echoed through the room.

I lost count of how many shots I heard, and I was too afraid to open my eyes.

When the movement stopped, I opened my eyes to see the man standing over me. I looked straight into the barrell, feeling like the empty blackness of that little hole was going to swallow me whole.

Bang!

*

I was jolted awake by the scream that escaped me and I sat up abruptly. The door to the bedroom burst open and Annie rushed in with Lucas close behind her.

“Are you okay? What’s happening?” Lucas asked.

I slapped both my hands over my mouth and closed my eyes to keep myself from crying out again. Anxiety made my throat close up and I was shaking furiously. I rocked back and forth, refusing to look them in the eyes.

“I-I’m sorry f-for waking you.” I sniffled.

Annie sat down on the bed next to me.

“Bad dream?” She asked quietly.

I nodded.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked.

I shook my head.

Annie pulled me into a hug, the warmth from her body making me calm down a little. In the corner of my eye, I saw Lucas step out of the room, leaving me and Annie alone.

“Come here.” Annie whispered.

She climbed into bed with me and I frowned at her in confusion.

“Let me help you keep those nightmares away.” Annie said softly when she saw my confused expression.

I smiled softly.

“You would do that?” I whispered.

“Of course.” Annie replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I laid down next to her and she drew her hand through my hair.

“Sleep, sweetheart.” Annie whispered.

Annie’s presence and exhaustion made my eyelids heavy and I was asleep within minutes.

*

When I woke up in the morning, I felt bad. Annie had been staying with me throughout the night, but I could still sleep a lot better with her next to me. She was still sleeping beside me while Instared at her, afraid to move in case I woke her up.

How could I ever thank her for this?

My eyes lit up when an idea popped into my head.

I snuck out of bed and tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen. I quietly peeked in the cabinets to locate the things I needed.

Mixing butter, cocoa, oats, water and sugar, I worked up a dough. I rolled the dough into little balls and dipped them in sprinkles before lining the oatmeal balls up on a plate.

Soon I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and I looked up when Annie walked into the kitchen.

Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw me.

“Good morning.” She chirped.

“Hi.” I whispered.

“What are you making?” Annie asked.

I froze.

I never checked if it was okay for me to use their kitchen.

What if she was mad?

I backed away from the bench and glued my eyes to the floor.

“I’m sorry.” I whimpered, tears springing to my eyes. “I just…”

“It’s okay.” Annie said. “I’m happy that you feel comfortable enough to move around and explore the house on your own.”

She pointed to the plate sitting on the countertop.

“Can I try one?”

I nodded and held my breath while Annie popped an oatmeal ball in her mouth.

Her eyes widened and she looked at me surprised.

“It’s good.” She said while still chewing. “What is it?”

“It’s this thing my mother used to do when I was a kid.” I replied. “It’s the only thing I remember how to do.”

Annie smiled softly, but her eyes turned sad.

“I’m really sorry for your loss.” She said.

We both looked up when we heard Aidan coming down the stairs and sprint into the kitchen.

“Valeria.” He squealed when he saw me. “Do you want to play?”

I hesitated, glancing at the mess I had made in the kitchen.

“It’s okay, I’ll get it sorted while I start working on breakfast.” Annie said. “Why don’t you and Aidan go play in the sitting room in the meantime?”

I nodded and smiled while Aidan stared at the oatmeal balls on the plate.

“What are those”? He asked.

“Do you want to try one?” Annie asked.

Aidan put the whole ball in his mouth, his cheeks puffing out as he chewed.

“Dish ish de’icious!” He said and took the plate off the counter. “Letsch go ‘lay, Va’eria!”

He took the plate with him and skipped out of the kitchen. Annie burst out laughing and waved me off.

“Have fun.” She winked.

I let out a small giggle, then rushed off after Aidan into the sitting room.