Versus

The girls had to take the elevator back down to their first floor. Students were starring and whispering about the foursome now. Stories and guesses were being fabricated and spread throughout the university. No one knew what happened, but they all desperately wanted to.

“What happened?” Several asked in passing.

“Food poisoning.” Abby blurted out to one.

“Her shoestring got stuck in her bike wheel. Can you believe the luck?” Abby sarcastically said to another.

Everyone secretly began hoping someone else would get the courage to ask again so that Abby could create another anecdote.

As they finished their trek to her room, they entered and closed the door behind them.

“Not a word to anyone!” Aala instructed.

“Not a word!” Kelly acknowledged.

“Sister secret!” Abby promised.

“Thank you,” Emma said, eyes moving about the room. Landing softly on each face. A smile greeted every look as Emma shared unspoken words with each of them.

“You need to rest. We are here to answer every single question you have. But as YOU have them.” Kelly announced as she walked over to help Aala move the wheelchair from behind Emma as she stood.

“My head’s spinning.”

“From hitting the pavement or just all the info so fast?” Abby blurted.

Kelly smacked Abby on the arm while all other eyes looked at Abby with shock.

“What?” Abby said obliviously.

“Well, I didn’t know which.” She said in a softer, defensive tone.

“Come on. We’ll let her rest.” Kelly said as glares continued to scold Abby.

Kelly and Abby hugged Emma with such warmth and care. She suddenly felt some relief. Their care was authentic. She had a secret worry that she was somehow the misfit here, but clearly that was not the case. These girls just wanted to help her understand what their reality truly was. But instead of pushing her, they were loving her and waiting for her to ask. They were special, and she was thankful for their patience.

The room fell quiet when the door shut behind them.

“You ok?”

“I have no idea.”

“I know.”

“I guess you do.”

“I really do Emma.” Aala’s breath caught in her throat. Tears began to fill her eyes.

“Don’t cry.” Emma laughed slightly at the thought of Aala crying when she felt like it should be her over here balling her eyes out.

“I just feel so awful that you must have been so terrified. That car hit you. I could’ve helped. I didn’t know. I should’ve known.” She was speaking so quickly that Emma hardly understood the rambling.

“I let you down.”

“Oh, good grief, NO! Someone let me down, but it clearly wasn’t you.” Emma said as she thought about the man who left her so many years ago. She got angry. Suddenly angrier than before. This man not only deserted her mom and her, but did so, having the only knowledge of who she was. And didn’t care to tell her. To help her. He was crueler than she ever thought before. She was angrier than she ever thought she could be at him.

Her expression was clear.

“What is it?” Aala asked.

“My dad left me when I was very little. He clearly had to know and just left me. Told me nothing.” Her thoughts went back to the last time she saw him. She wasn’t sure how long her thoughts had taken her back to that day when Aala spoke, “Do you know what happened to him?”

“No.”

She felt slightly guilty for what felt like a lie but wasn’t. She didn’t know what happened to him. He left. She didn’t know where. He never tried to contact her. She just left out the sad stuff. She felt like Aala was looking for the innocent explanation like “he died” or “was in a terrible accident” or “had to save children in a 3rd world country far away and went missing” because she spent most of her life “not” telling people about him. Of course, everyone asked, that’s what normal people do. They mention their parents, siblings, maybe pets but she only had her mom. She left the dad part vague for everyone. It was easier to say, “My parents aren’t together” and then people assumed it was a typical divorce and didn’t pry. That was typical. The divorced parents.

This time, her vagueness didn’t cover it. It was now like having a genetic disease that could only be solved by knowing your heritage. This time the cure was in someone she didn’t know. And didn’t want to know.

Maybe she could finally trust someone besides her mom. It would feel good to have someone to talk to her age, she thought. She was just so scared. Of what it all could mean. She knew her dad wasn’t a good man. She wasn’t sure what that meant now in this world that was slowing becoming real to her. She was afraid and hopeful that her friends might know. Did she dare trust them? She so wanted to.

She looked up and saw the loving eyes of her dearest friend. She wasn’t waiting for an answer. She was just waiting to be needed.

She was needed and Emma finally decided to trust someone, besides her mom.

“I’m scared!” she said while fighting back tears of her own. She could refrain from crying while she remained quiet. It was the mouth opening that seemed to release the floodgate for her. She hated that part of herself.

“I can’t imagine,” Aala said with tears in her eyes as well.

“But you can trust me.” She walked over to her bed, then turned to look at Emma. She began climbing up the back of Emma’s bed. She plopped down and leaned against the back of the wall. “Tell me anything. Ask me anything.” She wiped her tears and quickly smiled, mustering the strength for her friend.

Emma looked down at her lap, then back to Aala.

“How long have you known?”

Emma thought that her question was vague after it left her lips. It could mean anything. But that was most people. Not Aala. She knew.

“Since I was born. Well, you know, as long as I can remember.”

“But who told you?”

“My mom told me.” She paused then realized that it wasn’t the entire answer she was looking for. “When I was very small, I remember these stories she would tell me. About our kind. She always said it was our secret. No one could know. I always understood that the rule was for my protection. We don’t all get our powers at the same time. It’s always close to adulthood. My mom has tried to prepare me for it for as long as I remember. To make sure I knew to keep the secret. So, I knew I would one day go away to one of the colleges for our kind, to prepare me for my adult life, career, and such.”

“One of the colleges?”

“Oh, yeah, there are several.” Aala became more excited. This was more informational and less painful for Emma. “Different parts of the country, different parts of the world. We could go to any of them if we wanted. We are “invited” to the one that they think best suits us. Most of the time, it’s the one that’s closest.” She emphasized “invited” knowing that invited meant “given the scholarship.” Emma was slowly making sense of some of this, and Aala was clearly excited to be helping.

“Aala.” She didn’t look up this time.

Aala just waited.

“What are we?”