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“Demon! Monster!” What really am I? The ancient being rises up from the ground to face its foes. “Why am I always the monster? I have done nothing wrong!” The being looks over to the humans that try to cross them. “You have blood on your
hands!”
~~~~
Rowen stands in place staring off into nothing. What am I? I don’t feel normal, what is normal? Oh… hi! Let me introduce myself.
I am Rowen! ~Incorrect~ sorry, that isn’t my ‘real’ name. Around here I don’t give real names. You see I live in a super human society! It seems cool in theory but it just gives more fuel for division and discrimination.. I am different. How you may ask? I don’t have a power. Here we call powers ‘talents’ as people usually go into a profession using their power. To not have a talent is rarer than not having one nowadays. Only humans have talents, no other creature has these powers. The only few people that don’t have talents are related, even if it goes back to an ancestor from hundreds of years ago. My parents have talents but are 100% my biological parents so how does this work?
I’d like to think I’m in good shape, being able to run and things without issue, but it’s only from the abuse. I know my parents know something because it seems they don’t hurt me for being talentless but I can’t figure out why they do what they do. It’s different outside though. I get shunned and pushed, for they will never like something empty. They claim I’m ’empty’, ‘null’, ‘blank’. I may have no talent but that doesn’t mean anything!
~~~~
“Wake up brat!” The screech of my mother filters throughout the house and into my room. “I’m up!” I shouted back and then winced when I heard a gasp from the door. Dads home. “Don’t you dare raise your voice to your mother!” My dad- father hissed out through the rage that filled the room like a blanket making me sink backwards with regret in my eyes. “Get up and ready for school! I want you out of the house until I see fit!” Great. Just great. Now I won’t be able to go home until probably around 7pm. That doesn’t sound too bad, but as you can imagine from being shunned and hurt by everyone I don’t have a safe space outside my room. I scram up as if a startled animal trying to do my business and get out before a predator sees me.
I scramble out of the house and down to my school as soon as I’m prepared to leave. Yes my room is a safe space, but not when my father is around. I don’t like my mother but she is manageable. I feel like she just copies my father for the most part not realizing she is abusive. She is a saint compared to father.
Running into the school and slipping past the door before it closes I get into my chair trying to not draw attention. It’s an art to exist in my place, can’t be late but has to get in right before the bell, has to talk and respond but not to much, has to take notes but not to many, even not make to high of grades. I have to be average and unable to have time available to be picked on.
“Guys look! It’s the talentless kid!” The so called expert on talents huffing in my direction. His talent? He is smart. Probably not even smarter than me but they can’t know that! Don’t talk back. “You’re right! Why are they even still in this school? He should just jump or some shit!” ‘He’? At least they got my pronouns right considering I’m a bio female. I make that kid more tolerable in the checklist in the back of my mind. Most don’t even respect me enough for pronouns; they tend to call me ‘they’ or ‘it’ as if I’m not human. I mean I do go by they/them but it’s not my preferred pronouns.
I look away from the students of the so called discriminatory-less education system. Why today? I just want this to be over with. Luckily because I came just on time I don’t have to deal with the kids too much. I say that as if I’m not a kid, but really I’m not. The world has made me an adult at a young age.
~~~~
I scurry out of the classroom as soon as the soon as the bell rings. I can’t go home today so I have to find somewhere else to go. The woods! Some people might not like being alone in the woods even in the day but I am used to being alone. Now that I made up my mind on what direction to go I zone back in to my surroundings.
“H-I?” I say in a confused stammer as I look to the right of me. “H-how did you see me!?” The man squats out as he gets into a defensive position. “Better question. Why are you trying to not be noticed?” I say knowing that he was completely silent and I only knew he was there because I felt eyes on me. He didn’t need to know that though. I feel very content with him thinking he was just bad at what he was doing. “Well-“ he breathed in. “I noticed you’re - dilemma?” He looked at me with a wince as he said that. “Im afraid I don’t know what you mean.” I respond in a chipper voice. “I can’t explain here.” He crooked out as he started to look around as if to see if we were being watched. “Yes because I am going to go to a second location with a stranger.” I look him up in down as if in challenge as I give him my sarcastic answer.
“B-but I know why you’re talentless!” My head shot up at his words. “Excuse me?!” My anger shows in my voice. “I-I know it sounds bad but I am also talentless and I want to help you.” This peaked my interest but I still was not going to go to any second location.
“You may have peaked my interest but you’re stupid if you think I will come with you. If you want to talk in private just send a text or some shit.” I snapped at the guy. “If some random guy texted you online about some stupid proficiency would you respond?” “Fair point but I’m still not going with you. Just take my number.” I say with a sigh as I hand him my number.
~~~~
Rowen: hello! This you?
Fellow person: 👍
Rowen: what is that name?
Fellow person: you don’t use your real name either! 🤷♀️
Rowen: don’t trust you 😤
Fellow person: hey!
Fellow person: fine 😭
Fellow person: my name is Leo
Rowen: like the star sign💀
Fellow person (Leo):…
Fellow person (Leo): I am done with this conversation!
Rowen: your the one that came up to me lmao 😂
Fellow person (Leo): that’s not what I ment!
Fellow person (Leo): there is a reason I came up to you 😭
Rowen: oh yeah!
Rowen: tell me your fictional story!
Fellow person (Leo): it isn’t fictional 😭 but fine
Fellow person (Leo): I have been trying to connect to as many talentless people as possible because 1. We should have a support group 2. I think we are all related 3. we are not human
Rowen: first two I get but last one wtf
Fellow person (Leo): I have my reasons
Rowen: I need proof other than “all humans have talents”
Fellow person (Leo): we are Limisterast’s or Limist for short
Rowen: explain
Fellow person (Leo): Limist’s are powerful entity’s unable to fully comprehend or recreated by humans. They were discovered and being killed so they divided and discised as humans to populate under our own noses!
Rowen: ok but why
Fellow person (Leo): they may look like humans and act like humans but they don’t have the same DNA
Rowen: that makes sense in theory but I need proof not just words
Fellow person (Leo): why do you think I wanted to see you in person? 😔
Rowen: 😔🫵👉🪦🔥
Fellow person (Leo): 😳👉🤐👌
Rowen: 😁so I’m not human😁
Fellow person (Leo):sadly no😔
Fellow person (Leo): have you ever noticed you can do things others can’t yet you don’t have any talent in your DNA?🧐
Rowen: …
Rowen: ok I believe you now.
~~~~
I look at the texts and realize how many unanswered questions I have. I have done stuff that requires talents. But they did a blood test and everything? It’s not in my DNA. I hum to myself in consideration. Now I want to look into this and do my own research but I’m not trusting Leo yet. That will have to wait until he can prove himself.
By the time I’m done texting this Leo guy and look at the time it’s already 6:00pm which means I can start to head home. I leave the forest to start the track home and can’t get that texting conversation out of my head. Is that why my parents hate me? Do they know something I don’t? All of my memories skim in my head to see if my parents know anything. Who knows they might.
I step into the house and look around to see if there is anyone near me. No one. Good. I make a dash for my room and lock the door behind me to make sure nobody comes in. I sit on my bed and open my phone to the default browser. “Talentless people showing talents,” I scroll down the list of pop-ups from the search talking about how talentless people are weak but stop at one pop-up, ‘how does my talentless sister do things that require a talent? Reddit post.’ I make a hum and click on the post.
‘So… if you read the title of the post you know what’s wrong. I know what I saw and I want to get my sister a talent diagnosis so the bullying will stop for her. Like she is a person! Not trash! If anyone has any idea what’s going on please dm me’ ok so it’s not just me and this Leo guy that’s weird. I know I have to much teeth. I know I have this crazy strong senses. Sometimes I feel like an animal with instincts as I feel a need to assert dominance and reproduce my kind. I sigh. If this is real and Leo never lied what will I do with myself? This could be a chance to get away from my parents but what then?
What now?
~~~~
I my high school years are about to start and wow! A new start? There is a low chance of me making friends or even finding people that will tolerate me. I hope to go to a hero school despite not having a talent. I got laughed at for it but it’s either this or go vigilante. I might go vigilante anyway but it’s always nice to have hope.