Similis - There's no such thing as normal

Chapter 04 - Something good

"Before we get going, I want all of you to share something good that has happened to you this week," Miss Molpe said. "Who wants to go first?"

Everybody looked around the room, trying to will another person to go first. Nobody spoke.

"Come on you guys, you don't have to be shy, just because we have a new person here."

"My parents increased my allowance," Madison chirped. Everybody chuckled  and the tension let up a little.

"That's great, Madison," Miss Molpe said. "Maybe you can use the extra cash to sponsor us some new pool cues?" She raised her eyebrows and looked at the splintered cue lying on the floor.

"Hey, that was Yash!" Madison protested.

"Ok Yash," Miss Molpe turned to look at him. "How about you go next and we'll forget about it? If your good news could also be related to your Similis, that would be great. That's what we're here for after all. "

Yash cleared his throat and ran his hands through the red and yellow tips of  his ponytail.
"I... didn't have to use my powers this week."
Jen looked around the room. Everyone smiled at this. They were happy for Yash. What power could be so bad that he was happy not to have to use it, she wondered.

"Bo, your turn," Ms Molpe looked at the boy with the white hair.
"I figured out how to do this," Bo smiled and held out his hand, palm facing up. Jen stared at his hand. Nothing was happening. She stared harder, feeling a bit like an idiot. Was she supposed to see something? She was starting to wonder whether this was all some sort of elaborate prank her uncle was playing on her.

"Wow, that's so pretty, Bo," KJ said. Jen looked at them, following their gaze up.
There, about a meter above Bo's hand, Jen saw what looked like small snowflakes forming and swirling around in a beautifully choreographed ballet. Everyone quietly observed their dance. Very slowly, they descended and softly landed on Bo's outstretched hand. They lingered a bit longer than they should before finally melting away to the touch of Bo's skin.
The group erupted in applause.
"That was great, Bo!" Yash patted him on the back. "Totally useless, of course, but great!" Yash flashed him a wide smile. Bo gave him a shove, pretending to be insulted.

"Alright, alright, settle down," Ms Molpe intervened. "Bo, I think it's fantastic. Useful or not, doesn't matter. You never know what might come in handy one day. The most important part is that you can do something now that you couldn't do before. And that's what counts."

Jen wasn't getting any wiser. She was very impatient to figure out what everyone's powers were. Apparently they all had one, like she did, but all of them were different. She wondered if she could just go ahead and ask them. She had no idea what the right etiquette was here. She thought asking somebody what their power was might be in the same category of questions as asking a woman if she was pregnant, or asking someone where they were really from. You just didn't.

Jen was left guessing. All she had so far was that Yash could do something he didn't want to do. Bo could make it... snow. She chuckled at that rhyme and wondered whether it was intentional. And Madison? Apart from the fact that she was apparently spoiled and had amazing hair? She clearly had some pool hall parlour trick up her sleeve that  involved breaking cues over her head. Maybe she just doesn't feel the pain, Jen wondered.

"KJ, how about you," Ms Molpe asked.
"Finally," KJ smiled and clapped their hands.  "I thought you'd never ask!" They cleared their throat. "This week, after months of work, my mom finally kicked out her piece of shit boyfriend."
KJ took a bow and waved to their imaginary audience. "Thank you! Thank you!" More applause from the group.
Madison ran up to KJ and gave them a long tight hug. "Oh honey! I'm so happy for you! You're good. So so good."

Yash leaned over to Jen. "The asshole beat KJ's mom and was a huge phobe," he said, clearly misinterpreting the look of confusion on her face. While she was grateful to find out why KJ had wanted the guy out, what Jen had really been wondering was how they had done it.

"Congratulations KJ," Ms Molpe said, her eyes warm with the happiness you can only feel for another person's fortune finally turning in their favour. "That is great news. I'm so very happy for you. And proud of course. Even if some might disagree, you've done something really good here." The room went quiet again.
"Now let's not forget our newcomer," Ms Molpe continued. "Jen, do you have anything you want to share? Something good in regards to your Similis?"

"Erm," Jen mumbled.

What was she supposed to say? That she only found out this week what the fuck a Similis was. And that she was one, or had one, or whatever the right phrase was. That she was petrified that she might hurt someone, or maybe had already hurt someone. And that she thought everyone would hate her if they found out. That she really just wanted to disappear, and for things to go back to normal.

Instead of sharing any of these feelings, she opted for self-deprecation sprinkled with a bit of humour. That bad always worked best for her.

"Well, I'm glad to find out that I'm not the only mutant freak in this godforsaken town."