Hidden Talents (Book One)

Prologue

Edited
Do you ever feel like you don't belong somewhere. Almost like you're supposed to be somewhere else and you're late, you just don't know where you are supposed to be. Like the best friend you've known since you were seven is not the person who is supposed to be by your side. And your boyfriend of three years isn't the man who is supposed to be holding you. It's like, you know something is out of place, you just don't know what. Until the day you realize that it's not your friends and family that don't belong. It's you.

Fifteen years ago
"Ceridwen don't touch that!" Mommy said from behind me. I frown and turn away from the shiny thing. "Why not mommy. It's pretty!" I turn back towards the shiny grey thing and reach out again. Mommy picks me up and I pout. "That metal is sharp and will hurt you." Mommy sets me down next to the fire and gives me my dolly. "Let's have some cake, okay?" The shiny thing quickly left my mind at the thought of cake and I nodded. My big brother, Tommy, laughed and ruffled my hair. "Jesus Ceri, you look like you rolled in a pile of mud." I smiled. "That's because I did!" Tommy laughed and shook his head. Daddy joined in. "Ceri couldn't even stay clean for three hours, guess that means she doesn't get any of your cake Tommy." I frowned. "That's mean daddy. You shouldn't lie." Tommy and Daddy looked at me funny. "What do you mean squirt?" Tommy asked, that funny look still on his face. I put my hands on my hips like I see mommy do when she's mad. "Tommy's cake is chocolate ice-cream cake and you let me have some but I acc-acidentily." I stumble over the big word but keep going. "Choke on my piece and we have to go to the hospital." I nod and Tommy and Daddy look at each other with that funny look still on their face and daddy crouches down to look at me. "Did you see that or is it pretend?" He asks me super serious. If he knows I saw it then he might not let me have cake. And I really wanted some cake. "I think it was pretend but I'll eat my cake super slow just in case." I say and hold my pinky finger up. Daddy looks at me for a second before sighing, "Okay but you have to be super careful," he says as he hooks his pinky with mine. I smile but Mommy calls out "Cake's ready!" and I forget what I'm about to say. I run over there really fast but I remember what Daddy said and I make sure to eat really slow. Its really good. It has chocolate chips and I love chocolate chips. As I chew I bite into a really hard one and it hurts. I swallow really quick to get it out of my mouth but then my throat really hurts. "Daddy." I say, but even talking hurts. He looks and me and his forehead gets really wrinkly, "What is it a leanbh?" I groan, "My throat really hurts." I cough at the end of my sentence and its all red. Mommy is immediately running towards the car, telling Tommy to get in. Daddy scoops me up and runs with Mommy. As he buckles me in he tells Mommy about out pinky promise and she gets loud. "And you thought it was a good idea to let her have cake? Why didn't you tell me?" Daddy gets in and get buckled and Mommy starts driving. "She said she ate too fast in the vision. I didn't know there was going to be something in there! I can't see the future, I didn't know this was going to happen." Mommy went quiet when daddy said that. I started crying. This is why I hated when I saw things. Mommy always got mad and bad things happened.

Ten Years Ago
"Tommy don't go to the party. You'll go to jail." I whisper as Tommy is about to leave. I've seen it. Tommy would go to the party and he wouldn't drink that much but when the cops would show up and he would get caught and have to spend the night in a cold dark jail cell while Mommy  comes home from the next town over. Tommy spins around and swears. " Jesus Squirt, you scared the crap out of me!" Tommy was sixteen but he didn't curse and he didn't usually go to parties. The only reason he was going to this party in the first place was for Melissa Crawford. "I'm not going to go to jail Ceri, only people who get caught do that" I look at him from the top of the stairs. "You will get caught. Don't go. The girl from the States isn't worth it." My voice is quiet, solemn. Tommy frowns and runs his hand through his scarlet hair. "How do you know about Melissa? Never mind. I promise I won't get caught, okay? Just go to bed I'll be back before twelve." A glance at the clock tells me it's nine thirty. I sigh, he isn't going to listen. "That isn't true. See you later Tommy." I turn and go up to my room, calling my parents on the way. Daddy has a business meeting tomorrow but when I call and say I saw something bad happen, Momma says shes on her way. She asks me what happened in my vision and I just say something happens to Tommy, I don't want him to be mad at me for telling on him. She hangs up after that I go lay down to wait for them to get home. 

Momma yelling wakes me up, I look at my fuzzy alarm clock and see that its almost three in the morning. I was right, Tommy wasn't back by midnight. I peek out my bedroom door and see Tommy and Momma at the bottom of the stairs. " A party Thomas Leigh! Are you insane!" Momma is really loud, but then again she always is when she's mad. Tommy shakes his head a little and see's me at the top of the stairs. Momma follows his eyes with hers. "Oh my thiasce, did I wake you? I'm so sorry." Momma says, her voice immediately more quiet. I shrug, "It's okay, I wasn't having very good dreams anyways." Tommy starts walking up the stairs and hugs me when he reaches me. "I'm sorry Ceri. I'll listen to you next time." I hug him back and nod. Momma speaks up again, although her voice isn't as loud as before. "That's all well and good but I'm not done with you yet Thomas Leigh. Your father and I leave town for one night and you act like a dosser!" Tommy lets go of me and sighs "Don't eat the head off me I'm sorry." He goes back downstairs and Momma looks at me, "You go on back to bed now." I nod and turn back into my room. As I close the door I hear Momma start to yell at Tommy again and I sigh, Bad things always happen when I see things. 

Five Years Ago
I look in the mirror my eyes bright. My blue eye sparkles and my grey eye continues to dully gleam in the light. Just like always. I shake my head and dismiss the semi- negative thought from my mind. I had my first date! I fluff my hair and grab my lip gloss. I bet Conor would be a perfect gentleman too. My silver eye lights and starts to glow familiarly and my surroundings fade from view.
"Stop." My voice comes out weak and frightened as Conor roughly grabs my breast and pins my hands so that I can't push him away. "Conor stop. I don't want this." I thrash and thrust my hips, trying to get him off of me. His hand leaves my breast and I feel slight relief only to gasp in pain as he slaps me.
The vision vanishes as quickly as it comes and I lean around the bathroom counter and vomit into the toilet. Thomas knocks on the bathroom door. "You alright, Ceri?" His only answer is my retching. At the same moment I hear the doorbell and then my mom's voice floats down the hall. "Conor is here!" The news only strengthens my heaving. "Tell him to go away Ma. Ceri is sick." Thomas yells back. I can hear my mom's disappointment in her response, "Oh, alright." She loves Conor. I did too, until that vision. Tommy turns the handle of the bathroom door. "I'm coming in Ceri." Tommy comes up behind me and rubs my back. "If it means anything Ceri, I'm glad your date is postponed. I don't trust him." I lean back from the toilet and wipe at the tears from my eyes. "I never want to see him again." My voice is hoarse and Tommys eyes narrow. "What did you see?" He sounds angry and I shake my head a little. "He was...touching me and I was so scared and I told him to stop and then he hit me." I put my head between my legs to ease my nausea so I don't see Tommy get up. I do hear the bathroom door open though, I scramble up and follow Tommy into the living room. "Tommy don't be stupid, he didn't actually do anything." He doesn't answer and I see Conor still standing at the front door talking to Mom. Tommy lunges past her and as he pins Conor to the ground, I hear Mom scream for my father. "Don't" Punch. "You" Punch. "Ever" Punch. "Look at her again!" Punch. Punch.  My dad pulls Thomas off of Conor and looks at me. "What did you see Ceridwen?" His voice was very serious and I knew I had to tell him. "He hit me and tried to force me to kiss him. Or he would have." I couldn't look at him when I said it. Conor groans in the grass and my father sneers at him. "I'll take him to the hospital. We'll have to hope he doesn't press charges," He pauses and turns his attention to Tommy, "I'm proud of you for standing up for your sister like that." With that he walks over to Conor, and throws him over his shoulder, heading towards the car. Mom comes over and hugs me tight whispering that she loves me and I close my eyes. This was the first vision I was actually thankful to have. The first time this talent actually felt like a gift.