Behold the Scalded

Chapter Eighteen

Lilac looked to Hermit as he stood behind us in the dark room. "So, you knew this entire time?"

"Was it that difficult to figure out?" He scoffed. "I mean, look at you. You look like someone who came from a fairytale."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Lilac grinned. "Although, I am confused. I feel like I lived an entire lifetime. I have memories, history, wants, and needs."

"And those things are true." Hermit nodded. "What you two aren't realizing is that emotions are powerful. They are the catalyst of change and chaos. This is what we've learned working with Kyla." He looked to me. "Imagination gives form and emotion brings that form to life."

I scratched my chin, trying to understand. "Am I the only one like this? That could do these things?"

"No, there's so many creative individuals out there. And they also possess and attribute emotion to their creations. The difference between you and them are your beliefs. When you believe something, it's no longer a matter of its real or not. Just believing—and not just belief but knowing—is manifesting."

"Wow." I looked to Lilac and his perfect form before me. "My belief is that strong?"

Hermit lifted his palms as if presenting the world around us. "What do you think this is?"

"So, if I create it can I take it away?" I waited for an answer as if Hermit knew. So far it seemed he did.

"Now that is the question." He shrugged. "From my experience, believing is seeing. And we all saw what your imaginings can do." He gave an all-knowing look to Lilac before looking back at me. "It's an amazing gift you have. And trust me, anyone in their right mind would do anything to obtain that gift. So, it's up to you to decide how you're gonna use it."

I nearly scoffed. "Gift? You call this a gift? It's more like a curse."

"Well..." Lilac smacked his lips. "I take offense to that."

"You know what I'm getting at." I looked beyond the two and outside the windows at the black forest. "People died. That innocent woman is dead because of my gift."

"You just have to learn to tame it." Hermit walked to the broken window and peered out. "Like any wild animal, it takes time and practice. But even you can teach an ancient wooly mammoth to roll, lie and sit."

"You said it was impossible, that I couldn't tame the creatures," I reminded him.

"Have you ever heard of tough love? Reverse psychology?" He glanced back at me from his spot in front of the window. "Sometimes people need others to doubt them in order to prove them wrong."

I nodded, understanding. Although a bit of me was unsure of his apparent confidence in my abilities, I understood what he was saying.

Hermit groaned and grabbed his abdominals. "I need to get something in me. My stomach is so empty it's twisting itself into knots."