The Institute by Kayla Howarth

still
having a hard time believing what has just happened. My brother is
leaving, my boyfriend is leaving. How am I meant to stay here and
pretend everything is normal? How am I meant to lead a normal life
when two of the most important people in my life are not here with
me? Three if you include Ebbodine.
    Drew puts his
arm around me, “It will get easier, Allira.”
    “How did you –
oh right Empath.” Now that it has been pointed out to me, I feel
rather stupid not picking up on it before. The reason everything is
so easy for Drew and I is because he can read my mind! Maybe not
literally, but he certainly seems to know what I want so he gives
it to me to make me happy. Suddenly our whole relationship feels
like a fraud. If you could even call it a relationship. I pull away
from him.
     
    ***
     
    Drew sleeps on
the couch as I help Shilah pack.
    “I’m not sure
about this Allira,” Shilah whispers like he is scared that Dad or
Drew could hear him.
    “I know Shilah,
me neither. But do we really have any other option?”
    “I guess not.”
He lets out a big sigh, I think he is tearing up again but I don’t
want to embarrass him by acknowledging it. Instead I walk over to
him, put my arm around his shoulder and kiss the side of his head.
He wraps his arms around me and I know it could be the last time he
ever will.
    I can only
imagine what he is going through. I can see in my mind what it
would be like – I see myself at the Institute, sitting on a bed in
one of the apartments, crying from being all alone, being away from
my family, having no one. It’s so clear in my mind that I know
Shilah is doing the right thing. I would choose to run than suffer
that fate any day.
    We continue
packing when I realise something, “How come you didn’t see it? That
we were going to have the blood tests today?” I ask.
    “I did, but by
that time we were already on the buses. It drives me crazy
sometimes that I have no control over my ability. Maybe I should go
to the Institute. They’re always telling us that they can teach
that sort of thing, to get better control of it, I mean.”
    “Shilah, I get
the feeling that when they say that, they mean they will teach you
how to not use it at all.” He nods his head and continues packing
his clothes into a bag. “I think you have made the right choice,” I
say. He nods again but he has gone quiet. “I think I’ll leave you
to the rest, I’m going to go to bed.” I can sense he wants some
time alone.
    I wake after I
don’t know how long a sleep, it can’t have been very long. The sun
is rising and I can see the pinkish red sky outside my window
gradually getting lighter and lighter with every minute that
passes. I probably had two hours sleep at most. I don’t want to
face today but I can’t seem to forget about it long enough to drift
off properly. So I decide to get up and make breakfast.
    Drew is still
asleep on the couch when I walk into the living room. How is he
finding it so easy to sleep? I feel drained. Dad is already in the
kitchen, we are completely silent as we cook eggs on the hot plate.
I don’t know what to say to him. Are we sure going with Drew is the
best thing for Shilah? Should I really be staying or should I run
too? I know how Dad feels on the subject and so talking to him
about my worries will be pointless. I wish I could talk to Aunt
Kenna but the less people who know about this the better and I
don’t want to put her at risk.
    “We have a lot
to get done today,” the voice is coming from behind me and I know
right away that it is Drew. I don’t turn around to look at him, my
feelings for him right now are confusing and inconsistent. One
minute I see him as the boy sitting with me on the porch step
consoling me after a tragic accident that changed both of our lives
forever. He’s the boy that made me nervous in the good kind of way,
who gave me butterflies just by looking at me but then I think
about the situation we are in, how we got here