The Power

I’m unpopular, plain and smart. I love reading- you know, the stereotypical nerd. That’s why my nose was buried in Brandon Sanderson’s latest epic fantasy novel when I was walking my dog.

I think it was then that my senses heightened.

I felt my shoes thudding on the pavement.

I heard a dog barking in the distance.

The colours of everything seemed brighter.

Is this what Spider-Man felt like? I thought in a dreamlike trance.

I wasn’t paying attention to things, I suppose. I bumped into somebody, and……

My point of view swivelled.

I stumbled.

It was super weird, kind of like looking into a mirror, except it was moving about. I saw… myself, stumbling. Holding a book. And a leash. I looked down and saw feet that were definitely not mine.

Is this what vertigo feels like? I thought. I saw perfectly manicured hands complete with false nails, completely different from my own long-fingered, slightly dirty pianists’ hands. The hands that were not mine carried a phone. A phone?!

I was seriously weirded out. I spoke, and my body spoke. “Oh, sorry; I didn’t see you.” I actually saw my own lips miming the words that I was speaking.

This is exactly like a second person game.

“It‘s okay,” said the person whose point of view I was seeing. Her voice was super nervous, like she’d done something wrong.

I had to make a conscious effort to walk. My own back slowly receded. Just like that, my point of view jumped slightly and I was back. I shook my head, wondering if thins was a hallucination. Maybe I had a mental condition. Maybe….

I turned and jogged back home, tugging my dog’s leash and clutching my book.

Later…

In my room, I grabbed my “ideas” notebook and drew a flow map.

walked the dog while reading→ bumped into unknown girl→ switched my perspective to hers→ after walking approx. 1 metre away, switched back

notes: ~ could still control body while in other perspective

~ had to make conscious effort to control

I looked over my notes. They weren‘t very helpful, but then what did I expect to find?

theories: why did I switch perspectives?

~rare illness

~supernatural power (?)

The “rare illness“ theory sounded stupid, but pretty reasonable next to the “supernatural power” one.

I tested my mom. Seems stupid, I know. But hear me out.

She‘d been suffering from “headaches“ ever since I could remember. But I’d noticed that she seemed to recover unusually quickly, as soon as she walked away from everyone. She also always seemed to make jerky movements when having these headaches.

I referred to my notes: switches back after 1 meter distance, check. Conscious effort to control body, check.

Well, if it turns out I’m wrong, I could always say I’m joking…

“Ma!” I yelled from the top of the stairs. “Yes, sweetie?” She seemed to be helping my older siblings with something. They seemed agitated..

“I have a problem! Could you help?”

“Just a moment!”

Several moments later, she was in my room.

Welp, I thought. Now or never. “Ma, have you ever had a problem with switching perspectives?”

“Well, isn’t this strange. You’re the third person to ask me this!”

“I am?”

“Yes, indeed. That’s what I was helping your older siblings with.”

Bingo.

My mom continued. “You should always focused on putting yourself in others’ shoes, dear. I know it’s hard, but it’ll help you to understand as I told your siblings blah blah blah blah…”

I zoned out. How can I tell her my problem is literal, not figurative? Simple.

I took a deep breath. “I mean literally, Ma. Like when you bump into someone and your perspective switches to theirs so that it’s like a mirror.”

Totally unexpectedly, she smiled hugely and said “When did you mutate? I knew as soon as I saw your aura.”

”Uhh.. about an 15 minutes ago?”

“You’re a smart girl. I knew somebody would figure it out once they themselves got it,”

“Don’t you think my siblings have this power too?”

“Of course I do! But it’s fun to see them squirm and work up the courage to tell me that it’s literal.”

I chuckled, relieved.

Since then, I’ve become a lot better at controlling this power. My siblings eventually told my parents about it. With a little practice, I can even sense what the person is thinking; mind-reading of sorts.

All mutants have jobs. There are mutants that scout for new mutants, mutants that research powers, mutants that live perfectly normal lives until their powers are needed. There is a list of hundreds and thousands of mutants’ names, powers, activities, all faithfully updated.

But I have to be careful who I use this power on since more people than you would expect have some sort of dormant power; I can accidentally cause someone to mutate by using my power on them, not even sure that I can trust them to keep this secret. They might cause unbalance and destroy this world.

Some powers are passed down genetically. These powers are unique. Everyone in this type of family has the potential to mutate.

Now I realise the girl in the park was a mutant, though I’m not sure what her power was. She helped me mutate, not knowing that I had dormant power.

Now, I’m still unpopular, plain and smart, though now I’m part of a huge secret. My family are special people, part of the community who help wipe the memories of those who have seen these powers. I’m one of them now, travelling undercover to keep this world from destruction.

You might be one of them.

A mutant.

EPILOGUE

“I’m really, really sorry!” exclaimed the girl I had bumped into. I’d finally found her after months of searching.

“No, it’s okay,” I said. “I just… wanted to thank you for triggering me. It brought me into such an exciting world!”

“Oh, thank goodness,” she sighed. “I was afraid you’d be so angry at me!”

“And also…,” I said, fidgeting. “I wanted to find out what your power was,”

“Oh, sure!” she said. She reached out her hands and sketched shapes in the air. It shimmered, and a whole couch fell out of the air.

“You’re an illusionist!” I exclaimed. “That’s so realistic!” Sure enough, when I tried to sit down on it, it disappeared.

I should have known the peace wouldn’t have lasted.

I heard a shout. “Monsters! Monsters, all of them, kill them!” I swore. I hadn’t scouted the place out.

“I’m so sorry! What’s your name?” I shouted over my shoulder while chasing the man who had raised the alarm. “Let’s meet again sometime!”

“Okay,” she called back. “My name’s Beth!”

”Thanks, see you!” I yelled.

I ran Naruto-style after the man.

A life of a mutant is never easy…

THE END