Gifted Children

Ruined Birthday

After my grandparents had arrived, I held to my word, and asked them about the creature I kept having nightmares of. What the darkness within them represented, and why I was having them. I got about as far with my grandparents as I had my own mother from earlier that night, which still left my questions unanswered. Being sent to bed immediately after my guests had left, and the extra cake put in the fridge. Lying in bed only to hear the argument begin downstairs. So much for the fifth birthday I thought I was going to have. I had ruined it by asking the questions to solve my own curiosity. Listening closely, as their voices carried up the stairs through the heating ducts in the house.

“Mother, I have no clue what you were going to do!” I heard my mother's voice ring loud and clear, as if standing next to her.

“She has a right to know!” Rang my grandmother’s soft melodic voice.

“She is only five! How do we even know the creature in her nightmare is one of them?! Why can’t you just leave it be!? Why did you have to start an answer, for me to come in and stop you. They are extinct, and no one knows when the last time one of them was heard from.” Came my mother’s angry voice.

“We may not know, but it is for her to find out! It is her right, her destiny to protect the bear she has been given!” Called out my grandfather’s voice.

Whatever this was, they knew what was happening, but they all refused to tell me, why? What was so special about the nightmares I had been having? Why weren’t they answering what I needed to know?

“She will not know! She will not be dragged down that same path as my own grandmother!” Yelled my mother, her anger still rising in her voice as it started to c***k.

“She has to know! There is a reason this specific bear appeared to her!” My grandmother pleaded.

“What do you mean?! A specific reason this bear appeared to her. Mother, what do you know of this bear?!” My mother inquired, I could hear her breathing become ragged, drawn out almost as if she had been running for miles.

“This bear chose our Kimberly for a reason! This specific bear is the next ruler of their kingdom!” My grandmother stated, before her sobs broke through her words.

“What does that have to do with Kimberly? What does it have to do with any of us? If this bear is the next ruler, why choose someone with the gift of sight?” My mother inquired.

“The next ruler was fore told to have a seer as his fated. The only seer, who has been born in the last five centuries is Kimberly.” My grandmother replied, sobbing.

“A seer, as his fated? Mother are you telling me my five-year-old daughter has a fated partner, before even turning eighteen?” My mother screamed.

“Yes! The only condition of their fated bond though, is for them to train together! She will make him stronger! At sixteen he will return to his realm to take back control. However, before her sixteenth birthday they will need to find the other bears, to help him in his war.” My grandmother replied.

“So, you mean?! She doesn’t have to?!” My mother inquired incredulously.

“No, she doesn’t have to partner with him for life. Just for his time spent training.” My grandmother answered, clearing up my mother’s confusion.

“Do we tell her about him?” My mother asked, still trying to decide what would be best.

Losing interest in what was said after that, as I watched the tree branches dance in the wind outside of my window. I had no clue what they meant by me being a seer, or of the bear being my fated partner. What I did know was that everyone had lied to protect me but ended up ruining my birthday instead. Why didn’t they just answer my questions, instead of the drawn-out argument that was still happening below me?

“Maybe I can answer that.” Came that same soft voice that filled my ears so many nights before. Only this time I happened to be awake, and alone in my room, so where did the voice come from? Looking around, sitting on my bed sighing, whatever this thing was I was getting tired of only hearing it, or seeing it in the darkness.

“Why won’t you show yourself to me?” I called out gently, hoping to coax out the creature.

“I will only show myself to you, if you agree to be my partner.” Came the voice again, as I looked around harder trying to pinpoint its hiding spot.

“How do I know you are real?” I called out, waiting for something to move, but nothing.

“I can assure you I am real.” Called the voice, this time one of my stuffed animals lining toy box fell over, and out stepped a miniature teddy bear.

It was a small black creature, that stood maybe two feet off the ground on all fours. It honestly looked like a cuddly teddy bear I could pick up and squeeze, with a midnight blue tone rippling throughout its fur. Reaching out a small hand to pet it, watching as it backed up against the wall, quickly pulling my hand back muttering “Sorry.”

“There’s no need to be sorry. I have never been around a human before. I didn’t expect you to be so large for your age, while I’m so small for mine.” Came the voice again, but this time with the animal in plain view, I realized, its mouth had never moved. Was I imagining it could talk?

“How are you talking?” I ask, astonished at the fact that I had never seen such amazing skills.

“I do not talk. Not normally anyway, I have a special ability called telepathy, it is an ability in which it allows me to communicate with my partner alone. No one else can hear me, so to everyone else I simply look like a small teddy bear as you put it.” Came the voice again, this time I realized, I had been hearing it in my head the whole time.

“Wow!” I squealed, “I’m the only one who can hear you?”

“Yes, now I think it is time for names. My name is Silvain, I am the future ruler of the realm in which I come from. You are my fated partner, we will work together until we both, become of age in which we can no longer see each other. For humans, that is usually around the age of sixteen. Tell me, what is your gift?” Silvain said gently.

“My- my-my- my gift?” I stuttered, thrown off by the fact that he had wanted to know what I was special for.

“Yes, your gift.” Silvain replied patiently waiting.

“I-I-I-I don’t have a gift.” I answered shyly hanging my head in disappointment.

“Surely you must, you were able to help me find you. I highly doubt I would be paired with an ordinary human child.” Silvain stated.

“I have been having a recurring nightmare, at least I thought it was a nightmare. Where I found you alone in the dark.” I replied, hoping this could be of some help to Silvain.

“Then you my child, are a seer. You have the gift of sight.” Silvain replied, grinning showing two rows of small perfect baby teeth.