THE GIFTED

THE GIFTED CHAPTER 1: OLIVIA

It started 13 years ago when I first started seeing things that normal people couldn't.I was five years old at the time. I first saw a young girl with a very odd white outfit around my age crying at the bench near the seesaw of the playground, she was wet even though it was not raining at the time. I approached her while handing her my handkerchief."Here, wipe your tears with it," I said.She ignored me. And continues to cry 

 "Why are you crying?" I asked

 She looked at me strangely and said

 "You can see me?"

 "Of course" I replied 

 The parents in the playground started looking at me like there was something wrong. I ignored them because I was making a new friend. And then the girl wiped her tears with my handkerchief and gave it back to me and smiled and said 

 "Let's play there"

 She pointed at the seesaw

 "Sure" I replied

 We played at the seesaw, a little while later it was getting awkward because she was all silent at the time so I asked

 "Why are you crying in there alone and where're your parents? 

 She started crying again 

 " My parents left me in here. They said they are going to come back but they didn't. I waited here for a long time until it started raining and there was this man that wants to get me and-and- I felt scared and I ran." She said.

 "When does this happen?" I asked

 "A very long time ago" She replied.

 "Why are you still wet if this happened a long time ago?" I asked again

 "I don't know." She replied 

 "I saw you earlier, why are you playing alone, there are so many kids in here?"She asked

 "Oh!, they don't want to play with me because they think I was weird. And that girl over there, she's Sarah she's the meanest girl in my class she always tries to bully me. I don't like her" I replied

A While later we were talking, and Mrs.Collins ( a neighbor )approached me and said

 "Uhh, honey who are you talking to?"

 "I am talking to my new friend" I replied 

 "I didn't ask your name yet, what's your name?" I asked my new 'friend'

 "Olivia," she said

 "I am Emy" I replied

 We then both shook hands and laughed. But Mrs. Collins saw me laughing alone, and then ran up to my mom and asked if there is something wrong with me because I was talking and laughing all by myself. I was confused at the moment as to why Mrs. Collins can't see her. 

 "Why can't Mrs.Colins see you?" I asked

 "Because you are only the one who can see me," she replied 

 Then I realized that the handkerchief that I gave her had some blood on it. I was confused because I am sure it was all clean when I gave it to her. And then her eyes suddenly changed into all white and there are these blood tears that are coming out of her eye and she suddenly floated into the air. I ran up to my mom in a panic and suddenly tripped. My mom immediately came to my aid and brought me back home.

"Who is this new 'friend' that you said to Mrs. Collins earlier that she cannot see Emy?" 

My mom askedI told her the whole story of how I met her at the playground, and I also told her the story about what Olivia told me about what happened to her a long time ago. My mom has a blank expression as I told her all of that. And then a few minutes later our lights are suddenly blinking nonstop, a few minutes later someone rang our doorbell. My mom then checked if there is someone at the door, but she said there was none. She said she only saw a piece of paper with my name on it. 

 "To Emy, Love: Olivia" I read it with my mom

 The letter only says

 "I am so sorry, I scared you I hope we can be friends again because u are da only one who can see me and approach me and make me feel like I have a friend who I can talk to." 

 I got scared and doubted for a second if I can trust this new 'friend' of mine. My mom then explained that I have these special 'Gifts' and further explained that 'Not all spirits are bad' she said. I got confused again because why would she say that 'not all ghosts are bad' if she didn't encounter one? 

 "Some spirits cannot move on to the next life because their spirits have some unfinished business that they need to do to get through the gates of their destiny. Some choose to stay in this world to seek revenge and to hurt other living things in this world."

 My mom tried her best to make me understand what was going on with me and also explained the situation between Olivia and I, she said that some people will think that I am weird because they cannot see what I am seeing and a normal human being doesn't have that kind of 'gifts' and that makes me unique and special. At that time, I thought of it as a superpower and also thought I was super cool. The next day my mom brought me back to the playground where I first saw Olivia. She was there sitting on the bench. I approached her again and said

 "Hi"

 "You are here!" She replied and smile.

 "Yeah, how could I forget you, you are my first friend" 

I saidI asked her why is she still here in the living world. She simply said 

 " I am waiting for my parents to come back, I want to see them again one last time before I'll forever go"

I asked her about her parents' names and what do they look like. She said

 "I cannot remember my parent's names but I have a picture of them here" 

 She handed me the piece of paper. It was a family picture of a girl with her mother and father. I asked her if it was okay if I will give it to my mom because I really want to help her. And she agreed. I then handed it to my mom and then I waved Olivia goodbye. After that, we went to the police station and then my mom asked the police about the picture and if they knew anything, the policeman then looked at some files from their drawer and told us something while eating a donut. It happened 10 years ago and turns out that Olivia's parent's name are Miranda Myers and Sam Myers they had a car accident, and the same night that the car accident happened was also the same night that their daughter went missing. Unfortunately, her mom died and they said what happened was that Mr. and Mrs. Myers went to the Pharmacy store to buy some medicines for Mrs. Myers's mother it was 30 minutes drive, but on the way there they had a huge fight, and got themselves into the accident. Mrs. Myer's mother then called the police while at the hospital to file the missing report about a girl named Olivia Myers she said that the girl was last seen at the playground near fountain park. She was missing for a month and her body was in the deep woods near the playground. They said that the girl died because of dehydration, starvation, and sickness and had so many heavy bruises on her feet because of too much running when they found her body, it was rotten, and the animals that are in there had already eaten most of her body. My mother asked what happened to Olivia's father, and they said after the accident Mr.Myers got very depressed and tried to unalive himself because he was blaming himself for what happened to her wife and daughter but he failed. Mrs. Myer's mother helped him get through it all and Mr.Sam Myers decided to get married again after so many years they had one daughter which named Sarah Myers. I asked where Mr.Myers lived and they gave us the address with a very weird look because how we are so interested in their case, my mom then gave them a very believable alibi that made the policeman give us more suspicious looks. I insisted that we should go back to the playground. The minute I saw Olivia waiting by the bench of the playground, I then hugged her. She was so cold and wet. After that, I told her all that had happened and then she smiled. I told her that we'd come to her father's house and she nodded. On the way there she said 

 "I am sorry about my sister Sarah, Emy"

 "It's okay, it's not your fault why she's so mean" I replied

 "I hope you two will get along soon," she said 

 We arrived there and it was quiet. Then we rang the doorbell and then Mr.Myers, Olivia's Father opened the door. Olivia immediately hugged him. But of course, Mr.Myers cannot see her so he was confused as to why he felt so cold and wet. I immediately notice a little girl's picture hanging on the wall that looked just like Olivia. Mr.Myers Invited us in, but we resisted. After a little chat, we went straight home and we realized she wasn't there anymore. That night, I dreamed about Olivia thanking me for all I have done for her, and she also introduced her mother to me in the dream. I told her that I hope she will always look after me from heaven with her mother and with all my great-great-grandparents. The next morning my mom said 

 "So that was Olivia" 

 Turns out that my mom also has gifts like mine. That's why, on the way to Mr. Myers's house she was also oddly looking at the front view mirror of our car at us. Olivia also thanked my mom for helping find her parents, she said if it wasn't for us she is still at the playground bench waiting for her parents to come back. I felt really relieved that she is in a good place right now with her mom. She was my first friend and she is always in my heart I will never forget her for the rest of my life. 

 Years later that came to my mind and had a realization that Olivia could have hated her parents for leaving her behind alone in the playground or blamed them for what happened to her, but instead, she just waited for them to come back and did not hate or blamed them a bit. She was a very kind spirit, that just wants to see her parents one last time before she will forever go. I then dreamed about myself in a white dress in a forest, it was like I am looking at something, somewhere in the forest. I ignored it and continue to sleep. As I get older those 'gifts' felt like a 'curse' because everywhere I go, I can see them, and it also felt like they were trying to interfere with my energy and tries to possess me. I didn't experience helping 'spirits' again because I was trying to ignore these 'gifts' because they are getting stronger and hard to control and that makes it scarier.