Owen Delvaux

When you're young, you are constantly told by your parents how special you are. Little did I know what that felt like, as a child I was told I was special by everyone except my parents. They told me that being "special" was just another way of them telling me they thought I was "dangerous." Ever since I was young, I remembered how easily some things came to me. For instance, I was always faster, stronger, smarter even. However, what I didn't know was that not everyone can see the things I see. I'm not a medium, I can't see dead people or talk to them, but I can see people's emotions in a series of colors around their aura. In other words, say my mom is sad, her aura would be blue before I even walked into the room. I could feel her sad and depressing energy. Everything around me is still colorful but the center of their chest is more like a beacon of color shooting from their soul. It's easy for me to read people and how they feel as well as their intentions. So, when I finally look at my mom without saying a word I can see her all gray, but when I walk into the room it turns a yellow color when I talk or approach her in any way. I have developed a color wheel of colored emotions; I have since memorized my color wheel and the different shades of each color depending on how a person is feeling. Another example is when my mom's husband enters a room, his aura represents a green color, which I distinguish with disgust. I was so used to other people's emotions, that I then never remembered my lack of emotions. Even when I was young, I could hear someone's reasonings for the feelings that they felt, which I have slowly developed into a mind reading trick. If I twist my words in the correct way, I can essentially brainwash people's emotions and have them do my bidding if I wished. I am guilty of doing this from time to time, and I have no shame in getting what I want when it comes to good grades or getting a free coffee at the coffee shop down the street from my house so I can save money and skip the line during the early morning rush. I even go to the extreme and try to seclude myself from any and every one so I don't have to frighten or disgust anyone else like I do my mom or her boy toy she calls a husband.

I wouldn't say I hate my life; I just wish I couldn't feel people's emotions all the time, I have been able to sense people's emotions for as long as I could remember. When I was about six, I developed my brainwashing when I accidentally made my uncle walk into oncoming traffic for hitting my mom and grandma. I remember that day so clearly it sometimes gives me nightmares. I could hear a screaming argument coming from the front room my mom and I were staying in with my grandma. We had to move back in with her when my mom's boyfriend at the time kicked us out because he couldn't handle how "emotionless and scared I made him feel." The truth was, he was cheating on my mom with the neighbor across the street, I could feel his guilt emanating from his soul. I called out his bullshit immediately after my mom caught him. That was also the day that I figured out no one else could see people's emotions like I could, I even asked my mom if she could see the colors coming from everyone's soul like me. Her telling me no made me feel like a freak deep down inside. She told me to never tell anyone because she didn't want me to get into trouble for it. The day after that we were back at grandma's house, and my Uncle Ed still lived there. My grandma had a purple aura almost every day for a month. Every day I looked at her, I overheard her telling my mom she was scared for her life multiple times throughout the week due to Uncle Ed's excessive drinking and the abuse she was dealing with. Turns out he was very angry. My mom and I were back at what he called "his house", and he did not appreciate us intruding and him not being informed that her and I were coming at such short notice without him being notified we would be staying. He came home late one night, started yelling at my mom and grandma for all three of us intruding on his property. I got out of bed and walked down the narrow hall, to see his aura bright red, it looked as if he was on fire. I wasn't as frightened as I probably should have been. I tuned out his yelling and focused my attention on my mom, she was on her hands and knees with her hand clenching her chest, she was having trouble breathing. Her aura was a dark purple, she was in total fear, the most scared I have ever seen her in my entire life. My grandma has a purple aura as well, but hers was turning more into a red mixed with purple color as her son kept swinging a wine bottle around like he was going to hit her. His equilibrium was completely botched from consuming most of the wine before returning to the house looking for a fight.

"Mama!" I ran around the corner and raced as fast as my little legs could carry me. I couldn't get to her in time. My uncle had grabbed a clump of my hair on the back of my head and threw me into the wall behind him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing out of bed, you little shit! No one told you to leave that damn room!" He looked back over to my mom screaming on her knees at him.

"Stop! Don't hurt him! He didn't do anything wrong, Ed!" Tears started streaming down her face, she groaned in pain and clenched her chest again. I could see her purple aura slowly fading. All I could think was that she was dying. My mom was dying right in front of me.

"Mama! No!" I tried to pick myself up from the throw. I ran back over to her and jumped into her arms crying. "You can't die, Mama! I need you here!" She could barely breathe, let alone talk.

"Ed! I need to call the ambulance and get your sister to the doctor! You need to let me get to the phone, now!"

"Sit down, you stupid bitch!" my uncle had swung the bottle one more time, he hit my grandma in the head and shattered the bottle across her head. She hit her head on the corner of the wooden table and didn't move. All I could see was blood and her aura was gone, nothing but emptiness came from her soul. I screamed. I had just witnessed my grandma's death. My mother wasn't getting enough oxygen into her system. Her lips were slowly turning blue, and her aura was fading quicker. She passed out on the floor as I sat on the rugged carpet on my knees screaming for her to wake up. My uncle's heavy breathing got closer to me, and he grabbed my hair on the top of my head this time, pulled me off the ground, and stared deep into my eyes. All I could see in his soul was black mixed with red. I looked him dead in the eyes with such anger.

"Let me go, asshole!" Just then his eyes fogged over. He dropped me back onto the carpet where I sat stunned. In fear, I slowly looked up waiting for him to make a move. All he did was stand there, with a blank emotionless expression. I didn't know what to do, I had no idea what was happening. His aura was white. With a cracked squeak, I spoke to him again. "Uncle Ed?" No movement. No expression. Just a blank stare. "Uncle Ed, go get the house phone." It startled me when he moved towards the kitchen to get the house phone. My tiny fragile heart was racing. I looked back to my mom lying on the floor and saw her still breathing. He brought me the phone and I quickly dialed 911.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"Please help! My mama passed out and my grandma was struck by a bottle! Please send someone over, ma'am! And please hurry!" I gave her the address and hung up the phone. At this point my fear turned to rage. I turned back to my uncle, still standing there with a blank expression. I ran over to him and punched him in his thigh. "How could you do this to my mama!" I remember starting to cry again, his aura was still white, he didn't even flinch when I punched him. "You stupid old man! Why don't you go walk in front of a car and just leave us alone!" To my surprise he started his way towards the front door. I was so confused. Was he really going to walk in front of a moving car? Was he really just going to do what I told him? He left the door open as he walked out to the sidewalk. I didn't say a word to him to make him stop. All I remember thinking were things like, Should I make him stop? But what if I do tell him to stop, will he snap out of it and come back to beat my ass? However, this little, tiny sliver of guilt I still feel today will always live with me because I never did stop him. He walked right in front of the ambulance. I don't remember feeling fear or regret, not even relief. I have lived with that little sliver of guilt for fifteen years now. Even after the paramedics came, I was still in a small state of shock. They tended to my mom and picked up my uncle and grandma's remains and took us all away.

The music in my ears is playing so loud, I don't even notice people walking around me when I'm at work. I ignore everyone around me anymore. I get judged for the way I look, my lack of expression, and my rudeness towards people apparently. My appearance also doesn't help. I see greener auras from older people, and purple from most of the youth and parents. "Owen, sweetheart, I need you to help people when they ask you for help." My boss's aura was more of a pale yellow every time she talked to me. I associated that color with her being scared of me, or cowardice when I'm around her. She was clearly intimidated by me. I work out and my muscles bulk from my gray work shirt under my blue apron, which makes my tattoos on my arms more noticeable, doesn't really make me look less scary I suppose. The shaved hair on my left side probably didn't help either. The black shoulder length hair and dark circles under my eyes don't help. And not to mention I am slightly over six foot, that's enough to make a lot of people scared, yet I don't care, nor notice until someone points it out to me.

"Sorry, Samantha, but you pay me to bring boxes from the back to the front so other people can stock items on the shelves, and I don't actually need to talk to people."

"Y-yes, but if someone needs help, d-don't you feel the need to h-help?" Her stuttering when she is around me is sort of annoying, but I deal with it because I need the job before school to help with some extra stuff around the house like grocery money. I also only work there from four in the morning till eight, then I leave till the next day, and I work twenty hours a week. I crossed my arms, closed my eyes, tilted my head down and sighed heavily.

"Samantha. I took this job so I could avoid people as much as possible." My eyes opened and I looked at her from my brow bone. "Please don't make me talk to people." She blushed. Her aura turned from a pale-yellow color to a soft baby pink color. Did she find my gaze… attractive?

"Uh… o-okay Owen… y-you are free to go now." She quickly turned and her back faced towards me. Her baby pink aura started growing. I dropped my arms to my side, and smirked.

"Huh, Ms. Samantha, did I do something to offend you in any way?" I walked towards her slowly. Her aura mixed the growing pink with a little purple. She was getting a little scared. But she liked it. I swept her blonde dyed hair to her left side, over her shoulder. Gently touching her neck with my fingertips. "Do I make you, uncomfortable, Ms. Samantha?" I could feel the heat and blood running to her face. Her pink and purple aura grew till it almost consumed her body entirely

"O-owen… what exactly are you doing?" her hands wrapped around her, as her hands gripped her petite biceps. With every line centimeter reaching slowly down her gray cotton shirt, closer to the tie of her apron, her heart started racing faster. My breath touched the back of her neck, and a small, stuttering breath came out of her tiny body.

"Do you want me to stop?" I felt her body tremble as the grip on her arms started to tighten. "I'll take that as a no then." I pecked her neck ever so softly. My hands made my way to her waist. The light pink aura slowly turned into a darker pink color. I kissed her neck more and the sound of her sighs grew louder and heavier. Was this wrong? I'm practically taking advantage of her, yet she seems to be enjoying this? I thought she was scared of me. I slowly lifted my head from her neck. She looked shocked in a way, as if she didn't know what was happening, as if it was all a daydream at work. She clears her throat and turns back around to face me.

"T-that was very unprofessional. P-please don't do that a-again." I sat on her desk and pulled her in between my legs by her tiny waist. The bright red color on her face returned.

"You seemed to like it, boss lady. Judging by your face, I don't actually think you wanted me to stop. But you're right, doing this at work is very unprofessional." Her head looked down at the ground in disappointment for the actions she clearly enjoyed.

"A-are you s-seeing anyone?"

"Why? You wanna continue?" I smirked at her. She locked eyes with me, her lust was growing. Dammit, I can't let her go crazy over me. But I really need this job.

"Can I maybe see you later tonight, Owen?" She grabbed the straps on my apron and pulled me into her. She kissed me so hard we both almost lost our front teeth. She was my age, and I knew that, but she was my manager. She could easily fire me. Kissing her didn't even actually feel comforting, but I felt a little guilty for turning her on, the way I did. My own curiosity for her feelings made me do what I did. But at the same time, I haven't gotten laid since my last relationship, a fling thing I had about three months ago. So, what would it really hurt?

"Good thing you're wearing a skirt." She looked confused for a second. I swept some stuff onto her floor to make room for her, good thing she was small. I laid her on her back and ran my hand from her knees down her thighs. She shuddered at my slow gestures, as I examined her body. She wasn't unattractive, she was self-conscious about her body, which was obvious. She sat on her desk, as I stood between her thighs. Not breaking eye contact, I untied her apron slowly, and lifted it over her head. Her face was a bright red at this point. She kept looking away, like she wanted to find a place to hide, but she never moved. I took off my apron and tossed both of them on the floor.

"You've done this before?" Her eyes looked back into mine. I unlatched my belt and unbuttoned my pants.

"Would it worry you if I said yes?" She swallowed in fear, her pink and purple aura were making me chuckle a little.

"What's so funny?" Her conserved look didn't help the situation either. It was actually kinda hot seeing her slightly worried.

"You've never done it at work before?" I grabbed my shirt and proceeded to take it off slowly. Tossing it on the floor along with our aprons. She touched my abs and all the purple aura completely vanished. Pure lust. One sweater and bra later, and we were going at it. She flinched in pain the first couple of strokes. Her tiny moans didn't help with my lack of control. But I knew we had to be quiet, and I had to control myself because we were still at work after all. I put one hand over her mouth and the other was wrapped around her wrist keeping it secure. Her other hand was gripping onto the side of the desk so hard I thought she was going to break the corner off. With every stroke her eyes rolled into the back of her head more and more. Her back arched higher and her leg wrapped around me. The other one was shaking while resting on the arm of her chair. I started to breathe heavily. I snickered and pressed into her harder. I leaned down by her ear, stopping for a second to let her catch her breath. I whispered, "I need to make this quick, and then I got to go." I tried to go a little faster to make it all flow a little quicker. She did feel good. But I had to leave for school, talk about a cock block. The last few strokes I gave her were harder and by that time she did finish. A few more strokes and I finally finished. I released my hand from her mouth and used that arm to support myself over her exhausted body as her hot breath surrounded the left side of my neck. With her free hand she pushed the hair from my face over my right ear. I looked away and got up. Clearing my throat. "Sorry if that hurt." I bent down to pick up our clothes from the floor. She quickly put her bra and shirt back on.

"Don't be sorry." She stood up on wobbly legs and fixed her underwear and skirt. "I egged you on. If anything, I should be sorry…" I scoffed and put my shirt back on after I fixed my pants.

"Your stutter went away." I picked up our aprons and handed hers back. "Was that all it took to make you not scared of me?" She put the apron back on and began to tie it in a neat bow on the front left side.

"I'm not scared of you." you turned to a locker in the corner of the room and opened it, a mirror and some makeup were on the shelf. It was like she was prepared for something like this. Or she had done something like this before. "I was just attracted to you." She pulled out a purple brush from the top shelf and started brushing her hair. "I just didn't know if you'd be willing to give me something right here and right now." She put the brush away and started fixing her makeup.

"So, you wanted this?" She stopped and turned to me.

"Yes. I just didn't want anyone to hear." She gave a sly smile. "But you took care of that." I raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't make that face, you'll get wrinkles. I walked towards the door and turned the handle to open it. I stopped for a second to look back at the woman who just played me into getting what she wanted.

"I'm still wearing my headphones." Then proceeded my way out the door and to the back room to clock out. I made a stop in the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face. What a clever little bitch. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought to myself, "I'm impressed."