CHAPTER TWO
The Flower Seller’s Note
Somewhere
The phone rang early in the morning, interrupting her peaceful slumber. She answered groggily, only to be met with an urgent request: “Can you do something for me?” It was a voice she hadn’t heard in years, one that she still remembered to this day. Despite her reservations, she knew she couldn’t ignore this call.
On the second day of the trip, we were supposed to visit a historical temple in our assigned groups. But I was going crazy with paranoia. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that someone was following me and watching my every move. I couldn’t talk to my friends about this, and I was losing my mind. It felt like I was trapped in a nightmare with no way out.
As I strolled through the town, I forced a smile on my face. Suddenly, I spotted a flower shop, where a lovely girl was selling flowers. She seemed to notice me and smiled. I tried to ignore her and continued walking. But then a small child appeared in front of me, playing around. I stopped and patted her head, feeling a little relieved. The child wasn’t afraid of strangers and pulled my hand, saying, “Big brother, flower, buy…dis…dis…disont….” I smiled at her effort to say the word “discount” and she led me to the flower shop. I hesitated but ended up buying a few flowers. As it turned out, the kid was the flower seller’s daughter, which surprised me since the seller seemed quite young.
As I made my way back to my group, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. My mind was consumed with thoughts of the note I had found in the flower wrapping. My friend noticed my unease and asked, “What happened, Ryou?” I forced a smile and replied, “Nothing, just got pricked by a thorn.” But the truth was, I was now terrified of girls passing notes to me. As I walked further away from the flower shop, I finally mustered up the courage to open the note.
It simply said, “Meet me at the flower shop during your lunch break. I know what they want. I can help.” The words seemed to jump off the page, sending a shiver down my spine.
I felt a mix of fear, curiosity, and nervousness when I read the note. How could this woman know about what happened to me yesterday? Was someone else keeping tabs on me too? Could this be a trap set up by the organisation? I was hesitant, but the location she mentioned was on a busy street in the middle of the day. I didn’t think they could do anything to me in broad daylight. I didn’t have any other options, so I decided to take the risk. If anything went wrong, I could always shout and make a scene.
I don’t remember what I ate during the lunch break. I had to make some excuses for my friends and then made my way to the flower shop. On the way, I kept looking around to see if I was being followed but found no one. As I reached the flower shop, I noticed that the shutters were closed. I hesitated, wondering if it was a trap, but then I heard a voice from behind me.
“You came,” the voice said. I turned around to see the same girl from the flower shop from the morning.
She led me to a small garden at the back of the shop, where she pointed to a bench for me to sit on. I was hesitant, but I sat down on the bench as she instructed. The sight of the small child in her arms put me somewhat at ease. She put the child on a slide to play on and returned to sit in front of me.
“Who are you? And how do you know about me? What do you want?” I blurted out, my questions tumbling one after the other.
“Slow down, boy,” she said with a small smile.
I frowned but held my tongue as she continued.
“To start with, I don’t know your name. And I don’t think you need to know mine. Just know that I was asked to help you. Don’t ask who asked me, I won’t tell. But I know about the organization that’s been targeting people like us.”
“People like us?” I questioned, confused.
I listened intently as she explained how we were both part of a group of people with genetic changes that enhanced our brain potential. She shared that she had some minor abilities of her own, but mine was leagues ahead based on what she had been told. “I’ve heard of people like us popping up in the world for quite some time now,” she added, “but the organization has only recently become more active in targeting and tracking us down. I don’t know what their end goal is, but I do know that it’s not good.”
I listened to her words and felt a mix of emotions – relief that there were others like me, but also fear and anger at the thought of being hunted down for something beyond my control. “Please, can you help me?” I asked again, my voice pleading.
“You have the potential to unlock your abilities, and I can help you,” she said. “But you have to trust me. I won’t be able to protect you from the organization. As you can see, I have a child to take care of and I don’t want to put us in danger.”
I paused for a moment, considering her words, but then nodded. I didn’t have anyone else to turn to, and even if she couldn’t protect me, at least I could gain a better understanding of myself and why the organization was after me. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll trust you.”
For the next hour, she guided me through a series of exercises and techniques to help me tap into my potential. It was a strange sensation, like awakening a dormant part of my brain. As we worked, I began to feel a greater awareness of my surroundings and a more acute sensitivity to sound, touch, and smell. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting in terms of superpowers, but it was a start. She explained that with more practice, I could expand the scope of each sense even further.
Despite not feeling particularly “super,” I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement and wonder at the possibilities. Why would anyone want to target me for this? It didn’t make sense. Nonetheless, I was grateful for her help and eager to continue my training.
As we parted ways, she reminded me of something important. “Don’t underestimate your abilities just because they don’t seem very powerful yet. Your brain controls your entire body, and there are more than just five senses. With practice, you could unlock a whole new level of control over your body and even your mind.” Her words made me realize the vast possibilities of my ability, and I felt a newfound determination to explore and improve it.
CHAPTER THREE
Uncovering The Truth
Scribbled Words 