❝there is a swelling storm
and i'm caught up in the middle of it all
and it takes control
of the person that i thought i was
the girl i used to know❞
Lois Gilbert had died.
It was a tragic car accident where her parents drove off a bridge; it took o...
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For the past twenty minutes, Lois Gilbert had been staring at the landscape around her. She studied each individual aspect of the area; the trees, the houses and the slow-moving clouds that drifted across the sky, as if trying to permanently sketch the image into her mind. She was acutely aware of the movement inside the house behind her, as her Aunt prepared herself for the day ahead. Footsteps could be heard approaching the porch, as Aunt Jenna walked out to the front of the house and sat next to Lois.
"Lois?"
She lowered her gaze at the sound of her name being called, her aunt's familiar voice evoking a sense of calm from the short girl. She hummed in response to her aunt's call, turning to face her, but her aunt did not respond. Instead, Lois caught her scrutinising her much like she was doing to the landscape a moment before.
"You don't have to go today, if you don't want to." Aunt Jenna spoke finally.
"Yes I do."
Jenna chewed on her lower lip as she studied her niece. Lois stared back at her dully, her eyes flicking towards Jenna's ever-changing aura. She watched as it faded from a vibrant orange glow to a pale blue, and cringed slightly at the effect she had on her aunt's emotions. Jenna's attention snapped back to her face, catching the end of the fleeting emotion from her face.
"Are you okay? Have you taken your pills?" The words fell from her aunt's lips naturally, another thing that made Lois internally cringe. She hated how that was part of her daily conversation with her family, it made her feel small and vulnerable.
Lois breathed in before lying through her teeth, "Yes."
Lois didn't like lying. She wasn't a good liar. However, she didn't see a point in choking down pills that did nothing but make her drowsy and forgetful, unless she really needed an escape from reality. They were prescribed to her after the accident, an event that haunted her mentally more than physically. They were meant to help with the visions and other restricting side effects of her near death experience. In short, they did nothing to help but Lois learnt to stop mentioning the pulsing lights that surrounded all living beings. She had dealt with her new abilities long enough to figure out their meaning, most of the time. Unfortunately, her remaining family still constantly worried for her.
After studying her for a few more moments, Jenna wrapped her arms around her niece.
"Oh, Lois," She whispered. "Please don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."
"I will," Lois promised, pulling away from Jenna. She didn't miss the hurt look that flashed across her aunt's face, but Lois didn't want to touch her again. Touch is too revealing, too exhausting, so she tried to avoid it at all costs.
Lois watched her aunt move back inside the house towards the coffee maker. She waited for the thrumming energy and vivid images to fade from her body. She had a love-hate relationship with her 'gift'. She hated the feeling of overwhelming energy that came with each touch and how exposed she felt knowing everything about that person. She saw images that were only meant to be seen by the owner of those memories and she hated the responsibility she felt that came with that knowledge. However, in some cases, Lois could oversee that wretched feeling of exhaustion that overcame her after each touch. Cases such as just then, when it was verified that her own aunt really did care for her despite the panic and stress that Lois put her through since that piteous day.
Finally, with one more look at her surroundings, Lois swallowed the anxious feeling that crawled up her throat and walked back into the house to get ready for the first day of school.
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A/N: edited 6 March 2021 :) Just a quick little filler chapter to introduce you to Lois and her 'gift'. Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment or even a like!
A/N: edited again 18 Sept 2022! Faceclaim for Lois is now Katie Douglas, who I feel fits her character much better
