Katie_Gr - The Corisiant-FINAL DRAFT lyrics

Katie Griger English 252 Short Story Final Draft 9 July 2015 The Corisiant Every day I see you, I know there is something different between you and the rest of us. While we talk during pa**ing period you stare blankly into your locker for the five minute duration. As we ask the teacher for help, you complete the a**ignment with no questions. We eat our lunch and you disappear for a half an hour. The last bell rings for the day and as everyone else rushes out of the building you patiently roam the halls until everyone has left. What are you hiding? Who are you really because this charade can only be that, an act? You intrigue me. I cannot figure Braley out; I don't even know if she realizes that I'm watching her. I have never had issues with girls not noticing me until she came to school. Second grade she came as a transfer from somewhere in Connecticut. I only know this because that's what our teacher recited to us; as if she had memorized only the essential questions her folks gave answers to. Since then I don't think I've ever heard her speak. I take that back, in seventh grade she was in Mr. Burke's cla** who made everyone answer a question of his every day. She switched that cla** for another science teacher as soon as she could. It is now freshman year of high school and I want to figure out who she is before we graduate. For a small town nothing unusual happens, but I know she isn't what folks around here would call a “normal” teenage girl. Four hours later, once the school closed and locked their front doors, I found Braley walking towards the outskirts of town. There are only a few blocks of houses on either side of the street, what we natives have named “downtown”, until the great plains of Nebraska flooded with corn and bean crops surround the outskirts of the village called Endicott. Strangely enough she walked with confidence into the tall stalks of corn right past Ms. Crillin's old farmhouse on the edge of town. Her long blonde hair matched the corn stalks while her red plaid shirt allowed me to think I wouldn't lose her. I don't know how I haven't questioned her earlier than today. At school her sharp blue eyes cut through the hall as if she and I are the only ones there. Does she know me, or think she knows me? I haven't shown anyone my true self, why would she know? No, no that cannot be why she stares. She probably doesn't even stare; I'm giving myself too much credit here. “Whah!” She startled me half to d**h. While I was going through an inner battle she had jumped out of the corn as if we were at a haunted house. Before I start pestering her for answers she guilt's me into explaining myself. As I explained my curiosity over her and my intuition telling me she wanted to know me as well, her blue eyes sparkled as if I had complimented her in ways I would never understand. I was at peace with how I thought the rest of the conversation would go, until she cut me off. “Whoah whoah whoah bud, are you even paying attention?” Someone had to cut him off before he could flatter himself any longer with the thought of me being attracted to his own mystery. “Never did I think that I'd be in this situation Grayson. Here, with no one to talk to, but you. No one has questioned me and where I came from since I started school here. At the age of eight I started a lonely life. No one wanted to talk to me because I acted different from the other kids. I wasn't asked to join kids in the school yard for recess, go to any sleep-overs, nor was I asked the simple question of, ‘Are you okay?' by anyone! Entering Junior high, with the merging of multiple schools, gave me the hope for a chance of someone to notice me. That is all I wanted, for some recognition that I am here and I do belong, but no. Why now do you think you can bombard me with questions?” I was not happy, all this time with no one taking interest and now I'm here with him! Hah as if he actually cares. Grayson, the most popular kid in school acts as if there is something wrong with me if I don't think he is somethin' else. His smug attitude to having the wealthiest parents due to his daddy's cattle company disgusts me. Well fat chance at getting my votes for homecoming king buddy; I haven't let myself give in to gain attention so far, what are a few more years? His dark wavy brown hair is super cute, but that stupid looking face is a definite turn off. Why did he act like he owned the world? If he only knew that there is more than one out there and that they are nothing compared to this planet, he may have a taste of reality. I understand that I am not like the rest of them, but couldn't anyone else try to accept a girl, or whatever you want to call me? Since I understood this wasn't going to change and I would continue to be ignored, forgotten about, and lost to this village I lost hope since seventh grade. From that point I decided that I wouldn't wait for anyone to notice me, but instead focus on graduating and then move on to do bigger and more impactful things with my life. While I am not like these humans I still feel the hits of school with bullying, relationships, and stress from cla**. I just feel it in a little different way. “Braley, I didn't mean to upset you I just want to get to know you. I thought you might feel the same way?” It feels like her eyes stare straight into my heart. I know that she is mad at me, but I still feel as if she is so approachable. While her cheeks flood with red anger her eyes are saying ‘Please stay and talk with me'. “I haven't ever felt so confident in my decision to not talk to someone as I do right now.” Grayson just does not get it! His brown eyes look glazed over in amazement that I am speaking English, but I am not amused and still shocked as to why he thinks I'm teasing him. I wish I could tell Braley more about me and where I come from, but I don't want to scare her or jeopardize my family's identity. Why does she insist on building up my arrogance to shame me as if I'll actually walk away? I'm not going to lose what feels like a battle. “Braley, talk to me. I know I haven't been there like I should, but I am now. What is it you aren't sharing with the rest of this town?” I feel an overwhelming sense of pressure on my chest. I know he can read me and I can't take it any longer. I know I shouldn't or they will come, but why hold it back? They haven't made an appearance so far in my lifetime, why would they now? “Grayson, I couldn't stand to look at you yesterday and here I am expressing to you my deepest secret. Since I can remember my first thought, I haven't been the same as everyone else. Even my thoughts are clouded with questions and details that no one else needs to worry about. The world looks grim the way I see it. People hurt each other, prices are skyrocketing, and here I sit hiding what I am because of the ridicule I would receive otherwise.” Braley was full of pa**ion when she expressed her outlook on the world as she has had too long to bottle up these emotions. I know she is thinking. ‘Why would he ask now, he is such a jerk at school, but now he cares?' Why couldn't I just reveal myself first to let her know she's safe with me? Instead I let her continue. “Little do you know that the reason why I am different from my “parents” is because I'm an orphan. No it isn't because my parents didn't want me, they were too young when they had me, or because they were abusive, it's because I am not human.” Right here I know he thought I was kidding. He co*ked his head like a dog does to a foreign noice, but I didn't flinch. I didn't want him to leave so I rea**ured him I wasn't going to eat him or anything crazy like that. “Well, not fully. I have powers others cannot imagine and because of that I was placed here to improve this town in the way you treat each other. My family is a part of many who are spread throughout the world whose intentions are to better humanity. Through the “power of influence” we take peer pressure one step further.” “One step like…?” I know who she is just by her apprehension to my forced reactions. Just like when you already know a gift at Christmas and you have to act surprised anyway. Her demeanor screamed that she was uncomfortable, but she just kept going. “We begin to feel what you do and change how you react and think to different kinds of stimuli. I know now that you know exactly who I am based on your silly reactions to what I'm saying. I think you have suspected who I am for a while and I know you aren't human either, but I don't think you are of my blood.” I'm not as absent minded as he thinks I am. I do know he is hiding something, but even my mind can't get past his thick skull. While I can feel most of his emotions I can't inflict any like I can normally. Corisiants do not have the power to affect the minds of each other, but instead, only other species. While I still don't think he could be a full blooded Corisiant, he could be a mutt. Corisiants are meant to live their life alone spreading love and joy until they turn thirty five. This age is thought to be safe for getting involved with another, meaning between the two Corisiants, neither one can ruin or impact the work each was capable of completing. This and the reproduction rate of the Corisiant race are just as important as the other. Just as I was brought up, Corisiants parents raise their young until their eighth birthday and on that day a host family, humans, will adopt the child through the influences made by the Corisiant parents. By the age of eight the child understands that his or her job is to influence the family, friends, and anyone else it comes in contact with to spread love and joy. Unfortunately the beginning of war and hate was not initiated by the human's mistakes, but instead by rogue Corisiants who believed that their power was strong enough to influence hatred throughout the human race. Luckily enough positive motives were spread with pure Corisiant beliefs spear heading the fight against evil. “I am a Corisiant. While you may not have known who I am exactly, I suspect you had your questions about me long before today. Why you have chosen now to speak up is beyond me because God knows I can't read your mind. Grayson Nash, you have never accepted anything that could affect your quiet little village or anyone that you did not already understand their intentions. While I've always suspected your curiosity in me, I wasn't about to approach you and I couldn't imprint any emotional distress to cause you to speak to me. Instead you have let me struggle thinking I really was alone and unwanted by humankind or any other species for that matter. What do you have to say for yourself now?” “Braley I, umm, I am not a human, you're right. I am not supposed to…” I can't just say who I am who does she think she is talking to, an open book? “I just shared who I am. That's what you wanted wasn't it?” He is easy to read. Fear, frustration, and still some shock in my intelligence which hurts, but I haven't talked to anyone in five years so what can I expect? How does she know!? I would never have imagined myself here, being caught in my own lie. I have been living happily for fourteen years in my town. I've fit in with everyone, during cla**, on the hockey team, through holidays spent as a town. What have I given away for her to already think I am someone other than I claim to be? Being the most popular has worked out for me, no questions asked, ever. The storm clouds began to compile as if someone above was pouring a bundle of them from a large pail. A bright and sunny day quickly morphed into grey and dark blue skies. Rain drops started to peck at Braley's cheeks. I cannot keep up this charade she is only coming closer and closer to identifying my “cla**ification”. A long pause has filled the time between her questioning my origin and the weather change I have to say something. “I know Nebraska weather is strange, but the sky looks unnatural here doesn't it Grayson?” I know what he is. He could just share with all of us before the rain comes because of his clouded and jumbled mind. “Why are you questioning me? I wanted to know more about you in order to befriend you so your last four years of grade school wouldn't stink.” Grayson still held a worried complexion as the rumble of the air beat through my bones. While I felt bad for putting him on the rug, he didn't seem to be when he followed me on my trek home. Back to my original question, why now ask who I am? “Really why now? I haven't had anyone since I came here and now you want to be friends? All those times I couldn't hold back my tears at recess when girls would talk about their friendships and the lack there of for me. Not one of those moments, forget it, years, did you even think to ask who I was.” I was now the one fuming with anger and lightning cracked from either side of the street where we were now in the middle of. Not like any cars came through this barren town anyway. “Braley I didn't know. How could I ever mean to ignore that? Why would I want to hurt you more? All I want to know is what gave you the impression that I am not who I say I am?” “Your face; you always reflect that of the weather. I cannot act like these are coincidences every time. When the sun is out your face is bright, alert, and happy. When the storms roll in suddenly, it seems as if you are made of patches as your cheeks look like clouds. When the rain hits your face it looks as if your skin absorbs the water like a dry desert thirsty for water. Someone like this is not of my kind and most certainly is not human. We cannot affect the weather, but only human emotions, yours of which I cannot seem to impact.” At this point I felt the regret that I should have foreseen prior to revealing myself. Something was coming for me. The Dynamic has set the new laws for the Corisiants since the last World War. Their powers were found to be more than the average Corisiant, they can tap into and manipulate others' powers. Their laws set in place would encourage Corisiant children to be spread throughout Earth, positivity, peace, and love would eventually overcome the cynical feelings that still exist. This government is not known to punish lightly either. They believed that with quick, harsh, and broadcasted punishment to the other Corisiants, a repeated offense would not occur by others. Grayson finally cuts in to answer what I already knew. “Fine. I am a Toripene my powers consist of contorting the weather based on my emotion. This power allows us to flood the Earth or leave it dry as a barren waste land. Fortunately my family and I are of the few who stray from extreme, such as Antarctica and desert areas, and control the climate here in Nebraska. The weather seems to be off the charts because so many of us live in a small area whereas Toripenes normally live alone.” My chest was lifted at the same time my heart sunk to my stomach. I revealed my family, but I no longer felt like a liar. “Grayson I know that wasn't easy. You have your family and I just have me to worry about. The truth is, school is so hard, and dealing with it alone just isn't worth the heart ache. I don't know how so many others deal without revealing themselves, but I cannot be like them. I am trying to do this world good I don't know why I haven't been placed with another Corisiant to share my struggles because that's what it is, a struggle.” Braley started crying in front of me. Tears dripped from her clear eyes down her pale skinned cheek and to the dusty ground. Empathy beamed from his eyes as I knew he felt the same way I did. Neither one of us could endure high school without the other. While we felt vulnerable to the world as we revealed our secret identities we felt comfort in sharing our stories with each other. Humans are not known to like change, especially if they found out that other races were of influx onto their planet. In fact, these other species have always lived on Earth, but keeping the human race in the dark has been a priority for these species to remain in existence and in their established homes. I stared at Braley with such awe as our differences in talents seemed to mean a lot more than just having powers that set us apart from humans. Instead, hers meant having a change in lifestyle. Being stripped of her family in order to accomplish this big emotion of hate in which no one can cure. Was it really worth it when the Corisiant's own emotional state seemed to be compromised due to the lack of connection? I knew I would never understand her situation as well as another of her kind could, but I would try my best to keep her steady. I would be her support through life as she would keep my feet tied to the ground in moments of overwhelming emotion. The clouds lifted and the sun streamed through the leftover wisps of cloud and shone on my face. “Beautiful,” Grayson was definitely a charmer. I still had little respect for his arrogant attitude, but that was hopefully in the past. Compa**ion radiated off of him and into my heart as I knew he would be there to protect me and I him as long as the two of us were together. As we stared at one another the sun grew hotter and hotter as if to radiate warmth for the new relationship that was being developed. “Braley I don't think I'm the only one adding to this sunlight. Are you like me?” I had to ask another question as I don't think she even knew what was occurring. “I said I can affect your emotions after I've felt them for myself. Since I finally understand you now, I too can affect the weather by tapping into your emotions a little. Sorry.” As I smiled the small heat wave vanished as I wiped clear of any tie I had into his mind. After we shared stories from our childhoods and wrapped up our long emotional conversation for the day Braley left as we parted ways. Later that night I peered out my bedroom window and a flash of lightning sprung a storm. This storm was unnatural, similar to mine, although, the purple lightning and strange fall of rain seemed to be that of something else. I entertained the thought of the Dynamic possibly coming for Braley, but it was too upsetting for me to think of any longer. After all, one of my family members or another Toripene could be pa**ing through triggering the storm. I knew it was strange, but didn't know what to expect so I looked for her text throughout most of the night, but I never received anything. After a couple hours of the storm, about ten, I walked to her farmstead. I saw her in the front yard, it looked like she was checking on the animals or trying to identify the source of the storm. With the quick flash of lightning she was gone. She vanished from thin air, as if to have been a figure of my imagination. No one, not even her parents knew who I was talking about when I spoke of Braley Grace the most wonderful girl in the world. I waited for her to return, but weeks pa**ed, then months, and years, and nothing. After that day of confession I never heard from her. … The day was unexpected, but something I needed to do. Connection was a desire only my subconscious knew. I left Grayson and I came home to sit on my front porch. Soon after arriving I noticed the sky grow dark along with the tone of the wind. The clouds leak rain like tears from a child. Drip by drip the ground soaks up the moisture. For years I have lived here on the plains, but never have I seen a storm, such as this, grow so fast and spread as quickly. The howling winds and shifting temperature indicate a tornado, but the tendrils from the clouds are spread everywhere in patterns. Every so often a needle shape shoots out from the grouping of clouds as if to pinpoint a location which seems to get closer and closer to me. Thunder and lightning join this storm as well, but in a different fashion than normal. Thunder bangs in a certain rhythm, bang…bang…crack of lightning. The strikes of lightning are also strange. Instead of shining a bright yellow, almost white light, it seems to be flashing a purple or violet color. Unnatural is the start of the storm it seems, because nothing created by God has looked so ugly and felt so harmful. While I didn't recognize this as Grayson's it wasn't giving me the feeling of being familiar either. Nothing feels right as I walk around the property. The horses are safe in their stalls by choice, the cattle are still grazing in the pasture, and the dogs and cats are playing in the front yard. Normally, all of the animals would be throwing a fit as if to warn me something dangerous was coming. I don't know if I should feel safe that whatever is coming may not be coming for me. Or if I should be afraid, because whatever it is is going. Walking up the drive is Grayson, sweet of him to check on me. He yells for me as I stare in amazement that his reaction time to rea**uring my safety was sooner than my adoptive parents. Before I walk down the hill to greet him; lightning strikes the wind mill in the front yard. From the metal beams, light shines all the way around like it is used for distributing a message. I turn around to run to the safety of Grayson, but at that moment everything is gone. A sudden urge to hide under my covers waves over me like the rush of caffeine from a morning cup of coffee. Nothing will ever be the same and I may not see what I knew for so long again nor will I get to be in the comfort of Grayson's presence. This is the message my brain no longer wrestles with as I fade into a deep slumber.