Six Years Ago

"ATTENTION: To avoid frustrating misunderstandings. I had forgotten that story was here.

Don't exactly remember what it is about at the moment. Need to read it again. Has been already that long since I inscribed myself in this community? Well. Probably.

Anyway. I had that text. That may not have any continuation. And since the sinopse of this story has some family affinity with the concepts addressed by this tale. I decided to publish it as a chapter here. Instead of open a new story. )

Happened six years ago. The day after your 14° anniversary.

Your aunt Silvia called you, and sitting with you in your parent’s living room asked if you knew what a Predictor was. You knew she was one, of course, and you knew they are a kind of blessed that works for govern. They test people to know if they are gifted or not, and their gift allows them to know what kind of gift people will develop, if any.

_It is illegal to test someone in private. It has to be done according to official process. However, your parents asked me to do so. Your mother has dreams, sometimes, her prophetic visions are not clear enough to be practical. Nevertheless, they are a kind of precognition. I have to see her worried, your father hates it too. However, I explained to them that I would only do that if your agree.

_I though it was only possible after we reach 15.

_No, that’s a misunderstanding. The Prediction becomes easier to make after that point, but we can try it even for babies inside their mother’s bellies. Is just more practical, for administrative purposes, to set a same date for everybody. Saves time and is easier to keep in control the process.

_If you, mother has... Dangerous gifts. If my gift is too dangerous, then they will put me to ****.

_Hum, …that is a myth. For most part. Our nation has really good resources to deal with almost every gift you can imagine. We can send people to parallel Universes where their powers cannot hurt anybody. Islands in the ocean. Bunkers deeply under the ground. Or space stations. Is hard to imagine a power that would be so potentially destructive to the point to justify killing a totally innocent 15 years old person, just for having it. Gifts develop between 16 and 26, in rare cases as late as 30. There was never any case of someone bellow 16 manifesting it. So, of course, in the remote case of someone having a power so dangerous that no counter-measure was possible this person would be killed. However, even if that is your case, you have nothing to worry about today. At very least you would get another year to say goodbye to your friend.

_I am glad you mentioned it.

_You didn’t expected me to lie, did you?

_Never.

_More likely, I will only disappoint you. By figuring out that you don’t have a gift. You know, 9.997 people in each 10.000 don’t get any. From those who do, most are like my sister. Their gift is a nice curiosity hard or impossible to use for anything. The ones who can make a live with their gift are rare. Powers that change the fate of nations, almost never show up.

_I see.

_Do you want me to test you? Your mother will understand if you say no, you don’t have to worry about her. No one will pressure you.

_Will her really, aunt?

_Let me worry about that! That’s, not your problem.

_Alright. I want you to do it.

_Are you sure?

_Yes.

_Them, sit still. Straight your backs. Relax, close your eyes, and let me hold your hands. It is not painful, but you may feel a bit dizzy. That’s normal.

You lost the notion of time, but when it came back to you, aunt Silvia was looking at you with a scarred expression. Your impression could be wrong, but according to your best guess she had been like that for a unnaturally long time.

No one told you a word about what she saw. Adults talked.

You moved that day to a farm, in the middle of a forest. To live with some “friends of our family” that you had never heard about up to the moment when you met then.

It was as isolated as anything can be, and clearly some sort of paramilitary operation was going on. Illegal as fuck, by the looks of it. There was no obvious religious crap around, so, you imagined it had to be political. Or **** traffic stuff? Something in that line. Underground, that was for sure.

A lot of practical classes on mechanic, and an abnormal emphasis to physical education. But you could barely speak three words in the local language, and few people seemed to speak any in yours.

You have no mean to make contact with anyone. Access to internet was completely forbidden, there was no phone available. Not even mail.

Then now, today, you finally got the explanation you have been waiting for. In a letter from your parents. Along with a false identity, and false documents saying that you have no gift.

According to this letter, your situation is a bit more complicated than that.

Your gift should be manifesting in a couple of months.

As your parents explained to you many times, in previous letters, they cannot come in person to see you. Because that could attract attention. Expose your location to authorities. What changed is that now you are old enough to know what this power of yours is.

Your gift will allow you to command anyone you feel sexually attracted to. However, only commands you can give are those related to sexual interaction. Lewd, erotic, commands.

Not just your targets will obey without chance to resist. The experience will be extremely pleasant to them. Whatever you tell them to do, whatever you do to them. It will not only be the most pleasant sexual experience they will ever have in life. Will be more overwhelming than anything else. All physical and mental pain, all traumatic experiences and existential angst, will be gone, temporarily. After that sex.

Some rare people are so indifferent to pleasure and pain, so immune to sexual craves and free from complications, that they will remain themselves after. Keeping the great memories, but for them those memories will not be a big deal.

The vast majority of people, will came back. They will follow you, betray all their previous devotions and sacrifice all their goas for you. Hoping to repeat that experience again.

What does not mean they will not hate you for it. Many of them will blame you. Some will blame their own weakness. Few will embrace and welcome their new clarity of mind and purpose. As your devoted worshipers and minions. If you use your power, there is no way to know in advance how each person will deal with the consequences.

None of them will turn against you, ever. Not for being affected by your power, anyway. An assassin sociopath who is indifferent to pain and pleasure, and free from mental complications or deep existential issues, may try to kill you. Potentially succeed. However, this person would try to kill you anyway.

People you don’t feel attracted to, sexually, are immune to your power. Goes without saying that some of those people may attack you. In consequence of you using your power in ways that conflict with their interests and values.

Since your power is, to the core, something akin to a violation. Also, dangerous as fuck. Also, again, impossible to resist when you are using it. Irreversible in its long-term effects after. If you had been revealed as having this power during the official process, you would never have a normal life.

The legal system would not risk to just give you **** to destroy your sexual desire, and chemically castrate you. Because that sort of treatment is dangerous and know for produce twisted, murderous, cases of sadistic personalities. And your power do not require for you to have an erection. They will not risk it.

Instead, they would send you to a box in some isolated place. Where you would neve have the chance to have personal contact with anyone. Only send and receive messages, with a time delay, just for extra safety.

To protect you from that fate your parents sent you away. To that hidden camp of gorilla fighters. Dedicated to protect people like you. Who have gifts that may be dangerous, more or less. But are not dangerous enough to justify the kind of measure authorities are in the habit of using against those who have that kind of power. Preventively.

Least, they are not dangerous enough for that, in the eyes of those who support the organization. Your father, to your surprise, was one of those people in his youth. Despite having no gift himself.

So, now you are an adult.

You know what waits for you. Can decide for yourself what risks you will avoid. What risks you will take.

Only important thing is that you never go back to your home town. Don’t go anywhere near it. Your family no longer lives there. And being recognised by people who know you would be too dangerous. Go anywhere else. Start a live.

Join the organization, if you feel their purposes are important enough. Or leave them, if you don’t.

Whatever you choose, your family loves you.

You have still months until your power manifest. And now you know what it is.

At very least, you will ask yourself if your should try to ignore that power. Never use it. Perhaps join Catholic Church and seek the path to became a priest. Or a monk. Someone who will make a vote of celibacy and never think about the subject “sex” again. You have to consider that alternative.

Probably, that would be the safer thing to do.

On the other hand.

You are not sure if the Church is hiring new staff at the moment. And your would not know where you can send your curriculum to, anyway. Besides, since you were 14 your studies prepared you better for a life of mercenary soldier. Instead of for one based on quiet meditation, academic study, and spiritual contemplation.

Alternatively, maybe you could use your power carefully. And learn how to use it safely?

Two months to decide which path.

Most difficult decision you ever made!