Lust for Power

The world is beautiful. Even when dad says it isn’t. He always thinks everything was made from hell, that the apocalypse had already happened and that the world is already on its way down. But even so he still believes in my future. He still thinks that I can make everything pretty and bright for him. I am after all, his only baby girl.

“Senna, could you kindly go buy some veggies for us please, get from Sherman, he’s always got fresh stock” Mom didn’t make it after giving birth to me, she was too small and frail, some things just happen, maybe without reason, but either way I’ve had to be strong for Dad and myself. “Ok, Dad, on my way” He would have bought the food himself if he still had his other leg, which he lost in a fight a long time ago, about land ownership and such, it’s a long story, he doesn’t have any enemies these days anyway, cause if he did, I would have been an easy target.

Anyway, I thought that that day was just another day. I was on my way to Sherman’s and I noticed Mansell had one of his magic shows nearby that day, and I saw this guy walking by himself, and dropped his wallet when he took out a cigarette, I thought it was funny how careless he was, but. “Hey, you! You dropped something.” I picked it up for him, didn’t look inside, we still have to do some good here and there right? He turned around looking very surprised, and then he just looked so embarrassed. “Oh man, thanks a lot, girl, I can’t believe that just happened, hey, thanks again alright, you don’t know what this means to me” then he walked off, I thought it was funny how he thanked me so much, but I realized later that maybe he thanked me so much cause he might not have done the same had he been me then, it kind of made me sad how the world is these days, I always want to believe that Dad’s just too much of a cynic and that all he says isn’t true. But then again, even if the world is kind of ugly, it doesn’t mean that I have to look at it like it is, right?

I was recently enrolled into Dealtwell High, it was not the best school in Rendston, it was not a school I would have wanted to finish my high school at, but to my dad, or even to me, it was a better school than any we knew there at St. Magdalene. My previous school in Magdalene was too dangerous for me, I was bullied often, maybe because I was too nice, I didn’t really fight back, and I felt a little uncomfortable from all the guys who kept staring at me indecently, well I guess any of us girls who are even just slightly pretty get that kind of unwanted attention. I’m not even that pretty, at least as I see myself. Although I don’t think all guys are perverts and thugs.

And in fact something strange happened just a few days since I’ve started my days at Dealtwell, I lost my wallet, not that I even really had much money in it. I guess I should have been a little careful. It was funny cause I saw that same guy who dropped his wallet back near my place, I recognized him, and from his reaction, he recognized me too. I pretended not to realize, I was really worried about where I left my wallet or if someone really did steal it. He offered to help. I suppose to repay that one time as he said. I couldn’t tell him off.

He gave me the impression that he had a lot of things in mind, and he had the same kind of indecent stares that I got from most guys, be he pretended to hide the look when he noticed me looking, and started small chat, I thought it was kind of funny, but I felt a bit uncomfortable tho. But what I thought was funnier was when he thought I was looking inside a room, when actually I was just keeping my eye on him when he pulled out my wallet from his pocket and put it under a bench. I looked away then he asked me if what he found under the bench was mine. It was really strange, I would have gotten angry but I realized that he did it out of whatever sense of morals he had, and again, I thought it helped prove my point that dad was wrong about the world being so cruel.

I forgave Aer. I pretended not to know. Such a careless crook this Aries. I also told him my name. And we got to know each other when he insisted to escort me to the terminal across the bridge. He didn’t have to, but he seemed concerned about me, and he tried to entertain me on the way. I thought it was cute of him, and strange, I guess he did pick up a few tricks from Mansell.

My dad, was looking worried when I got home, he looked like he might’ve yelled at me getting home so late, but he didn’t. He asked me what happened, and I told him the whole story, about my wallet and about Aer. I don’t know, I just felt like I wanted to let him know that some people still have that kind of decency.

“Senna, ok maybe this Aries guy is sort of a nice guy or sumthin, but I don’t think he did that from the good of his heart. He’s probably just trying to buy your trust, try to stay away from him. Besides I don’t like magicians...”

I got to school the next day. I was in the A section, or where the smart or good kids go. I don’t think I’m that smart, but I was there anyway. I was just being quiet; I’m a shy kind of girl. So sometime later two nice girls started talking to me, it was all small chat, but it was like they were interviewing me of sorts. It was kind of a new experience for me since I was normally bullied by other girls back in my old school. I wasn’t that comfortable around them either, but It was better than being called names and such. We got along fine, later that recess break while I was talking to Lisa and Tina, I spotted Aer by the hallway near the door. I think I felt happy to see him again. And he had a friend along with him, they looked a little awkward outside, just looking around for something fun. I told my friends I was going outside for a while. I talked to them for a minute. And Ter, Aer’s good friend also gave me a few indecent stares, but again they were decent enough to look innocent when I caught them, boys...

After that, when I got back inside Lisa and Tina were looking at me with a lot of surprise. “Do you even know who those two are?” Lisa asked. “They’re like the biggest perverts in school” said Tina. “The weird one especially, Aries I think his name is, He can do weird things, they say he sold his soul to the devil.” Lisa informed. “Yea, Sennie, you should stay away from those two, who knows what they would do.” Tina warned. I said “I don’t know, they seem nice? So maybe they are a little weird but Aries is good to me, I consider him a friend, and Ter seems alright too.” The two girls warning me about Aer and Ter wanted to say more, although the teacher came, and we all paid attention.