The Gifted

“No! Don’t do that! Stop what you’re doin, no!” Screamed Ramona on the operating table.
“Sorry, but it’s the new law, all shifters must wear it. We need to keep you people in check. Think you can just run around doing what you want? As soon as we can put a stop to that witchery we’ll do that too!” Explained a government agent.
“Fuck you! This isn’t fair!” Screamed Ramona.
“Your right, it isn’t fair. It’s not fair for you people to play god. It’s not fair that we can’t suppress your abilities fully. Get the anesthesia ready, she’s acting like this is brain surgery.” Said the agent.
“So what are we doing to her, anyway?” asked another agent eying the metallic briefcase.
“It’s a new prohibition law and it starts with all the homeless and those with arrest records.” He walks over and opens the briefcase. ”See, its an upgradable collar that suppresses the full animalistic form of a shifter. Once the kinks are worked out we will be able to suppress all magic abilities.” Explained the Agent.
“What’ll we do when we’re done?” Asked the other Agent.
“Drop her back on the streets where she belongs-move on to the next.” Said the Agent.

Key in a few weeks later. Ramona’s sitting in an abandoned warehouse window looking in to the city.
Why me? I can’t remember. This collar. Family. I need to remove it. I’m filled with strife. Help me, I’m lonely. My mind wanders and I' m just along for the ride. I couldn’t begin to express myself. The world was such a wonderful place years back when. I think my childhood was good-I think. Growing up was so hard though. And now, well now is even worse than before. I guess I need to go back to the library and try and learn some new spells.
Ramona gets up to walk down stairs and piece of the floor gives away. Her mind elsewhere she can’t use her manna to save herself. She falls next to the next floor and finds some old CD-ROMs. She gathers them in her arms and kneels focusing her energy at the ground, leaps back up to her lofty area. She looks around with pride on her shoulder; how she has fixed up her quaint section of this warehouse. For a brief moment she had some clarity, the thoughts had stopped. She hummed to herself a gentle death pop song as she took her sweet time lacing up her boots. Ramona walks over to her dresser and makes a grimace to the collar in the mirror. She applies her makeup to the sounds of gun fire and incantations outside on the streets. Her only thoughts are to take those CD-ROM's to one of the web bars and see what secrets lie within. She stashes them in her satchel walks past the cargo elevator as it creaks and groans, wondering when it's going to give way. Down the steps, and out a door leading to an alley.

She pops in her earphones to the MP3 player she keeps with her walking down the sidewalk she wonders if she should've brought her hammer with her. She notices the bar across the street and the strange guitarist out front playing a soothing rhythmic sound. She doesn't hear it for her ears are plunged with her own music. There is a sense of being, as she feels every pluck, beyond the people, the cars, the carrying on of the street. Her body tingles as if responding, it stops. She looks up and he gives her a wave. She nods in agreement and continues on. The song he plays is a magical note that only the enchanted can enjoy. He catches eyes upon her. Some hipster guy staring right at her almond shaped eyes. He must be smitten by her dark beauty as his girlfriends jealousy fills deaf ears. She turns the corner and walks two blocks to the web bar.
"How's it going, Ramona?" Asked Sam from behind the desk.
"Not much, Sam," Replied Ramona. "Found these CDs and want to see what's on them."
"Hoping to find some more spells eh Ramona?" Questioned Sam.
“Yeah, it's like the country is turning in to more of a dictatorship or some shit.”Ramona complained.
“well, you know where to go right?” Sam asked.
Ramona walked over to the broom closet, using a charm to make herself unnoticeable, slipped in and lifting up on the mop sink faucet, initiated the sink to lower to a room with with a conference area, about fifty computers with servers located off the grid so that the enchanted and whomever else is part of the forming resistance can use without being noticed. She sits down at a computer near the corner and pulls out the stack of CD-ROM's out of her satchel. She placed one by one in the computer to find useless junk.
“What cha got there?” Some voice asked from behind.
“A CD for a Lexmark printer, Sim's Vacation, cheap ass webcam, Halmark card studio number six, and...wait...charm-caster spells,” she listed. “You cast charms right? You want this, Danny?”
“Uuum...yeah, I'll take it. How much?” Danny asked.
“I'm giving it to you. Your monies not good here, Danny.
Danny laughed, “Why's that?”
“Because, last time it turned back in to the pile of rocks,” said Ramona with a displeased look.
“So, you still on the abstinence kick?” Danny asked.
“Danny, I could drain the chi, right out of your little acne covered body. Come back in six years.” Ramona said.
“Hey, I'm eighteen now and I don't have acne,” he demanded. “I want you to be my first.”
Ramona just laughed, “Take this and go.”
“Ramooonnnaaaa!” Danny yelled.
“Stop making a damn scene, “ she said walking away.
“Wait, there's a guy that showed up in the neighborhood a few days ago. He's a guitarist. The tunes he plays can recharge and empower those of us who are gifted. You should talk to him. He could be useful.”
“He sounds like a Muse.” Ramona said.
“I really doubt it. Just look in to him.” Danny spoke.
“I may. See ya later Danny.”
With that Ramona left. Back on the street to go to her favorite coffee house a few more blocks down. Every afternoon, she wakes up and goes and gets a cappuccino expresso. That's where her day starts.
“Cappuccino expresso and a blueberry bagel.” She told the barista.
Sitting by the window, she eavesdrops on a conversation between two people. They're complaints on the area and the people who live there.
“You know, my grandmother told me this used to be the gay peoples neighborhood, now it's like a lot of gifted live here.” Girl one said.
“It's like this place is cursed to have freaks here. Why do you even like coming round here?” Girl two said.
“Because it's nice. They don't bother me.” Girl one said.
“Well I heard on the news that the collars are going to get upgraded again. Maybe soon, they all will be purified.” Girl two spoke.
“I don't want you pissing these people off. I like coming around here. Be nice.” Girl one pleaded.
“Do one of you ladies want you're cards read?” Asked an old lady.
“Sure we...” Girl one started.
“No thank you. We just came for the coffee.” Girl two said.
“You sure? I'm never wrong.” The old lady pleaded.
“Please. Play solitaire somewhere else.” Girl two said.
“Stop being rude! I'm so sorry, ma'am. I really am, she's jus...” Girl one started.
“It's quite alright young lady. You're so kind to us, I've seen it. But your friend, well there's Karma.” Said the old lady walking off.
Ramona is nearly finished with her breakfast before the old lady approaches.
“Ah, Fate has big plans for you. I don't need the cards to know your fortune.” The old lady said.
“Awe, but that's the funnest part.” Ramona pouts.
The old lady grins, “you are going to have very important task ahead. There was and is going to be pain and torture, but you must prevail. You and you're friend are going to help change the world.”
“How am I goin to do that?” Ramona ask.
“I cannot tell you how, just that you will.” The old lady spoke.
“As long as I can better my craft,” she said taking her last sip. “Wait what friend I don't have.”
She looked up and the old lady was gone. She turns to the two girls and ask; “Did you see where she went?”
“She disappeared. I saw it kinda.” Girl one said.
“Here's your coffee's, careful they're hot. Really hot.” The waitress said as she handed Ramona and the other girls their drinks.
“Thanks.” Said Ramona.
“Thank you. I love this place.” Girl one said.
“Yeah, I know the coffees hot. See I told you this place was weird. I just don't...” She continued in to a sip uncautiously from her coffee. “Fuck, my tongue! This is way too hot, my throat hurts!
“She told you it was hot. It's like the hottest coffee in Velocity. Are you okay, Geneva?” Girl one asked.
All she could do is cough and gasp. The other girl ordered some cold spice and herb tea for her.
“Karma.” Ramona said turning around to mind her business.

Walking down the street, she spots the musician again, playing the same song. The song that fills her and has been to only thing to make her happy. For as long as she can remember, she's been on her own. She tries to keep to herself and spends most of her time trying to better her abilities. She doesn't get close to anyone and always puts on a smiling face. But that song, that song fills her with emotions she doesn't really get. Making her feel like life isn't all that sucky. She wants to stand there and listen all day. All the gifted nearby seem to glow from the joy of the tunes. Aaannnnd it's over. The guy packs up his guitar and is seemingly done for the day, taking with him all what is beautiful and wonderful in life. She's lived here for a long time and doesn't remember ever seeing him till today. As sad as she is to see him go, she feels like she could level the whole warehouse she lives in.
She hears more police cars and remembers her mp3 player and the reason for it; shit is hitting the fan. The government is getting more corrupt, fears of the gifted are getting stronger and the fights more intense. This country is going to shit. There are gifted all over the world and it's not easy to hide, even if you never use your powers, the collar isn't easy to hide either. It's hard to gain anything you didn't already have-if you could've kept it. She makes what little money she can by finding things for the craft. As the police try to confiscate every piece of enchanted artifact or spell book, there are some that have been cast away or hidden. She uses what she can and sells any and everything-just in case her place is raided. She now knows why the police have came. They came for the musician. She turns to see him in struggle. He doesn't have a collar. She notices the dish on one of the trucks raise, and everyone nearby starts to collapse. They always do this during an arrest to try and keep resistance down. She turns to run but she's too close, her collar tingles and jolts pain, she too has passed out.

“Ow. My head, I musta hit it.” Ramona said looking around.
She tugs on her collar and continues downtown. There are Gifted that live downtown but not a lot. She notices a few people stare at her, she could probably knock them all out. The collars seem to be always changing and there's no way to see how strong she could be. Even with the collars people are still afraid. Ramona stops at a rent to own store when the televisions catch her eye:
“It seems the government is working on a new collar for the Gifted. This collar is quickly upgradable and they are working on a way to nullify all Gifted abilities. The collars themselves are or were only a temporary item until a true cancellation of the genes that cause these anomalies. They have often found volunteers for the research. More at eleven.”
“Maybe that's what happened to me. This whole time they've been wanting to get rid of us. It's not in our genes like that. There needs to be someone who can actually stop this.” Ramona thought to herself, as she looked astonished.
She continues on to her credit union to deposit some money she had been hoarding. She stands behind a mother and her young son. She can't remember a time when everything was normal. Not that she remembers much. Thirty percent of the world is gifted and who knows how much technology is magic compliant. The kid turns around and waves, she smiles.
“Mommy, look behind us. She's one of those magic people.” The kid said tugging on her shirt.
“Don't stare, we don't want her to get mad,” His mom whispered. “We don't know what she can do.”
“Do you think she could come to my birthday? I bet she knows some awesome magic tricks. It would be so sway if I could have real magic.” The kid whispered.
“I'm sure she would be too busy to do a few tricks at your birthday. Just leave her alone.” His mother said eyeballing her through her peripheral.
Kids doing as kids do, he turns around and tugs on her satchel;”Do you think you could come to my birthday and do magic tricks, my dad could pay you. He's a scientist or something.”
Ramona kneels down and smiles; “I would love to come to your party. I don't have that kind of magic though. I can read your manna or chi. It tells me that you will be nine years old. I can give you a present,” She pulls out a sucker. “It's a special sucker that changes flavor with every lick. Take it, hide it quick.”
“I hope you people get the respect you deserve,” the kid whispers.
“I do to, kid.” Ramona replies.
“Stop bothering that lady. Come on.” The woman said grabbing him by the arm and going to a window.
“Bye manna lady.” The kid speaks.
“Bye.” Ramona grins.