Until it was discovered that Ewan's power wasn't the same as his twin sister's but more that he mimicked the powers of other gifted when within a certain area Ewan had never experienced life without copying another power. The few times when he was out of range of everyone made him feel a little...empty. He could never properly explain just how it felt when he came in contact with another gifted human, because he really didn't know. His body never felt different' the only sign that there was a gifted person nearby was a slight tingling sensation at the base of his spine. Growing up with that feeling however, meant Ewan didn't always register it.
Sam's power sang in his veins, and Ewan really enjoyed learning all about the magical things Sam could do. It felt like it was a thing they shared and it was something only they could share. Without Sam it was impossible for Ewan to talk to plants or make them grow in amazing ways.
Without Sam around, Ewan couldn't talk to the closest thing Sam had to a brother.
Today was one of those days.
Sam had left sometime that morning, leaving Ewan still wrapped up in the warmth of their bed. Come midday Ewan finally pulled himself out of bed. Rubbing at his sleepy eyes, Ewan wandered down towards the kitchen in a t-shirt and sleep shorts. As he switched on the coffee pot Ewan finally noticed a distinct lack of voices. No angels, no Wednesday...and no plants.
A friend in town had sent Ewan a guzmania plant, claiming that she wanted Sam to take a look at it since she was worried something was wrong with it. After getting it home, Ewan had discovered that the plant was an exceptionally chatty fellow, and the reason he wasn't thriving in the woman's home was that he disliked her brand of perfume and she was always watching soap operas on TV when he wanted to watch the arts channel (to name but a few things the plant had complaints about). Sam promised the plant he'd find him a new home, but until then he was going to have to stay with them.
Ewan suggested leaving the plant in the kitchen with a hand-held TV left on the art channel. But the gusmania was a chatterbox and anytime anyone came near him (that could understand him) he prattled on like mad.
Due to the silence, Ewan supposed that the batteries in the mini-TV had died. What perked his interest the most was the fact there was no one yelling at him to fix the problem. Turning around, Ewan looked over at the plant and gave him a small smile. "Sorry, dude," he said apologetically. "Sam's not here."
After changing the batteries and pouring himself a cup of coffee, Ewan headed for the lounge, flopping down onto the sofa and flicking the television on. Propping his feet up on the coffee table, he noticed another plant sitting there silently. If Ewan hadn't been so familiar with the plant, however, he doubted he would have been able to read the expression on the expresionless organism.
"Morning, Winston," he said with a grin as he lifted the mug to his lips, taking a sip. "I guess I should say afternoon though; what time is it?" He frowned in thought and looked over at the clock. Part of him felt weird talking to something he knew couldn't answer him back, but Ewan felt that if he didn't talk to Winston then he'd feel like he was ignoring him. He tried to see it as being around a mute.
"It'd be cool if I could keep Sam's power whenever he went out," he mused, sharing his thoughts with the plant. "I guess you feel as weird as I do, huh? Sometimes I can talk with you, and sometimes its almost like you've stopped existing to me." He shot Winston a small smile. "But I don't you know - think you've dropped out of existence. You mean a lot to Sam, and you mean a lot to me too." Leaning back in the cushions he looked up at the ceiling. "Some days you remind me of people I know. Sometimes I see you as my great-uncle Raleigh; with his knowledge and his musical laugh. Othertimes you're like my uncle Jojo." At the mention of the name, Ewan's grin grew bigger. "You'd like him, Winston. He taught Wednesday and I a lot of what we know."
Tilting his head to rest on his shoulder, Ewan gave a soft smile to the plant. "And sometimes you're like my uncle Elliot. You've got a heart too big for your chest, and when sometimes things get you down you know you have people in the world who care so much about you that not only does it cheer you up, but you end up making everyone else even happier."
Sliding his feet off the table, Ewan leaned forwards and brushed the fingers of his right hand affectionately over Winston's leaves. "You and Sam never had a big family, while I've got this huge extended family, but I want you to know that as big as that family is - you two mean a lot to me. You're Sam's brother, and even though I can't always hear what you're saying you're a brother to me." Placing the cup down, Ewan scooted even closer to the plant on the table and brushed his lips over one of Winston's leave. "Welcome to my crazy family, Winston."
No comments:
Post a Comment