Million Dollar Gift

by Ian Somers

  Gift 078. (First reported: China, 1,202 BC.)

  Fire-Starter / Pyrokinetic / Ignis Incipere /

  An individual who can set alight any combustible material without physical contact. There have to date been over two thousand recorded cases of individuals with this gift. The gift is closely linked to strong emotions and is typically unstable. Most individuals with this gift do not live beyond their teenage years, as the onset of hormonal changes in the body leads to unpredictable mood swings that often result in the individual setting themselves on fire. Spontaneous Human Combustion is blamed for most of these deaths.

  Most noted Fire-Starter: Li Chang. (1899 - 1915 AD)

  Gift 083. (First reported: Egypt, 981 BC.)

  Precog / Precognitive / Futura Videre /

  Persons with this gift can sense the actions of other humans seconds before they encounter such actions. It is believed that humans emit emotion and thought as they perform dramatic physical actions and that these thoughts and emotions are powerful enough to transcend time. As when a pebble is dropped into a pond, the ripples travel outward (into the past and the future). Precogs are the only humans who can detect these ripples. Contrary to popular belief, precogs cannot predict specific events like prophets; they can only sense strong actions and in most cases cannot interpret these actions in any coherent way. The boundaries of their senses are never more than two minutes into the future or past.

  Most noted Precog: Peter Connolly. (1677 - 1731 AD)

  Gift 099. (First reported: Greece, 512 BC.)

  Metallisir / Lique Ferro / για την τήξη μετάλλων /

  One of the most obscure of the fifteen true gifts. There have only been three recorded cases, the first being in Athens, Greece. The individual can melt any known metal. In each case the gift took a different form: the first individual known to have it needed physical contact with metal to use her powers. The second needed to be fully immersed in water. The third needed only to see the metal in order to liquefy it. There has not been a recorded case of Metallisiring in over two hundred years.

  Most noted Metallisir: Gregory Antall. (1743 - 1788 AD)

  Gift 146. (First reported: Spain, 218 AD.)

  Ink-seer / Videns Verborum / Leer Libros Ciegos /

  Ink-seers are rare; there have only been fifty-seven reported cases. They have the ability to consume incredible amounts of information in short periods of time. In most cases they can touch the cover of a book and within seconds have read every word contained within it (without needing to turn a single page). They were treasured by many societies through ancient times, but in recent decades they have failed to reappear. The last recorded case was in 1967, the United States, (John Brant, CIA operative who was executed in East Germany when found guilty of espionage charges). Most noted Ink-Seer: Robert Sorenson. (1878 - 1931 AD)

  Gift 154. (First reported: Britain, 32 AD.)

  Warper / Time-Warper / Tempore Continere /

  An extremely rare gift that was first reported by a scholar travelling with a Roman Legion on the south coast of England. One of the indigenous warriors displayed astounding speed in battle and slaughtered many of the Roman troops. He was captured and displayed the gift numerous times while imprisoned, before his subsequent execution. Since then, there have only been two recorded cases: a German girl in the seventeenth century who was burned at the stake after being accused of witchery, and more recently a teenager found in Australia who has displayed an exceptional ability to warp. His Aborigine name is ‘Barega’, meaning ‘The Wind’.

  It is thought that these individuals can manipulate the fabric of time that surrounds their body. In most cases they can slow down the flow of time that affects them physically, which allows them to move faster than the world surrounding them.

  Most noted Warper: Barega. (1979 - present)

  Gift 157. (First reported: Turkey, 48 AD.)

  Emotomagnet / Psychic / Motus Legere / Kafasında Okuyucu /

  The most common of the true gifts. There were many unconfirmed reports of this gift throughout history, but the earliest reliable account came in the first century. Since then there have been almost ten thousand emotomagnets.

  These individuals can sense the emotions of others, no matter how well hidden they are. Once the individual picks up on a definite emotion, they can track that emotion back to its source: the thought processes that inspired it. This is the closest thing to being able to read the minds of others.

  Most noted Emotomagnet: Linda Lucas. (1942 - 1983 AD)

  Gift 159. (First reported: Mongolia, 77 AD.)

  Spacerupter / Magician / Magus /

  One of the rarest of all gifts, yet the most famous of all. There have been hundreds of thousands of reported Spacerupters throughout history; all but eight of them were most likely false.

  These individuals had the power to open gaps in the fabric of the universe. All people see the world in three dimensions, but it is speculated that there is a fourth dimension that can be manipulated. Spacerupters are the only humans who can do this. They can tear the fabric of the universe and pass through it, seeming to disappear, then tear through the fabric of the universe and re-enter what we know as reality.

  Most noted Spacerupter: Tsu Yang. (1452 - 1498 AD.)

  Gift 167. (First reported: Scotland, 199 AD.)

  Electro-psych / Magister Electricitatis /

  All humans interact with electricity, but we have very little natural control over it. These individuals can control all types of electricity with incredible accuracy. This phenomenon was most famously recorded in 1666 when an English man, Thomas Farynor, drew a number of lightning bolts into his body then discharged them in one orb that started a massive blaze (igniting the great fire of London – subsequently covered up by the British government).

  There have been seventeen recorded cases.

  Most noted Electro-psych: Thomas Farriner. (1621 - 1670 AD.)

  Gift 172. (First reported: Siberia, 578 AD.)

  Mageleton / Dominus Aqua / для контроля воды /

  There have only been six recorded cases of this gift. Individuals with this gift use magnetic forces to control liquids. There are virtually no limitations to the gift, those who have it can stop rivers, reverse tides, raise lakes and empty clouds. As with most of the true gifts, Mageletonia is very dangerous in the wrong hands. Humans are made up mostly of water and Mageletons can drain other humans of all fluids in an instant (resulting in death). This was infamously exploited by Anton LaVerharre, a Belgian who lived in the late eighteenth century. It is documented that he killed over two hundred people in his lifetime, using his gift in every murder.

  There are no current recorded cases of this gift.

  Most noted Mageleton: Anton LaVerharre (1749 - 1791 AD.)

  Gift 174. (First reported: Sudan, 661 AD.)

  Light-tuner / Lux Mutante /

  Light tuning has been recorded twenty-three times to date, mostly in Africa. These individuals can manipulate light in numerous ways, but most commonly in creating light orbs, which can become so bright that they blind anyone who looks at them, and by ‘body refraction’, making themselves invisible for periods of time. Body refraction is created by the individual bending light rays around their body. Body refraction can be maintained for up to an hour, it can also be extended around numerous individuals and objects, but only for very short periods of time. Most noted Light-tuner: Olajide Adebayo (1901 - 1942 AD.)

  Gift 179. (First reported: Greece, 750 BC.)

  Siren / Σειρήν / Pitch Shifter /

  Most commonly occurres in females. Sirens can alter sound-waves in numerous ways, but are most noted for inducing hypnosis with their voice. It is believed they can reach a series of notes that shut down a person’s brain, thus putting them into an almost comatose state. They can also drown out any sound and increase any sound to a deafening volume. There have only been three cases in the twentieth century.

  Most noted Siren: Laura Aston. (1898 - 1917
AD.)

  Gift 183. (First reported: Norway, 855 AD.)

  Mind switcher / Dominus Mentem /

  Possibly the most intriguing of all the true gifts. These individuals can actually transfer their minds into the brains of others. It is quite rare and often runs in families. It is possible for people with this gift to transfer their thoughts, and to control the actions of others, but this cannot be maintained for very long, usually no more than ten minutes. They can, however, transfer their minds into the bodies of animals and maintain the gift for many hours, even days. The mind of the host is numbed while the switch is held, their conscious and subconscious minds become comatose and when they wake they have no recollection of what occurred while they were under control. There are many fascinating aspects to mind switching – the most powerful of their kind can also add or remove thoughts in the minds of others, thus influencing their actions and their beliefs. One such case related to Miriam Tompkins, who could remove violent tendencies in other humans. Another case involved James Fanning who could tame wild beasts.

  Mind switching, like all other true gifts, can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. They can enter the minds of almost anyone, albeit for only a brief time. They cannot for reasons yet unknown take control of the minds of those who possess any of the other true gifts.

  There have been eighty-nine reported cases throughout history and fifteen in the twentieth century. Most noted Mind Switcher: Franz Matelle (1840 - 1880 AD.)

  Gift 198. (First recorded: Mexico, 1952 AD.)

  Time Scanner / Vidente /

  This is the most recent of the true gifts to be discovered, October 1952. Since the discovery, there have been four recorded cases (all in the Americas). These individuals can transport their minds in the future or past of a particular object. It is an unpredictable gift, searching too far into the past or future leads to a stroke which usually proves fatal. The gift only works with inanimate objects.

  Most noted Time Scanner: Pedro Sanchez. (1966 - 1982 AD.)

  There are many cases in which individuals display more than one gift. There have been eleven instances of individuals having three gifts. It is hypothesised that if an individual has four true gifts and can use them simultaneously, that the sixteenth true gift appears in them. There have only been two reported cases: Bali, Indonesia, 1989 & Egypt, 2,100 BC. These are unconfirmed. It is thought that this sixteenth gift is the most—

  ‘Damn it!’ I hissed. The last paragraph ran into the next page, which Romand hadn’t given me. ‘Did he purposely leave me with a cliff-hanger or did he not want me knowing about his mysterious sixteenth gift?’

  I looked over the explanation of the mind-switcher again, the entry Romand had referred me to, and it all started to make sense. The two kangals were obviously being used by mind-switchers, and that gift can be hereditary. I realised that Cathy and June were controlling the dogs. That would mean one of them had been controlling Pepe the previous night. My instincts told me it was Cathy! But why would she want to keep an eye on me?

  I remembered Romand’s words that morning: ‘Someone likes you or doesn’t trust you.’

  I guessed it was because she thought I’d be rummaging in her room but a part of me wanted the real reason to be because she liked me. I really didn’t have time to be thinking about girls, but Cathy was exciting in so many ways. And she had a gift, which made me want to know her better, even if the attraction wasn’t mutual.

  I read over the pages a few times then slipped them under the bed and went downstairs. As I reached the bottom of the staircase, Cathy brushed past me and pulled open the hall door.

  ‘You not having dinner?’ I asked.

  ‘I have to go into town to pick up some stuff.’

  ‘Hey,’ I said, taking a step towards her, ‘I’m sorry about shooting you today. I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ she said with a shrug of her shoulders, ‘wasn’t as painful as I made out. I’m sorry for shooting you in the neck.’

  ‘I barely felt it,’ I lied.

  ‘I was actually going to shoot you in the ear, but changed my mind for some reason.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘I’ll see you, Ross.’ She grabbed hold of the door and took a step outside.

  ‘Later, Pepe.’

  Cathy poked her head back inside. ‘What did you say?’

  I winked at her and walked to the kitchen where the table was set and June was busy by the stove.

  Romand was sitting on a wall by the back door smoking a cigar and looked round, giving me a questioning look. I nodded to him then asked June if she wanted any help.

  ‘I’ll tell you what I told Romand a million times: stay out of my way while I’m cooking.’

  ‘All right,’ I said. ‘I’m not much of a cook anyway.’

  ‘It’s a big world, isn’t it?’ Romand said when I sat next to him on the wall over-looking the picturesque farmland.

  ‘Bigger than I ever imagined. It’s like cryptozoology or something; you hear about some of this stuff, but never actually think it’s real.’

  ‘Everything in that paper is real and most of it is quite dangerous.’

  ‘Dangerous in what way?’

  ‘Never mind. Did you read up on mind-switchers?’

  ‘Yes. Cathy and June control the dogs, don’t they?’

  ‘They do,’ Romand chuckled. ‘It’s incredible, isn’t it?’

  ‘It messes with my head! To think that they can actually live in the body of another being! That’s nuts … but really cool too!’

  ‘Cool if used in the correct manner.’

  ‘How do you know all this stuff, Romand?

  ‘Come inside. We can talk about it over dinner.’

  We sat opposite each other and June took the seat at the head of the table, I figured it was some sort of tradition, and after all, it was very clear that June was the boss of the house. There was quite a selection of food laid out: roast beef, mashed and roast potatoes, mixed veg, Yorkshire puddings and ham. I helped myself to as much of it as possible.

  While we were eating Romand told June that he’d given me some pages from his paper on the true gifts. She didn’t raise her eyes from her dinner and said very little. As if she knew this would mean a difficult conversation was to be had. One she’d rather avoid.

  ‘He has also figured out your trick with Pepe and Bebe,’ Romand said with a nervous grin on his face.

  ‘Has he now?’ She finally looked up and smiled at me. ‘Cathy and I use the dogs for security. You see, having a true gift means that your life is in constant danger. People are searching for the gifted, for all the wrong reasons. We chose the kangal breed because of their power, agility and size. Once we control their bodies we can outmatch any human who may pose a threat to us.’

  ‘What happens to your body, your actual body, when you transfer your mind?’

  ‘It becomes still, as if unconscious, but we remain inside our own bodies on a subconscious level. If we sense danger to our actual bodies we can snap out of the mind switch.’

  ‘That’s freaky!’ I gasped. ‘How can your mind be in two places at once?’

  ‘All human minds are split in two, Ross.’ Romand added. ‘There is the conscious and subconscious. The majority of humans cannot separate these two sides to their minds though. Mind switchers can.’

  I nodded at him like I actually knew what he was going on about.

  ‘That’s not quite accurate, Romand,’ June said. ‘In fact all humans split their minds each night when they dream. The conscious mind takes a break and the subconscious takes over and vice versa when the individual wakes. Most humans don’t have much of a grasp on how it happens and have very little influence over it. It’s simply instinctive for most people. Mind switchers manage both sides of their minds very well. This allows us to transport the conscious part of ourselves into another body.’

  ‘That’s a pretty cool gift,’ I said. ‘Something is bothering me though: why are gifted people always
in danger? Surely we should be cherished by the rest of the world.’

  ‘We are cherished, in a way, by those who know of us. But greed is a trait that runs in most people and those with the true gifts can generate an awful lot of money. Especially for people like Golding.’

  ‘That’s another thing I wanted to know. I read up about psychokinetics and in the paper it said there were only two: you,’ I pointed at Romand, ‘and Sarah Golding.’

  ‘The paper was written twenty years ago,’ Romand said.

  ‘I know. But,’ I see-sawed my hands in the air, ‘Sarah Golding is a psychokinetic, Paul Golding organised the contest. It seems like more than a coincidence to me that they both have the same name. You know, it’s not exactly a common name.’

  Romand looked to June and she pushed her plate to the centre of the table and folded her arms.

  ‘I suppose you should know how it all came to this,’ she said. ‘Sarah was Paul Golding’s older sister. She was a psychokinetic of immense power and her brother was a brilliant business man. Together they created a vast fortune in the seventies and eighties; he made investments in large corporations, she would use her gift to secretly damage competitors. For example he once set up an airline, a few months later his sister used her incredible moving abilities to rip a wing off a plane from a competitor airline as it was about to take off from a runway. Customers flocked away from the competitor, thinking their crafts were unsafe, and Golding’s airline took on all these new customers. That one incident earned him millions of dollars. It is but one of many examples I could give you. Golding owns shares in thousands of companies around the world. Share prices went sky high in every company he invested in. In 1983 the Goldings set up Golding Scientific, they hired over a hundred top scientists to search out and investigate superhuman gifts. The ultimate goal was to locate and hire other people who had the gifts.

  ‘Professor William Davidson discovered that there were fifteen true gifts and he found a number of people who displayed the powers that you have read about. One was a young French lad, Marcus Romand, who had two gifts. You see, Golding was greedy and wanted more and more money and power. He intended to use the gifted to attain the wealth he desired, but he realised he would need gifted people without morals, people who didn’t mind murder being part of their job description. This wasn’t an easy task and when he could not find gifted people who were naturally evil, he tried his best to make them bitter and twisted.’