16 I'm a psychic (sort of)

psy·​chic | \ ˈsī-kik \

: sensitive to nonphysical or supernatural forces and influences: marked by extraordinary or mysterious sensitivity, perception, or understanding

-Merriam Webster's Dictionary

For some moments, I would sometimes think I have psychic powers.

Of course, we're not going to be fictional here. Reality is not Marvel or DC universe that I'll develop some sort of mutant powers. I'm no X-men, although that won't be a bad idea too. But that's not the case. What I do have is a strong intuition on things.

I don't know when I noticed it starting but probably when I was nine years old. We were still living a simple life back then. Dad just started his own business, and mom was helping him. My brother was in high school, and I just started fourth grade.

On ordinary days, my parents would go shopping, and they would bring me with them. Nothing was peculiar that day, and we bought our usual bread, eggs, milk, some canned goods, and rice.

There was a small booth next to the exit door of the grocery shop. There were sacks of rice, some neatly stacked canned goods, and other groceries placed on the floor next to it.

A lady who was standing behind the stall was rotating a contraption where there were countless paper strips, which I now know as raffle tickets. I didn't know back then. She kept greeting the people who were leaving the store, and some would sometimes put their hands on the box to pick a paper.

Most of the time, the customers would only laugh at whatever was on that piece of paper. However, one time, a lady who just finished with her shopping stopped at the stall and picked a paper. The booth keeper gave that lady a balloon.

As a kid, I was amazed by the balloon and wanted one for myself. So I asked my mom if we could stop over the booth. When we finished our shopping, I went running towards the booth so I can participate in the raffle.

The girl rotated the contraption for a couple of times before letting me slide my tiny hand on the hole. I was anxious and also excited, hoping I can get a balloon too. Just before taking out the paper that I was holding, I got a weird feeling from my guts. It felt unsettling, and my mind got fixated on the thought of letting go of the paper that I was holding.

I don't know what I thought next, but I let go of that one paper and picked another. I then gave it to the girl who was tending the booth. When she read the writings on it, she smiled at me and took the bell that on the table beside the contraption.

The girl shook the bell, and it rang as she announced the winner of the Grand Prize for the raffle. I was confused about what just happened, but my dad picked me up and kissed me on my cheeks while my mom was covering her mouth in shock.

We won ten thousand pesos worth of groceries. They then took a photo of us beside the prize. All I wanted was the balloon and was a little upset when I received a different one. You can't blame me because I was just a kid back then.

I paid no attention to what happened. It was just until I was in high school that I realized things.

From crossing streets, bringing the umbrella, or even answers on exams. My intuitions are strong.

Like for example, when I was taking an exam last week, I had a hard time answering five questions. I studied for the exam, but sometimes exams don't work like that. When answering the questions, there are times that I would be attached to a specific letter or answer. Most of the time, I have correct guesses, but 25% of the time, I get it wrong.

Of course, you might say that it's a convenient power. I don't think I have any supernatural power of some sort, and it's not always 100% correct. Most of the time, it can be a misjudgment.

I do know that if I'm aware or if I tried to activate my intuition for, let's say, something like predicting the future, tends to be a wrong assumption and a mistake. It has to be a spontaneous thought, or else I'm just a girl pretending to have psychic powers.

So do you think I have powers? Or I'm just a lucky girl?

Well tonight, is one of those nights where I have a weird feeling in my guts. As I stared down at my phone, reading at the message, my heart raced. I have a feeling that I shouldn't respond. Is it intuition? Or is it a misjudgment? Or perhaps I was secretly excited?

What harm can Dominic give me aside from knowing where I am right now? Maybe he only wants to talk, and I'm just making things complicated. I shook my head to reject any bad feeling that I had.

"You're just putting too much thought on this Imogen," I whispered to myself.

Maybe I am just really overthinking things. I let go of the phone, and it fell on the bed. I stared at it for a couple of seconds while biting my fingernails. Deciding whether I should text Dominic back or should I just ignore it.

I hate this side of me because I can't decide on a simple thing right away. I clicked my tongue and sighed before sitting up. I grabbed my phone and typed my reply before my mind does another cartwheel of thoughts.

"I'm at my apartment already. Why?"

Just a minute after I sent my text, my phone suddenly buzzed. I was a bit startled but regained my composure as I open the message.

Without giving any thought, I bit my lips and smiled. Rose color flushed my cheeks, and I suddenly felt hot. Dominic, what should I do with you?