A Ring?

The bell rang as I left my classroom behind me. The teacher had just told us about how we would be starting our first actual project today, which meant we'd have no more homework until the end-term exams. That's what they called them anyway; I didn't understand why anyone needed exams when you could always get good grades if you put your mind to it… But then again, maybe people who couldn't study weren't so keen on getting good marks.

I headed towards the exit of the building, eager to go outside and enjoy some fresh air before dinner. As usual, though, three other students were ahead of me waiting at the door: Melissa, Michaela and Elisa.

"Not these bitches." I mumbled to myself.

Michaela laughed loudly, causing both girls beside me to turn their heads. "Oh, look," she said sarcastically, "the freak show comes out to play!" She continued laughing while walking past me into the hallway. Her friends followed behind, still giggling.

Melissa stopped suddenly, turned back to face me, and began pointing her finger at me. "You're not even worth talking to anymore," she spat.

My eyes widened slightly and I stared down at my feet. My heart raced and my hands trembled.

"Go home, freak." With one last laugh, she walked off. Her two friends soon joined her. They pushed through the doors together, leaving only Michaela standing alone.

She looked over her shoulder once more, staring directly into my eyes. "See ya later loser!" Then she too disappeared inside.

I stood motionless for several moments before finally turning around and heading straight for the front entrance of the school. Once outside, I breathed deeply and took in a long breath of crisp autumn air. It felt nice and cool against my skin, but I knew that wouldn't last very much longer. Soon enough, winter would arrive and the weather would become unbearably cold.

But right now, everything seemed fine. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky and the sun shone brightly overhead. Even better, I hadn't seen another person since I got here. This was probably because most people stayed indoors during lunchtime due to the chilly temperatures, or else went shopping instead of spending time outdoors. Either way, I preferred going somewhere quiet and relaxing, like the park across town. So far, I've never been bothered by anyone while visiting there.

As I walked along, the sounds of laughter and chatter echoed throughout the street. A group of teenage boys passed me by, shouting and laughing amongst themselves as they made their way toward the train station. I tried to ignore them completely, but unfortunately for me, I heard something strange in their voices.

"…freakshow…" one of them muttered under his breath, obviously referring to me. His friends immediately started laughing again, making fun of me without realizing that I was nearby.

A chill ran down my spine and goosebumps appeared on my arms. Why did they say that? What do they mean by 'freaks'? Was I really a freak, or were they simply saying those things because they wanted to hurt me somehow? Or worse, perhaps they actually thought I was a freak because my powers were so incredibly useless compared to theirs.

After hearing the word 'freak' come from someone else's mouth, I decided that it might be best to head home quickly and avoid the rest of the crowd. After all, I'd rather stay safe than risk getting attacked by a bunch of teenagers who think nothing of hurting others.

And besides, I don't need to deal with this kind of thing every single day. If I'm lucky, I'll make it through high school without ever seeing another bully. And then after graduation, I won't see them ever again either. Hopefully.

after several minutes of walking, I spotted something odd, a menacing house towering above its neighbors. Its walls were covered in ivy and vines, giving the impression that the structure itself was alive.

All the houses around here are well maintained, yet this particular residence was falling apart.

After looking at the house for a while I realized something, this house was definitely not here yesterday!

Curiosity took over my body as I walked closer trembling. I didn't want to enter, but curiosity kept pulling me forward. I stepped carefully onto the porch and slowly opened the door, expecting to find a deadbolt lock or anything similar. Instead, the door swung open easily.

There was no furniture inside except for a few rusted chairs. The floorboards creaked beneath my shoes as I moved further inside. Everything smelled dusty and stale, almost like nobody lived there for years.

It was dark everywhere, but I found a light switch next to the doorway. Turning it on revealed a large living room with a wooden table sitting in the middle. On top of the table sat a glass vase filled with dried flowers. All around the walls hung paintings depicting scenes of nature, animals, and landscapes.

I noticed that many of them were painted by the same artist. Each painting was unique and each depicted different scenery. Some showed forests full of trees and mountains, while others portrayed oceans surrounded by beautiful islands.

One of the pictures caught my eye instantly, mostly because of its unusual subject matter: a man wearing white robes with golden wings sprouting from his shoulders.

I kept looking around and then I spotted something on the floor, something resembling a stone ring.

Carefully picking it up, I inspected the object closely. It was round and smooth, and although the surface was rough, I could tell that whoever created this item spent quite some time polishing and smoothing it.

This must have belonged to the previous owner of this place. Maybe this is what caused the house to fall into disrepair.

Then again, maybe not. I remembered reading about ancient cultures who used to worship objects like rings and bracelets. Those items often contained magical properties and could grant wishes or bring luck to their owners. In fact, the majority of modern religions still practiced worshipping certain objects, believing that they possessed mystical powers.

Suddenly, the idea came to me. Could this ring also possess supernatural abilities?

I had never heard of an object containing a superpower but it wasn't impossible, right? At least, I hoped it didn't contain any curses or bad omens. Otherwise, I would be stuck using it forever, unable to remove it.

For a moment, I considered throwing it away and forgetting about it altogether, but then again, what harm could come from trying to use it? Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

With that thought in mind, I placed the ring on my index finger. Immediately afterward, I felt something warm running through my veins.

What happened?! Did this ring change my superpower? No, wait...

That doesn't make sense! How can this ring possibly change my genes?!

In the blink of an eye, I became aware of my surroundings. Every sound I made was magnified tenfold, including the breathing of my own lungs. Sounds of cars passing by, birds chirping, children playing, and dogs barking sounded loud enough to reach my ears from leagues away.

I tried moving my fingers, but they remained frozen in place. Not wanting to panic, I closed my eyes and focused hard on taking deep breaths. When I exhaled, however, I discovered that my breath was unusually controlled.

Another question arose, how did the ring allow me to control my breathing like this? Most likely, it allowed me to slow down my heartbeat, allowing me to remain calm despite the intense changes happening within my body.

Now that I was able to breathe normally, I figured it was time to try controlling my power. First, I concentrated on creating small black flames. They didn't appear like usual. Did this ring remove my superpower?

No, that can't be true! Just because I'm using the ring doesn't necessarily mean that it has changed me permanently. Perhaps the effect will wear off eventually…

'I should take it off.' I tried to take off the ring but it didn't even budge. I tried harder, squeezing my hand tightly shut, but still, it refused to move.

I panicked a little bit more, feeling trapped and helpless. What if the ring is cursed? Would I die if I wore it for too long? Is there any way to reverse whatever effects it may have already inflicted upon me?

If only I had someone to help me figure out whether or not I should keep wearing it. Someone who knows more about superpowers and stuff…

Wait, what if I asked my parents? Surely they know more about this kind of thing than I do.

They're both scientists, they work with science and technology, surely they'd know more about this sort of thing.