Chapter 10.5: Mediation

POV: Zac

I opened the door to the outside and was greeted with a nostalgic scene. A light green Awning covered a wooden patio deck. The patio overlooked a medium-sized garden lined with flowers. Among the comfortable deck furniture was a plush ottoman. On that ottoman, I saw a familiar back—a woman sitting crossed-legged, with the back of her hands resting on her knees. I could see her stinky pale fingers gently fidgeting as a light breeze picked up. Flower Petals, along with her hair, were caught in the breeze. Some might very well find this to be a majestic, even a magical scene. I, on the other hand,

"Mom, what are you doing?"

She didn't turn around to face me,

"Meditating."

Meditating?! Really?! That was all I could think to myself.

"So let me get this straight. You meditate, do yoga, own a flower shop, and live in Seattle? How big of a hipster are you?"

"The Biggest." She replied in a dull tone. Her head slightly turned, and her pale youthful face glanced over her shoulder at me. She was often mistaken as my older sister rather than my mother more often than not, and it was one of many causes of annoyance for me.

"What do you want, sweetie?" She asked with a smile.

"I'm going to head out with some friends, and I need some spending money, please."

"Hmmph… heading out with friends, huh? You finish your Homework?"

"Yes," I responded.

"Is your laptop open so I can check it?"

"Yes." I sighed.

"You going out with that, Devin boy?"

"Yes."

"Hmmmmm…" She grumbled a bit to herself.

"Mom, why don't you like Devin?" I asked curiously.

"It's not that I don't like Devin, Keta, and I find him to be an odd one." She responded as she fully turned her body around to face me, still keeping her legs crossed.

"I mean, yeah, he's a weirdo, but that's why he's fun to hang out with." I folded my arms with a shrug leaning against the doorway.

"Mhm, well, I don't have any cash on me, so get my credit card out of my purse."

"Aww, sweet!" I exclaimed as I turned around to leave.

"Hold on, Keta! Every penny over $60 spent is coming out of your ass. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah, yeah. $60 is my cap." I responded.

"Incorrect. $40 is your cap. That extra $20 is for emergencies only. Understood?"

"Yes, mam." I was a bit defeated. There wasn't much fun to be had with just 40 bucks.

"Ok, sweetie, have fun, be safe." She said as she turned back around and resumed her meditation. When she began, I felt a gentle breeze go by once again. I looked over my shoulder and stared at her back once more. As the petals danced by in the breeze, I was sure that just for a moment, I could see a glow. I rubbed my itchy eyes, and when I refocused, that glow was nowhere to be seen. Was I getting a flower allergy? With a mom that owned a flower shop, that would freak' in suck. I turned around and left, closing the door behind me.

"...ac. Zac!"

I refocused my eyes to see Quinn staring at me. I found myself sitting in a meditative position. That same sitting position I found my mother so many times.

"What is it?" I had completely zoned out as I was singularly focused on studying and absorbing all the Soul Source I could get my greedy little fingers on.

"That's enough for today. You've refilled your depleted stars and even formed three more. That's a good stopping point for the day." She said,

"I can keep going. I'm starting to enjoy myself." I responded with a greedy smile.

"No, you need to eat and rest. You may not be physically drained, but immersing yourself like this will eventually cause mental strain. You already have amassed 20 Soul Stars. It will be better to stop for a while and focus on other areas." She spoke with a severe expression

I could understand what she was saying. The rate I created and refilled Soul Stars was already abnormally high. So I didn't have to focus much on it as others would. I should be spending more of my time fine-tuning my understanding of my AOS Systems and BENTs. According to Quinn, that would go further than the number of Soul Stars I had. I understood that, but I didn't want to stop.

"No arguments. Go eat and rest."

"Fine, fine," I said with a sigh.

Quinn left for the dining room as I continued to sit there for just a while. I continued to sit in my meditative position in the middle of the living room. I looked up at my Soul Stars floating above me, and the 20 of them began to streak into my body. I let out a breath and went to stand. Just as I did, in the corner of my eye, I saw a gentle gleam of Soul Source glowing off of me. I felt my body jerk from a sudden realization.

"There's no way," I mumbled to myself. As I stood there, racking my brain.

"Zac, come on, your dinner is getting cold." Quinn's voice snapped me back to reality. I walked towards the dining area, letting out a sigh, allowing the thought to leave my mind. From everything I now knew, what I was thinking was impossible. Still, I also learned that nothing was impossible with Soul Source, or maybe that's just what I wanted to believe.

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