7-minute Writing Prompt: "Not So Super Heroes"

I wrote the following very short story in response to the 7-minute writing prompt, "Not so super heroes."

I only have enemies. No matter where I look, no matter where I turn, I only have enemies.

My name is Katya, and I am a telepath.

Sounds cool, right? Wrong. Let me tell you what it’s really like. You see, I'm not a traditional telepath - there's just no other way for me to describe it. My telepathic capabilities only work in one direction. In other words, people can know what I’m thinking, but I can’t know what they’re thinking. And there’s no way for me to stop them from knowing, except by hiding my eyes. Which I do all the time, so I’m essentially blind.

Even when I'm not blindfolded, I look at the floor all day, so I don’t even know what my best friend looks like. She’s only my best friend because she hasn’t seen what I think about her. Don’t get me wrong, I like her a lot. But don’t we all think bad things about our friends sometimes? I remember when she came over to my house and brought a cake she’d made. It was the most horrible thing I’d ever tasted. Before I could stop myself, that thought flew right through my mind. If I hadn’t been blindfolded, she would’ve seen it.

At this point you’re probably wondering, how do I get away with looking like a blind pirate every day? I don’t stay inside. I go to school just like most people, I go shopping (carefully), I go outside. Well, I had to think long and hard about that. Nobody would believe me if I explained the real problem, since I’m the only one who knows about telepathic abilities – at least, for now. I excuse the blindfold by saying that I have photophobia, a medical condition that makes me afraid of bright light. Is it true? Well, yes, in a way. I’m afraid of anything that could make my friends look at my eyes, and if bright light could do that, then I’m afraid of bright light.

How do people ‘see’ my thoughts, you ask? That’s a mystery to me as well, since I’ve never experienced it. But my parents have told me that my face changes. It’s like looking at a well-drawn cartoon character. Their face may be completely unlike a real-life face, but it expresses some emotion so strongly that we all laugh. Unless their thoughts are terrible, that is, like mine. Not only does my face change, but my parents have also said they can ‘sense’ my thoughts in words. It’s a complete mystery to all of us. The only thing I can say about it for sure is that I have nearly ruined my life with it.

I go outside at night. The darkness is an automatic blindfold, and because I spend all day in the dark, I can see everything. I love the cold evening breeze. I like the stars. I like being alone, but at the same time, it makes me sad. Because in reality I miss my friends.

I have only two choices: go through life pretending to be blind, or make enemies of everyone I meet.