Mesmerized

coma. He doesn't recall a thing, and you have been cleared of any wrongdoing. You can technically go back to school."
    Lily clasped her hands together. "That is great news. I really thought I killed him."
    "You could have killed him," her father said.
    "I know." Lily hung her head, thinking of how dangerous her powers could be.
    She remembered her more recent accident—with the man at Burger King. She should never have taken the necklace off with a stranger. That had been stupid of her. She couldn’t do that again. It was possible for her to compel with the necklace on.
    Lily decided she needed to learn how to control herself before she really did kill someone.
    ***
    Lily found Jake sitting outside on the back porch. She opened the door and joined him. It was a perfect southern winter day. As much as she had enjoyed the snow, she didn’t like the cold. Here in Texas, it was sunny and in the sixties. 
    Jake seemed lost in thought. 
    She wondered what he was thinking about. Putting her hand on his, she asked, “Everything okay?”
    Jake nodded, but didn’t say anything right away. 
    Lily probed, “Are you upset about that man at Burger King?”
    Jake looked over at her. “No. I felt a little jealous, but I know you can’t control it. I’m not sure what would happen if you lost your necklace. That scares me a little.”
    Lily thought about that. He was right, of course. She couldn’t control herself when she was like that. It was like she was under a spell. Maybe she should look into getting a replacement necklace in case anything ever happened to the one she had.
    “So, what’s wrong then?”
    Jake sighed. “I’ve been alive for hundreds of years and now there’s a chance I could change that. A couple months ago, I would have jumped at the opportunity. But, now...now I have you.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “You don’t age normally, Lily. You told me that you slow down when you hit eighteen. If the curse is taken off me, I’ll age normally or maybe I’ll just age to an old man in minutes and die. I don’t know. But, that would mean I’d die before you.”
    “Oh!” The gravity of the situation hit Lily like a ton of bricks, and tears sprang to her eyes. “But, Jake...I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want you to die.”
    “I know. It’s just...” He took a deep breath. “I’ve been alive for so long, maybe it’s time that I move on. Humans aren't meant to be immortal.”
    Lily angrily stood up. “I don’t get it. You’ve got me and now you want to die. Obviously, you don’t care as much for me as I thought you did!” With that, she stormed off to her room, leaving Jake outside.
    She threw herself on her bed and cried. She had let herself love Jake, knowing that she could be with him forever and now he just wanted to die. She wondered if he wanted to be with Laura instead. Maybe that’s what this was all about. It didn’t matter. It felt like her heart was breaking into thousands of pieces.
    Why had she let herself fall in love? Maybe she should become more like her mom. With the necklace off, she could feel the passion and not have to worry about the love. That would save her heart from being broken. She played with the stone around her neck. She knew that wasn't true. Her mother loved her father anyone could see that. But, she had been alive for many years and had mastered her power.
    There was a knock at the door. It was her dad. “Lily?”
    “Yeah?”
    The door opened and he peeked his head in. “Can I come in?”
    “Sure.”
    Lily’s dad walked in, closed the door behind him, and strolled over to her bed. “What’s the matter, Sweetheart?”
    Her eyes brimmed with tears again. “Everything sucks.”
    “Oh, now, Lily. Everything?”
    “Yes, everything!”
    Her dad stroked her hair. “Being something that’s not quite normal is hard, isn’t it?”
    She rolled her eyes. This wasn’t something her dad could understand. “Sometimes I wish I hadn’t been born.”
    Her dad exhaled loudly. “That’s quite a statement.”
    “I don’t like feeling this way.”
    “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
    “How do you feel, Dad? Knowing that you’re aging and you’ll die before mom looks like she’s aged a year.”
    “Ah.” Her dad closed his eyes for a minute. “It was very hard in the beginning. But, I loved your mom and she loved me. So, it was something I accepted. Do I like the idea? No. But, I wouldn’t change it. I love her so much and I