As I began to accept that there was something ‘different’, possibly even supernatural, about me, I began to do things that would logically seem unnatural or impossible but yet it worked. For instance, when I’d go into the nightclub, I’d mentally put a shield around me. I imagined it as a sort of silver reflective sphere that worked like a one-way mirror. I could see out, but nobody could see in. The intention was that I would become practically invisible to anyone around me. When I was in High School, my brother and I became interested in Ninjutsu and found the ‘silent walking’ almost second nature. Many times I did this and walked through the club, going onto the dance floor and around the entire building scoping out who was there. I would often stand near a friend who was dancing to ensure that they could not see me. If they had, they would have stopped and said hello, as they always did when the ‘shield’ was not active. I even would go and stand in the midst of a circle of friends who were smoking and chatting. Nobody would take notice until I put the shield down even though it was nothing more than a mental construct. At first, I’d go into the men’s room and enter a stall and let it down then walk out so that if anyone said they didn’t see me come in, as it was a very small club, it would be easier to play it off like I’d only just gotten there and went straight into the bathroom. However, in time I became bolder and would drop it while standing next to a close friend. They would act startled and literally jump back exclaiming that they had not seen me there and then laugh and ask how long have I been standing there. My answer of ten to fifteen minutes would surprise them and usually they didn’t believe it but it was very true. In time, I became comfortable enough in the club that there would be no threat of danger and I eventually stopped the practice. I also think that maybe I was just satisfied that it had worked and was recognized by others and that it was not a self-induced mental mind game. When performed, it was done with a very intense emotion, very much akin to the image projection any Goth should be familiar with when they first start putting on their make-up and dressing in dark clothing. In time, this level of intensity wears off and you forget that it can be shocking to some. The use of the shield was very similar. Sometimes, the friends I was closest to might inquire about how I just ‘showed up’ so suddenly and when I told them, some few claimed to have done similar things. It was something that seemed to come natural to some and didn’t seem unusual until they found themselves talking about it with others in the vicinity of people who found it strange. Only then did we thing anything odd about it or question it, sadly to eventually succumb to consensus thinking and forget about it and stop doing such things. There was only one girl in the club who actually claimed to be a witch but she seemed to us to be someone with no natural ability who was dabbling in occult books and tampering with things she knew nothing about. She was a thorn in the side for some as she was a vindictive type but to most she was simply ignored. She seemed to hate everyone, especially those who were in the ‘scene’. Keep in mind though that at this time the term Gothic for the subculture and interests of types like us was not common and was barely even a rumor. Some said we were Death Punks, Darkies, and many other even more ridiculous names. This was in 1987.