Young Writers Society

"Thanks," Avery said, the slightest tint of pink coming to her cheeks. "...Well, I mean, you already know pretty much all there is about me. My parents are divorced, my mom got custody of me and Evan, I inherited my dad's abilities..."
She rubbed her chin, thinking. "That's about it. I haven't had a particularly interesting life up until this point. I'd pretty much finished regular school by the time I got the letter to come here. Evan didn't really want to go--he's never been much of a people person, as you can probably tell. But then he made friends with Sam, and I thought he was making progress, but..."
Avery sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. With all the excitement of the past day or so, she'd forgotten just how tired she was. When was the last time she'd gotten to rest?
"...But then all this happened," she continued, an anxious edge creeping into her voice. "A-and we don't know what's going on or what to expect...it's all so strange. And I just worry...what if I'm not able to protect him? Or you, or Sage? I should've paid closer attention. I should've known something was wrong when they dragged Sam away! And now my brother's lost his only friend, and I don't know--"
She hugged her legs to her chest, pressing her forehead against her knees. "...I don't know if I'll be able to fix this."

Dawn slowly retreated from Avery's shoulder, watching her descend. When her eyes widened, she realized that this feeling must've been something she often faced. It couldn't be easy always caring for everyone...

"Well, if you can fix it, I'm sure you'll find a way, so no point in worrying about," Dawn smiled softly before continuing. This time, she decided to rub Avery's back for a change. She didn't exactly know how, so the results were... up to personal interpretation. She didn't have much practice, considering everything. "And if you can't, no point dragging yourself down about it." She wore her best warming grin.

"I was... I am a lot like Evan. I had zero friends before you," she said, doing her best to make eye-contact with Avery. She got nervous every few seconds and had to look away, else her cheeks and ears overheat. "I mean, you saw me! I was a mess! But, I think if I can find a good few, Evan can do. Besides, he always has us to fall back on, and then he'll always have you. Not a great time if that happens, but better than nothing, right?"

Avery sniffed a little, wiping her nose on her sleeve. She looked away from Dawn, trying to hide her red-rimmed eyes.
"I'm sorry," she murmured quietly, staring into the corner. "I don't know where that came from. It's just--I worry about him, y'know? He's...never been the best at defending himself. Well, you saw what Izzy did, right? Power over color isn't exactly the most...deadly of abilities."


Meanwhile, Sage and Evan were hurrying down the hallway.
"I really hope you can think of something, 'cause I'm out of ideas," the botani-kinetic called over her shoulder.
"I thought you had a plan!" Evan cried back. "I'm not good at this sort of thing!"
"Well you better learn fast, otherwise we're screwed," Sage looked around. "Where are Dawn and Avery? Did you see where they went?"
"No," Evan panted. "Where are we going, anyway? You seem rushed!"
"I am rushed!" Sage shouted. "This is a disaster. But since we can't think of anything, how 'bout we visit your dorm? It's about time you got a new shirt. That old one is looking...crispy."
"Glad to know you've got my best interest at heart," Evan muttered with just the slightest hint of sarcasm. But he was getting pretty tired of running around with his chest exposed. "Maybe we can ask Avery for something to help with the burns? I don't trust any of the nurses here."
"Now you're using your brain!" Sage stopped outside a familiar-looking door. "There. I'll wait outside while you get dressed. Hopefully nothing else happens while we try to figure this out."

Dawn wasn't great with emotions, that was clear, but she knew that Avery sniffling struck her like an arrow in the heart. So, slowly and awkwardly, she wrapped her arms around Avery. "It's fine, really. You've been dealing with me this entire time, so I think you deserve some venting, too," she tried to chuckle it off, but instead, her voice was plain sincere. "Should we change the topic again?" she suggested. "It didn't really work the first time, but, uh, third time's the charm?" Gosh, she had no clue what she was doing.

Izzy made her way through the hallways rather quickly, superspeed and all, and eventually she ended up finding Sage and a certain someone. She recognized that hair and shirt anywhere. "Evan!" she shrieked. Then, she ran after him and slammed him against his dorm door, pushing past Sage easily. "This is all your fault! All of it!"

"W-what?" Evan stammered. He was getting rather tired of being slammed into various objects of furniture. "What did I do?"
Sage grunted, pulling herself to her feet. "What the hell, Izzy?! Get off him!"
Semavry sprouted around Izzy's feet, winding around her legs and up over her torso. It curled around her arms, too, pulling them away from Evan and allowing him to wriggle free. He stood beside Sage, rubbing his shoulders.
"Seriously, what do you want?" He snapped at the tangled speedster. "You already got Sam expelled--what more are you trying to take from me?"

Izzy fought against her restraints hard, moving her body as fast as possible. Then, suddenly, she stopped.
"What?" she said, staring at Evan completely bewildered. "I got Sam expelled?" Her jaw hung open, dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?! First, that kid blew up a jar and almost blinded my friend, then when you decide to mess with me for no reason, Sam decides to burn my face off! They had it coming!" She shouted. Then, suddenly, she got very quiet. "And it's all your fault! If you hadn't done anything that day I would still be able to see out of my left eye and that blondie wouldn't have been expelled!"

Then, she turned to Sage. Her voice became calm for a moment. "So-" Then it went loud again, "Let me go and beat the hell out of him!"

Sage crossed her arms defiantly. "No."
"It's my fault?" Evan exploded. "It's my fault?! You were the one who decided to burn me! Sam was just defending me after you decided violence was a proper response to a discolored shirt!"
He ran a hand over his face, pacing back and forth in exasperation.
"You've been nothing but a stuck-up, narcissistic, egomaniacal asshole who can't tell the difference between an honest mistake and a full-blown weaponized attack!" Evan was properly angry now, skin pulsing with violent colors. Neon greens, oranges, and yellows washed over his body as his eyes swirled furiously, spinning with every color of the rainbow. "And you have the AUDACITY to blame me for your childish, irrational behavior! Ohhh, you're going to hell, right after I send you there myself!"
He lurched forward, but Sage held him back, arms wrapped tightly around his midsection. More Semavry sprouted from the floor, winding up and around his legs. He struggled and thrashed, kicking away the vines. But Sage was determined, and with a final heave of her own strength, managed to bind him to the ground. Satisfied that neither of them was able to kill the other, she stepped back, rubbing her bruised forearms.
"You two have some serious issues," she muttered, grimacing.

"Okay, fine, whatever, I overreacted, but what makes you in the right here?! All I've ever seen you do is defend a kid who can't stop hurting people! From my perspective, you're terrible! And then you decide to pick on me?! That was deserved!" Izzy retorted.

It was his next words that hurt. Izzy's eyes went wide like a sad puppy. Is that what people really thought of her? It wasn't often Izzy felt hurt, but such an attack at her confidence did hit her in the gut. She couldn't even mumble anything back as she stopped fighting her restraints, only flinching when Evan jumped at her.

Izzy was quick to snap out of it, though, giving Sage a weak glare. "Yeah? W-Well what makes you any better than us?" Yeah, Izzy. That'll totally scare them. Great job, doofus.

"I've never burnt anyone's skin off," Sage growled at Izzy. She looked at Evan, still wriggling in his constraints. "And I've never ruined someone's clothing over a minor insult. Neither of you are in the right, but you aren't entirely in the wrong, either. However--"
She stepped closer to Izzy, vines trailing in her wake. "You were the one that started the violence. You were the one that burned him, possibly permanently, and now you've been hunting him down like a rabid dog. For what? The consequences of your own actions? You decided it was time to fight, and when Sam jumped in to defend their friend, you pinned all the blame on them. You justify it by claiming Sam is out of control, but you're the one who took this too far. Really, you're lucky they took the fall for you. Otherwise you'd be nothing but an empty shell."

Izzy tried to keep a straight, angry face, but it ended with her nearly tearing up, her lip quivering. "I- Well- You-" she couldn't string together any sentences, simply shocked by everything Sage said. "Is that... really?" she whimpered. "I thought... But he... they..." It took every little bit of her not to break down into a fit of sobbing. Was she really the bad guy here? She was just trying to protect Powder and herself....

Sage sighed, rubbing her sweaty palms on her pants. She hadn't realized just how awful she'd felt about this whole situation. It felt good to get out her pent-up frustration. She looked at Izzy. The speedster's chin was quivering, her visible eye wide and wet.
"Here's the deal," Sage said, her tone softening slightly. She pointed at Izzy. "You and your little friend are going to leave us alone. Stop hunting Evan, stop giving us trouble. And you--"
She turned to Evan, his colors still shifting wildly beneath the vines. "--Are going to do the same. I know how angry you are at Izzy, but you two can't keep doing this. Just leave each other alone."
She stopped, looking between them. "Now, both of you are going to have to agree to this before I let you go. Deal?"
Evan kept his mouth shut, glaring daggers at Izzy. Sage fell silent, waiting for an answer.

Izzy snapped at Sage quickly, "Powder never did a thing wrong! That's what I'd been saying!" Then, jusg a moment later- "Sorry. Reflex."
She weighed hed options carefully, writhing in her tangly prison. She looked at Sage, then met eyes with Evan. She almost laughed. He looked like a living fever dream! "He has to apologize first. Then I'll think about it."

Dawn hadn't felt this safe in a long while. Or ever, really. She always had some guards up around people, just learned habit, but with Avery... there wasn't anything of that. She didn't fear rejection or punishment around her. It was nice to just be around her. "Hey, Avery, what's your favorite flower?" she asked out of the blue, smiling, "Just for curiousity's sake."

"I like roses," Avery replied mistily, staring off into the distance. A small smile came to her face. "Like the one I gave you when we first met. Do you remember that?"


"I never said Powder did anything wrong," Sage said calmly. "But in a school full of superheroes, he's bound to be somewhat of a threat. I think it'd be best if our groups stayed apart, all of us."
She blinked when Izzy apologized. That...wasn't something she was expecting to hear. But the moment was undermined by her next words.
"He has to apologize first! Then I'll think about it."
"Like hell I'm apologizing to you," Evan spat. "You psychopathic drama-seeking mongrel."
"Well, I'm not letting you go until both of you say you're sorry," Sage raised her eyebrows at Izzy. "You can think about it all you want--it'll only lengthen your stay."

Dawn's face lit up. Hopefully, despite her sleepiness, she could hear her out just a bit longer. Dawn pushed some hair behind her ear shyly. "Of course I do! I still have it, somewhere. It might've got lost in the hassle of school, in general. I, um, really liked it." Of course, Dawn knew the meanings of colors when it came to flowers, especially roses. She sometimes stayed up late at night and thought about if Avery knew, too. "You know," she started, her face pink as a healthy red rosebud grew behind Avery's ear, "everyone says roses are the most romantic flower, just because of all the colors, but I think sunflowers should be romantic, too."

She stared Evan up and down, confuzed by his choice of words. "Okay, first: piece of advice, you need to learn how to insult someone. Nobody since the 1600s has called someone a mongrel unironically."

Izzy huffed. "Second, if that's how you wanna be, then fine. I can wait. I'm willing to play this game." She turned her chin up with defiance and closed her eyes, waiting silently. It only took 30 seconds for her energy to start building and for her to start needing movement.
The speedster held strong for a solid minute. "Fine! I give up! I'm sorry. I overreacted, I admit," Izzy said, awkwardly. It was hard to tell if she was truly regretful, but there was something behind her eyes, at least. "Let's just... forget about this. I'll try to stay out of your way, and don't you dare touch Powder."

"When have I ever laid a hand on your precious little servant?" Evan demanded sharply.
"Calm down, dumbass," Sage hissed in exasperation. "I'm trying to fix your stupid life!"
She turned back to Izzy, the vines retreating back into the ground. "You can go. Just make sure to keep your promise, okay?"


"Sunflowers?" Avery repeated quietly. "Those are really pretty. My mother used to have some growing in her backyard."