Young Writers Society

Chris- Catch up and then the party

I wasn't sure how I felt about being separated into a group based on my power. I mean, I didn't even know much about how it worked myself yet and I was still kind of happy finding that out on my own. I was even less happy with having to show them what I looked like, normally; it kind of blew the whole cover on getting to pretend to be 'Christie'. I turned back into her afterwards but it created a whole lot of turmoil in my head while I re-thought the whole taking Theatre thing and whether I should have just been straight with Nyx in that class.

Briony - and Melody - went first on explaining their powers and then Jay said he could turn invisible, which had to be pretty awesome, and Bela turned into a furry kitty cat. So that was about the most adorable thing I'd seen all day and I felt some of the tension ebbing away as I gave a far too girly squeal and reached out to pet her.

"Uh- oh. Sorry. I mean, your power's cool and-" I blushed and retracted my hand but she didn't seem to mind much and it wasn't long before the lesson broke up.

I was heading back to my dorm and looking like my regular self again when one of the teachers stopped me.

"Christopher Keiko?"

I nodded tensely and wondered if I was about to get in trouble for using the girl's toilets or something. The power adviser had to have told the other teachers already that I was going around the school looking like a girl.

"Good, I wanted to let you know that your request for a roomate has been approved. His name's Oren Blackburn and he'll arrive on campus on Friday."

It took a moment for that to settle in but then I felt a smile burst out on my face and I almost hugged her. Just think how weird that would have been.

"Thank you!" I said instead, "That's great - thanks!" And I pretty much skipped all the way to my dorm. As a boy. It was one of my less cool moments.


By the end of the first week I was in over my head with trying to keep Chris and Christie separate. I'd lost track of who knew I was both and who didn't and I had no idea how much my cover might have been blown. All I knew was I hadn't told Nyx yet and the longer I didn't tell her, the more I felt like I was lying to her. She was fast becoming the closest thing I had to a best friend both as Chris and as Christie and when she invited both of us - both of me - to come to the pool party, I didn't know how either of us could refuse.

So we said yes. It was a bad move, I know, but I packed my swimming trunks with my towel and then headed down as Christie and things went from bad to worse. I was standing with Lilah and Nyx when two boys approached us - one I recognised as a kid called Dimi and the other I wasn't sure about.

"Hey there ladies, who's ready to get wet?" Dimi asked which was met with a lot of eye rolling from the girls and snickers from the boys. I was obviously in the eye rolling category.

"Come on, it'll be fun," the other boy insisted.

I shook my head and slowly I realised that I'd never tried swimming in someone else's body before. Different weight, different sized limbs, different... anatomy. I didn't know if I actually could swim.

"No way, I'm not going in that water even if you make me," I declared, which was obviously the wrong thing to say because Dimi got a glint in his eye and elbowed the other boy.

"Oh really? That sounds like a challenge to me, don't you think?"

"No, wait- I don't even know if I can swim!" I insisted but before I knew it, they were dragging me toward the water and I was vaguely aware of Lilah protesting before I was plunged into the pool.

At first it seemed okay. I kicked my legs and kind of waved my arms around but everything felt wrong. I wasn't kicking hard enough, my arms were shorter, my breathing was getting ragged and I couldn't keep my head above the surface. I gasped and the water flooded into my lungs and I kicked harder in my panic and tried to pull my head above the surface but my limbs felt heavy and my chest burned and- and it was cold and dark but somehow kind of peaceful. I could feel my head growing fuzzy even as my lungs screamed in my chest and-

And then I was coughing and there was someone there and water was pouring out of my mouth and I could hardly believe I was still a girl, let alone alive.

"You saved me," I murmured as I vaguely wondered if I would have been Christie forever if I had died as her. "Who are you?"

"I'm Oren Blackburn," he replied, his arm on my back, holding me up. "What's your name?"

I spluttered, half laughter but mostly water. "Chris," I murmured.

"Christie! Christie, are you okay?" Nyx skidded to a halt and bent down beside me, her face full of concern as she touched my arm.

"What were you doing?" Lilah was demanding from Dimitri who at least looked half horrified and half ashamed. "Are you a complete idiot? She said she couldn't swim!"

"I thought she just didn't want to go in the water," he mumbled. "Sorry."

I shook my head, trying to clear it and then I felt it, like a lurching in my muscles. No, not here. I couldn't let it happen here.

"Urgh-" I groaned, clutching at my stomach. "I- I, I've gotta get to the changing rooms, I mean the toilets. I- I've got to-" I felt the lurching again and stumbled to my feet, the room spinning a bit as someone steadied me with their hand.

"You should sit back down," Oren said but I lurched away from him and barreled my way into one of the changing rooms, locking the door and pulling myself up on to the seat just as my skin started turning brown and I heard the snap of elastic as the swimming costume broke. Great. Trapped in a stall, half drowned and naked. Best pool party ever.

Annnd a quick Dimi post just to tidy things up

Dimitri

Dimi didn't need Lilah being all cross and in his face to know that he'd screwed up big time, but come on, what person didn't know how to swim by the time they were in their teens?

"Christie? Are you okay in there?" Nyx asked as she tapped on the door to the changing room. "Hey, I'm going to come in, okay?"

There was silence on the other side and Dimi watched as she tried to push the door open but someone on the other side pushed back.

"No- wait-" a masculine voice called out.

"Chris, is that you?" Nyx asked hesitantly.

"Wait, there's a Chris and a Christie?" the Indian looking boy, now nicknamed Poseidon in Dimi's head, looked very confused.

"Yeah, except one's a chick and the other's a- well a dude," Dimi snickered.

"Is Christie in there with you? Uh- purple haired girl, about fifteen?" Nyx asked.

"Yeah, she kind of ran in on me," Chris said. "I- I think she wants to be on her own."

"Of course, on her own... with you." Dimi couldn't help himself but the glares being sent his way kind of suggested he ought to. Right, dog house... sorry.

"Hey- she should probably have a towel. She's soaked, could you get my, no wait, her bag- I think it's by the lockers..."

"I know which one's hers, I'll get it," Lilah piped up and she was back very quickly with the bag. "Should I...?"

"Just pass it under the door," Chris said.

The bag was passed through and there was a lot of shuffling about and Dimi got curious so he started to bend down by the door.

"I don't think you should..." Oren mumbled but Dimi shushed him and tried to get a look at what was going on and he saw one set of feet - brown and manly - and some discarded trunks on the floor and what looked like Christie's bikini bottoms.

"Oh someone is getting busy!" Dimi exclaimed.

"Don't you think you've caused enough trouble?" Nyx hissed, pulling him to his feet sharply.

"Hey, wait- I could see their clothes on the floor, I'm not kidding here!"

"You're gross," Nyx mumbled as she shoved him away.

Then suddenly the door opened and Chris stepped out, hair dripping, a towel slung over one shoulder and carrying the girl's bag in his hand. And okay, sure, he was wearing his trunks and the girl's bikini was nowhere in sight but Dimi would have sworn-

"Where's Christie?" Nyx asked.

"She, uh- there was this kind of light and she disappeared. I guess her power's teleporting... or something?" Chris rubbed his head and Dimi got the feeling that something was definitely going on and how dare it go on without him knowing what exactly it was that might be going on!

"Is it?" Nyx's brow creased into a frown. "I... I don't think she ever said what her power was, actually."

"Isn't that like the first question you ask around here?" Dimi wondered but all he got was glares again so he held his hands up in defeat. "Fine, fine. Still in the dog house, I get it, hey, I'll give the girl swimming lessons to make up for it, okay?"

Jo Kincaid

Why'd I come to this party again? Jo thought to herself and shifted uncomfortably in the plastic beach chair she was nestled into before giving up and standing to look over the heads (or at least try to) of the other students, looking for familiar faces. Jo hadn't exactly made any friends yet, but she made out the face of one of her classmates, I think Nyx is her name? Yes. Art class. Seemed nice enough. There was Dimitri, too. Everyone calls hims Dimi, though. She pushed through the other kids up to the pool's edge and dipped her feet into the water.

Jo could hear some voices over the other students now, looked like Dimitri was trying to get clever with the girls by the pool. "Hey there ladies, who's ready to get wet?" Jo rolled her eyes and smiled lightly when the others did the same.

"Come on, it'll be fun." Kinda pushin it aren't we, Dimi?

"No way, I'm not going in that water even if you make me." Jo looked up at the declaration. Uh oh. Jo recognized the look that the boy got then. A jokester, huh? Poor girl. Who is that, anyway? Jo didn't know the girl who had spoken by name, only in passing in the halls of the great school.

"Oh really? That sounds like a challenge to me, don't you think?" Here we go. Hope she knows how to swim. Jo turned her attention from the boy as he and his friend dragged the girl, Christie, over to the pool before tossing her in with a splash. "Kids and their jokes..." Jo said to herself, earning a few strange glances from some other kids. Great. That's what you get for talking to yourself, Jo...

Christie began to thrash in the water and Jo looked back over with mild concern. Don't tell me she actually can't swim.. The girl began to sink and her coughs were drowned out by the splashes. Oh, crap, she's drowning. Jo jumped to her feet and sped along the side of the pool and pulling her sweater off over her swimsuit. Throwing the sweater to the side, she took a few running steps.... and hit the brakes when there was another splash as someone else dove in.

Jo watched as one of her other classmates, Oren, I think? swam to the girl and pulled her now-motionless body back to the pool's edge and helping her up onto the cement. So much for being the hero, though at least I'm not the only person who didn't just stand and watch. She grabbed her sweater and flung it over her shoulder, taking the opportunity of everyone's diverted attention to head for the showers. I think this party is just about over anyway...

Jo walked into one of the stall and had just turned on the water when the door was flung open again and the patter of feet could be heard. The stall beside Jo was opened and closed and uneasy breathing could be heard before others came in after. "Christie? Are you okay in there?" Christie must've come in after me to get away from the other students. Nyx is checking on her. "Hey, I'm going to come in, okay?"

"No- wait-" Jo frowned in confusion. That doesn't sound like Christie...

"Chris, is that you?" Nyx again. She was talking about that boy Chris in their history class. How did he get in here? Jo was fed up with being confused and made a split decision. She looked down at her hand and focused on the lines in her palm as everything started to grow quieter, the voices on the other side of the stall door slowing and becoming almost comedic in pitch before stopping entirely. Jo looked up at the frozen droplet of water that hung from the shower head, glistening, before placing a cautious foot on the shelf that held shampoo and the like. She pulled herself up slowly and peered over the edge of the stall.

Wow, this is probably really creepy, but I have to know what's going on... Oh well.

Jo looked down to find the boy Chris leaning lightly on the stall door to keep Nyx from coming in, but he didn't really quite look like Chris. Instead, his hair was slightly purple, and his skin was somewhat off. Jo blinked in surprise and mild amusement as realization dawned upon her. A shapeshifter. How cool is that? Chris and Christie must be the same person, though the others don't seem to know this. I wonder how that works... She brushed this thought aside as a splitting pain rippled through her head, almost causing her to fall. "Ow."

Jo climbed down carefully and packed her swim bag before walking out of her own stall and leaving the door open intentionally. Nothing like a little double take to make me laugh. The other students might not even notice the suddenly open door, but that was ok. Jo had plenty of time for trickery in future. Sauntering over to the doorway, Jo leaned up against the wall behind Nyx and Dimi and the other boy before reaching out and lacing her fingers together.

Crack

Jo cracked her knuckles and sound and motion was restored around her, the other students carrying on oblivious to Jo's presence behind them. They probably didn't realize anyone else was in the stalls. This'll be interesting.

Dimi bent down to look under the stall and no doubt saw Chris's feet and Christie's bikini on the floor. Three... two... one... "Oh someone is getting busy!" Typical teenage guy. Nyx looked over at Dimi disapprovingly. "Don't you think you've caused enough trouble?"

Haha.

"Hey, wait- I could see their clothes on the floor, I'm not kidding here!" Dimitri exclaims, only to earn a shoulder from the girl. "You're gross."

Suddenly the stall door opened and Chris stepped out still wet from the shower and carrying Christie's bag in his hand.

"Where's Christie?"

The boy offered a strange look for a split second before speaking. "She, uh- there was this kind of light and she disappeared. I guess her power's teleporting... or something?" Nice save. Chris rubbed his head and offered a second more sheepish look. The other students deliberated for a few moments and came to realize that they didn't know "Christie's" power. Chris is hiding it then. Isn't he friends with Nyx? Huh. The group finally began to disperse and head back outside, only a few side glances given to the open stall door, courtesy of Jo.

She stayed there, leaning against the door despite strange looks from Chris and Nyx. Jo could almost hear their thoughts; Why are you here? Mind your own business. I suppose I should withhold judgement until I know them better, but hey, I don't have good experience with other people my age. She almost said this, but simply offered a knowing smile to Chris as he walked past, adding a wink for extra effect.

"Hiya." Jo said to Nyx, pretending to be oblivious to the probably creepy effect of sitting in and watching people solve their problems. Before the girl could speak, Jo made herself scarce, offering a quick, "See ya" before stepping through the doors and heading back outside and past the pool.

Should be enough of an introduction. I might as well be invisible in class, so I had to make myself known somehow, right? Jo scolded herself in her mind, as she often did. You know, if you applied yourself in class more then people would notice you more often. Frowning, she kept up her pace, headed for the dorms. Sometimes I really piss me off. Just let me be antisocial for crying out loud. This is what I've sunken to, she thought. I'm talking to myself in my head now. Totally healthy. Still doing it... Still doing it... Jo let her thoughts wander as she reached her room and flopped onto the bed, suddenly exhausted, headache still throbbing.

"I never learn do I?" She said out loud.

Matt

I woke up in my bed with a terrible headache. It must have been a good night. The party was definitely a success, I laid in bed staring at the ceiling. It must have been early because I could see darkness slowly fading from the sky.

I got up from my bed and noticed legs at the foot of my bed. Oh no, what did I do?!

I inched closer to the foot and all my thoughts came back from the night before. I remembered a girl walking me to my dorm. She was beautiful.

I looked on the floor and realized it was her.

If someone would see her here in the guys dorm we would be in so much trouble. Great.

"Are you awake?" I whispered.

Of course not Matthew!!! I thought to myself.

She started to stir in her sleep but I didn't want to wake her up. She looked so pretty.

I looked around my room and noticed a little bag. It must have been her purse thing or something because it was a little girly. There was a key hanging on the side and a number. It must be her room key.

I wasn't as great at my teleportation as I wanted to be but I decided to give it a whirl before I took her with me.

Concentrating on her room key it jumped me to it. I landed hard on the floor. I quickly got up because I didn't know If someone was in here. I looked on both beds, no one was in either. Yay.

I teleported back to my room and there she was. Slightly awake.

"Where am I?" She asked. I wrapped my arms around her and focused my thought on her bed. We were there in an instant.

"We're in your room. You should go back to sleep Bri." I mumbled in her ear. She laid in her bed and I covered her up.

I was getting a little weary so I stayed around just a few minutes more.

"I can't sleep now." I heard her say beneath the blanket. I couldn't help but smile. I didn't know her well, but I knew she was worth getting to know.

Jay

I'd rigged the cameras, the DA was out cold and everybody was free.

Kids crept out of the dorms and into the rec center, heading downstairs towards the basement and into the pool.

I had on jeans, a good break from all those khakis, with a graphic tee and leather jacket. The tee said "You read my t-shirt, that's enough social interaction for the day". I was wearing swim trunks underneath my pants, though. Just in case.

I stuck my hands in my pockets, toeing my converse shoe against the ground just as Aaron showed up.

"Hey," he said. He reeked of cigarettes. He was holding a large bag that clinked together when he moved it. Booze. "Where do you want it?" he asked.

"Uhhhh, let's see what you got here." I took it from him to find it was surprisingly heavy. It had several bottles of beer (maybe a two or three six packs) a couple of half empty bottles of jack daniels, dozens of those tiny bottles of alcohol adults get on airplanes and a large bottle of vodka.

"Wow, where did you get all of this?" I asked him.

"My room," he said flatly. He looked really pale and tired, dark circles under his eyes.

"C'mon, what's going on?" I asked him. "You look awful."

"Withdrawal from the various drugs I was using."

"You quit?" I asked, looking at him in surprise.

"O'Malley told me to. No, I don't know why that matters so much to me so just don't ask, okay?" I held my hands up in surrender before thanking him for the bag. I put out the alcohol as neatly as I could. It was an odd assortment to say the least.

Kids started showing up after that and somebody hooked up their phone to the speakers normally used for the intercom, announcements and commentary and such. I dragged my fingers through my messy brown hair, where was Lilah?

"Hey, Bela," I caught her arm. She was with a girl in a wheelchair. "You gonna turn into a dolphin for us? Maybe do some tricks?" I joked.

She blushed and shook her head. "The chlorine would kill me."

"What do you mean?" I responded.

"Chemicals like that are deadly to aquatic animals. If I die as an animal, I die as a person, too," she said, running her fingers through her hair.

"Oh, that's interesting. Just stick to kittens then, huh?" she hadn't gotten the joke and I felt awkward. But she smiled a little and walked away, Keigan right behind her trying to fight her way through the crowd.

Music was pumping and I was having a great time. Lilah finally showed up, her hair falling down her back in waves. She was wearing shorts with a ruffled light blue tank top and a dark blue cardigan and flip flops.

"Hey," I greeted her.

"Hey," she said laughing, "Nice shirt. I thought it was funny."

I noticed her use of the past tense. "thought." she must have seen it before she came in a vision.

"Thanks, did you bring a bathing suit?" I asked. She nodded, pulling her thumb through a black bathing suit strap underneath her clothing.

"I wore mine, too." I said, running my fingers through my disheveled hair.

"I know," she said, "We'll go swimming later. And, uh," she pointed towards a particularly thick cluster of people. "That's not good. Well, it's about to get not good. Somebody get help!" she called, just as a bunch of boys started to toss in a purple haired girl. I recognized her from power development class. That was Christie. Er, Chris.

"Guys," I tried to call out, if Lilah was worried, it wouldn't be good. But nobody heard me. They started to throw her in the water and she went flying, landing with a splash. I rushed forward, but another boy beat me to the punch.

Lilah and I both watched with concern as Christie was pulled from the water and revived before led somewhere more private to collect herself. After ensuring she was okay, Lilah and I turned back to the party.

"What did the fish say when it swam into a wall?" I asked. Lilah's eyes glazed over for a split second.

"Dam," she said grinning and I laughed.

I opened my mouth to tell another joke but she cut in, "Why did the lettuce blush red?"

"It saw the salad dressing," I answered and we both dissolved into fits of laughter.

In the end, Lilah was right. Both she and I decided to get in the water and swim around. We saw some other kids from fitness and we hung out with them. Stetson and Matt were there. Aaron was there but looking kind of out of it. Kaito found me and joined us and then Briony came. Lilah and I exchanged looks after Matt left with Briony but we didn't mention anything. It wasn't anybody's business but theirs.

Somebody got out a volleyball and we volleyed it around the pool, smacking everybody in the face and having a great time all around. I saw Bela sitting with Keigan at the edge of the pool, Keigan with her feet in the water and Bela in a black bikini swimming around by her.

"Hey Jay, turn invisible, I want to see what it looks like in the water!" Kaito called, a grin reaching his face as he caught the volleyball.

I did as he asked, feeling the familiar icy feeling reach my body as I turned. I could still see myself but the others gasped and pointed at the water's surface near my belly button. They all exclaimed that they could see my figure in the water. Kaito bounced the volleyball off my chest which made everybody laugh and then Lilah dunked me in the water.

I came up spluttering, grinning as I shook the water out of my hair and turned visible again. I finally started to get tired around 2 am or so, and decided to go back to the dorm.

"I'm heading out," I told Lilah, "Cameras are good so people should be fine getting back to the dorm. See you tomorrow?" I asked.

She nodded, "Have a good night."

Then Kaito and I made our way back to our dorm room before finally going to bed.

Bela Sing

"Will you go to the party with me?" Keigan asked, wearing a low cut tank top and short shorts. She stretched out her eyelid while looking in the mirror, applying thick black liner.

"Um."

"Please?" she asked, "I really want to go but I really don't want to go alone."

"I don't think it's a good idea," I murmured, settling back into my back and turning back to my book. "You're bound to get caught."

"Nope. That invisible kid, Jay, is rigging the cameras. Some seer said she doesn't see us getting caught in the future. Lily, Kyla, maybe?"

"Lilah," I supplied. She'd smiled at me in class on the first day, she was a nice girl. If Lilah saw that we weren't going to get caught then I trusted her word.

"Okay," I said, "let me put my swimsuit on under my clothes."

I was wearing a v neck t shirt, short shorts and converses, definitely much more casual than Keigan. I walked beside her as she chattered on about various things she was excited about for the party. Cute boys, music, alcohol. The works.

When we finally got there I ran into Jay briefly before joining Keigan for drinks. She took a beer but I settled for a can of soda somebody had bought at one of the student shops in the dorms.

We ended up at the poolside, her sitting on the edge with her feet dipped in and me swimming below her, my clothes in a heap next to her.

"Why are you so shy?" she asked suddenly.

"I'm not really sure," I replied, "I'm just not used to expressing things, I guess. My parents are Indian and the Indian culture is more private. We don't express things to strangers."

"I'm your roommate," she said, "I'm not a stranger."

"We've known each other for a week. You're still a stranger to me." I replied curtly. She looked a little hurt by that and we didn't talk much the rest of the party.

"Sorry," she muttered.

Briony Carter

I didn't know for sure how I had gotten back to my room, but all I seemed to recall was waking up on the floor of someones room, then appearing in my room. And then Matt, he had something to do with it. I wasn't sure how he had gotten me back there, but as quick as was had gotten there he was gone.

The last thing I had said to him was "I can't sleep now." and he gave me a smile and disappeared. I stared at the ceiling for a little bit, still a bit groggy. I hadn't gotten much sleep on the floor, I was also a bit sore. But it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

I heard a door open and close as I sat up and saw Cora walk in with a towel wrapped around her hair, she must've just come from taking a shower. "Where were you last night? You never came back?" I could see she looked awake and alert from the shower, but her eyes still betrayed her with there dark lines beneath them.

I wiped the sleep from my eyes, brushing my fingers through my hair to help keep it out of my face. "I was helping some guy get back to his dorm, I guess I fell asleep there."

"Well.. okay." She turned, sitting on her bed silent for now. This time pulling off her towel and braiding and unbraiding her hair.

I got up from my bed and stretched, really feeling last night on the floor. I grabbed a new set of clothes, changing into some shorts and a t-shirt and then turned back to Cora as I pulled my hair up. 'I'm going to be heading out alright?"

She nodded, "Don't be out to late." I chuckled, heading out finally. It was Saturday, a weekend, a day where I didn't have to go to class and do work. I wasn't sure where Matthew would be, but I could at least check his room.

When I got there I knocked on his door and he opened it, a bit surprised. "Bri? Oh hey..." He lifted his hand up to scratch the back of his hand. "I'm guessing you uh.. remember what happened last night?"

I nodded while he chuckled a bit nervously. "Mind explaining how exactly I got back to my dorm?

"Oh that? My powers teleportation." I nodded and rolled my eyes at him as he groaned a bit. Probably from all the drinks he had the night before that had made him drunk. "About that thing.. that happened last night... you know the.. crying part? Would you mind.. keeping that to yourself? I wouldn't want that getting around.."

"No problem, not like I'm screaming it at the top of my lungs, wanting the world to know it."

"Either way, thanks.. for everything. For being there for me last night. For taking me back to my dorm and staying with me... it was kind of embarrassing." I saw the way that he looked away from me, not able to look me in the eye.

"It's fine really Matt..." We stood there awkwardly for the moment. We weren't really sure what to talk about. I could tell he wanted to brush last night under the rug and just forget about it. I was feeling kind of fidgety myself, I didn't like the silence. It made me doubt myself and imagine what people could be saying about me behind my back.

"Would you.. want to go to breakfast with me? I mean you probably haven't eaten yet, it's only been like what an hour?" I sighed in relief when he broke the silence and I nodded my head vigorously. Standing mute in the boys hallway probably wasn't the best spot to be seen with anyone anyways. "Just wait there a sec while I change." He closed the door and I stood there waiting, when he came out he was in a new pair of jeans and a blue shirt that said "Swimming: because we're too sexy for a sport with clothes." I couldn't help but chuckle at it.

"That's a very punny t-shirt."

"Seriously? Punny?" he smiled at me, I smiled back and nodded as we walked out of the building and headed towards the mess hall. It was going to be an interesting weekend I could tell. Matt was already talking about going swimming sometime, or about the homework that was due Monday and even our power develop classes and how he was trying to teleport to places farther away.

Keigan Halter

Bela's a jerk. She was one of my only true friends I had ever had and she's denying it all. I grabbed a few beers and stowed them under my legs, nobody ever suspects the girl in the wheelchair. I rolled to the only open bathroom in the place and slammed the door shut with my mind.

"What a bitch..." I whispered crawling out of my chair and onto the floor dragging a beer down with me.

Then I started drinking, and drinking, and a little bit more drinking. Soon there were 6 empty beer bottles in the bathtub and I was very drunk.

I tried to stand but my chair seemed miles away for some reason. I tried to use my powers to bring it closer but it only seemed to rolled farther away. Great now I was just a drunk girl with jello legs AND no powers. Shit.

I stood using all my strength and the sink to pull my body up. I dragged myself across the counter and tried to fall into my chair, which resulted in a miss and pushing it farther back. My tears of frustration blurred my vision as dragged myself up again onto the sink counter pulling off a mirror and having it fall of my head.





I was 9 years old laying in a too cramped bed with Melly Tunner. She had gone to sleep, and I laid awake looking at the ceiling tracing the wood patterns with my eyes. Melly turned and kicked me, probably on purpose, then stole the small amount of sheets we shared before resting again. She always said I didn't deserve to live, who wants a cripple for a child anyways.



"I bet she's faking it," Amy Yusef whispered from the hall, "I bet she can walk fine and she just doesn't want to chores."

"A cripple and liar," Melly whispered back.

I flipped over in my cot and shot a pencil straight through the door.

The girls screamed and ran, I smiled.





"Keigan, wake up." Harris whispered kneeling by my side, his hand on my wrist.

I looked up at him and immediately rolled over and threw up. He didn't even seem to care, his hands were focused on my head now. I felt hot and my head was throbbing with pain.

"Okay Keigan, I think you're okay but I don't think you want anyone to see you like this, trust me." I nodded "Who should I call to get you to your dorm?"

"Bela..." I mumbled and pointed to my back where my phone was.

He nodded and grabbed it and started typing rapidly before putting the phone away. Maybe seconds later I heard a knock on the door.

"I'm sorry..."I mumbled as Bela came in and helped Harris get me in my chair.

"Hey don't think about that right now," She said looking at my head and the bathrooms mess. "Were you drinking?"

I nodded as she bit her lip and nodded and thanked Harris before rolling out. Tonight sucks.



(Sorry for the slang :c)

Aaron Van Amsberg

i dropped off the booze, honestly happy to be rid of it. I was still hesitant to part with it, though, especially when Jay seemed concerned about me. He looked a little less than his usual joking self.

I was still feeling kinda irritable so I walked outside to smoke a cigarette, the welcome smell of tobacco and smoke reaching my nose as I lit it. I began to feel something, a slight feeling of... longing. It wasn't me. I thought it was at first because I thought I was completely alone, but it was somebody else?

I waited for the feeling to go away, but it felt stronger and stronger. Then there was fear, and a shaky feeling of... insistence. Like this person was trying to cast away something they were afraid of, but they weren't fooling anybody, including themself.

Then a familiar figure came into view, the moonlight highlighting her pale, papery skin. Her raven black hair contrasting against her skin.

"Hello, Cora," I said, taking another puff of my cigarette before calmly blowing it out in smoke rings.

"Aaron," she said, squinting, trying to see my face around all the smoke. "I heard there's a party going on in there," she added.

"Yep, just getting started. I would invite you in but you don't really like people, do you." It wasn't a question. I puffed the cigarette once more, enjoying the feeling of calm that washed through my body. Cora's emotions made me uneasy and I focused on trying to block them out.

She came closer and I could see her better, the long, navy blue shirt that went past her wrists along with the jeans that were tucked into boots.

"I like people," she said, but she felt a pang of remorse, a pang that echoed through me as her emotions entered my body.

"You don't like what you do to them." Once again, not a question.

She didn't answer, instead she tucked at her wrists. I felt her emotions spark into nervousness, fear, that she was pushing away. Another illusion, no doubt.

I summoned a feeling of calmness into my body, not necessarily euphoria, but I focused on how the cigarettes made me feel as I took one last puff and dropped it to the ground, grinding it into the cement with my sneaker. I then pushed that feeling towards her. I could feel some of it got lost, somehow. I couldn't make her feel completely calm, I could only ease some of it. I was just sick of all the angst.

"Thanks," she said, and I felt her emotional levels dropped as whatever illusion was bothering her left.

"It's based on emotion, isn't it." I said.

"Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes there seems to be no trigger at all. And sometimes it becomes my world, enveloping me. It becomes my world. That's when it's the worst," she paused. "No, that's a lie. The worst is when it hurts other people. It doesn't seem to hurt you."

I lit another cigarette. "O'Malley said he thinks I'm immune to it, which is why he assigned us together. I haven't seen anything fucked up yet, so I think we're good."

She nodded, "You don't think I'm crazy, though." her bright eyes seemed ot bug out of her skull as they darted around nervously.

"That's because I felt what you did on the first day of school. I felt that awful terror. Hell, if I went through that on a daily basis I wouldn't look nearly as hot as you," I said sarcastically, poking a little fun. It made her smile, though. All those other kids in the party had already found a romantic interest and latched on. I knew Cora and I wouldn't be anything more than friends, but I also knew she was the kind of girl that didn't smile a lot.

What was I becoming? I didn't care about anybody but myself.

"Thanks." she coughed as a ring of smoke reached her face. "I better go," she said, not even waiting for a response before she turned and walked off.

Oren Blackburn

I awoke groggily to find that I was on the floor outside my room. And I had no recollection of how I had got there. Checking my watch, I saw that it was 2:45 am, which was strange, since I had been sure that the last time I had checked it was !:15, and that had seemed just a few minutes ago.

The last thing I remembered was that someone had offered to get me a drink to celebrate my heroic rescue, and I had asked for orange juice. When it was brought to me, I had drunk it quickly. I also remembered that it had it had tasted funny, and concluded that the drink had probably not actually been orange juice.

Deciding to let the hour and a half of my life that I had missed go, I stepped into my room. As i did, I noticed a guy in pajamas reading on the bed next to mine.

"Hey, Chris!" I muttered, trying to give a friendly smile despite my tired state.

"Oh, hey Oren." he muttered, looking embarrassed as he saw me.

I sat down heavily on my bunk and yawned. "By the way," I said, my curious streak coming in, "about the matter with the changing rooms and Christie-"

"Can we please let it drop?" Chris cut in. "I really just want to let it go."

Considering this, I then said, "Well, it really brings out my curiosity...how about I just ask one question, and then we let it drop?"

Chris looked thoughtful for a moment before muttering, "Alright."

i smiled and asked, "So your story is that Christie ran into the changing room with you in it, then took off her bikini, and teleported out?"

Chris blushed at that and said, "Yeah. So what?"

Oren grinned. "Oh, nothing. Just making sure I got the story straight."

Chris blushed a brighter shade, and said, "Well, nice to meet you Oren. Good night." and he turned off the lights.

After I had changed, i lay down in bed, and as I was falling asleep, Chris called out, "Oh, by the way, thank you."

I frowned and replied, "For what?"

"For saving m- I mean, Christie." he said.

I turned to look towards him quizzically, though I couldn't really see him in the dark. "Are you guys close or something?"

He chuckled and replied, "Yeah, you could say that."

Well, that was weird. I thought before finally succumbing to exhaustion and falling asleep.

Lilah


“Have a good night!” I say as Kaito and Jay head back to their dorm. Right after they turn away, I feel a twinge of annoyance. “Hey!” I call- right as Stetson dunks me under. Water instantly fills my lungs. I fling an arm out for the wall, miss and instead hit it with my elbow, before finally gaining enough footing to push myself back up above surface. I emerge coughing and sputtering.

Stetson grins sheepishly at me. “Sorry about that. Didn’t think you were still talking.”

“Me… either.” I manage between coughs. God. Why does your throat practically burn when you choke on water? It’s not like it’s hot.

“It wasn’t me this time!” Dimi throws up his hands in mock praise.

“Nope! What fun... would... it be if... you drowned two girls... in the same night?” I say, but with a smile. Dimi was let out of the dog house a couple hours ago.

My cough finally settles to a small tickle in my throat. “Anyway. I’m gonna take that as a sign that it’s time for me to start heading out too.”

I pull myself out of the pool and wave bye as Dimi cracks one more prophet joke. It takes a little bit to gather up my things, as someone decided to kick around all the bags, but once I find my towel I dry off, pile twist my towel over my head, and slip my clothes back over my suit.

The air is nice and cool against my skin. I slowly walk over to the dorm enjoying the familiar twinge of the salty air. Mom still hadn’t written me back, despite the rambling letters I sent every day. Neither had Maurice, but then again, I only had a half-hearted hope that they’d get delivered anyway. It was different with my mom. She always wrote, and sent stuff along the way.

What if he lied? I smirk as I toy with the idea of being kidnapped and held prisoner at this school. Maybe Mom wasn’t sending any letters because she didn’t know I had an address to send them to. What-his-name, the guy who picked me up could have been lying.

I laugh at myself and shake my head. As interesting as a story that would be, it’s pretty unlikely. Plus, the students here are great for the most part, and the teachers haven’t been horrible. More likely she has been sending letters, but made a misprint on the address.

“Oh no,” I murmur as I approach the dorm. I get a sinking feeling in my gut, and when I finally yank on the door, it doesn’t budge. Someone bumped the door jam.

“Ok, Lilah? How are ya going to get inside?” For once in my life, I actually regret not agreeing to get a cellphone. If I could, I’d call Nyx. “Hmm…” Leave it to me to get locked out of the dorm after a party. I start circling the building in search of a light left on- but to no luck.

I groan and flop on the grass. Until I can think of something else, looks like I’m either staying here or sleeping in the pool’s bathroom.

"Come on Kaito! Tell me what he said! It can't be that bad. Wren has been twittering so excitedly all day! Please tell me."

Kaito pursed his lips and made eye contact with the bird - or however he thought that was possible. Birds had such small eyes, and they were on both sides of their head. That meant their vision was majorly impaired in the very front and back, right? Agh, whatever. By any means, Wren was being a difficult little twerp.

"He... he doesn't want me to tell you. I don't get why he'd be so talkative though if he didn't want to tell you." He spoke with a humorous edge to his voice, eyeing Wren out of the corner of his eye.

Trixie bit her lip and looked between Kaito and Wren. "Why can't you tell me? I mean, it sounds important..."

Kaito responded with an over exaggerated shrug. "Well, I mean, he can't stop me from telling you, right? Like, what's the worst thing he can do? Pluck my eyes out?" ...Wait. That actually was a really bad way to go. "Actually - on second thought. Never mind." For some reason Wren was looking very intimidating. Kaito never thought he could be so scared of a bird before.

"Maybe a hint?" Trixie asked, hopefully. Apparently her curiosity wasn't going to be dampened at Kaito's expense.

"Uhhh... ok. Here's one!" Kaito exlaimed with a clever smile, and continued with the lowest voice he could muster. "Wren smells the scents of the fallen."

Trixie inched back, half smiling, with one brow raised. "What the...?"

"Pffff, hahahahha!" Kaito burst out into laughter, unable to maintain the seriousness of his original delivery. "I'm just joking! Hahahaa... well, sort of. Not really. Yeah."

"You know what, maybe I really don't need to know," Trixie smiled, shaking her head.

"Hahaha, don't worry about it Trix. At least he's not a cuckoo bird! Ahhh??" Man, he was on fire today with these jokes!

"Oh, shut up, princess!" Trix laughed.

"Take away the 'ess' and sure, Trix!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The party was long, wild, and full of adolescent antics, awkward flirting, and inexperienced underage drinkers. Fortunately for Kaito, it wasn't his first experience with drinks. He grew up in a home that was pretty relaxed about drinking, and he got to taste some as a kid. Of course, it was always supervised by his parents, but, he'd never really gotten into beer all that much. Sure, it must've been great to drink a ton and get drunk - in the moment - but it was far much more entertaining to watch and observe the drunken teens (At least for this first party. Let's test the waters first before we dive in). Seriously - those kids were crazy.

But the party was really fun! He had a great time with Trix, and getting to know other students. Jumping around in the pool felt rather natural, apart from the fact that it was chemical filled and see-through. Growing up around lakes didn't really dampen his appreciation for the whole swimming experience though. That, and there were of course less things to worry about - like snakes or leeches or anything else funky in the water. Instead he got to trade that for cute and awkward girls (and boys, but eh).

Getting home was pretty easy with Jay keeping the whole invisibility thing up. When they got home though, Jay practically passed out on his bed. Seemed that the invisibility act took a lot of energy out of him, especially since he had to basically escort a bunch of people back and forth.

Kaito followed his lead and leapt into bed. K.O.

Chris | Saturday

The water rippled beneath my eyelids and I felt the convulsions starting in my lungs and ripping through my whole body, the pushing, pulling, desperate insistence that I open my mouth and gasp in-

air? I took several deep, clawing breaths as I opened my eyes and stared gratefully at the ceiling.

"You okay?" Oren asked. I looked over at his bed and almost had a heart attack when I saw him levitating above it, casual as anything and holding a book. I grasped my chest with my hand until I could breathe normally again.

"Yeah... yeah. I just- I- Christie could have died yesterday. I guess I feel kind of messed up." I sat up and rubbed some of the sweat streaking down my face into my hair. Yuck.

"Good."

I blinked at him and my face must have given away my shock because he held up a pacifying hand and explained:

"I mean, I'm glad that wasn't just another day here. I don't think I could cope if it was."

"Tell me about it," I mumbled and quickly changed the subject: "What are you reading?"

"It's called 'The Son of Neptune', it's a new series I've started and they're pretty good. What about you, what were you reading last night?"

Of course, changing the subject only worked if you changed it to something you wanted to talk about. "Oh- uh. I'm not much of a reader myself, but my sister gave me this book and I couldn't sleep, so-" I tried to shrug it off as Oren's eyes flicked to the front cover of the book on my night stand. Can you Keep a Secret was actually one of the funniest books I'd ever read but I doubted my roommate was a chick lit fan.

"But hey, Neptune; your book sounds cooler than mine. Did you know that's actually the name the Romans gave to the Greek God Poseidon? They stole all of theirs from us."

Oren smiled slightly and he fixed his eyes on me, maybe a little more keenly than I was comfortable with. It made me think about the way Jo had looked at me yesterday before she winked - what had that been about? We hadn't talked before, in fact me admiring her short, ruffled hair was probably about as much social interaction as we'd had but she- winked at me.

"You're Greek?" Oren asked.

"A quarter, on my mum's side, but we go back to see the family every year. Hey, do you mind if I grab a shower? I stink of chlorine."

Oren looked like he wanted to say more but instead he mumbled, "okay", and went back to looking at his book.

I grabbed a towel and couldn't get in the shower quick enough; the hot water was glorious on my skin and I didn't think about the water in the pool, not even a little.

After my shower, going to the courtyard seemed like a good idea and I managed to convince Oren to come along.I jokingly said it was so I could show off my life-saving roommate but I actually wanted the buffer in case nobody else showed up.

I needn't have worried though - Nyx and Lilah were both there and so were Jay and Aaron, which was less exciting. Jay was one of the people from my peer group and one of the only people who knew I was both Chris and Christie and while he hadn't said anything last night, despite my ridiculous pantomime in the changing rooms, I wasn't exactly sure that he wouldn't get a kick out of it.

"Oh look, there's, uh- Jo. And Trixie. Let's go say hi." I grabbed Oren's arm and steered him in their direction instead, my basketball tucked under my arm. I thought I saw Nyx shoot a questioning glance our way but I tried not to think about it. I was pretty sure that either Christie or I were going to have to stop being friends with her to have any chance of not getting found out and I didn't want to think about that either.

"Hey, you remember Oren, the kid who saved that girl, right?" I pushed Oren forward like he might be able to shield me from the awkwardness of the situation but he'd gone quiet all of a sudden and pulled his arm away like I'd burned him.

"I remember you," Jo said with a slow smile. I thought she had to be talking to Oren but she was looking at me and then her eyes slid to him at the last moment. My heart was thudding in my chest - had she done that on purpose?

Jo Kincaid

Maybe this place won't be so bad after all. Classes seemed to pass faster than in past, and soon, Jo found herself talking with one of her classmates, Trixie from 1st Period History. I was grateful for her, as I hadn't needed to really say that History class was not my favorite. She stepped up and now the two of us were working on homework, Nyx, Lilah, Aaron and Jay all a short distance away.

My attention was pulled from reading about the Alamo then by footsteps and I looked up to find Chris and Oren walking up. I try in vain to hide a slight smile. The hero and the bystander. Ha. Chris speaks up first as he pushed Oren forwards a few steps. "Hey, you remember Oren, the kid who saved that girl, right?" My failing attempt at keeping a straight face finally falls apart and I allow a grin to creep across my features. "I remember you." I pointedly leave my gaze on Chris before letting my eyes dart over to Oren. "That was pretty awesome of you to go in after... Christie like that." I add just the slightest emphasis to her name and let my eyes dart back over to Chris for a moment. "Speaking of which, has anyone seen her today? I wanted to ask if she was ok after all that. Seems like it was pretty scary." My question is mostly met with frowns and head shakes. No one's seen her, was the general consensus. I offer another light smile. "Well I hope she's ok. Chris, you seem pretty close. Would you give her my good wishes?"

With that, I blink. Slowly. When I open my eyes, the world has gone into slow motion, Chris' mouth only starting to open at an almost comic speed. I close the few feet between us and take out crumpled notecard from my pocket, scribbling a short note on the paper before slipping it into his own pocket. I take a few steps back again, taking my place.

Crack

"I-" Chris stops mid word and blinks in confusion and surprise. Don't smile, don't smile, don't smile... I've never had an easy time keeping it together when a little fun and pranks are involved. I had taken care to only slow the world around me instead of stopping it, though that might have been good anyways what with that last headache.... No doubt Chris and the others had seen a faint blur.

And noticed my shift.

I swear inwardly. I really need to practice getting back into the same position before starting things back up again. It's probably not the most easily missed thing for someone to simply move a few inches in whatever direction. Oh well. It was usually funnier anyway. I smile again before Chris shakes off whatever was going through his head and continues, though somewhat more cautiously now while his hand drifts to his pocket. I shake my head almost imperceptibly. Later. If he read it now then drama would follow and oof. I don't like drama...

Oren Blackburn

I scanned down the list of team tryouts to see if anything was up my alley, with Chris right beside me.

"Swim team tryouts are next week. I'll probably do that. See anything you might go for?"

Chris was staring out into the distance, his eyes glazed over. I clicked my fingers in front of him and he stirred to life, muttering, "Wha- what?"

I sighed and repeated my question. Once again, I wondered what had gotten into him. After our short conversation with Jo, Chris had gone to the bathroom, and come back with a face as white as chalk.

Plus, he wouldn't tell me what happened, pretending everything was fine. But after that, he went into thoughtful states more and more often, as if he was thinking something very important over.

Presently, he answered, "I dunno...I'm not that into sports. Except basketball."

"Basketball team tryouts are on tuesday. Going?" I asked, checking it on the list.

Chris shrugged and replied, "Maybe. I'll think about it. Besides, I don't think it would be fair, since some kids would have useful superpowers for that and others wouldn't."

I nodded and continued to look through the list. "Hey, they have a surf team! That sounds fun."

Chris frowned. "I doubt most kids go the sea often. How could they get enough surfing kids for the team?"

I stabbed at the bottom of the list with my finger. "It says here that there are surf lessons starting monday. I suppose that you can learn surfing, and if you feel you're good enough, you can go for the tryouts on friday. But I already know surfing, and I'm pretty good at it. But hey, maybe I'll take the classes just for fun, to get extra time in the water."

Chris grinned. "Sounds fun. I might just join that."

I replied, "Yeah, you should. It would be nice to do it with someone I know here."

Then I continued to look down the list and said, "Track's on Wednesday. Might go for that. Hey, if you're good at basketball, you might be a good runner. How fast are you?"

I turned to see that Chris had gone back into worried, thoughtful mode. Somethings not right... I thought to myself as I tapped him on the shoulder.

"Huh?" said Chris.

I sighed. "You're not listening to much, are you? What happened, bro?"

Chris gave a forced smile and replied, "Nothing. I'm fine. Perfectly fine, nothing wrong."

I rolled my eyes. "You're a terrible liar." I said, noting his nervous manner, and Chris blushed with embarrassment.

I was about to ask a few searching questions, when I noticed someone nearby, also checking out the list.

I remembered her as a beautiful blonde from the previous night, who had surprised me, and decided to greet her.

"Hey." I said with a smile. "You're Lilah, right? I think I remember you from fitness."

Lilah smiled back replied, "Yeah, that's right. And you're Oren Blackburn, aren't you?"

I looked at her quizzically. "How did you know that?" I asked. 'I never introduced myself."

Lilah replied, "You saved that girl, Christie. I think everyone knows your name now. What you did caused quite a scene last night."

I laughed and replied, "Yeah, the way, have you seen her? I wanted to see if she was alright."

Chris blushed when I said that. What is up with him? I wondered as Lilah replied, "No, I haven't. I would think she'd approach you, since you rescued her. She'd probably want to thank you."

I shrugged. "Maybe. By the way, about last night, you warned me about her before it happened. I take your power is precognition?"

Lilah's eyes twinkled as she nodded. "And I'm guessing from what happened last night when I warned you-I mean you levitating ten feet in the air-that your ability is flight?"

I grinned mischievously. 'Yeah, but not just that. I have another power too, wanna see?"

Lilah grinned. "Sure!" she said.

I rubbed my hands together. I love this part. I thought to myself.

"You may want to get aside." and she did, looking at him with curiosity.

I took in a deep breath, preparing. As I started to exhale, Lilah exclaimed, "Wait, you're gonna get hur-" but it was too late, I had already used blast breath.

Dirt and stones flew up into the air. When the dust cleared, I could see a guy, who had apparently just come out of the gym, covered in a layer of soil. He glared at me angrily.

"You're gonna pay for that." He muttered angrily, an opened his mouth. A number of thorn-like things shot out of his mouth, flying towards me.

I quickly used another blast breath, and the horns flew out, and the other guy had to duck to dodge his own projectiles.

"Sorry, but it was an accident. You were just asking for that." I said with a grin, before noticing Lilah and Chris looking at me with horror.

I looked at where they were staring to see that a spike was embedded in my shoulder. Blood trickled down from the wound.

"Huh." I muttered, my eyebrows furrowing. "You know, it actually doesn't hur-"
Then my tongue went numb, stopping me from speaking.

'They cause paralysis." said the boy who had shot the thorn things at me, with a malicious grin.

I closed my mouth, in anticipation of that becoming numb too, so I wouldn't be paralyzed with my mouth hanging open, looking like an idiot.

I fell to the ground as my legs went, and after that my entire body became paralyzed, my eyes staring up at the sky.

"You're Chris, right?" I heard Lilah say, "Help me carry him. We have to get him to the infirmary."

As they started to lift me, I thought morosely, Great. I finally meet a pretty girl that I have the courage to talk to, and I end up collapsed on the ground in front of her. This day could not get any worse.