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Whitney sat down and began to breathe deeply. She hated having anxiety attacks in front of people. Especially since it was a lot of people that usually caused the anxiety attacks. If she was in class answering questions, she was fine. If it was a small party, she would blend in, but otherwise would be fine. Being the target of so many people always made her feel pressured. Had she been alone, she knew she would have had a panic attack and probably dropped to the ground in the fetal position. She was lucky Aiden and Chester were there, for what it's worth.

As she took some breaths and let the boys talk, she gathered her own thoughts to what transpired. Aiden mentioned having that tingly feeling especially around her. She had to chuckle at that thought. It made her feel better to find some humor in their situation. But still, she tried to remember that tingly feeling. She remembered when she drank the punch she felt the tingle, but she assumed it was the drug. She didn't feel that tingle until she stepped outside the hospital.

"Nothing strange has happened to me, as far as I know. This tingly sensation you mention, I feel it too, but I feel it only when I'm outside. Like now, I can kind of feel it. I assumed it was because of that discharge. In fact, ever since that I felt it more."

Whitney closed her eyes again and let the sun hit her. She felt insanely better being in sunlight. She felt the ground below her. She tried to think of happier thoughts. Her mother always told her to think of a picture that made her happy. She remembered one she took. It was a field of white flowers. The sun lit them up and the shadow work was some of her best. She still had that photo.

She felt a small tickle on her toes, but she ignored it. Probably a bug. Then another. And then another. She looked down, and she let out a small gasp.

White flowers began sprouting from the ground in front of her. They continued to grow and grow. Bigger than the flowers in her picture. She felt like the flowers were responding to her thoughts. Responding to her! She swallowed and stopped thinking. The flowers immediately stopped growing. She reached out and felt them. They were real.

She looked around. Had she just done that? That wasn't natural.

She looked at the two boys to gauge their reaction. She couldn't quite put it together herself. "Ok, what the actual hell is going on?"

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Whitney continued to stare at the flowers that grew in disbelief. There was no way she did that. That was physically impossible. That was something out of a comic book. And yet Chester wasn't surprised. The boy even seemed giddy at this revelation. She could control flowers (perhaps more?) and Aiden could control electricity.

She eyed Aiden who remained quiet. He appeared to not want to deal with this either. She wanted to go back to the time when she was just an average college student, hoping to make it big in the world. She wanted to go back to her dorm room and watch Youtube videos before classes started. She wanted to sip Chai Lattes at Starbucks while browsing Amazon for photography accessories.

She didn't want this!

After recollecing herself, she came to the conclusion that a normal life just wasn't in the picture. Even if she didn't have some sort of plant powers, there was still the matter of the beach party. She was now marked and that would come into effect later. So either way, she was stuck.

If all else, she was stuck with people who she actually kind of liked. Chester, though he was way too into all of this, seemed nice enough and Aiden was sweet. Chester wanted to test their powers and have a safe place to do so. She didn't imagine he would take no for an answer. She wanted to understand why and it would be better to see if she could control it better so the next time she thought about flowers they didn't just magically grow.

Aiden seemed to struggle with it, but in the end he decided he was in. The others looked at her for her answer. To hell with it.

"All right, I'm in." She added her hand to the group. Life was definitely never going to be the same again.

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She watched Chester a bit quizzically. He seemed to be enjoying this whereas she was still getting used to the idea she had some type of power to control plants. She waved goodbye to him as he left, leaving her and Aiden alone. Aiden seemed worried, asking her questions about Chester and the doctor. She had to admit, Chester was a bit too into all of this, but perhaps the guy was just excited. He seemed like the type to enjoy a comic book or two and this was right out of one.

"Yeah, but perhaps Chester is just excited? I mean, if you think about it, this isn't something that happens every day. Or ever, really. The doctor did ask me for a blood sample, but I didn't give him one. He kind of felt off to me. Like he was trying to play on my emotions to get me to do it. If he knows something, it may be best to not go back to that hospital. And what of everyone else? If he are seen, then surely the authorities would be called. The government could take us away and experiment on us." She could feel herself getting more worried and she could see Aiden grow concerned. He started to spark and she could see little flowers poking out of the sidewalk at her feet.

She took a deep breath and calmed down. "Ok, Aiden, calm down. It seems if we let our emotions get the better of us our powers go out of whack. I am sure we'll be fine. Chester will, hopefully, have some precautions so we don't injure ourselves or each other. And we'll be really careful. If this ends up being too much, we can stop. But part of me wants to explore this. To understand why and how."

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They had a plan then. It felt good having people she could rely on. She wasn't sure if she would make any friends when she attended. She wasn't the most popular girl in high school but she had her group of friends she did stuff with. They were all over the country now though. She doubted they would keep in touch. She was just hoping to find the occasional study buddy or perhaps a super chill person to go out with every so often. Yet here she was with two people that she was dragged into this weird situation with.

What would she do about her family though? Should she tell them? Her sister was pursuing her medical license, perhaps she would be a useful ally? Her parents would understand, wouldn't they?

She had very few people she could trust. Aiden and Chester were among them.

She heard Aiden's stomach growl and stifled a smile. She was hungry too and could deal with a nice, hot shower. His suggestion for a buffet was a good one. She could eat and use the break. Was he asking her on a date though?

No, she figured. This was just two people who now had powers going to eat brunch together. "Yeah, that sounds good. Lord knows I could use a shower right now. Should we meet at the buffet or outside of campus?"

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This was so not a date.

She had only just met Aiden. She didn't know much about him other than he was a good ol' Southern Boy and played sports. She didn't want a boyfriend this early on in her college career. She wanted to focus on her studies, get the basics out of the way first before she even considered dating. School was hard enough as it is without relationships playing a part.

She would have to be stupid to not consider Aiden cute. Of course, he was, but she didn't want to jump into things with him. He was nice to have as a friend, but nothing more.

Right?

As Whitney walked along campus, she kept getting the feeling she was being watched. Every time she looked up she didn't see anyone. There were some students sitting on the grass reading, some talking on nearby tables while they ate breakfast, one was playing the guitar over by the fountain, but none were looking in her direction. None she saw, at least.

Would this be it now? Would she be marked alongside Aiden and Chester as the ones to cause last night's events? Surely it would blow over? No, of course, it wouldn't just blow over. Not only is some rich kid getting involved in this, but people died. Would the police get involved? Would they look at them as suspects? She wasn't sure she could handle that. Why the hell didn't she just stay in her room?

She got to her dorm and entered. She looked around the room and couldn't help but glance at Madison's bed. Her things were still there. Would the school be calling her parents to let them know? Should she call them? Probably not, it would be best if things were official. She may not have talked to Madison much, but she had a feeling the girl would have been a great roommate. The foil to her personality, but she liked her. Whitney sighed and sat on her bed, bringing her knees to rest her forhead on. She just needed a minute to clear her thoughts before she got ready.

That was when the door opened and she heard that voice.

"Well, if it isn't Whitney."

Whitney looked up to see none other than Madison in front of her. The girl was dressed in a yellow sundress, her red hair still the same length. But nevermind that. She was alive! Whitney wanted to get up and hug the girl, but Madisons face was not one happy to see her. "I invite you to a party, and the first thing you and your friends do is poison, everyone? I thought you were some wallflower type person, not a serial killer!"

So it would seem the rumors were still spreading. Whitney stood up, holding her hands up in defense, "No, Madison, you got it wrong! We didn't do that. It was some group of guys associated with someone named Quinton. He's also spreading the rumors it was us. Please, beleive me, I would never do somethign like that." Madison scoffed, "Oh pelase, Quinton wouldn't do that. His family would cut him off if he gets in trouble again. Plus, I was with Quinton that night. We spent some time together before...before everyone started bleeding..." She looked at Whitney and if looks could kill, Whitney would be dead. What could she do to convince her?

"Please, Madison, it wasn't me, it wasn't Aiden or Chester either. If it wasn't Quinton directly, it was his freinds and he's defending them. We were affected too!" That's when she got an idea. If Chester could be a confidante, then perhaps....

"Me and Aiden drank the punch and lived, but we were affected. If you want proof, come to the football field tonight by the bleachers. I'll be there with Aiden and Chester and we can prove it to you. Give me this one chance. Please?"

Madison looked at her, but softer this time. She wanted to believe her, she could tell, but her mind wrestling with the idea that Quinton would do something like that. Were the two dating?

It took a minute, but Madison finally nodded, "Fine, but it better be convincing."

She had no idea.

---

After Whitney showered, she put on a scarlet long sleeve shirt and some dark wash jeans. She didn't want to come off as datey, but she wanted to look good. Why did she want to look good?

Either way, she looked around for Aiden, finally finding him as he called for her. She ran up and got into the passenger seat. "Hey, nice ride. Ok so where are we going?"

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The car ride was about as awkward as one could get. She didn't know why she was feeling so...fluttery. This wasn't a date, right? Still, she had to admit he looked really handsome. And it was sweet he offered to take her.

"You had me at bacon." Whitney was starving and the sound of any food, especially bacon, had her mouth all but water. Soon, music was playing from Aiden's radio and it was a Nirvana song. She didn't dislike Nirvana, but it wasn't a band she typically listened to. "They're all right, I guess." Aiden's knowledge of them was evident and it was kind of cute. She listened to the song as they drove on.

Soon they arrived and Aiden quickly got out of the car and let her out. She chalked it up to a good Southern upbringing (the one where mama would slap him upside the head if he forgot to say please and thank you). They stepped inside and Aiden talked to the hostess. The hostess seemed nice enough but she was taken aback when she called the two of them a couple. "Oh but..." but the hostess was already walking towards their table.

Were they a couple? Even if this was a date, she wasn't the type to claim couple-dom after one date. She wanted to focus on herself first, especially given all the madness of recent events.

As she sat down, she saw Aiden pull up a menu and hide his face. She tilted her head in confusion, considering they had come for the buffet. Once he realized it, he got up.

She followed, making her way to the buffet. She gathered a few things that looked good: some pancakes, bacon (of course) scrambled eggs, and some wheat toast before she made her way back to the table. A waitress came around and asked if she wanted some coffee. She didn't know if Aiden wanted any, but perhaps he did. "Yes, please. Two cups, my friend is getting food." She felt herself wince at calling him a friend. Was that involuntary?

The waitress poured two cups and set them down, offering to get them anything else they needed. Whitney shook her head no and the waitress smiled and walked off. She waited for Aiden to sit back down before she would start.

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