"Are you planing on running away?
Did you get enough of this mess yet, love?
Or are you just tired?"
- E. E. B.
EMA's point of view
The boy in white shirt and black casual jeans looked at us. He had very serious expression. Not for a second he didn't move his hand from red flower that was freely blooming in his palm.
I think I can guess his power. It has something to do with flowers surely.
"Yuko?" Malia said. You must be kidding me! They know each other?
"Malia, dearest, I haven't seen you for so long.", flower boy said. He ignored all of us and went to Malia. "How have you been since then?"
Malia smiled softly at him. "Everything is going well. What about you?"
"Hello! Are just going to ignore us?" Astra said. Zack put his hands on Astra's waist and kissed top of his head from behind. "Baby, give them a moment.", Zack said.
Astra pouted but listened to his boyfriend.
"Yuko, Francesca, we have something to tell you.", Malia said. Her face went all serious. "We know about your powers and have them too. Francesca, number three, power of thunder and Yuko, number seven, power of nature."
Yuko and Fran both calmly approached the situation. Especially Yuko. He seemed unfazed, bored even.
"Okay, so what do we do now?" Yuko asked.
"Go to sleep? We are all too tired to think about anything." Connor answered what we have all been thinking. I smiled. He looked at me smiling and gave me a wink.
Oh Lord...
"Wait, should we meet tomorrow too?" Astra said. He looked like he wanted it.
"We do. Yuko, Fran and Ema, could you come to Gardaland tomorrow?" Malia asked.
I nodded. "I can make it.", Yuko said.
"I'll see with my team mates. I can't just go wherever I want to.", was what Fran said.
I felt weak on my legs. It was late, so late. Probably somewhere around three in the morning and I was pretty much walking dead. Astra looked tired too. He was constantly clinging on Zack to the point where Zack lifted him up and princess carried him to the hotel.
As we reached the lobby I quietly said Good Night to everyone and went to big golden hall.
"I'll go back to the garden. If anyone is planning on saying up, you can come with me.", Yuko said.
"I'll go!" Fran called and went with him. By this point I was left alone with Connor since Zack called taxy for him, Astra and Malia.
"Can I take to your room? You look unable to walk.", Connor said. I nodded eagerly. He walked to me and slowly walked with me to bathroom section. Again he held onto me and so did I.
"I mean, I need number of your room first.", he said. So he hugged and then asked me for room number? Was that done on purpose?
"Two hundred and three." I said, barely keeping my eyes open. Then we were just gone and appeared in front of my room.
But he did not let go of me yet. My head was on his chest, arms clinging to his back while his head was on top of mine and arms around my waist.
"Goodnight Ema.", he said and vanished.
Let me tell you this: I was fooled by boys few times in my life. By their smiles, soft touches. I was blinded by their gentleness, drugged in their lies, blind to see hate I created towards myself. He would kiss me and tell me to put some make up on, dress in tighter clothes, less clothes and go with him.
When things got toxic for me, Luka pulled me out. My brother saved me. Good thing I was fooled twice, only twice, but I learned to turn blind eye to their lies.
Who does this boy, Connor, think he is to wake up that feeling I buried deep? How dares he?
I grabbed my hoodie where my chest it and tried to put it back into its place. Please stop, I barely know him. Darn it, I'm not like this! I don't like boys so soon! This is so careless from me!
I went into my room, quietly so I don't wake up Luka or dad. This was a long day, one of longest I've ever had.
But tomorrow I can start over. I can sleep over this feeling and wake up normal. As normal as I can be. I want someone to share my feelings with, but I'm sure that it will not be a boy I fell for the day I met him.
So I slept.
Until my favorite song woke me up.
I went down for breakfast with dad and Luka.
"Ema, it's nice to see you again!" Yuko called behind me with Fran next to him. I guess they got closer.
"Could you be any louder? I'm sure every person in this hotel heard you.", Fran replied. Okay what happened? Yuko rolled his eyes. "Hey, brat, don't roll your eyes on me!"
"We are basically the same age!" Yuko said and turned to Fran. What is happening?
"Yes, but you are acting like a brat."
"I am FAR more mature than you!"
"Could you stop, please?" I jumped into their conversation. Both of them looked at me apologetically and nodded, but still send glared to each other.
We headed to dining room together where Luka and dad already ate together and chatted. I didn't want to bother them and I already had important things to discuss so I let them be. Instead of sitting next to them, Fran, Yuko and I sat together further away from them so they couldn't hear what were we talking about.
"What are you guys going to eat?" I asked since they didn't.
"I don't know. Can you recommend me something, dear?" Yuko said. I think it's very cute of him to give names as darling or dear to others.
"I'm not sure. This egg thing is okay, I guess. I ate that yesterday.", I told him.
"It would kill you to ask my opinion, huh?" Fran added angrily. Seriously, what happened yesterday when they went to garden?"
Yuko didn't answer her question. We called a waitress, ordered our food and started to talk about our powers. Fran said that she had short temper ever since she was a kid and was more of outdoors person so her thunder power suits her personality. She told us that nobody except her ex-girlfriend knows about her powers and she is sure that her ex won't tell anyone.
Yuko said that his power is also very tied with his personality. He is a fan of perfection and beauty and in his opinion those two words perfectly describe nature. He also said that back at his home, in Japan, nobody knows about his power, but everybody knows about beauty of his garden.
Now that I think about it, my power goes with my personality too. Happy, with big imagination. It just fits perfectly.
We ate and talked.
And I felt peaceful. Even if all of this was confusing, I genuinely felt peaceful.
Like I belonged here.
When dad and Luka finished their breakfasts, I went with them to our room. We got ready for Gardaland and sat in our car.
Ride was much longer then last time. Every single minute was much longer than it should be. I knew it was because I was excited to meet my new friends, but I still couldn't believe how five minutes ride turned to twenty minutes in my head.
"Dad, is it okay if I hang out with friends I met yesterday?" I asked dad. He took few seconds to answer. I'm sure he was scared for me because I only met them, but he trusted me.
"Yeah... just stay safe, kid.", dad said, not moving his eyes from the road. Luka unlike my dad pouted whole way. Really, that man really had no trust in me. Not the slightest.
We arrived and I jumped out of the car in speed of lightning. We bought three tickets and went inside.
"We are waiting for you in place we met yesterday!" soft voice said in my head. Malia did say something about mind link yesterday so I guess that's it. It even sounded as her.
I waved Luka and dad goodbye and headed to Blue Tornado. In front of waiting line, Connor, Zack, Astra and Malia stood.
They didn't really talk to each other except love birds Astra and Zack. I didn't hear what were they talking about, but Astra was so happy and giggly, pulling on Zack hands. Zack had unreadable expression. He didn't look stone cold, but he didn't look as happy as Astra did. He was just lightly smiling at words that his boyfriend said.
Connor was standing close to them, reading something on his phone. He was first to lift his head up and see me, even if I didn't even get close to them. Second one to notice I arrived was Malia. Her silver white hair covered her right eye so she moved it behind ear.
I guess Fran and Yuko didn't come yet.
As soon as I thought went through my head I hear Fran in my head. "We are on our way, no worries!"
I guess I wasn't only one to hear her as Malia added: "Yuko is with her. They will be here in a second."
Astra and Connor looked at her confusedly.
"How do you know they are together?"
Malia laughed a bit. Then she told us about mind link she created first time we met. With that link we can communicate with our thoughts and she can always know where any of us is. She also told us that we can easily control our mind chats by thinking that information would we like to share. It would take us few tries, but we will master it in no time.
"Can I... can I share hallucinations?" I asked Malia.
"Well I don't know. I never met anyone who did it. You can try."
When I share hallucinations, I focus on a person and create clear image in my head. In less than a second image from my head is carried to head of my victim. They see what I imagined and made them see. So if I focus on mind link, maybe I even can. But that means I have to focus on only one person in link.
"Connor, may I try it with you?"
"Wait, wouldn't it be the same if you just gave him a hallucination? I mean, he is right in front of you, it's the same thing if you gave him hallucination normally, without mind link.", Astra added. In return Zack patted his head.
"You could try with Yuko or Fran. They aren't here yet.", Malia said.
I gave it a second thought. I don't know where they are, what is around them. That means I can't change some minor details. Only thing I can do is create whole new scenario, new place to put them.
"Are you in a car?" I asked Fran since I decided to try to give her hallucination. I didn't want her to be somewhere outside or do some activity because I will basically put her somewhere else and she won't be able to see where is she going or to who is she talking to.
"Yes, Yuko is next to me. Why?" Fran said. Then I explained my idea about hallucination. She was okay with it as long as I don't do something scary.
"Oh, where is all-mighty Francesca now? Scared of little hallucination?" Yuko added. After that it was silence for few seconds.
I guessed that now was the time. I focused of Fran, on link I had with her the same was I talked with her. Then, I saw that beautiful sunrise on beach at place I go every summer. I saw birds flying to unknown direction and Fran in front of me. She was dazed with quiet sea. Every single wave crashed to rocks on the beach, sea seemed endless.
"Ema this is gorgeous! Where are we?" Fran asked, not moving her eyes from sea.
"At little place I go to every summer."
"Fran we arrived!" we both heard Yuko in our heads. I turned the hallucination off so she can get here.
Around two minutes later both Yuko and Fran were with us. I don't know how to explain this feeling. Just...everything felt right. Like we all belonged together. And yes, I could blame it on our powers, but there was something else just pulling us together. Like breathing was easier when I was with them and I have just met all of them.
"What should we do, hm? Baby bear and I made a list of things we can see last night. Like...there is this one water ride that takes you underground and throws dead pirates at you!" Astra said. Zack, or how Astra called him, baby bear, didn't move an inch at his nickname. He must be used to it.
"I'm in!" Fran added first, looking at Malia for her approval. Was she our leader or something? She does know much more than us, but as she said, Astra is number one so shouldn't he take the lead?
"Any objections?" Malia asked. She was mostly asking me and Yuko.
"None, I think I will find it rather enjoyable.", Yuko said professionally.
Now that I really take a look, we all have different styles. Malia is wearing all white with pastel blue jacket, Francesca is wearing sporty clothes. She is also really tall. Yuko is wearing a white flannel and jeans. He is oozing from richness, it's easy to see. Astra is looking really casual, almost like me. An orange T-shirt, blue jeans and blue jacket. Zack was in V-neck shirt that really showed his muscles. And he had a lot to show. Last, but not the least, Connor. Black hoodie, black jeans, black shoes and black beanie. He screamed emo as he walked.
So we went to that water ride. Line was not that long and we still had a lot to talk about.
"So, how old is everyone? We look similar in age. I am 18 and baby bear is 19." Astra said. We glanced at each other, not knowing who will go first.
"I am 19 years old, dear friend. Just as your...baby bear.", Yuko was the first one to speak.
"I am 19 too, but sure as hell I'm more mature then this brat here.", Fran said, pushing Yuko a bit. He just glared at her for return.
"I am 17.", I said proudly. I'm not sure of what was I proud of, but I was.
"And I am 18.", Connor added. His eyes once again met mine. I turned my look somewhere else.
"Ema, so you and I are the same age? I thought I'll be the youngest!" Malia said.
As we chatted a bit, then came in line. Ride was spectacular and Astra and Fran screamed a lot. There were a lot of skulls and zombie pirates, but nothing too scary. There was even a little prologue on Italian so Fran translated it for us.
As we got out Astra told us more rides him and Zack had planned. Some of them I already saw and some I didn't. At some point Fran challenged Zack to win more stuffed toys then her in shooting. They both won 4 stuffed toys at first try so the lady that held the game politely asked them to leave or else they will have no more toys left.
Fran gave me big blue god with shiny eyes. We all got a stuffed toy and Zack got to keep his one more that was a plus.
Day was coming to an end. We laughed a lot, played more games and won more toys. I found out that Malia is scared oh heights and Yuko really loves hamburgers. A bit unusual for a rich boy, but okay.
I told my dad over phone that Fran will take me to hotel and he allowed me to go with her.
At hotel we went to garden and talked about flowers. Well mostly Yuko talked. He said there are millions and millions kinds of flowers that people don't know about. Some of them could cure illnesses that we don't have a cure yet!
I went to bed that night exhausted. Luka and dad returned even later as I fell asleep.
This was a good day.