My alarm clock buzzed me awake at noon. My favorite part of the weekend is sleeping in. I quickly roll out of bed and put on street clothes.

I arrived at our usual cafe with Sarah and Dylan. We had our appointment with the mysterious emailer soon. We thought that it would be best if the three of us met up first so that we could all arrive together. The location was pretty shady too. We were supposed to meet at an old abandoned school building. It was very small and probably only had a few rooms. It’s laid vacant for decades now.

It was just about time to get going so we hopped in Sarah’s car. She said she could drive us there so Dylan and I accepted her offer.

She drove carefully and was very attentive.

“Thanks again,” I smiled.

“O-of course. Anytime.”

“I hate having to make you drive us though.”

I have my license but not my own car. I would borrow my dad or mom’s but Sarah had already offered.

“Yeah,” Dylan chimed in. “It’s really helpful. I don’t even have my license.”

I was shocked. I had gotten mine as soon as I was able to. I was super excited even though I’d barely get the opportunity to actually drive.

“Eh? Why not?”

“Well… I failed the test a few times and I wouldn’t be able to get a car anyway.”

Uh-oh. That was insensitive of me. He lashed out at those kids the first time I met him because they were calling him poor. His family must not be well off.

The conversation became silence and I carefully followed the signs flying by with my eyes. This was nerve wracking. We were all so nervous about how this would go.

Suddenly, I realized that I had forgotten my gem at home. It was too late to go back, though. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

The car slowed down and we parked in a lot a bit off from the building. I eagerly hopped out of the car. Even though there is a chance for this to go bad, I still am excited to see more people like us.

“I hope there’s someone there who has fire like me!”

Dylan was talkative now that we were getting close to our destination.

Sarah watched her feet closely and didn’t look up. Maybe she’s scared? Or is she just shy like usual?

I put my hand on her shoulder and she quickly looks up at me. I give her the most reassuring face I could.

“What are you doing? You look like you just got an awful Christmas present.”

“Rude!”

Looks like operation Reassuring Face was a failure.

Dylan laughed at that comment which caused me and Sarah to chuckle too.

Sarah looked forward and walked a bit ahead of us. Maybe I could call it a success? She’s facing up now and seemed to be in a better mood.

I knocked on the door of the school. It was a very small building made of brick. There were windows but they were cracked and very stained. The door had an old style to it and was composed of slightly rotting wood. This place is a dump.

I stopped and noticed voices on the other side. There were a couple and they sounded happy.

Turning the knob, I walked in and waved the others to follow.

The inside of the building was a little better than the outside. It was a short hallway with two rooms. One on each side. Those must be classrooms. The voices came from the room on the left so we all went there first.

There was no door to this class, so I immediately made eye contact with the people inside.

Two people were sitting in chairs around a circular table. A loud girl who seemed about my age was hanging off of a male younger class man. He seemed to be in around the eighth grade so the age difference was significant. He was short and cute with short brown hair. His wrist had a wrap on it.

The girl looked a bit older than me but she was probably still in school as well. She was tall, hot, had tan skin and long blonde hair. She was laughing and putting all of her weight on the boy with her arm around him. She stopped laughing when we walked in and they both turned to look at us.

There was a long silence. I turned my eyes to stop making eye contact and that’s when I noticed the third person in the room. He was tall with long black hair and was playing on his phone. The phone was a relatively old model. He had completely ignored us and sat alone.

I turned to my friends and Dylan seemed a bit shocked but returned to a normal expression quickly. I felt Sarah’s hands on my back as she hid behind me to avoid direct eye contact with people she didn’t know. She’s really shy.

If she didn’t want to be seen bad enough she may accidentally turn invisible. I looked at her concerned and she seemed to know what I meant without me saying it. She simply shrugged it off. She probably has good control already.

Dylan said the first word to break the silence.

“Yo.”

The girl’s face was serious but she still hung off the much smaller boy. She analyzed us for a second more and then laughed a bit. Every time she moved the boy seemed uncomfortable.

“Hey, you’re the ones who called the meeting, right? Why’d you leave us hangin’?” The girl seemed upset but not to a point where it would last.

“Oh, so they called you guys too? We didn’t make the meeting, we’re guests too.”

“Tch. That good for nothing host still isn’t here?”

“Don’t be mean.” The boy pinched her cheek and she immediately put a happy face on again.

“Awww, you’re right,” She must have a soft spot for the boy. She looked back at us after her scolding. “Who’re you guys anyway?”

Does anyone know how to ask for someone’s name? “I’m Allen and this is Sarah. Nice to meet you.”

I left Dylan out because he’d want to speak for himself.

“Name’s Dylan.”

“I’m Christina and this is Simon.”

“Hey, no fair! You don’t have to say my name for me.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

An unexpected voice comes from the corner. It’s deep and gloomy, “I’m Luke.”

I had already forgotten he was there! He might as well have invisibility too.

The three of us took a seat across from Christina.

As we waited for the host to arrive, there was not a moment of silence. Christina and Dylan were getting along nicely.

“So you guys have gems too, huh? Mine’s an awesome red!”

“A red one? That goes well with my pink. What colors do you guys have?” She looked at me and Sarah.

“Yellow and Purple.”

“Sweet. Simon here has a green one,” Simon once again insists that he can talk himself but he was ignored this time. “Oi! Luke, what’s yours?”

The gloomy boy replied, “Blue,” without even looking up.

“Have any of you figured anything out about these powers yet?” I asked.

“Naturally,” claimed Christina. “I’m an insane wizard. I have some mad magic skills.”

She could’ve just said no.

Dylan played along.

“That’s incredible!”

“Could you demonstrate some of your abilities for us?” A new voice continued the bit from the hallway. It sounds somewhat familiar.

A girl walked in. She had brown hair down to her shoulders. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of blue. She was average height and was pretty slim. She wore an expression that almost seemed happy for no reason.

“Finally! Are you the host?” Christina looked relieved that she was finally here, but also a bit mad.

Met with Christina’s attitude, the new girl let her off the hook and played it cool, “No. So I guess that means I’m waiting on him too then?”

She casually took a seat next to me.

Something about her word choice was strange.

“My name is Rachel. What are your names?”

With the first proper introduction, we went around the table introducing ourselves again.

“Please show us your magic, Wizard!” Dylan still wanted to continue the joke.

“I don’t normally show off, but just this once I will demonstrate my other-worldly omnipotent powers,” Christina continued.

There was a dramatic pause as she slowly reached into her pocket. She gently revealed a coin in her hand. It was placed between her index finger and her thumb.

“Now watch closely.”

She set it in the palm of her left hand and compressed it with her right. She squeezed down on it tightly.

Slowly, her hands open up and there is no coin to be found. She displays her empty palms proudly. The coin has disappeared!

Magic truly worthy of a fantasy novel.

“Incredible~”

Simon sarcastically compliments her display. He reaches behind her hands and pulls the coin from between her fingers. He sat beside her so the trick was ruined.

“Hey!”

I have to admit, this display was pretty amusing. They play fought over the coin. Everyone’s nerves had to have been completely eradicated by now. At least mine were. If I had to have super powers with people, these would be the ones I chose.

Sarah giggled as she watched their performance.

Christina won the quarter back after the tug-of-war with Simon. They both smiled wide and laughed.

“Sorry I’m late,” The host has arrived. He walked in through the door-less doorway. “My name is Kyle. Nice to meet you.”

He had short curly black hair and dark brown eyes that were almost black. He was a little taller than average and wore a black jacket. It was early spring, but his jacket was clearly for much colder weather. He was around the same age as everyone but Simon. He looked very fatigued with bags under his eyes. He had poor posture and spoke like he was about to fall asleep.

“Oi! You made us wait, kid. What took you so long?” Christina was mad. She and Simon had waited for the longest.

“Please excuse me. I wanted to give everyone time before I started the meeting. I thought it would be best if everyone was slightly acquainted before I got down to business.” He spoke fluently. He didn’t pause or stumble over his words. It was like he was meant to be here. The importance in the words he spoke was completely contrasted by his falling-asleep voice.

We once again said our names to the newcomer.

He sat beside Christina and Simon. The table was now full.

“This is everyone that I called here. I assume that you are aware as to why. We all have come across a glittering gem and have felt supernatural occurrences since. I am confident that I have found everyone in the city who had a power. I may have missed one but I find it unlikely. May I see your gems?”

I reached into my pocket to grab mine. Oh yeah, I left it at home.

Or maybe not? I pulled it out of my pocket, but I could have sworn I had forgotten it.

We all revealed our gems. Red, purple, yellow, pink, green, blue, and gray. The last one was an outlier. It shone with many colors. The gem itself was see through but each glitter inside was of a different color. Kind of like a rainbow. Just not in order. This gem belonged to Rachel.

“I see. It appears that we all have a gem. Can I confirm that each of you has a sort of ability? As of now, the ‘supernatural occurrence’ could be anything. From my experience, it seems we should have a controllable ability. Is that true for everyone?”

This feels official, the way this is being conducted. It’s almost like an interrogation. The atmosphere is intense and not even Dylan or Christina dared to speak. We all simply nodded. Except for one.

“Yes. It seems so,” Rachel seemed comfortable despite the circumstances.

“Good. So there is some consistency.”

Simon interjects, “Oh! Wanna know my power?”

Kyle replies fast and forcefully, “No. We really shouldn’t tell each other our powers.”

Why not? I’m certain that’s what we’re all thinking. I still haven’t gotten used to the atmosphere yet so I can’t bring myself to ask.

“Why is that?” Simon asks, confused.

“We can’t quite trust each other yet,” That’s a bold move. He’s expressing his distrust with people he met for the first time. It’s only natural to be skeptical, but telling others you doubt them can bring unease. “There is too much we don’t know. There is no repercussion for doubting the trustworthy, however, the price of trusting the doubt-worthy is great. Someone may use their knowledge of your power against you.”

“W-why would they do that!?”

“I’m not sure yet. We know nothing about these powers. Moving o-”

Simon stands up abruptly, knocking Christina off his shoulders.

“My ability allows me to heal wounds through direct contact!” Simon angrily looks at Kyle and then the rest of the room. His face changes from anger to embarrassment and he swiftly sits back down. “I trust you all. I hope you can trust me too.”

Despite Simon’s attempt to allow trust in the entire group, Kyle had already made it clear that trust could be dangerous. The seeds of doubt had been sown and wouldn’t go away easily. My opinion of Simon is now through the roof though. I need to make friends with him later.

Silence followed Simon’s display of courage. Nobody would follow in revealing their ability.

Christina looked proud of Simon but also conflicted. Even she didn’t follow him. Doubt’s roots had dug into everyone. Christina put her arm around Simon again. It didn’t seem playful this time. It was as if she said, “Mess with him and you’re dead.” She held him close and gave him her protection.

“I’m glad you feel that you can trust me so much. I’m grateful and hope that I can live up to it. Although, I still will not be disclosing my power. Don’t take it personally, I’m a paranoid person,” He cleared his throat, returning to before the interruption. “Moving on, I want to find the significance of the gems. Have any of you been without them?”

“I left mine home on multiple occasions,” I informed him, finally gaining my voice after Simon gave me bravery.

“Are you certain?”

What’s that mean? I think I did. I thought I did. Speaking of, I thought I left it home today too, what’s the deal with that?

“I have run a few tests and it seems that I can’t escape from mine. After I got my power, I have been doing nonstop testing.”

This guy is incredible.

“I thought I forgot mine home today, but it was in my pocket.”

“Exactly. The gems seem to always be with us. No matter how many times I ‘lose’ it or throw it away, it will return to me when I reach for it. It seems the gem is doing something similar to teleporting. This is likely true for all of you as well. It seems to have been the case for Allen. Knowing this, to me that means we should value them greatly. Something tells me that permanently losing the gem would be bad. That leads me to a different theory, what would happen if it was stolen?”

All of his tests have to have been purposefully leaving it or forgetting it like me, but what if it was intentionally stolen from you? You couldn’t test something like that on your own.

Dylan seems interested, “Don’t the gems teleport? Wouldn’t it just come back?”

“Let’s test it out then,” Christina is on the same wave length as Dylan.

“That would be the obvious answer, but I think it is worth being cautious of. We don’t know how precious these gems are yet. They seem to be the source of our power, but if we lose the gem, who knows what else may go with it? These powers are still a complete unkown.”

“Ehhh? What’re you? Scared?” Christina teases him.

“Yes. I would be fine testing with your gem though,” He reaches out his open hand.

Christina stares with a frustrated face. Kyle’s hand mocked her attitude and put her in her place. His method of doing so only made us all more scared. The simple hand gesture was a threat. His paranoia had seeped into all of us. The atmosphere of the meeting grew heavy as his outstretched hand became a symbol of fear. Hand over the gem and who knows what will happen. It’s magic, after all.

I put my gem back into my pocket. Everyone else had the same idea.

Simon attempted to put his stone out in the open but Christina made a wall between him and Kyle. She really needed to be there for him. He can do some stupid stuff.

It looked like Rachel had already put her gem in her pocket before all of this. She was fast.

“Assuming that the gems are the source of our power, having more than one would most likely give a large increase in magic. That is only speculation though. It is also possible that it would allow the use of the other’s magic. We need to find out what these abilities are exactly and how to be safe with them. The point of calling this conference was to see if we could all share our information. Does anyone else have any ideas?”

Kyle casually slipped in a reason for us to want another person’s gem. It kind of feels like he’s stirring up chaos on purpose. He seems like a very paranoid and cautious person, but his actions have only caused more danger.

“I may have something,” Simon speaks up.

All eyes turn to face him. The atmosphere was still tense but he seemed to have missed that.

“How do I put this…? Well, right before my first run in with my power I had a dream. That itself isn’t unusual, but it was a weird dream. Someone was in pain and I couldn’t stand the sight. I felt helpless but suddenly, I was able to heal them. I thought it was just a random dream at first, but a few days later, I accidentally healed a small cat on the side of the road. He was injured but when I picked him up, he ran away fully recovered.”

“Now that you mention it…” Rachel must’ve had one too.

Did I? I very vaguely remember something similar. What was that dream again? I ran to save someone really fast. Maybe super speed?

My thinking was interrupted when both Christina and Dylan said they had one too. Sarah nodded along as well.

“I see… this is valuable information. Any other ideas?” Met with silence he continued, “Well then, the next order of businesses is to decide if we even want to continue this meeting. The bottom line is that we now have magic powers that may give us an edge in life. It may be best for some of us to continue our separate ways. We may want to use our powers however we want, because the only ones who can regulate them is us, the ones who know.”

The gloomy voice of Luke returns, “I think we should end the meeting here. We have learned a bit of interesting trivia, but I just want to use my powers on my own. Having an edge up in life sounds great to me.”

No. No. That’s all wrong. I need to correct that thinking.

“We can’t use our powers for ourselves! Sure, the powers are ours, but we could save so many people with them! Simon’s, for example, would be incredibly helpful to humanity! We can’t just keep them under wraps and only benefit ourselves.”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Me and Luke can’t get along. “You think that we’re obligated to use our powers for others? Why would that be the case? They haven’t done anything for me, so I don’t see why I should help them. Besides, how do you know my power would be helpful to anyone?”

Dylan backed me up, “We had to have been given these powers for a reason. I’m sure that they can be used to help in some way. We need to help others because it’s the right thing to do.”

Kyle interrupted, “Well now I’m curious. How about we take an anonymous vote. It won’t decide what everyone has to do, it’ll just give us a good idea on where the general person stands. Would you rather leave the meetings and use your power alone, or attend them and use your power for a greater purpose?”

He hands out pens and paper and we each write our opinion on it. They are folded and put into a hat then shuffled.

Kyle counts out how many had voted on either staying or going. Surprisingly, it seems to be an even four to four spread.

How could so many of us be so evil?

How could they want to do that?

Those of us who leave are the ones who would prefer to abuse their powers. Even if you simply want no part in this, now that you know, leaving would be the same as allowing others to abuse their power. Turning a blind eye to crime is just as bad as committing it.

“It appears that it would be better to continue this conference another day. It will be optional as a few of us don’t want to come. I’m glad you all came and shared information. I look forward to seeing you all again.”

Luke and Kyle are the first to leave, along with Rachel.

As everyone leaves their seats, I sit still with my hands over my head. I try to wrack my brain for answers. How can I use my power to help others? How can I get everyone else to do the same?

Sarah silently puts her hand on my shoulder and sits next to me while Dylan leans next to the door patiently.

I look up and the only remaining people in the room are me, Dylan, Sarah, Christina and Simon. Simon starts complaining to Christina about how selfish some of these people are.

That’s right, Simon! We think similarly. I need to make good friends with him.

“Hey, Simon. Sorry I didn’t reveal my power with you. It was just really nerve racking. I’m on your side though.”

“You’re Allen, right? Nice to meet you. What school do you go to?”

“North East High. You?”

“Oh I live really close to that! I go to North high school.”

High school? I thought he went to middle school.

“Are you some kind of boy genius or something?”

He chuckled awkwardly, “No, no I’m not that young. I’m probably only a year younger than you. I’m a junior.”

It’s impossible to keep the surprise off of my face. He is so much shorter than me and his face is cute. No wonder Christina hung around him so much.

“Hey! Don’t be so rude! Are you tryin’ to insult him?”

Speaking of Christina.

“No. Sorry about that. It was just surprising. We should hang out sometime. You’re going to be going to the next conference, right?”

“Yep! Me and Christina will be going as a package.”

“Sweet. I’ll see you there.”

Feeling refreshed after talking to Simon, I walked out of the old school building.

Luke had just finished talking to Rachel and was walking off. Maybe I should talk to her too.

“You’re Rachel, right? That meeting was pretty intense.”

“Yes. And you’re Allen. The meeting was a bit direct, but I enjoyed it. I’m excited to learn more about these powers.”

She still seems pretty familiar.

“What school do you go to?”

“North East. Same as you.”

Uh oh. How had I not recognized her!? I still don’t, but she knew I went there! I need to play this off.

“O-oh yes of course. I remember now.”

She gave me a knowing smile that took pleasure in my embarrassment. Damn her!

“Well Allen, will I be seeing you at the next meeting?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll see you there.”

She walked off, still smiling about my struggle. Actually, I don’t think she’s stopped smiling since I first saw her.

Now that I think of it… who all is coming to the next meeting? Me, Sarah, Dylan, Christina, Simon, Rachel, and of course Kyle. That’s a lot more than four! The only other person, Luke, I haven’t asked yet. During the vote, only four people voted in favor of having more meetings. Did someone lie? But who lied and when? Was it to me when I asked if they were coming, or during the vote?

No use in thinking about it. I may as well go home for now and wait until the next meeting. Wait, when is it? Kyle never gave a time so he will have to message us. He has all of our contact information. I should probably get everyone’s too.

Sarah drives me back to the cafe and waves us off. I say my goodbyes and ride my bike back to my house.

It’s a weekend so my parents are home. I hardly see them so we aren’t too close. I have an older brother as well. He’s already out of college and has a successful career.

“I’m back! I was just out eating with some friends!” I shout in the entrance.

“Welcome home! I’m making eggs for dinner! Will you be hungry!?” My mom shouts back.

“Yeah! Call me down when it’s done!”

I don’t have a hobby so I just play on my computer to waste time.

I eat dinner and then mess around before bed.

My phone buzzes as I receive a message on my phone from Kyle. He proposes another meeting tomorrow. I tell him that I’ll attend, Dylan and Sarah agree too. The message was only to the three of us. I guess he’ll be messaging the others individually.

I lay down and try to understand what our meeting today meant.

My power is still unclear. It could be just about anything at this point. If we assume my dream had something to do with it, it could be strength or speed. Maybe something more obscure.

I need to use my power in a meaningful way that helps others. I’m certain that is why I was given it. Maybe I can be the hero I have always dreamed of. I just need some more strength. But, that’s impossible isn’t it? My power hasn’t even been used yet so it can’t be too strong. Sarah’s is amazing, she can use it on command!

What if mine was more powerful? If I had another gem… could that allow me to accomplish my goals? Maybe the gems could allow me to make a wish like in a fairy tale. There’s no way to find out though. Stealing the gems is out of the question.

I think of all the possibilities the powers can accomplish. I could be a hero. I could be the person I have always dreamed of and admired. I just need more… power.

The dream sparkles like stars in the sky and I fall asleep.