Crystal Powers: A New Generation

Chapter 3 - The Secret is Revealed

It's the next day, and everyone has gathered in the library. 

The school's library wasn't anything too impressive, however, it was filled to the brim with books of all kinds. There were older books that had been there for years but also the addition of newer books, which attracted attention. 

The gaggle of friends sat together on a table, all of them reading different books. Conveniently, they all had the same classes so there wasn't a time in which they weren't together. Today, they are in a study hall. 

"Alright everyone what do we plan on doing today? I don't really wish to read and we are the only ones in here since those juniors went on a field trip." Max said, putting down the book that he was reading. 

"Why don't you want to read? Reading is one of the best pastimes." Catherine said, her eyes staying on the pages. 

"You're right, Max - we need to do something fun!" Hallie exclaimed, getting a look from the librarian. 

"Let's just read for the time being, then when we actually have free time, we can do something without getting in trouble," Flynn suggested. 

"You're boring but okay." Hallie rolled her eyes, pulling her book out once more.

Hallie read the pages of her book, emersed in the story. Although she wasn't a fan of reading, she really enjoyed the book.

"If only this was real..." she thought to herself.

~~

After school, the group went to the park. The sun was shining bright, having it being near the beginning of school still. It was relatively hot as well as they walked to the swingset. Hallie was playing with the rocks as the rest of the group were swinging. 

She was thinking about the different things that they could do after school. She really wants to hang out with her friends more, but it's difficult when they are all so different. She is very social, Flynn is very shy, Catherine is so stuck up, and Max is just Max. She sighed as she fell back, landing on the pebbles with a 'thud'. 

"Hallie you're the one that wanted to hang out, why are you being antisocial?" Catherine said, dragging her feet to slow down.  

"I don't know, I just wish that we actually worked together better as a team. I think that we all are kinda just stuck in our own ways and don't like to change because we all think we are right and everyone else is wrong." Hallie sighed frustratedly.

It was all silent, making Hallie's anger begin to grow more. She sat up and began walking home. The others didn't know what to do or say, so they just watched as she began to walk away. 

~~

Trey was sitting outside his house near the forest of trees. He glanced at his phone and opened a Snap from Hallie, showing all of his friends sitting on a swingset.

He sighed as he dropped his phone in his lap. He had just gotten into another argument with his father yet again. His father grounded him for not getting an A on his latest test. God forbid he gets an A-

Trey was infuriated as he got up, his hands balled into fists. He normally was able to control his temper but he couldn't stand it anymore. He was fed up with his dad - he expected too much out of him and it absolutely infuriated him. He got up to pace a little. 

He was moving back and forth, swearing under his breath. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he almost didn't notice something a little strange. He looked up and something caught his attention 

One of the trees in his yard was completely dead, there were no longer any leaves on the tree, leaving only branches.

He was confused. The rest of the trees in his yard were perfectly healthy and alive, but this one tree looked as though it had been dead for years. Trey went towards the tree, lightly caressing the bark just for it to crumble under his fingertips.

What happened? It's not like lightning struck, or else there would have been a crack in the tree or something. 

He sighed, walking away from the tree. Just then, he hears a voice coming from the back porch - it was his mother. 

"Hey, Trey? Can you pick some of the flowers so I put them in a vase?" his mother said. 

"Sure thing, mom. How many do you want me to pick?" he asked, walking towards the patch of flowers. 

"About 5 will be fine. Thank you, sweetie!" she smiled as she closed the sliding door. 

Trey went up to the patch of tiger lilies, looking for the best ones to pick. 

He got down to ground level and picked one of the flowers, but something happened that made him very concerned. 

Right when he picked the flower, he saw that it immediately wilted, the life that once was in the flower was gone. The petals fell from the flower, leaving only limp greens. 

His mouth opened wide in confusion. What the hell is happening? First the tree, now the flowers? He felt his eyes suddenly burn; the pain wasn't bad but it made his head hurt terribly. He took his phone out of his back pocket and opened up his camera, trying to see if his eyes were okay. 

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. 

His normally black as night hair was a shade of fiery red, his eyes were pitch black, like charcoal. 

He ran his fingers through his hair, amazed at what the camera was showing him. No, no this cannot be true. These sorts of things just don't happen - surely he must be delusional! 

He took a deep breath but his stomach was all in knots. Has he been not getting enough sleep? He's been doing okay though...

Suddenly it hit him. 

HE was the one that caused the flowers to wilt, and he was the one that killed the tree in the yard. 

His hands were shaking, overwhelmed by what he just discovered. His breath hitched as he sat down on the grass, which ended up being a bad choice because all the grass around him lost its color right as he made contact with the ground. 

He leaned forward, putting his head in his hands, totally and utterly dumbfounded by this whole thing. 

"Hey Trey, are you coming in?" his father said from the porch. 

Trey looked up to make sure that he wasn't able to be seen from where his father was standing. "Give me a minute! And can you tell Mom that something got into the flower patch? I'll keep looking but chances are we won't have any flowers to put in a vase."

His father just grumbled something incoherent as he shut the door. 

Trey sighed, running his fingers through his locks. 

"What am I going to do?"