Life Is Strange: The Outliers

Episode 2: Treat (Part 3)

(I've added a song to this chapter. I'll let you know when to play it.)

"Holy shit!" Aylen gasped. "H-How'd you do that? Where'd you come from?"

The girl scoffed.

"Really? You just healed a squirrel and you're questioning my ability?"

It's a chipmunk, but carry on.

"I-I . . . don't know what the hell is happening right now," Aylen said, voice shaky.

"You can heal—and I can camouflage," the girl said. She tilted her head to the side, grinning. "If you ask me, you've got the better superpower."

"Camouflage," Aylen repeated. "So, essentially, you can disappear . . . You've been watching me?"

The girl scoffed.

"Get over yourself, dude. I was here first."

The girl was super cute. She had clear, nearly perfect fair skin and full pink lips. She wore her dark hair in a long braided sidetail, and she was wearing a vintage Street Fighter II tee shirt—which made her awesome all on its own.

"So, how long have you known you were a healer?" she said.

"I . . . I'm sorry," Aylen whispered. "I still can't believe . . . any of this is happening." She looked at the girl. "And there are others? With . . . abilities? You said I'm one of you."

The girl had a serious look in her eyes.

"The leader of our group—he calls us The Outliers," she quietly said. "A group of oddities. Anomalies. Even deviances."

Sheesh.

"Why such negative connotations for people with powers?" Aylen said. "Sounds to me like he resents people like us."

The girl's eyes traced the cracks in the ground.

"You're wrong," she whispered. "If people knew about us . . . our abilities . . . they'd resent us."

The girl vanished and reappeared behind Aylen.

"We'll meet again," she said.

"Wait—I still have questions," Aylen said.

"In due time. I . . . shouldn't even be here."

"Well . . . can I at least know your name?"

The girl looked at Aylen.

"Rose," she said as she disappeared.

Aylen wondered if she should tell Pat and Kaden about Rose as she laid in her dorm room. A part of her thought that she should wait until Rose showed herself again—if only to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. She sat up, staring at the plain walls and decor of her bedroom away from bedroom. It wasn't nearly as nice as the other girls' rooms. It certainly had nothing on her bedroom at home. There weren't any fancy lights or paintings or photo collages. Just white walls and a single boring Dorm Sweet Dorm painting that Mama had bought.

Well, it's my last year here—why put in any effort now?

Knocks came at her door.

"Come in," Aylen said.

Kaden stepped inside.

"Come in?" he whispered, closing the door behind him. "You don't check to see who's knocking? What if it's, like, some dude?"

Aylen narrowed her eyes.

"You know what I mean," he said, dropping his bag on the floor in a corner. "Besides, I don't count."