13 Recruitment?

Phillip lowered his head into the hot tub until his chin was completely submerged.

"Youre new here, are you that boy Jonas was talking about earlier?" Jewels mom asked Phillip as she took a step in the hot tub. Jewel followed in behind her.

"Er maybe, if he aint talking about James or Jordan." Phillip said with an accent as he perked his head back up out of the water. Jewels mom giggled at the countryside talk.

"Well he said that you have a surprising new power for someone your age, would you mind showing us," she said in a breathy tone as she was stretching to get a drink out of the cup she placed away from the hot tub.

"Uh yeaH," the last syllable sounding more high pitched due to Phillip going through puberty. He blushed at the tone of the woman's words, but quickly corrected himself with a deeper tone and a cough 'ahem' "Uh yeah."

He spread out the mist across the top of the water in the hot tub and over the moving jet bubbles. The mist hugged the surface of the water, moving with the waves the jet bubbles created. The mist glowed gray as the light that had brightened up the area near the hot tub shown its light on it.

"Oh its mist," she sounded suprised and said it with a light tone, but you could tell she seemed a little dissapointed.

"Well its just not mist," Phillip had defended himself. "Is there a way to turn off that light over there?" He asked with a nod of his head as he looked in the direction of the light. Jewels mom reached for her phone that was sat next to her glass and opened an app. She pressed the screen and the light turned off.

Under the starlit moon the twilight setting shown below on the mist, making it a colorful glow as mist particles twinkled like stars. The mist everchanging in pattern and color, and Phillips face was lit brightly as light bounced off the hot tub water. His eyes reflected blue brightly and randomly in his sunken set of eyes.

"Wooww!" Jewel lightly exclaimed with a long quiet tone. She didnt try to hide her amazement as the scene was truly resplendant. Both Jewel and her mom slighlty had their mouths agape. Her mom reached for the phone again and quickly turned on the light. She was looking around to see if anyone saw it or not.

'Ahmm' Jewels mom cleared her throat a little, "Well i guess that's why Jonas said youre a grower not a shower," she looked around at the ever expanding and moving gray mist. Phillip spat up a little when he heard the choice of words.

"Yea well he hasnt seen this part of my power yet," Phillip replied meakly. "In fact i think hardly anyone knows. Oh by the way what can i call you ms..?" He said the last word unquestioningly.

"Mrs..," she emphasized the word, "Mrs. Johnson." Mrs. Johnson? Jewel Johnson? Jonas Johnson? how creative thought Phillip

"Good, keep it that way," Mrs. Johnson continued, "If it looks pretty its worth more, thered be a lot of people following your recruitment all the way until you get to college. Evaluators and the like. But there would be a lot of contractors looking too as they try to profit due to your powers."

"Theyd seem like theyd give good money," she went on, "But due to you being under their control, they could limit you. Sportstalk basically. But you dont have to limit yourself as long as you test the free agency. You get to settle the price.," she started to climb out of the hot tub, and Phillip started to retract his mist so he could see better.

Alas he was too late. She was already covered in a towel, and whats this? More bad luck thought Phillip as Jewel was also standing outside in a towel.

"Advertisers like to make money too as they paid for the endorsements so it seems like everyone only tries to get money," she continued but looked as if she was ready to go inside. Phillip pulled himself out of the hot tub and had to subconsciously direct traffic as he was only in the shorts Jonas lent him.

"Im actually a college recruiter and evaluator, have you heard about the upcoming class evaluation?"

"No," Jonas shivered as he stood in the late fall night air, covered in the towel, Mrs Johnson opened her palm, and above it a hot pink like aqua orb appeared. It laid flat as it pressed on her hand. Within the orb darker circles of pink laid about. Jewel and Phillip stood around her hand as it gave off warmth.

"Well during it alot of people will be able to see the powers that this class has, kids will be able to show off their powers. They look to start your growth for college, as they will be competing with each other as well as neighboring cities colleges. You know there are 4 main schools within beast city, but dont count out on those smaller schools out there."

She started to walk inside. "Of course college is a long way away and you might not be able to enter given your present prerequisites at the time," she glanced over to look at Phillip as he walked through the door to the big house.

"But if you start off on time, you can make it. Recruiters must spend a lot of time in their career for a single person or few. They like to pick up people in the same class due to them increasingly getting stronger, and people not liking to spend time with new recruits at different power levels and tiers."

"It makes for harder work. You usually have to keep track of their vitals and training." As she said that a few servants came by and gave all three of them faux fur robes. They put them on and then the servants gave them hot cocoa. Wow thought Phillip, recruiters make this much? Him not knowing 'Mr' Johnson's line of work.

They walked into a somewhat of a living space. It was smaller and more cozier than some of the other rooms of the house. In it, was leather couches and a fireplace that was lit. A t.v. interface above the mantle, showing a video of a fireplace. It had outdoorsy kind of vibe as it had a lower lighting and miscellaneous items.

They sat down on the sofas and began to drink their hot cocoa. "Im actually telling you this because im thinking about taking a few members in this class. Jonas has learned some of my habits, thats why he brought you in." She paused as she took a sip.

"Hes actually one of the three designated people that would be on your team, Jewel is another. All of them will be older than than you by a bit but Jonas still has a couple years left he just turned 17 this year. We've, homeschooled our kids," she took another pause.

"Jewel for instance is about to turn 15 while youre about to be 13, but she is only 1 grade higher than you."

"Im not stupid," Jewel looked shocked as she swept her head back and forth from her mom to Phillip. "I didnt get held back, i was," Jewel also paused, "homeschooled different things. she slumped in the couch, cuddling up the robe and she took a sip of hot cocoa. Her hair laid down wet across her shoulders, black with red tips.

"Anyways," Mrs. Johnson began talking and Phillip averted his gaze back to her. "Im looking forward to signing 4 people from this class and with you and the other two boys, i would only have 1 slot left out of 7 with the three designated captains of the team. I already talked to James and Jordan they were fine with it."

"Do you know why i became a active recruiter instead of just evaluating talent?" Phillip shook his head no. "Its because my husband has a huge company that sells. He likes to advertise on different teams, but he'd like to start his very own team!" she said the last part with an excitement to her voice.

Mrs Johnson took another sip and continued, Phillip silently reacting to her. "This team wont be the only one advertised on, and there are actually other recruiters with different teams within the company. We wont only be competing with members within his own company, but he plans to take it collegiately, and maybe even pro one day!

"What kind of company does Mr. Johnson have?" Phillip asked as he wanted to know.

"A construction firm, yet many people who work in construction also like to take part in battles. A good job to temper yourself and make money in." Mrs. Johnson replied.

"Thats why he owns the arcade Jonas and Jewel works at, his company built it for him and he is a child at heart. Though he gave them the jobs to temper themselves from being born rich. Its named 'Construct ions,' unique right?"

Jewel sat back quietly and took another sip of hot cocoa. "He named it that because he wanted his company to build unique buildings, noticable landmarks, and there are people that work on roadways and homes alike if U.C. gets contracts by the government or if they sign one with a client."

"Anyways its getting late," she looked at the time on her phone. "I think Jonas and the boys are upstairs, second floor, 1st on the right. What do you think?" She looked at Phillip expectantly.

Phillip stared blankly into space for a minute deep in ponder ,"I think, i think i want to do it," as he got up to head upstairs. He had already made up his mind. "Great," mrs johnson smiled. "Sleep well," she spoke louder at the leaving figure of Phillip.

Downstairs on the couches, "Well what do you think of him?" Mrs. Johnson asked her daughter.

"Well," she sat up her posture as she stopped to think for a moment. "I think hes cute," she plopped back down on the couch.

"Yes he is cute," Mrs. Johnson snubbed her gaze into a smiling sneer in the direction Phillip left in. "Im a little anxious to see what he holds in store to."

\E.N./ i just noticed the names are heavily J centric, is it weird that they are the first letter of the names i have come up with? lol

Later that night, Jewel, Jonas, James, Jordan, and Phillip all had a different room. Phillip was in his bed and was writhing out of the comfort of the blanket constantly. His muscles in pain, his body in night sweats. Whats more is that his body pores was feeling stretched out, as if one was pulling his skin different directions with full hands of skin. He lied in discomfort and pain.

Thats not all, he was having migraine headaches again. Why is he showing three symptoms? He could understand his pores hurting and stretching because of his mist power, but he couldnt understand why his actual muscles was hurting and having night sweats to boot. And where did that headache come from?

He was thinking about telling someone but was hesitant due to fear. In Jewels and Jonas' room, they too, had headaches, but only headaches. At Dani's house, she kept turning her pillow uncomfortably because of her headache. Some distance away, 8 more people were having migraines, and they did not know why.