9

Date:

? - ? - ?

Taylor felt comfortable.

Which was weird because she hadn't felt comfortable in… she couldn't remember a time where she felt this comfortable?

Doubt started forming inside her that something wasn't right. Keeping her eyes closed and her body still, she tried to figure out where she was.

Her first thought was she was back in her bed because she clearly remembered going to bed, dreading the next day. But her bed was old and squeaky, not this heavenly marshmallow she was currently lying on.

Her next thought was that she was dreaming. But her dreams recently, those that she could remember, were more of a nightmare. So, this was either some kind of aberration or not a dream.

She felt extra depressed at that realization.

Still, there was a weird feeling around her that told her clearly that this was not a dream. She couldn't really pinpoint what it was, but somehow, she felt it clearly.

Deciding against opening her eyes, she tried to remember if something happened. Because the last thing she remembered was going to bed before the first day of school. But that felt somehow wrong.

She screwed up her eyes and concentrated.

She remembered going to sleep.

Then waking up…

Dressing…

She felt she should be stressing out or even hyperventilating. Yet she still felt eerily calm. It was a profoundly weird feeling.

Going further down memory lane, she remembered sitting on the bus, expecting something…

Walking into the school…

The feeling of walking to her own execution accompanied that memory.

Seeing all the faces looking at her, mostly with indifference, but some of them with clear anticipation. She even ignored that the memory was crystal clear. Showing every detail because she was starting to slowly regain her memories.

Heading to her locker…

Here she could feel, despite her previous calmness, that her body was reacting as if trying to flee from something.

Seeing Emma, Sophia, and Madison talking to each other while standing suspiciously close to her locker…

She felt her breathing quickening. She began sweating. And she felt like running away.

Still, the memory continued, and now she could remember the smell.

It was visceral on a level; she didn't know existed. It churned her stomach and made her want to puke. Yet in the memory, people were standing around as if the smell didn't even exist.

She remembered contemplating just skipping the locker and hauling everything with her all day. But some teachers frowned upon that. And she had no energy to argue her case, not after all the times they ignored her problems.

As she approached her locker, she saw her tormentors talk. But a persistent buzzing, which reminded her of insects, drowned everything out.

She now felt the repugnant smell even more. Her legs were shivering from each touch of the insects crawling on her. And all she could hear was all-encompassing, cruel laughter from someone who once she thought of as a sister.

At this point, she realized she sat up in her new bed and was hugging herself and crying.

Miraculously, her eyes were still closed.

Expecting the worst, she slowly opened them.

What she saw was markedly different from what she was expecting.

According to what she saw, she was on top of a hill. Luscious green grass, a few healthy trees, and a few flowers in full bloom covered them. If she remembered correctly, they were carnations.

Now that she was paying attention to more than to the sinfully comfortable bed and her torturous memories. She could feel a gentle breeze caressing her skin, while the sun was bathing her with warm rays.

Weirdly, only her hill was populated by fauna. While the other hills were bare, bar the grass, yet they continued into infinity like a green, motionless ocean.

She spent a few minutes just sitting there and gazing at her surroundings, wondering where the hell she was. She hoped this wasn't heaven (or hell) because as much as she disliked her current life, she really didn't want to die. At least she thought so.

She was contemplating leaving the bed to walk around and maybe find somebody who could tell her what was going on when she heard a sound.

"Hello there!" came a surprising greeting.

And Taylor would forever deny to anyone that she squeaked in fright upon hearing it.

"Who is there?" she asked while looking around frantically, trying to locate the source of the voice.

She didn't have to look long. Because she received her answer when a light blue blob of something with giant eyes and a smile on its face slowly levitated into her sight.

"It is only me," answered the floating blob to her previous question.

Seeing this odd thing, she considered if she was just hallucinating like in those stories she read, where the main character would see all sorts of things while they were dying.

"You are not hallucinating," stated the blob calmly, while still maintaining his (based on the voice) smile.

"How did you-"

"Know?" he interrupted her with a knowing smile. "It was practically written on your face."

"How do I know you're not a figment of my imagination?" asked Taylor back, trying to make some sense of the things happening. "While I'm lying in… there and dying?"

"Do you feel you are hallucinating?" came the calm answer.

She thought about it a little. And while she was loath to listen to a thing her oxygen-deprived brain created, in the end, she really had to agree with it.

She was too clear-headed. There was none of that floaty feeling she had read about. And honestly, she really wanted to believe that this was not some kind of hallucinations.

Because that would make this event interesting and probably unique, which would make her unique. And that was something that she could cling to in the quagmire that was her life.

So hesitantly, she directed her next question towards the levitating blob. While inwardly hoping that the answer wouldn't disappoint her.

"Then what are you?"

The blob didn't answer immediately. He just gently swayed because of the wind bobbing up and down while he took a long look at her.

She was about to demand an answer when the blob stopped in place, staying unnaturally still, and began forming a giant, unnerving smile.

"Your power." came out of his mouth.

Taylor stopped.

Her power?

That was impossible. She didn't have power, or at least she didn't know about it. While she was off in her own world, the blob continued.

"Unfortunately, during today's…" here he paused as if looking for a kind word, "event, you triggered Taylor."

The mention of the ordeal she went through was enough to shock Taylor out of her daydreaming.

"And now," he continued. "you are laying in a hospital bed."

That startled Taylor enough to start feeling and touching the bed under her.

"This doesn't feel like a hospital bed," she stated, confusedly. Throwing a questioning glance at her conversation partner.

"You think?" came immediately the sarcastic reply.

"This is between your mind and me. A neutral place where we can talk with no distractions."

"My mind?" she wondered.

"Technically, I intercepted your brain waves," he explained. "and fed them signals that would make it seem to you, that you are here."

He paused to see if she was following. Seeing understanding on her face he continued, "think of it like a very advanced Virtual Reality system."

Taylor nodded. "So this is my power? A blob in a virtual reality that I can talk to?"

To Taylor's surprise, the blob laughed at that question.

She instinctively cringed at the laughter, associating it with her tormentors. Then she got sad again, realizing that in the recent past she only heard malicious laughter.

That was when she realized the blob was not laughing at her.

"I'm actually a slime!" came the jolly statement.

"What's the difference?"

"Not much," he said, "slimes are just cuter."

She wondered why cuteness was the deciding factor. In the end, she wanted to concentrate on more important things.

"If this is not my power," she asked, "then what is?"

The blue slime bobbed contemplatingly around some. How she knew she didn't even want to think about it.

"I'm glad you asked!" he declared proudly.

She watched, fascinated, as two little blue blobs appeared on the slime's side, with one holding a long white stick. Then behind him from one moment to another appeared a very stereotypical blackboard.

She blinked, and the slime was wearing a black teacher's cap. He tapped the board twice with his stick. The sound it produced was crisp.

"Welcome class," he started, "to power orientation. My name is Administrator and I will be your lecturer today."

Taylor swallowed the question that came up on hearing that name. Her mother taught her not to interrupt the lecturer if possible, but that name raised several questions; she expected that she would have more questions as things got underway.

While that ran through her head, Administrator continued, "but you can call me Admin!"

She nodded and realized that while she was paying attention to him, the bed under her transformed into an equally comfortable school desk. With a bonus pen and notebook on it.

She examined the pen in her hand, clicked it a few times, wanting to see if she could feel its virtual nature.

A loud throat clearing broke her observation. She immediately looked up at Admin with guilt, but he just smiled at her indulgently. She couldn't help but smile back.

When was the last time somebody genuinely smiled at her?

"If you would direct your attention to the blackboard," came the gentle rebuke, "I can start."

She quickly apologized, and took up the pen, opened the notebook, and readied herself for note-taking. She had a feeling this would be the most interesting class she would ever attend.

"Thank you," said the slime, while a simplistic outline of a human body appeared in the middle of the board. "This is you."

As he gestured with his stick, texts appeared on the board. They marked different parts of the body. The head, limbs, some organs, and the Corona.

He tapped the stick to the body on the board and started his probably pre-prepared speech. To Taylor, he looked like someone who really enjoyed doing this.

"I will improve your body," he explained, "until it is the best it could be. With it comes increased flexibility, dexterity, and a low-level regeneration."

Here he became rather smug. "And the best is, if a Trump were somehow turn off your power, these would remain active."

"Why?" asked Taylor. She never heard of a power like this.

"Because it is not a continuous power effect," told her Admin, "I will simply improve your body." He gave her a cheeky smile. "I rebuilt you: better, faster, stronger."

"Oh." was the only sound that came out of Taylor.

"Anyway, we can get into the details later. Let's just continue for now."

Taylor nodded, now with much more anticipation. That alone would have been great. The thought of no more pudgy stomach made her want to cheer.

"The next is a few additions to your organs." he tapped the part on the board while talking. "Your liver can filter out several biological control elements, as can your adrenal glands."

"Err, what?" she asked, confused.

He sighed and gestured towards her with the stick. "You will become immune to biological Master effects."

"Ooooh, cool!" exclaimed Taylor.

"Yes, cool," said Admin dryly.

Taylor couldn't help but to avert her eyes and blush. "Sorry!"

"No problem, no problem." he chuckled then continued. "Your brain has also been slightly upgraded. Nothing amazing, just more robustness, some increased learning capability, and thinking speed. These are also permanent."

She made a few notes but didn't interrupt him.

"Those are the basic Brute powers."

"For Thinker, I prepared a few things for you," he explained.

"You will have multitasking, super learning, thinking speed and memory, of course, these are vulnerable to Trump powers," here he had a knowing smile. "but never fear because I'm here!" he finished the speech by raising one of his 'hands' to the sky.

Taylor couldn't help but snort at the ridiculous view. Admin just gently smiled back, then continued.

"Through processes that I won't go into, you will be immune to Trump and Master powers." he took a breath, then said something that shocked Taylor to the core. "And you will be invisible to Thinkers."

She immediately asked excitedly, "does that mean what I think it means?"

He looked at her eagerness and answered, "Yes, precogs won't see you."

"Wow!" Taylor exclaimed. She never heard of somebody having that power, but it sounded powerful.

Administrator just smugly basked in her awe.

"Indeed, it is awesome," he agreed, but then his voice turned serious. "but don't expect people not to notice. The absence of something is also a clue."

Taylor nodded seriously and wrote down the information.

"As a bonus, you will able to speak and understand all the languages," he added almost uncaringly.

"All of them?" she asked. "Really?"

"Yes." was his simple reply.

"That sounds really useful." mused Taylor to herself. Thinking about all the different gangs in her city who spoke many different languages.

"That is why I'm giving it to you," said Admin wryly.

"You?" she asked incredulously. "I thought you were some kind of guide who explains how things work!"

"No, I said I'm your power," corrected Admin "I made them, and I decided what you get."

"So you could take them back?" asked Taylor worriedly.

His smile this time was rather reassuring. It reminded her of her father. When she was a kid and was worried about something. He would give her a similar smile while explaining why her worries were silly.

"Technically yes," he said. "But I won't. My goal is to help you, not to hurt you."

That was a rather calming admission. Even so, something bothered Taylor about this entire conversation. Things just were not adding up.

She never heard of anybody having to contact with their power this or any other way. Granted, that was not overwhelming evidence, but the clear lack of knowledge about how powers worked was quite clear to everybody.

So that Admin was talking to her was rather suspicious.

And she had a constant feeling of something missing. Even the place where they were, despite its beauty, was giving her an eerie feeling.

So she decided that for once, confront the problem instead of hoping it would go away.

She looked at Admin, who was watching her calmly, clearly waiting for her to work through her thoughts. Though he was still bobbing lazily around, riding in the gentle breeze.

She wanted to ask hundreds of questions, but went with, to her, the easiest.

"Why are you talking to me?" she finally asked.