Okay, okay! It's my turn to tell the story! Yay! Okay...So, a few days have passed since the dance. School has been out with the whole winter break thing. A new year has started and it's actually the weekend before school opens back up.

I had just gotten home from my cousin's home the day before and an alarm on my phone rang. I got up and ready for the day, ready to explore what it has in store. I ate some breakfast and kissed my sleeping mother on the head before heading out the door. I just wandered around town for the most part, jogging along the sidewalks and admiring the scenery of the early morning. I went by parks and playgrounds, churches and mosques, gardens and sports fields, practically making a lap around town. But then I got a call from a distant friend of mine, Tracy, and I smile. I answer the call eagerly.

"Tracy! Hey! It's been a while! How was your holiday?"I cheer into the phone

I hear her giggle.

"Hey Rosy. Yeah it has been a while. It was nice, visiting family and all. Happy New Year!"She says softly

"Oh yeah! Happy New Year! What's your resolution?"I ask

"If I tell you I won't complete it."She says

"Oh come on! It's not a birthday wish!"I giggle as I walk to Mabel's Diner, a family-run business in our town

"But every time I tell someone I jinx myself! I always fail at completing it!"She says

"I won't tell anyone.~ If you tell me yours I will tell you mine. We can be jinxed together."I suggest with a wink as I push the door open

Ding Ding!

The bell sings above me as the door rings it.

"Curiosity kills the cat, Rosy.~"She says teasingly

"It hasn't killed me yet.~"I joke back

We both laugh as I go to find a seat, shutting the door gently behind me so it doesn't slam.

"My parents are journalists and reporters, what do you expect from me, Tracy?"I giggle

"True. At least they've taught you caution with curiosity, or I don't know where you'd be right now."She says

"Oh come on! I'm not that bad!"I say

"The Twig Incident in 1st grade?"She reminds me

"That was 1st grade! I didn't know that much yet! A little kid is allowed imagination! I didn't know the twigs couldn't get me to the top of a slide! I thought it could've been a ladder! And I've gotten better since then!"I say

"Where are you right now?"She asks

"Mabel's Diner."I say, hearing the bell ring again

I look up from the menu at my stool facing the window to see Marcellus entering. He saw me and smiles, quickly trying to make a beeline to me.

"Uggh..Tracy I'll have to call you back. Good luck with your resolution! Bye!~"I say

"Bye, Rosy!"She says, hanging up

Marcellus smiles at me and I give a small smile back.

"You really don't understand what I'm busy with family for the holidays, do you? All those calls and texts you sent really showed that."I say with a shake of his head

He sits down beside me, taking off his coat and grabbing a menu.

"Hehe...I might've forgotten that."He says

"Oh trust me, that was obvious."I sigh

"So....Have you thought of what I said to you? We could start here and now. A diner is a perfect fit."He says

I shake my head.

"I told you at the dance when you asked and I will tell you again. No, I'm not interested into getting in a mess with you. You have a girlfriend! You've had plenty of girlfriends!"I say

"Yeah but none are like you!"He says, almost like it was second-nature to him from saying it so much

"And how many others have you told that to? Marc, you've been my friend for a while so I know you well. You're impulsive, clumsy, hyper, and don't think things through. Reckless even. This is simply another impulsive decision you're making. You'll get bored of me in two weeks or less like your last few girlfriends and jump into a new relationship without a second thought. As your friend, I do not want to be added to the list of girls you toss aside just because you didn't think things through enough. It makes the friendship awkward, not to mention all the other exes that would be upset with you. I'm just not interested in messes."I explain to him

"Oh come on! Don't you want to get to know me better? We could have some real good times!"He insists

"I can get to know you without dating you. We're friends, Marc. Face it, bud, I'm just not one of those girls in school dying to be with you. As curious as I may be, I know a bad situation when I see one. And I'm not getting into a bad situation for you."I tell him

"But I really do want to go on a date with you! I'd love to do that! You're amazing!"He says

I glance at him, pausing from reading the menu.

"Okay, what makes me amazing to you? What do you want to date me for? And don't say my looks. I'm not going to be a trophy for you to show off or stared at on dates. I've met Jared and I'm not getting into a relationship like that for looks. Looks aren't everything."I say, crossing my arms

He clearly had to think on that for a moment.

"You looked so beautiful on the dance floor....Not by your dress or fancy styles or whatever...But by your happiness. Your smile is so charming and seeing you have fun out there without a care was stunning...You're smart and caring...You also are very creative, I hear you made the dress you wore...And you're very determined when you set your mind to something. You can easily de-escalate things and you've always known how to ground me when I was thinking of something dumb. You're just so different from these other girls that I've dated who are pretty on the outside but are snobby, twisted, two-faced jerks on the inside. Plus we both know each other so it wouldn't be like we're going in blind into the relationship. Also, I got dumped on Christmas so I don't have a girlfriend anymore."He tell me

I expected that to stump him....Wow....

"I'm sorry. it's just not the right time. You have a reputation of going through girls quicker than teachers grading tests, and I honestly don't see you that way. If we walked into school together, everyone would think that's why you broke up your last relationship. I'm not going to be a number or some sort of homewrecker. That's not me. And if she did dump you just a few days ago, you should take some time to heal and figure yourself out. I'm not going to be a rebound either for you. If you need time or someone to lean on, I'll be here as a friend. But that's as far as I'll go. It's just not a good time or place, sorry. Plus I have another love."I explain to him, looking at the menu again

"What? Who?"He asks

"Education! It never fails me and feeds all my curious or creative needs!"I say, skimming to the pancake section

A waitress comes over and greets me.

"Could I have a stack of blueberry pancakes with hot coco?"I ask

She nods, walking away.

I get out a deck of cards and start shuffling them, trying different tricks. I shuffle and play with them, slipping or bouncing them from one hand to the next. Marcellus sat there, staring at me dumbfounded. I get my food and thank the waitress.

"Nobody has said no before...."He says softly

"Okay, then I am the first."I say, munching on my pancakes

I sip from my hot coco, bouncing the cards in one hand.

"Since when were you into card tricks?"He asks, reaching for them

I set them out of his reach. I take the rubber band from my hair to tie the stack together.

"Don't mess with them. I've been practicing for weeks at lunch. It's fun and life is only so long so I want to learn as much as I can."I say

I shuffle cards around more and smile at him.

"What's my card?"He asks with a smirk

"I dunno, point to one."I say

He points to one and I shuffle a bit for the fun of it, then pick the one he pointed to. I lift it up in front of my face and grin. Each had custom drawings on them and coloring that I did myself to show that they are mine.

"What's that card....?"He asks

"The buddies card! See the figures talking and laughing? That means that you'll get a close friend or a better growth in a current one soon! Kind of like a fortune!"I tell him

"Ooh...Nice...."He says

"Why so disappointed?"I ask

"I was hoping for...better luck...."He says

"Sorry, I don't have that card deck."I say, finishing my food

I pay the bill, zip up my coat and tucking my phone or cards away.

"Bye Marc!"I say, walking out the door

I wander around town again, relieved when I see that he wasn't following me to try again. Instead, I notice Marilyn walking up ahead of me. She was a good distance ahead, going down long abandoned roads.

"Marilyn! Hey!"I cheer, taking extra steps to try to catch up to her.

She didn't seem to hear me and seems to be unsettled. She ran deep into the forest up ahead.

"Hey! Wait up!"I say, chasing after her

I lost her in the woods. I curiously look around for her.

What could she be looking for in this forest? Who knows what animals are roaming around here!

I wander around, feeling the wooden bark of the tough trees.

"Oh goodness..."I hear Marilyn say

"Hmm..?"A voice says

I walk closer, hearing water rush nearby. Possibly a river.

"This is way too new to me...How...Is this possible? Is it from whatever fell from the sky? W-Who is forming now?"She questions to herself

"Evelyn? Is that you?"The other voice says

The other voice was croaky, soft and worn out. Yet still had some power or energy and sweetness in it.

"N-No...I'm Marilyn. Y-You're supposed to be my grandmother."She says

"I have a granddaughter?"The voice says

"Y-You're the mother of my mother...Yeah...You aren't close anymore?"Marilyn asks

"No...I just remember her with that necklace...Then I passed on..."The voice sighs

"Well you have me and a grandson named Logan..."She says

"I see...."The voice says

I creep closer and peek out from behind a tree. I gasp quietly, amazed at what I'm witnessing. She was sitting down by the river, necklace glowing around her neck and a few feet away she was speaking to a spirit. A cloudy blue mist seemed to make them glow. She wore her hair in a bun, her face worn with wrinkles by age, wearing an oversized shirt with long pants and shoes. It looked like pajamas of some sort, like she had just been asleep...

"So what do you wish to speak about...? I'm guessing that you called for advice."The grandma says

"I....didn't even know I could do this...I'm just pretty lost...."She says

"When did this start, my dear?"The spirit asks

"Umm...I was at a dance with friends...A weird rock of some sort fell from the sky and knocked me out...I saw Mom...She gave me this necklace and I woke up to weird crystals merging with my skin...Ever since then the necklace would glow and my wounds have healed quicker....And yesterday I splashed my brother when I didn't mean to nor was there any water around us! I don't understand anything that's going on...."Marilyn says

"Hmm...That's new...Certainly a concern...Have you seen a doctor?"The spirit says

"Nothing came up. It says I'm perfectly fine."She says

"Well....With great power comes great responsibility."

"Oh...Okay then...Thank you."

"No problem dearie. I'll be going now."

The spirit fades away.

I stood there watching in stunned silence. Marilyn got up and sighs, walking away from the spot. I wait for her to get a little distance, the events settling into my head. Somehow it made sense since she looked out of breath when she came back inside to the dance and how concerned Hugo looked...

"Hey! Marilyn! There you are!"I shout, running after her

"Huh? Oh! Rosy! What are you doing here?"She asks, turning to me

"I saw you going into the forest and called to you but you didn't answer! What are you doing going in here on a winter afternoon?"I reply

"O-Oh...Right. I'm just admiring nature. The seasons can be so beautiful."She says

Clearly she didn't think I saw or heard her do any of that. But I could see the worry on her face.

"Are you okay? You've been off ever since we went to that dance."I ask her

She holds her necklace gently, the locket glowing brightly despite no light reaching us through the trees

"Ummm...."She says, seeming at a loss for answers

That was a red flag to me. She always had a witty remark or quick with a response. I'd rarely hear an um from her unless something was wrong.

"You know I'm here for you, Bestie. I can see something is wrong so don't try to hide it. Your dad honestly seemed to pass that on to you despite it being a pet peeve of yours."I remind her

She nods, letting out a deep sigh.

"Okay so...I went outside to answer my dad's call and in the next moment this giant crystal asteroid-like rock came down out of nowhere. I got knocked out and somehow got to see my mom? I don't really get it either. And she somehow gave me this family necklace during the visit and it stayed when I woke up. Hugo helped me up but pieces the rock sort of merged with me...? And now these strange things keep happening and I dunno how to control it...."She says

I pull her closer, hugging her to try to soothe her as she seemed to be breaking down with the weight of her stress or concerns on her shoulders.

"I will be here to help you. Whatever happens to you I will be there. We can figure it out and besides, you're my best friend! You've faced and conquered many other things before! You can conquer this issue as well!"I tell her

Then I felt a tight pinch on my wrist and physically flinched. I look to see a weird-looking mosquito biting my hand, glowing a bright midnight blue. I swatted it away and it fell to the gorund, twitching as if it died from that. A bite usually didn't hurt so much or would be clearly felt the moment it happened. I shook the thoughts off, thinking it wasn't much.

"Uuh...That bug was glowing like some of the rocks...."She says

"You don't think it would have the same effect, do you?"I ask

"I dunno...Only time will tell...Do you have your cards with you? Maybe we could do some fortunes."She says

I nod, taking out my cards to distract us. I start shuffling the cards but they started to glow and then the cards bounced from my hands. They flew and circle around us in dozens of shades and curving, whizzing a slight hum. A single card remained in my hand but I stare in shock. I didn't even bring half these many cards, let alone have them soar around!

"Wooaah..."Marilyn says

"H-How..? What even is this supposed to be?"I wonder

Then flames, bubbles, squirts of water, and leaves started to get burped out of some of the cards.

"Oh dear...Let's get out of the forest!"She says

I nod and start to try to get out of the card tornado, following her. I turn the only card in my hand over and then I heard a swishing noise behind us. I glance over my shoulder to see my cards slithering in the air lowly hovering by the ground, swishing side to side behind me like a trail or a snake, some fluttering like butterflies. Whatever they were releasing had stopped. I raise my hand at they flew higher. I tap the card in my hand and they all zipped back into a stack in my hand.

"Ah...You have enchanted card control I guess? Didn't see that on any packaging."Marilyn says with a joke to lighten the mood

"I think we got our answer."I say

"Well it's better than randomly sending floods at people."She chuckles

"Okay, Katara."I say teasingly

"Pfft...Now I have a reason to watch that show more."She jokes

"To learn control?"I ask

"Silly as that sounds, may be my only option."She says

The top card of my deck flips over and I look at it. It was a detailed picture of Marilyn holding a book with a purple figure with glasses and what I can perceive to be a beard. There was a small label at the bottom.

"Hey, I think it just gave you your fortune reading."I say

"What does the card say?"She asks as we finally get out of the forest

"It's called The Mentor:With this card you will either gain a mentor to guide you through the unknown or be so for another in need."I say

Soon as I read it, it burnt to a crisp but another one appears at the bottom of the stack.

"Interesting."She says

Another one flips over and I glance at it. It has a figure looking like me reaching up to touch a star. It read:The Starlight Connection:This card means that you'll make an out-of-this-world connection soon!

Then, just like the last one, it burnt to a crisp and a new one appears at the bottom of the stack to even it out.

Marilyn's phone dings. She glances at it and her eyes went wide.

"It's Hugo. He needs help. Let's go."She says, taking off in a jog

I tuck my cards away and follow after her.

TBC