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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊

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𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑

Once the curly-haired girl was dismissed from her last class of the day, she walked with one of her classmates named Trevor to the parking lot. As they walked, they talked about their plans for the weekend and the project that was due the following week. It wasn't long before they found themselves at the girl's blue Toyota. She said a quick goodbye to her friend before getting into her car and driving out of the parking lot. Disney music blasted from her radio as she drove home. A smile was plastered on her face as she rolled the windows down and sang at the top of her lungs. She received a few looks from passing drivers, but she simply ignored them and continued with her fun.

Kayleah Greene was one of the most free-spirited people in the world. She lived a very carefree life and reveled in every moment of it. She spent most of her time outdoors, which led her to choose to study environmental science at CSU Long Beach. Most of her family thought her major wasn't the smartest idea, but Kayleah paid no attention to all of the comments they made. She wanted to spend the next four years studying something she enjoyed. The Greene girl didn't only want a successful job after college, she wanted one that she wanted to go to every day.

It wasn't long before Kayleah pulled into the driveway of her two-story suburban home. She hummed the last song that played on the radio as she grabbed her bag and locked up her car. Her smile stayed plastered on her lips as she walked inside. She barely made it three steps into her house when she was greeted by her floppy-eared Border Collie. Laughter filled the room as the Greene girl ran her hand through Lily's fur. After hanging her backpack on the back of one of her dining chairs, Kayleah grabbed a leash and clipped it to her dog's collar. The grin on her face did nothing but grow as she and Lily headed out for their evening walk.

After walking along the paths near her house, Kayleah and Lily arrived at their destination. She opened the gate to the dog park before letting it lock behind her. It was only then that the Greene girl unclipped Lily's leash, allowing the Border Collie to run around the field with the other dogs. Kayleah watched Lily run around for a moment before walking over to a nearby bench. The curly-haired girl sat down with her phone in hand and put on her earbuds to listen to music.

About an hour passed of Lily running around with the other dogs when the calm air around them became an oddly windy day. At first, Kayleah didn't notice the change in weather, too busy listening to her music to be bothered. That was until a strong gust of wind almost knocked her off the bench. Confusion flowed through her veins as the Greene girl pulled out her earbuds and looked around, trying to figure out who or what pushed her. But when nothing seemed out of the ordinary except the strange weather, she returned to her music. The curly-haired girl was about to press play when she spotted something in the distance that made her blood run cold. A large branch was starting to break off a tree near a little boy playing soccer just outside the dog park.

Kayleah just watched the boy, thinking he would move out of the way. But it didn't take her long to realize that the boy was completely unaware of the danger he was in. The Greene girl didn't hesitate to jump to her feet and sprint toward the boy.

"Hey, kid! Look out!" she screamed, causing the boy to look over at her with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Kayleah continued to run as fast as her legs could take her while the boy kept his eyes glued to her, unsure of what was going on. She was a yard away when a loud cracking sound filled the air. The boy's body stiffened as he turned to look up at the tree closest to him, only to see the branch starting to fall. The Greene girl reached the boy just in time to tackle him to the ground and used her body to shield him. The next thing either of them knew, the branch came down on top of them, making the world fall into darkness.

A million thoughts bounced around in Kayleah's mind while she was trapped underneath the tree branch's weight. The boy was clinging to her as if his life depended on it, shaking faster than humanly possible. Just when she thought it was all over, the Greene girl heard the rustle of leaves. She thought it was just the wind at first, but then she heard whimpering followed by a familiar bark. A wave of realization washed over Kayleah before her eyes shot open. She wasn't surprised to find leaves surrounding her. But what did surprise her was that she felt no pain at all. Her head was spinning as she reached her hand out to touch the branch closest to her. She didn't expect it to lift off her in and instantly before attaching back to the tree above them.

"This can't be happening," the curly-haired girl whispered under her breath. Her eyes were glued to the now-repaired tree, making her completely unaware of the terrified boy sprinting away from her.

"Kayleah Greene?"

The curly-haired girl jumped at the sound of the new voice, which pulled her back to reality. A shaky breath passed over her lips as she turned around to find a woman with hair as white as snow standing behind her. Chills ran throughout Kayleah's entire body as she took in the woman's presence, and it didn't help that she wore a blank expression on her face. The Greene girl just stared at the woman for a moment longer before taking a step away from her. She tried her best to ignore the chills running up her spine but hopelessly failed.

After studying the white-haired woman for a moment longer, Kayleah found some courage inside her. It was just enough to force her to ask one of the questions bouncing around inside her head. "Do I know you?"

"I would be surprised if you did," the woman responded after a ghost of a smile flashed across her lips, "my name is Umi Zerrin. I am the Seer and Protector of the Chosen Ones. It is my job to inform you that the Spirits have chosen you to obtain the ability to control flora."

"Control flora?" Kayleah questioned, not bothering to hide the disbelief in her voice, "as in making grass grow?"

"You have the ability to influence the plant life around you. So if you want to make grass grow, you can," Umi responded before letting out a very long sigh, "though I don't really see the point of that."

"Yeah, right. And the clouds are made of cotton candy," Kayleah scoffed, earning a raised eyebrow from the woman in front of her, "look, lady, I don't know where you came from, but I'm a little old to believe in fairytales."

"This isn't one of the stories your beloved Disney movies are based on," Umi retaliated after rolling her eyes at the curly-haired girl, who glared at the woman in a way she'd never stared at someone before.

"My 'beloved Disney movies' are amazing. Better than this fantasy you're trying to pull," the Greene girl declared while crossing her arms over her chest, "and if you want me to believe you, then prove it. Prove to me that I have this power."

When Umi continued to blankly stare at Kayleah, the curly-haired girl simply rolled her eyes at the white-haired woman before turning and making her way back to the dog park to get Lily. Just as she was about to reach the entrance gate, someone came up from behind her and placed their hands on her temples, causing a bright light to appear out of nowhere and momentarily blind the brunette.

When the bright light vanished, Kayleah was standing in the middle of nowhere. Four strangers stood by her sides as they faced a raven-haired man floating above his army of shadows. The curly-haired girl's body moved involuntarily, causing vines to grow from the ground near her feet. It wasn't long after that when she held her arms out in front of her, sending the vines toward a group of shadows. The vines wrapped around the dark figures before throwing them across the clearing into another group of silhouettes. Kayleah could barely believe what was happening in front of her, unsure of what to make of it. But before another thought could go through her head, the familiar bright light reappeared, blinding her once again.

An unknown amount of time passed before Kayleah heard something sniffing her ear. That was all it took for her eyes to flash open to find Lily looking down at her. Not even a second after that passed when the Border Collie started licking her face, happy her owner was okay. The Greene girl could hardly control her laughter as she slowly got to her feet. Kayleah took a moment to reassure Lily she was okay before she remembered everything that had happened. The only logical explanation was that she was going crazy. Or maybe she was still stuck under the branch. because she knew there was no way this was happening.

A shaky breath passed over Kayleah's lips as she turned to face Umi. The Greene girl was surprised to find the white-haired woman staring back at her with a smug smirk on her face and her arms crossed over her chest. The two of them just stared at each other until the Zerrin woman broke the silence surrounding them. "If you don't believe the vision I passed to you, you should believe that you reattached that branch just moments ago. I don't know why that wasn't enough proof, to begin with."

"This isn't a dream, is it?" Kayleah responded, only to receive another eye roll from the white-haired woman. The curly-haired girl did her best to fight her annoyance by letting out a long sigh. "Fine. I'll go with you. But I have to take Lily home first. You can come with me if you want."

The only response the Greene girl received from Umi was a small nod. It wasn't long after that when Kayleah put the leash back on Lily before the three of them walked back to her house. Silence surrounded them the entire way, the only thing breaking it was the occasional bark from Lily. What felt like an eternity passed when they finally arrived at their destination. Once she was sure the Border Collie was safely inside, Kayleah led Umi to her car. It was then that the Zerrin woman gave the young girl directions to their next destination.

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About thirty minutes passed of the two of them driving before ending up at the strange mountain everyone climbed on the outskirts of town. Before a word could leave the curly-haired girl's mouth, a door at the base of the mountain opened to reveal a large garage with a single red Jeep parked in it. Kayleah turned off her car before hopping out and following the woman through the halls of the inside of the mountain. The feeling of confusion continued to build up inside her as the sound of ocean waves began to fill the air.

The brunette girl began to feel overwhelmed while debating whether or not she should escape down the path they just came from. But before she could come to a decision, Umi stopped at a steel door and pushed a button on the wall next to her. Shock replaced all other emotions Kayleah was feeling when a blonde girl appeared out of nowhere. The stranger stood in front of her with an irritated look on her face as she studied every inch of the Greene girl.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" the blonde girl questioned as she continued to study Kayleah with a look on her face the latter couldn't describe.

"I...uh...I," Kayleah stuttered as she stared at the blue-eyed girl in front of her. The question threw her off a bit. She obviously knew who she was, there would be a huge problem if she didn't. But if the Greene girl were being honest, she had no idea why she was there. It wasn't long after that when she quickly shook her head and summoned as much confidence as she could. "Umi brought me here."

"Why would-"

"Lauren," Umi interrupted the girl as the white-haired woman returned to Kayleah's side, "I'm glad to see you've met your new teammate."

"She is one of the Chosen?" Lauren questioned without bothering to hide the shock and disbelief in her voice. Not even a second after that passed when she looked away from Umi and back at Kayleah. "She can't be one of them. She could barely form a sentence when I approached her. How can she be one of the ones that save the world?"

"Excuse me, I only studdered because you just appeared out of nowhere like some genie," the Greene girl retaliated with irritation in her voice while crossing her arms over her chest to match the blonde girl, "who do you think you are anyway? And what gives you the right to make assumptions about me?"

"As Umi told you, I'm Lauren," the Taylor girl said before a smirk took form on her lips, "and I'm the leader of the Chosen."

"You're the leader?" the curly-haired scoffed after standing a bit straighter to make herself appear a bit taller, "shouldn't a leader, you know, be the example and show respect for their teammates?"

Tension filled every inch of the room as the two girls just stared at each other. But Kayleah was never expecting what happened next. A smile replaced the scowl on the Taylor girl's face. Confusion replaced the irritation within the Greene girl as she studied Lauren. It wasn't long after that when they both looked over at Umi, who had a matching smile on her face.

"I like her," Lauren announced while walking straight past the curly-haired girl to stand beside the Seer. It wasn't long after that when they both turned their attention back to Kayleah. "She seems to be able to handle herself in uncomfortable situations."

"'Seems to be?' I can handle myself perfectly fine. Thank you for your concern," Kayleah retaliated after spinning around to face Lauren, only to find just Umi standing next to one of the walls of the mountain, "where did she go?"

"To the training room. Follow me," Umi said before turning around and continuing down the hall. Not even a second after that passed when the Greene girl rushed to catch up with her. As soon as they walked around another corner, the white-haired woman came to a sudden stop, causing Kayleah to copy her actions. The Zerrin woman then pulled on the light on the wall beside her. The next thing the curly-haired girl knew, the solid rock wall in front of them began moving. Her eyes widened to the size of small planets when a large room was revealed.

Kayleah scanned the room for a moment before her attention landed on Lauren. The blonde girl was moving a stream of water through the air with more grace than Kayleah could ever muster. It wasn't long before Umi continued walking further into the room, causing the Greene girl to follow right behind her. It wasn't long before they stopped next to a wall filled with multi-colored buttons. The Zerrin woman didn't hesitate to press the green button, which was one out of the two buttons that were glowing. Before Kayleah could even begin to try to figure out what the other buttons were for, a small field appeared next to the pool of water where Lauren was practicing. Her feet began moving before she could think as she approached the grass. The second she made contact with the field, it began growing before her very eyes.

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