The Rose

Chapter 1

George wasn't normal.

No, he wasn't saying that because he was a pick-me, but because he really was an anomalous person. So were all of his friends.

They were Gifted, as they liked to say. George had unusual powers that were deemed as dangerous by the public. He would have to hide his identity in a high school boy's persona to keep safe, as many of his friends were doing too.

Even if George could do extraordinary things, he was probably considered one of the lesser beings. All he could do was control plants. The most helpful he'd been was to his mother, aiding her in growing tomatoes. It made him feel useless, like he wasn't special enough to have cool powers.

To make matters worse, he specialized in fungus. Fungus. Sure, controlling plants was pretty cool, but he could imagine walking up to someone he liked, explaining how he could grow mysterious mosses and mushrooms between their toenails. Sometimes he hated his vivid imagination.

He was ranting about this to Karl, one of his friends, when the first bell rang. Karl had chemistry first period, which was on the other side of the school, so he had to go.

"I've heard that there's going to be a new kid here today. Keep an eye out for them, okay? We need to keep all the Gifted kids safe," Karl said before dashing off.

'Gifted' was their secret term for kids like them, kids with powers. They'd made it their mission to find all Gifteds before they were captured by the government.

George had been adopted into the group in fifth grade by Karl. They had been on the playground when he told Karl about how he could make plants move. He smiled and showed George how he could control time. It amazed and comforted him that he was not alone.

He started walking to his first class, computer programming. He loved technology and everything to do with it, which was quite contradictory, as he normally worked with nature. But there was something about them that drew him in.

George was one of the first ones there, sitting in his usual seat. He was waiting for Ranboo, another one of his friends.

Right as George was wondering where he was, he appeared in the doorway. Ranboo was easily one of the tallest and good-looking guys in the school. He was 6'6", and had sandy blonde hair. Not to mention his impeccable style, with Hawaiian shirts and jeans.

Not only was he quite handsome, Ranboo was also one of the more powerful out of the Gifteds. He could teleport, but he didn't take himself very seriously.

Ranboo strode over to sit beside him, groaning slightly when he put his backpack down. "I don't know why I say yes when Tubbo and Tommy ask me to carry their textbooks," he cried.

George snickered. Taking advantage of Ranboo in a teasing way was a running joke. Tubbo and Tommy, his best friends, loved playing it the most.

"Good morning to you too," he scolded lightly. Remembering what Karl said about the new kid, he said, "There's supposed to be a new guy today. Your senses are better than mine. Help me see if there's anything weird about them?"

He nodded. "Yeah, sure."

The class had started filling up, and before long, the teacher came in. "Good morning, class! As you may have heard, there's going to be a new student here today."

She opened the door and George's breath caught in his throat.

Because wow.

He was gorgeous.

He was tall, maybe two inches or so shorter than Ranboo. The guy had dirty blonde hair, and what looked to be yellow-grey eyes. His skin colour was akin to the sandy beaches of California with freckles dotting his cheeks like little stars. He had plump red lips and a friendly gaze that instantly put George at peace.