lethal //phan

e i g h t e e n

Phil
Pretending that the conversations he'd both witnessed and endured never happened was easier than he'd originally suspected. For once he was able to let it go over his head - it wasn't of his concern whether if PJ disliked Dan, after all, PJ seemed to be the only one that had a strong enough opinion to vocalise it.

The library he was in was silent apart from the occasional sounds of the pages of a book being turned and pens furiously scribbling down facts onto notepads - some students already starting preparation for their exams Phil assumed, their efforts were admirable to say the least, he wasn't intending on even starting revision for another month.

"You're thinking again, aren't you." Dan remarked.

He still wasn't quite used to Dan 2.0, who was slightly less aggressive than the original, and had far fewer rages and mood swings since the first time they met. It took him by surprise every now and again, but he wasn't in the position to complain.

Dan could still act pretty coldly when they were in public together, though Phil wasn't bothered. If Dan wanted to remain to seem to be a social outcast, Phil wouldn't be the one responsible to stop him, but yet anyhow.

"Something like that." he responded, his mind still in a haze from coming out of the thoughts he kept finding himself becoming lost in these days.

Shaking his head in decline to the 'do you want to talk about it?' expression from Dan, he began to scour the bookshelves in the hope of finding something useful for their upcoming project. They had two weeks and thus far they had nothing to present.

As he was vaguely scanning each shelf in hope he'd find something at least moderately useful, a collection of books caught his eye. They were all a deep burgundy in colour, each with gold engraved writing of: A History Of: The In Speciali Vero Academy. Phil counted four volumes in total, each volume displayed the different aspects of the schools history, which was pretty convenient if you asked him.

Volume I: Founders & Historical Traditions
Volume II: Wars And Battles
Volume III: Explanation Of Powers
Volume IV: Myths And Legends

Collectively, the books looked to include basically everything they needed. It was lucky to have found them as quickly as he did - he lacked both the time and the energy to spend the entire day searching.

"I'm going to look through these," Phil exclaimed.

"Isn't it easier for us to take two volumes each?"

"That'd work too I guess - but I call dibs on the one about powers."

"What's the obsession with powers all about anyway?" Dan asked as he picked up one of the books and opened it at a random page.

Phil took a moment to think about it.

"My power is what makes me different, what makes me stand out from other people, it defines me. But I know so little about it, you're aware of my curiosity - I don't stop until I know everything. If I'm going to be all poetic, you could say I'm finding myself through this, as a part of my own personal project. I'm getting tired of all the unanswered questions."

"It's a reassurance knowing someone feels the same way," Dan responded, giving Phil a look he hadn't seen before.

The expression wasn't one of anger or of annoyance, though it couldn't be described as being happy either. He wore the type of smile that wasn't used to show joy, more as a display of empathy, a sign of understanding. It was proof that actions speak far louder than words.

"I don't usually talk about things like this." Phil spoke again after realising the amount of time that had passed during the silence.

"They tend to stay in my thoughts." Dan agreed. "I'm just glad people like PJ haven't told anyone else about the things I think about. My thought process is strange to say the least."

Dan Howell if only you knew what I know about your thought process. Phil just about stopped himself from smiling and giving anything away. That was definitely a story for another time.

He took the books out from the library and with Dan's assistance, carried them into his room.

"Let me know if you need any help with it, and you can message me as well, you've got a phone or something like that, haven't you?"

Phil nodded. He'd had bought an iPod second-hand from a village just beyond the academy, students were granted permission to leave the grounds once a month and since the money he got from lessons had been raised significantly since his first day. So with his own money (and a small loan from Chris that he promised to pay back) he could just afford it.

The device had to be taken off him soon after he'd bought it, he assumed the school tampered with it so he couldn't contact people on the outside.

"Pass me a pen and I'll write my iMessage email down."

Dan scribbled letters down onto Phil's hand, then in return Phil did the same.

"Have fun with your reading." Dan joked as he left to go into his room next door to Phil's.

***

Where to even begin: that was the question. Two books, hundreds of pages, tens of thousands of words to analyse. Maybe volunteering to read two volumes himself had been a mistake, in hindsight he should've only taken one.

The books were sat on the small excuse for a table in front of him, he pushed the two of them off, letting each fall to the ground and land with a thud - hoping they'd disappear because he didn't want them there. Out of sight, out of mind. Of course, he knew that concealing his issues wouldn't demolish them, but it was a pleasant thought all the same.

The excited mood he once felt had changed to one of boredom, his 'investigation' was the last thing he wanted to do. Even the titles of the books seemed less appealing than they did before. Still, he picked up the third volume and flipped the pages to a chapter that took his interest from the contents page.

'Volume III
Chapter V - Formation Of Implexis'.
An implexis is an ability shared between two people, and commonly occurs as a second power alongside a main power (see Chapter II). It is a rare circumstance that this is to happen; less than five percent of people with powers have this gift.

The two individuals sharing the power are naturally drawn to one another, so have the tendency to find each other quickly. They show interest towards each other from early stages of their first meeting.

The majority of people possessing an implexis discover it after two events of one person helping the other in a time of need. After the first event, the two people's emotional bond grows stronger, then after the second an implexis is formed between the two of them.
The pair have a strong bond with one another and it builds their levels of trust and emotional understanding.'

That was mostly accurate. Aside a few details, everything mentioned had happened to him and Dan, the connection after that one night that had become far more prominent than it was beforehand. Phil knew he always showed a fascination towards Dan, of course he did, he was a mystery that was adamant on staying that way - it intrigued him. Though he never questioned that there may have been a scientific reason as of why.

By now, he was almost certain the unknown power he possessed had something to do with Dan. All the signs seemed to point that way, he had the full intention to follow them and see where they led.