Dandelion Flowers (Phan)

Chapter One

January 11, 1986, 5:46 p.m.

"Breaking news, the development of chemical 147B has been confirmed to be complete.  The New Zealand scientists who have developed this chemical plan to begin experimentation on adults in the next few months. If all goes to plan, the chemical will be released to the public for treatment for lung cancer. Now on to our next story-" 

An old woman, no more than sixty, sat calmly in her rocking chair listening to the stereo rumble about the current events. Her hands shook slightly as she pulled the thin piece of thread through the needle. Nearby, her grandson, Martyn, mimicked the old woman's actions. The grandmother and grandson duo were creating blankets for the orphaned children in the nearby orphanage. Martyn, only being two, used a plastic needle and thicker twine. He didn't stitch together the blankets like his grandmother, but he did pick out the colorful fabrics that would be used. 

"Granny," Martyn squeaked to gain the older woman's attention. "Is 1-4-7-B going to cure daddy?"

The young boy's father was slightly over twenty-five when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. By the time the doctors caught it, he was already passing by stage three. Luckily, with the help of chemotherapy, Martyn's father has been able to stay alive for the past two years. Although, chemo isn't a miracle for everyone and as time went on Martyn's father became immune to the radiation cure. If Martyn's father was up for it, this medicine would be his last resort.

"I don't know, baby," The old woman admitted. She stopped sowing as her heart became heavy with the thought of her losing her beloved son.

Martyn frowned, "That sucks."

The old woman nodded, "It does," She agreed.

March 5, 1987, 8:34 a.m

"Breaking news, government officials have banned the use of chemical 147B. According to our sources, the chemical has been banned in every country worldwide. Last year the chemical caused the death of almost every man and woman that participated in the drug trial. There were a few lucky people who made it out of the drug trials but the aftereffects are still unreported. With this information surfacing, the governments around the world have decided to restrict the chemical for use-"

Mrs. Lester cradled the newborn baby with easy, gently rocking the baby back and forth in a steady rhythm. "Okay sweetheart, I need you to calm down for me," She cooed softly to the crying baby. Phil, Mrs. Lester's baby, waved his arms in the air wildly and continued to scream. "Come on, Philly, I know I can see you smile," She cooed again. Unfortunately, Phil inhaled heavily before letting out louder sobs. 

"Have you tried warming up a bottle of milk?" Mr. Lester asked from the doorway, his cancer-free body swaying slightly to the lullaby playing over the room speakers. Sometime over a year ago, Mr. Lester signed up for a drug trial for the new chemical 147B. He had stage four lung cancer and he was terribly desperate for a cure. The chemical did wonders for his body, clearing out the cancer cells within weeks and leaving him unbelievably healthy. 

Mrs. Lester chewed on her bottom lip worriedly while shaking her head. "No," She said after a few moments. "He didn't want to eat when I tried breastfeeding him. I didn't even think of warming up milk." She gently grasped onto one of Phil's hands, noting the unusually cold temperature his hand gave off. "What if there's something wrong with him?" She whispered in a terrified tone. "His body is so cold that it's becoming unusual and he cries no matter what we do. What if he's sick?"

Mr. Lester entered the room to gently rest his hand on his wife's shoulder. "He's fine, darling," He reassured. "If anything, he's probably got a small cold. Give it a couple of weeks and he'll be better."

Mrs. Lester pursed her lips in uncertainty. Her gut told her that something was wrong but she couldn't quite put her finger on what. Mr. Lester sounded so sure that Phil was perfectly, maybe Mrs. Lester was worrying over nothing. 

"Okay," She agreed wearily, "He's fine."

July 14, 1993, 2:12 p.m

Philip Lester, or Phil, mumbled grumpily to himself as he held the hose towards his mother's waterbed. He disobeyed in school again and as his punishment, he had to water all of his mother's roses. In his mind, the punishment was unnecessary and cruel, especially since he had to do it out in the hot sun. Phil was already feeling warmer than normal, the hot sun didn't help his case. If Suzy didn't take his favorite pen and the snap it in half Phil wouldn't have lashed out at the young girl. But Suzy had to be the stupid girl she is and take his pen. 

The sun beat down heavily on Phil's back making his shift uncomfortably in his sweatshirt. He was absolutely exhausted already and just wanted to go back inside. Unfortunately, Phil's father was standing post at the door to make sure he didn't escape. Phil was tempted to ask to get a drink to nourish his dry throat but he knew his father would probably say no.

Time ticked by slowly as Phil continued to spray the roses. He was getting more parched by the minute. His body craved something cold to cool down from the wicked heat. Again, his thoughts drifted back to asking his father for a drink, but the glare his father sent him answered the question before it could even be asked. So, as a desperate result, Phil decided to drink straight from the hose. He knew from experience that hose water wasn't filtered and can make you sick, but he was so desperate that he didn't care. 

Phil cupped his free hand into a small bowl and sprayed the freezing water into his palm. The water swished around in his hand for a few moments until Phil turned the hose back to the flowers. He was so giddy that he had cold water he didn't realize that the water began to form into one perfect circular ice cube. It wasn't until Phil put his lips to the edge of his hand that he realized that something was wrong. 

The second Phil's lips came in contact with the solid ice he let out a shrill scream. His parent's burst through the front door, quickly running to aid their panicked son. Phil started to cry as he waved his arm around frantically in an attempt to get the ice to unstick from his hand. His parents were terrified as they stared at the ice that began to grow as Phil continued to cry. Neither one of them had any clue on how to help their son. It wasn't like they were met with a situation like this before. 

All they knew is that life was about to become a lot more hectic and there wasn't anything they could do about it. 

Author's note.

This was the introduction to Phil's upbringing and his exposure to his powers. The next chapter will be Dan's upbringing and his exposure to his powers. After that, the fun starts. 

Any opinions on the timestamps? I felt that I would be able to track portions of this story if I added timestamps, but I know some people can find them annoying. Please, tell me your opinion. 

Updating will be slow from here on out. There won't be any schedule. Updates will come when they come and I can't promise that they will be the best. I'm doing my best.