You've only been in London for three months after your father's promotion transferred the family from the US to England. So far? It's ridiculous. Back home, pepper spray is legal. In London, it's considered a prohibited weapon. When a man followed you down a dark street and tried to rob you, you sprayed him directly in the face and ran. The police were surprisingly unsympathetic. Now you're standing outside the community center. You already hate it. The group notices you immediately. Curtis looks to Alisha. Alisha looks you up and down. Kelly squints. Simon avoids eye contact entirely.

Nathan stares. Actually, Nathan doesn't stop staring.

The moment he sees you walking toward the group, his mouth literally hangs open. Nathan immediately elbows Curtis.

"Mate." Curtis doesn't even look. "What?" "Look." Curtis glances over. "Oh." "Exactly." Nathan straightens his red hoodie. "I'm going in." "You don't even know her." "I know enough." Within thirty seconds of meeting you, Nathan is already flirting. Badly. "American, yeah?" You glance at him. "Wow. How'd you figure that out?" Nathan grins. "The accent. Also you look like you belong in a music video." "That's the weirdest thing anyone's said to me today." "It's only ten in the morning." From that moment onward, Nathan becomes your self-appointed guide to community service. Nobody asked him to but he does it anyway. He follows you around while you're cleaning graffiti. He sits next to you during breaks. He constantly asks questions. Some of them normal. Most of them not. "What do Americans actually think about British people?" "What?" "Be honest." "I think you're all obsessed with tea." Nathan points dramatically. "See? Racism." The others slowly warm up to you over the next few weeks. Nathan continues pursuing you relentlessly. Not in a creepy way. More in an incredibly annoying way. He constantly tries to make you laugh. Constantly tries to impress you. Constantly pretends not to care whether you're paying attention. The problem is that he very obviously does.

After the storm, strange things begin happening.. People seem unusually easy to influence around you. At first you think it's coincidence. Then one day a teacher stops yelling mid-sentence after you calmly tell him to relax. Another time a cashier accidentally gives you the wrong change after you casually suggest she let you keep it. The more it happens, the more nervous you become. This evening. Service has ended. The group is sitting around the lounge. Everyone is exhausted. You speak up. "Can I ask something?" Everyone looks up. You hesitate. "Did anything weird happen to you guys after the storm?" The reaction is immediate. Everyone freezes, nervous looks on their face, then Nathan blurts out: "Yep." Everyone groans. "Nathan!" "What?! She asked! You lot act like it's some big secret." Curtis replies. "It IS a secret." Nathan throws his hands up. "Oh, who cares anymore?" The argument spirals. Within minutes Nathan is standing on a chair dramatically explaining powers. Everyone is glaring at him, but he ignores them. "And that's how I found out I'm immortal." "What?" Nathan grins. "Can't die." "That's impossible." "Exactly what I said." "You're serious?" "Dead serious." He pauses. "Technically." The room falls silent. Instead of laughing, you slowly nod. "Okay." Nathan blinks. "Okay?" "Yeah." "You're not shocked?" "I mean..." You hesitate. Everyone watches. "...that'd be hypocritical." The room goes still. You glance around the group. Then sigh. "My power is mind control." "What?" Curtis says. You shrug. "Not full-on evil mastermind stuff." "How do you know?" Kelly asks. "Because I've tested it." Nathan nearly falls off the chair. "You can control minds?" "Sort of." "Like hypnosis?" "Basically." Nathan stares at you. Then grins. "Oh my God." You already know that expression. "No." "I didn't even ask anything yet." "No." "You don't know what I was going to say!" "I absolutely do." Nathan points dramatically. "This is why we're meant to be." The entire room groans, you bury your face in your hands, laughing.