Cole had always felt a connection to the earth. It sounded cliché, he knew, but there was something grounding about it—something solid and unchanging. Maybe that's why he'd always been drawn to rocks and dirt, to climbing and hiking. It was like the earth spoke to him, called to him. Today, though, that connection felt different. Stronger. More... alive.

He was at his usual spot, a quiet clearing in the woods behind his house. It was a place he came to think, to clear his head. He spent hours here, lifting rocks and hauling logs, building up his strength. His dad used to call it "Cole's Gym." He said it built character, but Cole just liked the way it made him feel—powerful, like he could take on anything. Today, though, he wasn't feeling so sure.

Ever since the explosion at the reactor, something had been off. It was like there was this energy inside him, this pressure that he couldn't release. He tried ignoring it, chalking it up to nerves or stress, but it kept building, like a storm gathering strength.

He took a deep breath, trying to shake off the feeling. "Alright, Cole," he muttered to himself. "Focus. Just lift. Get your mind off it."

He grabbed a large boulder, one he'd been eyeing for weeks but hadn't dared to try lifting yet. It was huge, at least twice his weight, and covered in moss. He bent his knees, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and wrapped his arms around it. He took another deep breath and heaved, pulling with all his might.

For a moment, nothing happened. The boulder felt like it was glued to the ground, immovable. But then, something shifted. It was like a wave of energy surged through him, radiating out from his core and into his arms, his legs. He felt the ground beneath him tremble, and the boulder began to lift, slowly at first, then more easily, like it was floating in his hands.

"What the...?" he gasped, nearly dropping the boulder in shock. He set it down carefully, his heart racing. That wasn't normal. He knew his own strength, and that was definitely not normal.

He took a step back, looking down at his hands. They were shaking, and he could still feel that strange energy coursing through him, like he was connected to the ground in a way he'd never been before. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the feeling, to understand it.

As he concentrated, he felt something shift beneath him. The earth seemed to respond to his thoughts, the ground rippling and moving like water. He opened his eyes in shock, and sure enough, the ground was moving, the soil rising and falling as if it were alive.

"No way," he whispered, taking a step back. The movement stopped immediately, the ground settling back into place. He stared, his mind racing. Was this real? Could he really control the earth?

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Okay, Cole," he muttered. "Focus. If this is real, you need to figure out how to control it."

He closed his eyes again, focusing on the connection he felt to the ground. Slowly, he imagined the earth rising beneath his feet, lifting him up. At first, nothing happened, but then he felt that same surge of energy, and the ground began to rise, lifting him off his feet.

He opened his eyes in shock, looking down to see a small mound of earth lifting him up. He was actually floating, standing on a pillar of dirt and rock that he'd somehow created. He grinned, excitement bubbling up inside him. This was incredible!

He willed the earth to lower him back down, and it obeyed, the mound sinking back into the ground until he was standing on solid earth again. He laughed, a mix of relief and excitement flooding through him. "This is insane," he said aloud, looking around as if expecting someone to jump out and tell him it was all a joke.

But it wasn't a joke. It was real. He had powers—earth powers. He could control the ground, shape it, move it. The possibilities were endless.

He spent the next hour experimenting, testing his limits. He found that he could create small mounds and pits, move rocks with a thought, even cause small tremors in the ground. The more he practiced, the more he understood how it worked. It was like the earth was an extension of his body, responding to his thoughts and emotions.

But with every experiment, he felt that pressure inside him building, like he was drawing on some deep well of energy that was slowly draining. He knew he needed to be careful, to pace himself, but it was hard to resist the thrill of discovery.

He was in the middle of creating a small trench when he heard a voice calling his name. He turned to see Jay and Zane jogging toward him, both of them looking excited.

"Cole!" Jay shouted, waving as he approached. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

Cole grinned, raising a hand in greeting. "Hey, guys! You're not gonna believe what I can do!"

Jay laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. "Oh, I think we might have an idea. Zane and I have powers too."

Cole's eyes widened in surprise. "No way! What can you do?"

Zane held up a hand, and Cole watched in amazement as frost began to form on Zane's fingertips, spreading until his whole hand was covered in ice. "I can control ice," he said with a small smile.

Jay grinned, electricity crackling between his fingers. "And I've got lightning. Pretty cool, huh?"

Cole laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "This is insane! We all have powers? How is that even possible?"

Jay shrugged. "We're not sure yet. We think it has something to do with the explosion at the reactor. But we're still figuring it out."

Cole nodded, still trying to wrap his head around everything. "Yeah, that makes sense, I guess. I've been feeling different ever since that day. I just didn't know it was... this."

Zane looked around, his expression thoughtful. "We should probably find the others, see if they've been affected too. If we all have powers, we need to figure out what's going on."

Jay nodded. "Agreed. But first, we need to figure out how to control these powers. We don't want to hurt anyone—or ourselves."

Cole nodded, understanding the seriousness of his words. "Yeah, you're right. We need to be careful. But we also need to figure out what these powers mean, and why we have them."

Jay grinned, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Well, then, what are we waiting for? Let's go find the others and figure this out—together."

Cole smiled, feeling a surge of determination. Whatever was happening, they'd face it as a team. And together, there was nothing they couldn't handle.

As they headed back toward the house, Cole couldn't help but glance back at the clearing, at the rocks and dirt that now seemed like more than just part of the landscape. They were part of him, part of something bigger. And he was ready to find out what that was.

Harumi had always been fascinated by stories of magic and superheroes. The idea of having powers—flying, super strength, mind-reading—captivated her as a kid. She spent countless hours imagining herself as a hero, wielding unimaginable power and saving the world. As she grew older, reality set in, and she accepted that powers were just fantasy. But everything changed after the reactor explosion.

Initially, nothing seemed different. She was shaken and a little rattled, just like everyone else. But later, when she got home and the shock wore off, she noticed something strange.

She was in her room, staring blankly at her desk lamp, lost in thought. The lamp flickered intermittently, which wasn't unusual—it had been doing that for weeks. But this time, it felt different. It was almost like the flickering was in rhythm with her thoughts, like the light was reacting to her feelings.

She blinked, shaking her head. "You're just tired, Harumi," she muttered. She forced herself to focus on her homework, but her mind kept drifting back to the explosion, replaying the moment over and over. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, that something inside her had changed.

Then, it happened.

She glanced up at the lamp again, and as she did, it tilted slightly. At first, she thought it was her imagination. But then, it tilted again, this time more noticeably, as if an invisible hand had pushed it. Her breath caught in her throat, and she reached out instinctively to steady it. Before her hand made contact, the lamp snapped back into place, straight and still.

She froze, her hand hovering in mid-air. "What the...?"

She pulled back, staring at the lamp. It was just a cheap desk lamp, but it felt like it was looking back at her, challenging her. She glanced around her room, half-expecting someone to jump out and tell her this was all some elaborate prank. But she was alone.

Taking a deep breath, she decided to test it. She focused on a pen lying on her desk, willing it to move. She didn't know why or how, but she had a gut feeling that she could do it. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, ever so slowly, the pen began to roll, inching its way across the desk. Her heart pounded in her chest as she realized what was happening—she was doing this. She was moving the pen with her mind.

She spent the next hour experimenting. She moved small objects at first—pens, paperclips, her phone. Each time, it got a little easier. Then she tried larger objects: her chair, a stack of books, even her backpack. The more she practiced, the more confident she became. She wasn't just imagining things—she had telekinesis. Real, actual telekinesis.

By the time she stopped, she was exhausted but exhilarated. She had powers. It was unbelievable, like something out of a dream. But it was real. She could feel it in every fiber of her being.

She knew she couldn't keep this to herself. She needed to talk to someone, someone who might understand what was happening. Lloyd and the others came to mind immediately. They'd all been at the reactor together. If anyone else had been affected, it would be them. She grabbed her phone and quickly sent a text to Lloyd.

Hey, it's Harumi. Something weird is going on. Can we meet up?

His reply was almost immediate. Yeah, of course. What's up?

It's kind of hard to explain. Can we meet in person? Maybe at the park in 10?

I'll be there.

She grabbed her jacket and headed out the door, her mind racing with possibilities. What if Lloyd had powers too? What if they all did? The thought was both thrilling and terrifying.

When she arrived at the park, she saw Lloyd, Jay, and Zane already there, huddled together near the playground. As soon as they saw her, they waved her over.

"Hey, Harumi!" Lloyd called out. "What's going on?"

She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. "I think I have powers," she said. "Telekinesis, to be exact. I can move things with my mind."

Lloyd's eyes widened. "You too? That's incredible! We've all been feeling weird ever since the explosion. And it turns out, we have powers too."

Jay grinned, holding up his hand as electricity crackled between his fingers. "Lightning powers for me," he said, clearly excited. "And Zane's got ice."

Zane gave her a small smile and held out his hand, palm up. Frost began to form, spreading across his fingers and down his wrist, glittering in the sunlight.

Her jaw dropped. "No way... This is insane! So, it wasn't just me. We all have powers!"

Lloyd nodded. "Seems like it. And if we do, there's a good chance the others might too. We need to figure out what's going on."

Jay's eyes lit up with an idea. "We should go to my lab," he said, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I've got all sorts of gadgets and equipment there. We can run some tests, see if we can figure out how these powers work and if there's anything connecting them."

She raised an eyebrow. "You have a lab?"

Jay's face broke into a mischievous grin. "Oh, you'll see. It's not just any lab."

As they made their way to Jay's house, her mind was buzzing with questions. How had the explosion given them these powers? What did it mean for them? And, most importantly, how were they going to control them?

When they arrived, she was expecting a typical suburban home. Instead, Jay led them up to a grand, gated mansion nestled on a sprawling estate. "Your parents must be loaded," Lloyd remarked, his eyes widening as they walked up the marble steps.

Jay chuckled. "Yeah, they do alright. But it's not about the money; it's what you do with it." He led them through a spacious foyer and down a set of stairs to what looked like a basement door. However, when he opened it, they were greeted not by a dusty cellar, but by an elevator with chrome walls and a keypad.

Jay punched in a code, and the elevator doors slid shut. "Welcome to my lab," he said with a grin as they descended.

The elevator doors opened to reveal a state-of-the-art laboratory that looked straight out of a sci-fi movie. The room was massive, with high ceilings and bright, overhead lighting. Every surface was gleaming white or stainless steel, and there were rows of computers, monitors, and advanced scientific equipment she couldn't even begin to name. There were workstations with mechanical arms, glass cases filled with strange devices, and a large table in the center surrounded by high-tech gadgets.

"This is... incredible," she breathed, turning in a circle to take it all in. "You have all this?"

Jay shrugged modestly. "Like I said, my parents have money, and I'm pretty good with tech. They let me use the basement for my projects, and it kind of grew from there."

Lloyd nodded appreciatively. "This is awesome, Jay. Way more high-tech than I was expecting."

Jay beamed. "Thanks! I've been working on this stuff for years. I never thought I'd actually need it for something like this, though."

Zane looked around, his expression thoughtful. "So, what's the plan? How do we test our powers?"

Jay rubbed his hands together, a gleam of excitement in his eyes. "First, we should see if there's any correlation between our powers. I've got some sensors we can use to measure energy output and a few other tools that might help us figure out what triggers our abilities."

Harumi nodded, feeling a surge of determination. "Sounds good. Let's get started."

Jay handed them each a small device that looked like a wristband. "These are monitors," he explained. "They'll track any energy fluctuations in your body while you use your powers. It's a starting point, at least."

They strapped on the monitors, and Jay powered up a cluster of computers, pulling up a program that displayed a series of graphs and readouts. "Alright, everyone, let's give it a go. Harumi, you start."

Harumi focused on a nearby wrench, willing it to lift off the table. As it rose into the air, the graphs on Jay's screen spiked, registering the energy output.

"Whoa," Jay murmured, watching the screen. "That's definitely something. Looks like you're generating some kind of electromagnetic field when you use your powers."

She lowered the wrench, letting it clatter back onto the table. "What does that mean?"

Jay scratched his head. "I'm not entirely sure yet, but it's a lead. Let's see what happens when Zane and I use our powers."

Zane nodded and held out his hand, conjuring a small patch of ice. The graphs fluctuated again, but this time the readings were different—colder, more stable.

Jay followed, summoning a crackle of electricity between his fingers. The monitors went wild, showing a chaotic surge of energy that quickly dissipated.

Lloyd looked over Jay's shoulder at the screen. "Interesting. It seems like our powers operate on different wavelengths or frequencies. There's definitely some kind of underlying connection, though."

Jay nodded, deep in thought. "Yeah, I think you're right. But we're going to need more data if we want to figure out exactly what's going on."

Harumi glanced at the others, feeling a mix of excitement and uncertainty. This was just the beginning. Whatever was happening to them, they would face it together. And maybe, just maybe, they'd be able to control their powers enough to make a real difference in the world.