[ WP ] Every person in the world develops a weird mutation/power the day they turn 16 . Everyone 's powers are always different , some more insignificant than others . You turn 16 , and watch as all your friends discover their newfound ability 's . That is , until you discover the severity of your own .

“ What do you think your power will be? ” 
 
 Jeremy leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head, and stared out the window. 
 
 “ I don ’ t know, ” he said. “ Nobody does. ” 
 
 “ I know that, ” Kevin said. “ But what do you hope it will be? ” 
 
 “ Something useful. I don ’ t want some stupid trick like Joe got. What good is changing the color of your blush? ” 
 
 “ Or what about Terrie ’ s? ” Kevin laughed. “ Who wants to be able to make zits appear at will? ” 
 
 “ Could be useful if you wanted to get out of a date or something. ” Jeremy grinned at Kevin. “ You ’ d have to *have* a date first, though. ” 
 
 “ That ’ s not funny. Do you know how long it took me to work up the nerve to ask Lisa out? Then Steve makes me belch right in her face. What a tool. ” 
 
 “ Don ’ t feel too bad. Right now, making someone else burp whenever you want is funny to someone like Steve. When he grows up, it ’ ll be just another useless power. ” 
 
 “ If he grows up, you mean, ” Kevin muttered under his breath. 
 
 “ You know what I mean. I don ’ t want some stupid thing like that. I want something useful. Like being able to run super-fast, or cure any disease. ” 
 
 “ Those would be cool. A lot better than mine, at least. ” Kevin pointed out the window at the flowers his mom had planted in the yard. One of the petunias started shrinking, pulling back in on itself, the petals contracting until the plant was just a small bud. “ Who wants to make plants grow in reverse? ” 
 
 “ That could be useful, ” Jeremy said thoughtfully. “ What if you opened a landscaping business? You wouldn ’ t need any equipment to cut people ’ s grass. ” 
 
 “ The problem is I can only do one plant at a time. Can you imagine how long it would take to do an entire lawn of grass, one blade at a time? ” 
 
 “ Oh, ” Jeremy said, “ yeah, that would blow. ” 
 
 “ The useful powers are really rare, ” Kevin said. “ If you got some type of healing power, it would probably only work on hangnails or something. ” 
 
 “ Yeah, but think about how cool it would be to get a really great power. It would be like winning the lottery! ” 
 
 Kevin chuckled. “ You probably have a better chance to win the lottery. But you ’ ll find out tomorrow. ” 
 
 “ What ’ s it like, ” Jeremy asked, looking at his friend, “ getting your power, I mean. ” 
 
 “ Nervous? ” 
 
 “ A little, ” Jeremy said, scratching the back of his neck. 
 
 “ Don ’ t be, ” Kevin said, waving off his friend ’ s concerns. “ It ’ s no big deal. You go to bed, and when you wake up you have your power. ” 
 
 “ But how did you find out what your power was? I mean, your power isn ’ t obvious like Amy ’ s. Her eyes turned gold. Or Jill ’ s. She turned sixteen, and every hair on her body had turned green. ” 
 
 “ Every hair? ” Kevin asked with a leering smile. “ And just how do you know that every hair on her changed? Have you seen them all? ” 
 
 Jeremy blushed. “ Knock it off, you jerk. But you know what I mean. A lot of people have powers like that where it just works without them doing anything. But you have to use your power. How did you figure out what to do? ” 
 
 “ I just knew, ” Kevin said with a shrug. “ I didn ’ t have to think about it or try to figure it out. I just woke up and it was something I knew I could do. Like lifting a finger or swinging my arm. It ’ s like I always knew how to do it. The more I use my power, the better I get with it, but it ’ s just a part of me. 
 
 “ Some people have no control over their power. It just happens, kind of like how your heart keeps beating. Amy ’ s power is like that. Her eyes will always be gold, and she can ’ t change that. 
 
 “ Jill ’ s is a little different. If she concentrates she can change her hair color for a little while, but eventually it goes back to green. It ’ s kind of like breathing. You can hold your breath for a while, but sooner or later you have to start breathing again. And you keep breathing even if you aren ’ t thinking about it. 
 
 “ Powers like mine are completely voluntary. I can reverse plants, but I don ’ t do it to every plant. My power only works on plants I want it to work on. Most of the time I ’ m not even aware of it. ” 
 
 “ Do you feel anything while you ’ re using it? ” Jeremy asked. 
 
 “ Do you feel anything when you ’ re waving your arm? ” Kevin shot back. 
 
 Jeremy thought about it for a moment. “ I guess not. ” 
 
 “ Don ’ t worry about it, ” Kevin said. “ It will be totally natural to you. Trust me. ” 

