Thus, my little ol' company called Lemon Rose was born. I put my plant manipulation to good use to help craft some of the best perfumes, lotions, balms, and salves. It took a lot of time and effort to get it off the ground, and I wouldn't be able to pay my father back for three years when I turned fifteen.

A lot of other things happened in these seven years. I became really close to Clara, for starters. Regina does some work for Lemon Rose, and given her affinity for creating drinks, it was easy to get her started on tonics for the company. Graham was the only one of the boys that I really hung out with. His voice wasn't easy to listen to but was less startling as time passed. This allowed me to realize as it deepened that his voice wasn't precisely Adam's. It was familiar, but I was able to differentiate between the two.

I could finally take classes with the kids, but they weren't ordinary. My father had created a far too realistic battle simulation on the fourteenth floor.

We had missions and learned how to use our powers to help each other. This was when everyone realized that I could portal things, but my true power was premonitions. I was able to use my senses to dodge and save my butt, not always, but often enough, it was suspicious.

I finally learned all about the other superpowered kids. Regina had the power of duplication. She could make copies of just about anything. Alec had the power of potential realization, potential replication, and limiter removal. Saul had the power of super speed, and Byron could create mental shields and constructs.

Graham had my clumsy back more times than I could count during training. In fact, maybe I'd gotten too close to Graham. I felt borderline cruel for using him to heal from my past, no matter how much he asked me to. I spent more time with him than I did, even Clara, and the two of us were bosom sisters.

I contemplated this as I surveyed the room in front of me. What exactly was I doing here at this party?

My father was the center of attention and far from me, allowing me to blend in with other wallflowers.

Clara held her court of voyeurs, including Regina and Alec, helping her maintain order.

I could see Saul and Byron in the background up to no good with a prank.

Graham was next to me, pointing out tasty things to try.

"I need to freshen up," I said with a shaky smile before escaping to the lady's room. I managed to use the verbiage my etiquette teacher would be proud of, but I felt like a fraud in a bright yellow dress.

I made it to the bathroom and paused in front of the mirror. It didn't hurt to take a look at my appearance. My financial portfolio wasn't the only thing that grew in the past three years. I was a beautiful, budding woman. I smiled slightly, but the ominous feeling in my stomach erased any joy the sight of my looks gave me.

Something was wrong. But what exactly was wrong? I'd gotten better at detecting and exploring premonitions, but this was unlike any other. Given the glamorous style of my duds, I couldn't use water to cool my head off. I couldn't even pat my face with water because Clara was meticulous in that area, too, when she directed my image for the night.

I had to rely on deep breaths and Mr. Brutus, as always. The magic of the bear hadn't faded no matter how time passed. I squeezed him tightly, and that knot that was growing in the pit of my stomach released.

"You're looking carefree." A sardonic masculine voice caused me to hiccup and spin on my heels.

Mordecai. I hadn't seen him in years, not since he upgraded my rose ring. He was wearing a deep red suit that was lined with gold throughout it. The whole outfit sparkled like a gem, and I blinked at it.

"What are you doing here? I've been on my best behavior." I said with a scowl. The last time we interacted might have been okay, but that didn't negate the other terrible interactions.

"I've come to warn you and congratulate you on your upcoming nuptials," Mordecai said with a painfully fake smile.

I opened my mouth, "How can you congratulate and warn someone at the same…" I trailed off and hiccuped. "Nuptials? Whose nuptials?"

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"You said that you would never fall in love again, and yet here you go, getting engaged to another childhood friend." Mordecai said, tsking as he shook his head, "You're becoming a bit dull and predictable, Dolyn."

I ignored the insults and focused on the whole engagement aspect. "What are you talking about? I'm not getting engaged. Who would I even be engaged to?"

Mordecai's dark eyes glimmered as he stared at me. What a strange accusation to toss at me. The only male childhood friends I had were people I was friends with, not romantically tied to.

"Heed my warning. If you go through with this, there will be dire consequences." Mordecai said with a rather ominous flair before he disappeared. Only his rich laughter at my expense was left of him as he faded away.

"What a cartoon villain," I said, scoffing as I tried to bluff externally as if I wasn't phased. I'm not sure I pulled it off because I was pale and shaking when I saw my reflection in the mirror.

What the heck was going on?

I knew, though, as I exited the bathroom and looked at the scenery with fresh eyes. I looked at the mess facing me now.

How could an engagement party be thrown for me without knowing I was engaged?

I marched towards Graham, and his smile faded from his face. He could probably tell from my aura I was shaken and about to lose it.

"Graham, I can't marry you. I can't marry anyone." I said, hunching my shoulders and looking for an escape. I need to run. A howl ripped itself from the pit of my stomach, and I unleashed a torrent of emotions. This feels wrong. All of this was too sudden.

"Why?" He said. There was something in his voice that snapped my eyes to him.

"Why would you want to marry a wreck like me? I'm one day away from snapping. You, of all people, should realize how dire my head space is!" My voice was too forceful, and even though I knew there were eyes on me, I couldn't stop these emotions from ripping out of me.

It took me years to even think of his name. How could I move on from him…from Adam.

"Dolyn, I know that's why I make the perfect partner. I understand what you're going through, and you can use me to heal."

"No, that's ridiculous," I said, distancing myself from him. I'd gotten too comfortable with Graham. He's clearly a soggy cookie-brain for friends, but this was too much.

That nagging bad feeling was only growing, and I listened to it and took off running. The thick crowd of people seemed to grow only thicker, and they became obstacles that I couldn't escape from.

I attempted to nicely move people out of my way. Still, I resorted to shoving and elbowing every warm body I saw.

That is until I saw him. No, it can't be…

"Adam?" Saying his name didn't bring me pain but a strange burst of warmth in my chest. The man across the room stiffened and started to turn around to look at me….

Only it was at that moment I woke up.

That wasn't a dream. It was too realistic emotion-wise to be a simple dream. It could have been a premonition in a dream, but how was that possible? This was the first dream I've had as Dolyn in years. For some reason, this body would conk out, and I was never plagued with nightmares, dreams, or memories in my sleep. My dreams were necessary, this one more than others. This was my first dream as Dolyn since I grew close to the crew.

Mordecai's warning snapped me from this line of thinking. Wouldn't he punish me if I moved on and started dating someone else? That, more than anything, might make the dream more believable. He wouldn't have gone so overboard with my rose ring if he hadn't been serious.

I slipped into said rose ring. It mainly had stayed the same over the years. It expanded the storage capacity for clothing, accessories, shoes, and jewelry. It held more things, and I kept outfits I loved that I was too big for. With my luck, Mordecai would toss me into a new world where I would have to grow up again. It would help to have some clothes on standby.

I walked past all of that and towards the bathroom to examine myself. My cheeks were flushed a bright red, and I tested my forehead. I don't have a fever, but I didn't look well. This body was extremely delicate. I was slim from all the general running around I did. This body had less tone than when I was Wendy. The only muscles I had were likely from all the swimming and weight lifting I did. My father trained us to have some basic self-defense.

He gave up on me. A smile split my lip at the thought. There wasn't much my father couldn't control, and one of the things that surprised us both was how weak I was physically.

I stepped away from the mirror to prepare for a full spa day. I needed the relaxation that came from an entire body care session. Soaking, exfoliation, deep cleansing, and hydrating were required for this body.

However, I didn't create the peace I usually did with this routine. One name was rattling around in my brain.

The same name I had shouted in my dream, and I felt happiness beyond belief by doing so. Did that mean I was going to see…

I slapped my cheeks ruthlessly to kill that thought before it could form.

I'll get to that when I do. First, I must ensure my father isn't trying to set me up with Graham. I'd noticed the two chatting more often lately but didn't think much of it. Clara was the social leader of our crew, and Graham was our formal leader. He was the one who guided our exercise and practice. My father was grooming him to be able to assess and prepare trials for us while teaching him strategy. I assumed it was only about that.

I finished and left a few hours later, shining and feeling prepared for battle.

Rather unsurprising, when I came to the breakfast table, I found my father and Graham eating together. Graham must have come here after his trip to Nasclow, a nearby city. He was taking over his father's side of the business.

All the pampering in the world couldn't prepare me for this moment. That dream must have been a glimpse into the mirror!