College freshman, Natalie Vega, offers to be a test patient for several vitamins and supplements created by Kronberg Laboratories, a large pharmaceutical company where she interns. Immediately her body starts going through physical changes but when she runs into her former high school crush, Ryan Garrett, she is unaware of the life altering affects he will have on her.

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Chapter 1 – New Beginnings

“Ladies and gentlemen we are approaching a storm and it’s going to be a little rough until we clear it.”  The captain announced and then paused before continuing. “Please stay seated and turn off all electrical devices immediately. Thank you.”

Natalie looked out the small oval window. Raindrops smeared across it, dancing their way to the side. Lightening flashed and she shuddered. She didn’t mind flying but she could do without the terrible storm. For a moment, she wished she would have taken the later flight, but she wanted to get back early since classes resumed tomorrow. She reminded herself that she had a great Spring Break in Chicago with her family and ending it with her cousin’s fairytale wedding made it all worth it.

A sudden jolt called her attention back to the situation at hand. She looked out the window again. The plane shook and rattled as it flew on the edge of thick, dark clouds. Within seconds, darkness consumed the plane and the day turned into night. Out in the blackness of the sky she could see powerful flashes of light stretching out like tentacles waiting for the plane to enter. She pulled the blanket closer to her, clutching it up against her chest, somehow hoping it would calm the drumming of her heart.

“What the —” she blurted out when the plane hit another patch of rough turbulence.  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

A horrible rumble echoed through the plane, and it wavered from side to side. Gasps and sighs along with people begging and pleading to God were heard throughout the plane. She swallowed hard, feeling the vitamins she took ten minutes ago ease their way up. Without warning, the plane dropped several feet. Her heart hit the bottom of her stomach. Gasping for air, she struggled to catch her breath. An alarm sounded and emergency instructions echoed through the overhead speakers. She grabbed the arm rests and her body stiffened. Her eyes stayed fixed on the flashing red and white lights above her head. Please God, don’t let me die! Please.

“Natalie… Natalie, wake up. You’re having another nightmare.” Lise shook her several times before she finally awoke.

“What?” She sprung up from her bed. Sweat trickled down the sides of her forehead and she breathed heavily.

“You’re okay. It was just a nightmare.” Lise sat down next to her.

It took a few seconds for her to realize that she had been dreaming. She wiped the sweat away and the pounding of her heart turned into slow thud.  She lay back on to her pillow and took a few deep breaths. “I don’t know why I keep having these darn nightmares.”

“Well I do.” Lise replied.

Natalie looked at her. “You do?”

“Uh, yea… because you said you nearly died on that plane. It’s post trauma you’re experiencing.”

Natalie swallowed hard. She couldn’t be experiencing post-traumatic stress because only soldiers suffer from things like that, right? “No, I don’t think so. I mean, it was horrible and scary but—,”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Lise’s eyes softened.

“What is there to talk about?” Natalie sat back up. She hadn’t told anyone the full details about what she experienced, including her parents. She wasn’t about to tell Lise either.

“Sometimes it’s good to talk about horrible events. It can help you get over them.” Lise played with the edge of her t-shirt, rolling it up.

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine.” She glanced over at the clock on the window seal. “I guess we should start getting dressed.”

Lise turned and looked at the clock. “Crap, I don’t want to be late.”

Natalie threw back the covers. “Neither do I. First impressions are everything.”