Mystic Garden

The Morning After

Marigold woke up feeling disoriented, with a headache pounding behind her eyes. She groaned and reached for her phone to check the time. She was trying to think about the previous night's events until she realized it was already 9 am, and she was late for work. She stumbled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her normally neat brown hair was tangled and messy, and her green eyes looked tired and bloodshot.

As Marigold washed her face, she noticed that everything in her room that was green seemed to be shimmering and pulsating with an otherworldly glow. It was as if the green color had taken on a life of its own. She shook her head, trying to clear the fog from her brain, but the strange phenomenon remained.

She got dressed for work and suddenly felt more focused and alert than she had in weeks. The headache was gone, replaced by a sharp clarity that seemed to radiate from her core. Marigold reached for her favorite green dress, the one she had bought on a whim but never really worn before. As she slipped it on, she felt a rush of energy course through her body. The fabric of the dress seemed to mold itself perfectly to her curves, and she felt confident and powerful.

Marigold made her way to the office, her mind buzzing with an electric energy. She noticed that she was able to process information faster and more efficiently than before, and her colleagues seemed to be taking notice too. They commented on how good she looked in the green dress and how focused she seemed, but Marigold could tell that there was something else going on beneath the surface. It was as if they were holding something back, as if there was some secret that they were all in on except for her.

Marigold tried to focus on her work for the rest of the day, but her mind kept drifting back to the strange events of the night before. She couldn't shake the feeling that her friends were keeping something

from her, something important. It was as if they were all in on a secret that she wasn't privy to.

When lunchtime finally came around, Marigold grabbed her phone and saw

a text from Andi, the one person in the group who wasn't at work that day. The message simply read, "Meet me for lunch at the usual spot."

Marigold hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should confront Andi

about what was going on. But she was also curious and a little bit scared, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to resist finding out what was really happening.

So she made her way to the cafe where they always went for lunch, her heart racing with anticipation. Andi was already there, sitting at a table in the back with a dark look on her face.

"Hey," Marigold said tentatively as she slid into the seat opposite her friend.

Andi didn't respond right away, instead staring at Marigold with a cold intensity that made her feel uneasy.

"What's going on?" Marigold finally asked, unable to take the silence any longer. "Why are you guys acting so strange?"

Andi let out a long sigh, her expression softening slightly.

"Look, Marigold," she said, her voice low and serious. "I know you're curious, but you need to understand that what we're doing is dangerous. It's not something that we can just talk about openly."

Marigold felt a jolt of fear and excitement run through her body. She had never seen Andi look so serious before, and it was clear that whatever was going on was much bigger than she had imagined.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Andi leaned in close, her eyes locked onto Marigold's with an intensity that made her feel like she was drowning.

"Marigold, do you feel different today?" Andi asked, her voice low and urgent.

Marigold's heart was pounding in her chest as Andi spoke.

"Different how?" she asked cautiously.

Andi hesitated for a moment, seeming to choose her words carefully.

"Last night was... intense," she said finally. "For all of us. And I just wanted to make sure that you're okay."

Marigold felt a flicker of panic in her chest. She had been so focused on the strange events of the night before that she hadn't even thought about how she was feeling.

But as she took stock of her body, she realized that something was different. She felt more alert, more focused than she ever had before. And everything that was the color green seemed to shimmer and glow with a brightness that was almost blinding.

"I don't know," she said finally. "I feel... different. But in a good way, I think."

Andi nodded slowly, seeming to understand.

"That's the Gardens," she said softly. "It affects everyone differently, but it's always transformative. That's why we keep going

back."

Marigold felt a surge of curiosity and excitement at Andi's words. She wanted to know more about this place, to experience it for herself.

"So what do we do?" she asked eagerly.

Andi hesitated for a moment, seeming to weigh her options.

"We'll talk more tonight," she said finally. "Leah and Josh will be there too. We'll tell you everything you need to know."

Marigold nodded eagerly, her mind racing with possibilities. She couldn't wait to see what this mysterious Gardens was all about, and to uncover the secrets that her friends had been keeping from her.