Thunder and Storm

The Road Trip

SALLY.



The wind slapped me in the face as I trudged through the snow. It was so cold, I shivered with every step I took. Now I regretted my impulsive decision to run away and find my way home. I should’ve at least grabbed an extra shirt or two to protect me from the cold.

My nose was frozen; every breath I took felt like icy shards in my lungs. I had sneaked away from the bonfire. It had been easy to make myself invisible; they were all so lost in each other no one noticed I was gone. I didn’t belong there but with my family.

I made it out of the mountains and into the town. My legs were frozen and my clothes were wet from the snow. The tail of my pants was soaked with icy water. I stopped, unable to take another step, and looked around. It was dark. There was a blizzard out, everything was covered in snow. I took a shuddering breath; puffs of air escaped my lips as I exhaled.

The town was silent. The only sound to be heard was the howling of the wind. Every house I stared at was desolate, the windows dark and covered in an icy glaze. I took one step forward, then another and another and then; my legs gave out and I fell to the floor.

This was hopeless. Tears smarted my lids and I let out a sob, feeling frustrated. All I wanted was to get back home. Tears fell down my cheeks, melting the snow that had accumulated on the top of my lips. I pushed myself off the floor and staggered to my feet. I just had to find shelter.

One of these houses had to be unlocked. I headed to one and stopped as headlights flashed on me. I froze, fear gripping me. Like a deer caught in the headlights, I couldn’t look away. The door opened and someone stepped down from the car. I couldn’t see who it was.

The stranger approached me. He was lean and muscular with broad shoulders. The closer he got, the more familiar his features became. He moved with precision. He was a dark angel coming to punish me for my transgression. The wind quieted down as if scared of him, the blizzard dwindled to a flurry.

Cameron stood in front of me with barely controlled fury. His blue eyes lit with icy fire. I gulped, shivering for a different reason.
“What were you thinking, coming out here in the cold?” He didn’t yell in my face like I expected him to. His voice was low, every word spoken in an emphasized tone.

“I was looking all over for you. Do you not know the dangers of being out here alone? I have enough to worry about without adding you to the mix.”

“Then why worry about me?” I shouted. I didn’t ask him to come out looking for me. He’d done that of his own volition. “You can go back to your cave, I’m going home.”

“You’re so stubborn. I already told you there’s no home anymore.”

“And why should I believe a word you say? Everyone knows the kind of person you are. You can’t keep me here against my will.”

He clenched his jaw so hard I could see the veins popping out on the sides of his temple. He gave me an icy cold glare.

“The kind of person I am? Fine. You want to go home? I’ll take you home.”

He tried to grab my hand and I jerked away from him. He gave me a nasty look and stormed off. I stood on the spot, watching him walk off angrily. He got to the car and pulled the backdoor open. “Get in,” he growled.

I bristled. He couldn’t boss me around like that. I had half a mind to stay out there in the cold just to show him he couldn’t tell me what to do, but my brain cells weren’t frozen with the rest of my body.

I moved forward. My legs felt like stone. Every second it took me to get to the car, he got even more furious. I finally got in and he slammed the door so hard, I was surprised it didn’t fall off its hinges.

Ryan gave me a pitiful look as I shivered in my seat. Hiro glanced at me from the front seat but said nothing. I had a feeling he didn’t speak much. Cameron walked around the car and got into the driver’s seat. He started the engine and drove off.

Nobody said anything. Ryan lit his lighter and created flames on his palms, then held them in front of me. It was doing a good job of keeping me warm. I gave him a grateful smile and his lips quirked up. I laid back in my seat and closed my eyes, letting the warmth seep into me, thawing my frozen muscles.

I didn’t know when I fell asleep but when I woke up, we were on the highway. It wasn’t snowing anymore. The sun was out in the sky. The trees around were covered in snow but the road was clear. I looked out the window and realized the snow was clearing off the road by itself. I gasped and looked in front of me. Cameron’s gaze was fixed intently on the road as he drove. It was almost like he was willing the snow to move with his thoughts.

I turned to Ryan and whispered to him. “What is he doing?”

“Who?” He seemed startled by my question. He had been looking out the window, lost in his thoughts. I motioned towards Cameron and Ryan adjusted in his seat.

“That’s his ability, he can control the weather including the snow,” he explained.

I remembered how the blizzard had stopped when he approached me last night. I stared at him and our eyes connected in the rear-view mirror. Something flashed in them and I gasped. He looked away.

I stared at his features in the mirror, his blonde hair curled at his shoulders, his lips were hard, his left brow came down slightly in a frown. There was a mole by the side of his right eye. A shiver went through me and I swallowed. I liked boys with moles, I found it cute. It was a weakness of mine.

Stop it, Sally. Snap out of it. Stop staring at him.

He’s not cute, I told myself and tried to look elsewhere. My clothes were dry; I was warm. I realized that was because of the heat emanating from the boy beside me.

“Are you always like this?” I asked him.

“Like what?”

“So hot.”

He grinned. “You think I’m hot?”
I flushed; Hiro snickered. “I meant your temperature.”

“Oh!” He blinked. “Am I making you uncomfortable?” He frowned.
“No, I was just curious.”

“I’m always hot. That’s the downside of having this ability, I can’t get too close to anyone.”

A small smile curved on my lips. He was like me.

“That reminds me, what is your power?” he asked.
The smile died instantly. My lips turned down and a sour feeling erupted in my stomach. All eyes trained on me.

I shrugged. “It’s nothing. I’m one of the weak ones.” I licked my lips.
“Oh!” Ryan nodded. They seemed satisfied with that answer and they looked away.

I felt eyes on me and I glanced at Cameron to find him staring. I gasped. His blue gaze felt like a punch to the stomach.

“When we found you, you were dressed differently from the others. Why is that?” he asked.

I gulped. I wasn’t good at lying. No that was understatement, I was terrible at it. All eyes were on me once again.

“I-It was nothing. The colours don’t mean anything.” I pulled down the sleeve of my shirt further to cover the mark on my wrist.
They looked away but Cameron’s eyes were still on me. I could sense he didn’t believe me. I licked my lips and looked away. He pulled up to a gas station and parked the car in front of a gas pump.

“Check the store and grab any food you can find. We still have a long road ahead of us,” Cameron said and they got down from the car.

He seemed to be their leader. He’d been giving commands and they readily followed. I got down from the car and followed them into the store. Cameron stayed back to fill gas.
We trudged through the snow. I could feel gravel crunching beneath me. A little bell attached to the door jingled as we entered, signifying our presence, but there was no one to attend to us. The store was wrecked with debris all over the floor. I sidestepped the dirt and looked around for something to eat. I was starting to get hungry. My stomach grumbled in agreement.

Hiro went straight for the fridge and took out the few sodas left. Ryan picked up a packet from the shelf and threw it at me, I caught it in time before it landed in the dirt. It was a packet of Lays cheddar and sour cream potato chips. I opened it and scooped a handful in my mouth. It was like finally acknowledging my hunger woke up a monster in me. A really hungry monster.
“Whoa! Slow down.” Ryan laughed. 

“I’m really hungry,” I said through a mouth full of chips. I chewed quickly and swallowed. “Tell me something, what were you guys doing back at the Underground?”
“The under what?”
I licked my fingers. They were probably dirty considering I hadn’t washed them but there were worse things than germs. “Where you found me.”

“Oh, you mean the base. Cameron had this idea and we were to–“ he was cut short by the door slamming shut.
“It’s none of your business,” Cameron growled.
I almost rolled my eyes. Was this guy always grumpy? “I was just curious.”

“Why should we answer your questions when you can’t answer ours?” he asked.
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re gonna play dumb? Alright then.” Hiro and Ryan looked confused as they stared at us. I honestly didn’t understand what he was talking about.
“What’s that mark on your wrist mean?” He pointed at my hand.

Instinctively, I tugged on my sleeve to cover it. “It’s none of your business. I don’t have to answer that.”
“Exactly.” He folded his arms on his chest, making his muscles bulge out.
I glared at him. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you being mean to me? You’ve been mean since I woke up in your cave. If you don’t like me, you can just leave right now and I’ll find my way home. I don’t need your help.”

I threw the potato packet on the floor, marched past him and walked out of the store, slamming the door behind me.
“Sally,” Ryan called after me but I didn’t answer.
Gravel crunched under my feet as I marched out of the gas station onto the paved road. Anger built in me. My fingers tingled and I clenched my fists. My breathing quickened, coming out in pants as I tried to control my temper. I heard the start of an engine behind me and soon enough, the car was driving at a slow pace beside me.

“Get in the car,” Cameron ordered.

“Leave me alone,” I yelled at him.

“Don’t make me drag you into the car.”

“Try it. I dare you.” I spat.

Anger was clouding my vision, it wouldn’t take long for me to snap. It wouldn’t take much for me to snap his neck. I remembered the Underground, all those dead soldiers and I stopped. I wasn’t a killer no matter what they did to me. I took a shuddering breath and exhaled. Slowly, I unclenched my fists and calmed myself.

When I was calm enough not to snap at anyone, I pulled the car door open and got in. Cameron had a stupid smirk on his face that I wished I could wipe off with a slap.