Thunder

Chapter 19

The first thing I'm aware of as I wake up is the soreness and stiffness throughout my body. Next I feel the dryness in my throat.

Coughing weakly, I open my eyes.

Where am I?

I'm laying in the grass next to a tree. The sky is just starting to dim in the evening. A bird flies overhead and lands on a branch.

I sit up, confused about why I'm outside. Just a little ways off, I see the lake. That means I'm only a couple miles out of town.

Glancing down, I realize I am in my Thunder outfit. My hand instantly reaches for my face and I find that I'm not wearing my hood.

A figure sits near the water. In the fading light, I can't tell who it is right away.

Suddenly, everything comes flooding back to me: the fire, the rescue, the attack, my powers weakening, and moments before I blacked out, the voice. My breath catches in my throat as I realize.

Ryan.

I stare in disbelief as the figure notices me awake and runs over to me, revealing the blonde traitor himself. He still wears the 'Jetpack Dude' suit, but his mask and hood have been removed.

I force myself to stand, not sure what is about to happen. I consider creating lightning in my hands to force him to stay back, but I know it would be no use. Plus, I have a feeling my powers won't work at all right now, considering I still haven't drank anything and I'm still lightheaded.

"Kyleigh! Thank goodness you're awake!" He pauses a few feet in front of me.

I don't do anything but look at him with a mix of emotions in my eyes: confusion, fear, sadness, anger.

"I brought you here to keep you safe and away from everyone until you woke up," he says.

He takes a step closer, but I move a step back.

After several moments of silence, the two of us staring at each other, Ryan says, "Please talk to me."

Still in disbelief, I quietly say, "How could you?"

"I..." Ryan stutters. "It's not entirely what it looks like, I swear."

"Not what it looks like?! It looks like you've been attacking me and trying to kill me all summer long!" I yell, getting angrier by the minute.

"Okay, okay," he says, motioning with his hands to calm down. "Clearly we both have some explaining to do."

"Both? Well, I was hit by lightning and became a superhero! Your turn!"

"Alright," he says, still trying to calm me down. "Can we sit?" I don't move at first, but eventually I agree and we sit in the grass. I rest my back against the tree. Ryan takes a deep breath in and sighs out. As he begins his explanation, he stares at the lake, not making eye contact with me. "First off, I was never trying to kill you. I don't really know what he planned on doing once I succeeded, but my purpose was never to kill Thunder."

He?

"What who planned on doing?" I ask, emphasizing who.

"Andrew."

Pieces begin clicking together in my mind. How could I have been so unaware of what's been happening all summer? "But, why?"

"He is power mad. When Andrew has his mind set on something, he doesn't give up." Ryan takes a deep breath as if it's hard for him to talk about this. "I told you that we lost our father a couple years ago. Things just haven't been the same between us ever since. He was old enough to be my guardian at the time, but he was just finishing up college. It was hard at first, but somehow we adjusted to it being just the two of us. The problem is, after that he wasn't the same person I grew up with. Andrew became so secretive and it was like he was always busy doing something he couldn't tell me about. The first time he heard about Thunder, I guess it became his new obsession. He wanted to catch you and somehow get your powers for himself."