POWERS OF NATURE Book 1 - Into the Storm

Chapter 26

A/N: this chapter is a bit more violent than the previous one.

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The car rolled through the air, taking Michael with it as it crashed through the support beams of the hay loft. Aiden yelled as the beams cracked, the floor fell out and he started sliding down towards the ground. Matt, still unconscious, slid right down into the ruins of the destroyed car and beams, his head bouncing off of a broken beam. As Stephanie rolled over onto her stomach, she saw the pool of blood forming under his head.

Her head snapped upwards at Aiden's cry of pain. He was hanging upside down from the suspended loft floor, his leg hooked unnaturally around the railing. There was no movement from under the rubble but Stephanie knew that it would take more than just a car to kill Michael. Pushing herself off the ground, she ran over to where Aiden was dangling after checking that Matt still had a pulse. As long as Michael was still alive, the 'pretending she didn't care about Matt' game was still on.

Holding onto the railing, she pushed her current through it and snapped it, her other arm going around Aiden as he fell free. "Aah!" He cried as he tried to put weight onto his leg and collapsed onto the ground. Before Stephanie could kneel down, the rubble imploded and she was flung backwards, a sense of déjà vu coming over her as she flew threw the barn wall and into the night sky. Her dream sprang to mind, and her brain froze as she plummeted towards to the ground, her scream echoing through the night.

Her talent rose again, just as she reached the ground and Stephanie felt the air envelope her as her body crashed down, rolling in the mud and rain. The storm raged on around her, thunder so loud she was sure she'd end up deaf and lightning sparking up the otherwise black sky. She knew it would tear the farm down if it got any worse, with two powers at war, it was bound to happen. Stephanie lay on her side, fighting to control her talent, who welcomed the storm. She could feel the energy around her, caressing her, an eery calm replacing the fear.

The sound of wooden planks being thrown aside reached her ears, and Stephanie tried to push herself up to face what was coming, but only succeeded in getting to her knees before Michael reached her. She bit back another scream as her head was yanked back, a fist of her hair in Michael's grip and his face only inches from her. She focused her gaze on his good eye, and gritted her teeth against the pain as the torrential downpour soaked her through.

"That was clever, but stupid. You should have learnt by now, Kairós, not to piss me off!" Pulling back from her, Michael hit her square in the chest with an open hand, sending the full force of his current through her.

Stephanie once again flew through the night, before landing in a heap with jerking limbs. A feeling of exhaustion came over her, and she started fading in and out of consciousness. 'This isn't over.' Her eyelids fluttered as the voice sounded in her mind. 'Relax, accept the power.' Stephanie listened to her talent. For the first time that night, it felt like it was actually working with her, being a true part of her and with nothing left to lose, Stephanie followed its advice and forced herself to accept the current from Michael.

Immediately, Stephanie felt herself relaxing, her body taking in the power and moulding it to her own. This power was unlike her talent, it didn't feel natural. The current was no tiny bit of lightning left over by Mother Nature or Gaia or whoever. This was pure, raw, and evil power. Smiling grimly, she pushed herself up to a standing position before rolling her shoulders and wiping the hair that had fallen from her braid out of her face. She was literally soaked right through to the bone yet Stephanie didn't feel the cold. The rain against her bare arms felt like a soft blanket, gently covering her and she raised her head to look at Michael who was staring at her with his mouth open.