Struck

~ Chapter 5 ~

My dads office never changed. It was always spotless, the deep mahogany desk only having a few neat papers and his computer. Bookshelves lined the wall behind him, filled to the max, which always surprised me considering I had never seen him read for fun before. The dark hard wood floors were so clean I could eat off them.

With him it was always about perfection.

"You're moving." He said, his voice authoritative and demanding, not leaving any room for argument.

I straightened in my seat, a surprised scowl on my features, "What? Where? Why?"

"I'm sending you to stay with Jasper and his family for a while. With the recent . . . incident at school, I can't afford to have you hanging around here for any longer." He organized some papers on his desk, not meeting my eyes but still demanding respect.

My blood heated, he spoke of me as if I was some pest. "Since when do you care what happens to me?" I snapped. The only time he ever took an interest in my life was when he got to boss me around.

"Since it's affecting my image and the company's image. This isn't up for debate Ember." He sighed, setting down his papers and finally looking at me. "Besides, there might be some backlash from the community after they hear what happened, so your safest option will be to move away. What happened isn't normal, Ember, and people are most likely going to react with fear and anger."

I hated that he was right. Hated that he could belittle me so much and then pretend he actually cared about my safety. And I especially hated that it was in my best interest to listen to him.

But that didn't mean I had to be nice about it.

"So we aren't gonna talk about what happened? You're just gonna ship me off like a piece of low class furniture that doesn't look good?" I snapped, my temper flaring. I didn't know why it bothered me so much, I was used to all this by now.

But lately it seemed like anything could make my blood heat.

"Ember." He sighed, fixing the cuff of his shirt. "That's not what I'm doing."

"Isn't it though? You just said it yourself, 'it's affecting my image'." I quoted him, heart pounding and blood rushing. "I'm not just something you can hide on the back shelf and expect to never see again."

His eyes narrowed at me, irritation clear in his body language, "I'm trying to help you, why can't you just accept that?"

"You're supposed to help me because I'm your daughter, not because of how it makes you look!" I stood suddenly, the chair sliding out behind me from the force.

Anger swelled within me, raw power building in my heart. An ache spread through my bones as electricity seared my veins. I suddenly wanted to hurt him the way he hurt me.

He must have seen the aggression written on my features, "Ember, I think it's best if you go take a walk to cool down." He stated lowly, standing from his chair to get in a less vulnerable position.

I glared at him, fingers clenching and unclenching at my sides. He would deserve it, deserve every bit of pain I inflicted.

"Ember." He raised his voice, exerting his full male dominance. "Leave."

I glowered at him a moment longer before swirling on my heel and stalking out of the room. The door slammed behind me. I may have left him alone for now, but he would get what was coming for him.

I would make sure of it.

As I passed one of the decorative mirrors in the hallway, I cast a glance at my reflection and stopped on a dime. The person who stared back at me was not who I was used to seeing.

The veins around my eyes were a piercing white, vibrant and beautiful yet threatening. It disappeared as it moved away from my eyes, but some of the major arteries on my neck also glowed. It was a constant light, but it somehow seemed to pulse with the beat of my heart.

My irises had turned a dark, nearly black colour and swirled like the clouds of a dangerous storm. In a sense I guess that's what I was becoming. A storm so dark and frightening that if one wasn't prepared, it would destroy everything they loved.

Nobody should crave to be that, to desire that sort of menacing power that came with death and destruction. It was a dangerous want, one that could easily lead to the loss of a person's humanity.

Yet it was exactly what my body ached for.

******************

Instead of going for a walk like my dad suggested, I decided to go work out to blow off some steam. The bag in front of me swung wildly as I delivered blow after blow.

Sweat trickled down my forehead and off the tip of my nose. My heart was pounding in my ears and my hands had gone numb long ago. Small cuts stung with each swing and impact against the punching bag.

Yet despite all this, I still felt like I could snap at any moment.

My hands fell to my sides as I dropped my stance, letting my forehead lean against the bag. Heavy breathing filled the silence in the room. I was panting like a dog on a hot summer day but I could still feel that power crawling under my skin; weaving through my veins.

I couldn't say I hated the feeling, as unusual as it was. Normally the only time I could feel the electricity was when I became angry and once I had calmed down it would disappear without a trace. But this time it remained, a part of me that only I could see.

A monster that lurked just beneath my skin.

And despite going 18 years without it, I couldn't imagine not having that power there. It was comforting, knowing that nobody could hurt me now. That it was my turn to bring pain.

I stared at my hands for a moment, turning them over so my palms were facing up. With a deep breath, I willed the power forward and was disappointed to see no change. It still lurked within me like a second skin, but what good was it if I couldn't control it? I couldn't just let my emotions have such control over something so powerful. 

Flexing my fingers, I called upon that power again, imagining it surging through my body, dancing over my bones and erupting from my heart. My veins lit up like neon lights, bright and demanding attention. That familiar ache spread through my body and I found comfort in it. 

I laughed, a smirk taking over my features as electricity danced across the skin on my hands. It wove between my fingers like spider webs and crackled in the silence. Above me, the lights began to flicker and I suddenly became aware of the electricity powering them. It jumped down the wires, both erratic and smooth at the same time. I could feel it like it was rushing through my own veins and I wondered if I had as much control over it as I did the electricity in my body.

Like flipping a light switch, I cut all the power to the lights and a darkness fell over the room. I smirked again, unleashing my hold on the electricity above and letting the lights turn back on. It was almost too easy, like a second instinct that I didn't even know existed until now.

I laughed with glee as the lights cut out again.