Sunbeams and Thunderstorms (now published so sample only)

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Summer squirmed in the seat of the car. Her nerves only continued to grow the closer she made it to her old house. For two days, Summer had waited for her parents to remove the Sunny Rae website. She gave them a chance, which they seemed to ignore. By the third day, Declan had lost patience and had organised to see her parents.

Now that they were close, Summer's anxiety at seeing them had her twitching. She clutched her fingers together and calmed her breathing. The last thing she wanted to do was to cause the earth to collapse in front of her parents.

"Breathe, Sunbeam." Declan's fingers touched her arm and she turned to him.

Ever since she dropped them both into the deepest chasm, and buried them under a pile of rubble, he'd acted different. The most important thing for Summer was that he didn't leave her. He hadn't run away or even tried to make an excuse to run.

"I wish I knew what to say to them." She sighed.

"Walk in there with your head held high and demand that they take the site down. They can't control you anymore. You're a grown woman who knows her own mind. Don't forget you can also collapse that pitiful farm into a huge ditch whenever you want." He snickered after the last sentence.

"Don't remind me." She groaned and tossed her head into her hands.

"Are you saying that your parents never experienced the extent of your powers?" Declan glanced her way.

"No, at least not in a destroying the earth way."

"They've never seen the devastation you can cause?"

"I don't think so. All they ever saw was the rain stop when I was nearby."

"Today might be a good day to start." He mused to himself but Summer didn't reply.

The moment they began driving through her old town, nostalgia gripped her. Everything she saw seemed to contain a memory of her life. It made her sad that many of her memories focused on how she could escape. If only her parents had shown a little leniency, then returning here wouldn't leave her with such angst.

"I don't think I can do this." She muttered but Declan raised his brows.

"But you can drop a mountain on top of me with no issues."

"You managed to anger me, more than once." She reminded him.

"I sure did, baby doll." That small smile of his appeared while she tried hard to form a perturbed face.

The thrill she received every time he used an endearment continued to grow. From his smirk, she was sure he knew how he affected her. As much as she didn't want to encourage his ever broadening smirk, she really liked him calling her those cute names.

"Aren't you angry at your parents?" Declan frowned.

"I guess I am but it's more subdued. It's almost as if I expected them to do what they did. I never know what you're going to do so that's why I spend most of my time angry at you!" she pointed a firm finger in his direction.

"My unpredictable behaviour keeps you on your toes," he smirked and she huffed out a breath. "Are you ready to do this?"

It was only then she realised that he had pulled up in front of the driveway to her childhood home. She gulped in a breath and stared at the cracked, dirt track that had once been a smooth path. From the dryness of the grass next to the road, Summer knew rain was a rare commodity here. It seemed odd when every other property they passed had green pasture and healthy animals.