The Storm Ahead

twenty four

Leo's POV

When I saw the anger boiling in her eyes, I wondered if the rope tying her to the chair was strong enough.

"Maybe you were r-right," I told Aiden, "Maybe we should use chains."

"Shut up, Dork,"

Billie walked in, her hands wrapped around a jar of murky brown water.

"What," I said, disgust clear in my tone, "Is that?"

"You really dont want to know," She said, pulling a syringe from her back pocket. "But it should hold her."

"You're not gonna-" I stopped when her actions clarified, she was going to do exactly what I thought.

She stuck the needle through the cloth top of the jar, and filled the syringe. Before I could blink, she plunged in into Caroline's shoulder. I cringed at the length of the needle, and the intensity of Care's scream. I rushed forward to comfort her before a strong hand reered me back.

"It isn't her right now, Leo." Aiden murmured behind me. I gave a weak nod and he let go of my arm. Caroline's head was hung limply in front of her and her body seemed flaccid, and the angled of her limbs made my stomach jerk.

"Is she asleep?" I asked when my words came back.

"Not quite," Aiden told me, "She knows what's happening but she can't move."

I gave him a look, curious of how he knew.

"We've used it before," He said quietly.

"Billie," I said, turning back to her, "You said you have a plan?"

"I wouldn't call it a plan," She admitted, "More like a hypothesis. I think I might be able to burn out his influence."

"You dont mean-" Aiden started, but stopped when she nodded slowly.

"I think it could work."

"Or it could kill her."

"It's a 50/50 shot."

"That's not good enough,"

"Dont let your emotions get the better of you Aiden, it's her only shot."

"There has to be a spell."

"A spell with the same chances of failure that will take us months to find."

"I don't-"

"Aiden you should know better than anyone that living a life under someone elses control, a life where you aren't free, it isn't a life worth living."

"Guys," I jutted in, "Can someone fill me in."

Billie's eyes didn't leave Aiden's as she flung out her hand and sent fire into the wall behind me.

She turned her wrist and the fire quickly extiguished.

My mind flashed to Aiden in the car.

"Why does your sister live in the woods?" Caroline asked.

"Billie likes to have her space," He said.

"Is she a recluse?" I asked, a little nervous when he grinned.

"Sure," He said with a laugh, "You can call her that, if you aren't afraid of getting a little fire back."

"You control fire," I said, more of a question than a statement.

"Pyrokinesis." Aiden said, his eyes finally tearing from Billie's. "The ability to create, control, and manipulate fire and flame."

"That's so cool!" I said, a little too loudly by the look Aiden shot me. "Wait, so when you say 'burn out his influence', you literally mean-"