Master of the Storm

Chapter Twenty Eight: Lightning

A/N: okay this chapter is a bit short lol, but the next one is gonna be nice and long

The three of us hurried off the bus, and stumbled onto the street, as it drove away. We ran down the dark street, our only guide being the street lamps. "Where are we meeting them?" I asked. "The hotel?"

"No, Pluto is supposed to pick us up," Olivia said. Just as she said that, the car rolled around the corner, stopping in front of us.

We ran around the sides, quickly getting in. The cars inhabitants were surprisingly only Pluto. "Where is everyone?" Valerie asked. Now that we were sitting down, she was starting to shiver again.

"I haven't heard from Marcus and Beatrix at all," they said. "It's going straight to voicemail. And we're meeting Hayley there."

"Where?" I asked.

"The place where he died."

I slumped back in my seat, my stomach churning. "What do we know?"

"Hayley called me an hour ago," Pluto explained. "Her and Sean had been hanging out, and had wanted to test their powers. Sean started to get the hang of it, and then... he was struck by lightning."

"Lightning? But it's clear as day! Where would that even come from?" Olivia asked.

"It was his powers, obviously," I said. "They killed him."

"Oh god," Valerie whispered. "I'm gonna die. We're all gonna die."

"No, it's too soon!" Olivia said. "Evianna said you guys had time."

"Well it seems that she was wrong," Pluto said. "We don't even know if she has the right information. She could have been exaggerating or under-exaggerating."

"Have the cops heard about it yet?" I asked.

"Not yet," they said. "She's gonna call them once she's talked to us."

"She can't call the police!" I said. "We can't involve them in this, if we do, Beatrix and I are going down. And all they can do is rule it an accident, anyway."

"It's okay, Alexis is coming," Valerie said.

"What? Since when?"

"Since I texted her the location," she replied.

"All she can do is buy us time," Pluto said. "People are gonna notice Sean is missing. I mean, he has a family!"

"People are gonna notice if all of us go missing! Except for you and Beatrix," Olivia said to me. "I mean, how are is anyone gonna explain that Valerie just randomly froze to death?"

"No one else is gonna die!" I said. "We're stronger then this."

As the other three engaged in quiet conversation, I pulled my knees up to my chest. Was this what the voice had meant by "kill them all"? Had I killed Sean by involving him in this? After all, people around me tended to have a violent end. My parents, Alyssa, Cashlin, all those people in their cars, and now Sean. Who would be next?

"We're here," Pluto said, and we all jumped out of the car. We were parked behind an apartment building, with a garden. In the middle of the garden, stood Hayley.

"Are you okay?" Olivia asked.

"No," Hayley choked out. "We were trying to test our powers," she said. "And storm clouds started appearing. And I saw something in his eyes- it was like he was battling something invisible. He was scared-"

She sniffled, wiping her eye before continuing. "He tried to fight it and he lost."

We looked around her, and saw Sean's broken body lying a few feet away. Valerie let out a strangled cry at the sight, turning her head away, and Olivia and Pluto gripped each other's arms, as if struggling to stay balanced. I watched their distress, and was terrified to find I felt nothing. Sure, I was upset over his untimely passing. But the sight of his dead body was not the least bit upsetting to me. And I hated that.

"We have to call the police, right?" Hayley said. "I mean, what else are we gonna do? We can't move his body! And once the sun comes up, it'll be noticeable."

"She's right," a voice said from behind us, and Alexis walked up. "We can't move or hide the body. I won't let you kids do that. And enough has happened, we need to get the proper authorities involved."

"We can never involve them, not while Thomas is alive," I told her. "He's too powerful. He has too much influence."

"Then what do you suggest that we do?" She asked. "We're not moving the body, and we can't just leave him here. So I'm out of ideas."

"I know what to do," Hayley said, stepping forward.

She knelt by the body, and I couldn't quite see what she was doing from my angle, but when she stood up and stepped away, Sean was beginning to fade into his background, as his clothes and skin turned green and brown to match with the ground. We watched as he became camouflaged.

"That'll give us a day, maybe," I said. "Which means we need to work now."

Hayley came towards us, pink and purple tears rolling down her face. "This is all gonna go down tonight, isn't it?" she asked. "I can feel it."

No one answered her, but we were all thinking it. "We have to go," I said. "Are you coming?"

She nodded. "No way I'm staying here."

"We need to gather the group," I said. "Has anyone heard from Beatrix or Marcus?" Everyone shook their heads.

"What about the plant girl?" Valerie asked. "Beatrix was supposed to meet up with her."

"Plant girl?" Alexis asked, her face paling.

"Yeah, who's that?" Pluto asked.

"I'll explain later," I said. "Right now, we need Beatrix." I paused. "And, uh, Marcus."

"Then let's go to the car," Pluto said.

"Where are we going?" Alexis asked. "We're going to have to make a plan."

"Well, Thomas is the one who's caused all of our problems," I said. "He's ruined all of our lives. I mean, he indirectly ended Sean's. He's the obstacle."

"Meaning?" Olivia asked.

"Meaning people are going to die tonight, one way or another. And he's going to be one of them."