{Chapter 34: A Perfect Storm}

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The moon turned black.

Not the moon itself—but the clouds that gathered to shroud it, smothering the lunar light, eclipsing the world around them. Kailan looked up, watching the matted clouds collect at the threads, joined together to ripple the sky with a dark dusky gloom. His clouds. His sky.

"I hate this," he hissed to himself as a distant rumble rolled in on the horizon. The noise mimicked the quivering snarl of thin steel—the sound a trashcan might make when beaten at the sides. It sounded so far away, and for that he was thankful.

With a shaky breath, he willed the rain to fall. It wasn't gradual like last time, instead showering from the sky with a chilly vengeance. The drops fell harder than he had planned, startling Kailan. It was his own doing, sure, but he still had a very feeble grasp of his ability. The results seemed to vary for every storm he beckoned. He frowned, hands slipping into his hoodies pockets as they were becoming thoroughly soaked in the chilly night. He was going to freeze in the downpour.

"Well, there's something," he said, his voice loud enough to penetrate the deafening spill. Through the pall of rain, he caught Vincent's smile. He was looking to the sky, chuckling as the stout beads of water pelted his face.

The cabin door snapped open and April rushed outside, holding a jacket over her head. "It's you, isn't it Kai?" she asked excitedly.

Gigi wandered out of the cabin as well, but she remained sheltered, watching from the hooded porch. She only glimpsed in their direction, the ghost of a smile pressed onto her lips.

"Well, I wouldn't be outside if it wasn't," Kailan replied, fastening his hair up and out of the way. It was a bit difficult with the rain, but he managed.

"This is so awesome," he heard April shout, looking at the dusky skies in awe. He felt a little assured with everyone around, not as tense. He chuckled, the sound lost in the storm.

Vinny had jogged a few yards away from the others. Kailan's rain created the perfect foundation he needed to make an attempt with his own powers. He found himself situated at a lower elevation, remote enough to spark a flame without having to worry about anyone else getting hurt.

He had never done it before—never let his powers take hold completely. He wondered what it was like to submit to the flames. Would it liberate him, or tear him apart completely? With Kailan's storm, he had all the courage in the world to try, and he let a heat eat away at his fingertips, the prickling feeling tantalizing his skin.

It grew and grew, and all the while he let it. That same, hot-cool feeling crawling up his forearms, nipping at his shoulders.

The energy that heated his skin began to swallow him whole, and he allowed it to. It devoured him until he couldn't contain it anymore, and all at once he released it. With clenched fists, he freed the warmth from his body, and suddenly flames caught fire to the air around him.

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