Maelstrom (The Divine Affinity #3)

Prologue

Skye

The air was wrong.

It was hard to explain. Ever since my affinity started doing whatever it wanted, sometimes things just felt…wrong.

Today, it was the air.

It felt static-y, like touching a really old television screen.

But there were no clouds in the sky. No clouds in the distance, either. A storm system had just come through, bringing a cold front, so we got to wear our coats and jackets even though we were next to the beach.

Anyway. The air was wrong, and there was no logical explanation for it.

I glanced around warily, but no one looked out of place. People were smiling and laughing. A lady near us was offering her toddler part of a turkey leg. A man to our right had just come back to his family with a funnel cake. I’d been eyeing some cotton candy before I got my Bad Feeling.

Levi wanted me to pay attention to the Bad Feelings, but then he’d get mad at me when I told him about them, so I started keeping them to myself.

I overheard Ben tell Mom I had Anxiety, and that my Bad Feelings weren’t anything serious.

He still thought I should just remove myself from a situation when something felt off, but that didn’t make any sense to me.

I couldn’t just run away every time something scared me.

I couldn’t live my entire life like that, that would be crazy.

But I’d been starting to wonder if that’s what I’d have to do.

I looked at my hands, feeling as if my affinity was looking back at me.

This was a secret moment, just me and my secret affinity, watching each other like two animals in the woods. That’s how it felt, anyway. I tilted my head, and I imagined it did the same back to me. But not in a cute way, like a kitten. This was in a scary way, like a lion.

I wasn’t usually afraid of it. It mostly did what I wanted, except for when it didn’t.

What’s wrong? I asked it. Why are we nervous? Is it the Anxiety?

My affinity vibrated through my hands, a pins and needles sensation like they’d fallen asleep. I scowled. I hated when it did that. I had no idea what it meant. I scratched at my palms, then stopped abruptly when I caught Levi glaring at me. See? Bad Feelings got me in trouble.

I quickly sat on my hands, trying to appear as innocent as possible, but there was no getting past Levi.

“What’s wrong, baby girl?” Levi asked, his deep voice sounding extra scary.

“Nothing,” I lied, because I couldn’t say the air was wrong. I was getting tired of feeling like such an annoyance all the time. Even my big brother made fun of me.

“Leave her alone,” Mom sighed. “I swear, you’re on her ass for every little thing.”

“She was scratching her hands,” Levi said. Mom stared at him. He lowered his voice, leaning in closer. “The affinity is bothering her again. Something is wrong.”

Mom turned to me. “Is he right, baby? Is something wrong?”

I swallowed thickly, blinking between Levi’s stern glare and Mom’s look of anticipation.

This was the last day of the festival. We’d only been here for an hour. If something was wrong with me, we’d have to go home, and we wouldn’t get to have any fun. Mom was having a good day today, and I didn’t want to be the reason we had to go home.

“I’m fine,” I lied.

Levi’s expression was full of disappointment, and I swallowed again as Mom glared at him.

“See? Quit spying on my daughter and make yourself useful. Get us some popcorn or something.”

“Can I go, too?” Zephyr asked, bouncing up and down.

Ben snorted. “What are you so excited for?”

Zephyr stopped bouncing. “I’m hungry.”

I rolled my eyes. A girl from his school was at the popcorn truck. He’d been watching her since we got here. Gross.

Levi kissed Mom on the cheek before he left with Zephyr, and Mom’s cheeks turned pink.

“That man,” she grumbled, and Ben laughed before hugging her.

I smiled. Mom was having a good day today. Today was a good day. I wouldn’t ruin it.

You better not, either, I told my affinity.

I imagined it only stared back at me.

I rubbed my hands together to warm them, looking to the crowd.

There were people everywhere. All smiling. All happy.

But not me. Never me. And not my affinity.

I looked at my hands again, then tried pacing back and forth while Mom and Ben talked. When Levi came back, I’d have to stop, because he’d get mad again, and he was already still mad at me because I’d split the porch when Zephyr teased me before we left.

I almost laughed when I remembered the look on my brother’s face. Nothing scared my big brother, but he’d screamed like a baby when the wood started to splinter.

He got over it when he saw I was bleeding from a wood shard that cut my palm, though. He’d healed me fast, before I got in more trouble from Levi.

I flexed my fingers. If I’d messed up the porch on accident…what could I do on purpose?

Well, I knew, sort of. Levi had told me all sorts of crazy things I could do, all scary and dangerous. Mom hated it when he did that, probably because I wasn’t dangerous. Why would I hurt someone with my affinity on purpose? Why would anyone do that?

I jumped as I bumped into an adult, and I backed up quickly as a lady whirled around to face me.

“I’m sorry,” I squeaked. “I wasn’t paying attention. I’m really sorry.”

“Oh, that’s alright,” the lady said, her voice sweet, and then she stopped.

Her lips parted in shock as her green eyes jumped all over my face, then down my body.

She grabbed my arm, and my affinity fizzled in my hands, afraid of her.

She wasn’t that old, maybe not even older than my mom. There was no gray in her reddish hair.

“I’m s-sorry,” I stuttered.

“Aren’t you pretty?” I blinked at her, confused. Her words didn’t match her expression. Her lips twisted from a smile into something ugly. “My, those are beautiful eyes you have.”

“Thank you,” I replied in a small voice.

No one had ever told me my eyes were pretty except Mom. Most of the time people were kind of freaked out by them. Even Zephyr had teased me about it once until it made Mom cry.

“Hmm,” her green eyes darted across my face again, then narrowed. “Where are your parents?”

My heart pounded. I was in so much freaking trouble. Levi was going to be so mad at me. And when Mom was having a good day? And just as we were about to have popcorn?

Ugh. I hadn’t even gotten to ask for cotton candy.

“Over there,” I said sadly, pointing toward Mom and Ben, who hadn’t noticed the lady grabbing me. Mom was rubbing her chest, and my heart pounded for a different reason. If I didn’t get in trouble because of this lady, then we might have to go home because Mom didn’t feel good.

“Wow, your mom is…so beautiful.” The lady said, scowling like she was really mad. “Where’s your dad?”

“The man next to her,” I said, deciding not to mention Levi to her. If she went and got him, I’d be in a ton more trouble than if she talked to Ben.

The lady stared at Ben for a moment, then smirked. “Is that right?”

I nodded, though I didn’t understand what she meant, because I hadn’t lied. Ben was my dad.

The lady let go of me so abruptly I almost fell over. She smoothed down my ponytail with a funny look on her face.

“Run along, honey. Looks like the weather is taking a turn.”

I looked up into the sky, confused because there still weren’t any clouds.

But a few moments later, I heard the boom of thunder.