Chapter 40
Adrian
S hit.
I’ve never seen a storm this violent in my entire life.
The air is thick and the sky cracks open in violent bursts of lightning. The town’s buildings seem fragile with the state of the storm.
“Adrian! Stop it!” Isabella’s frantic voice breaks through it all.
But . . . I can’t.
I’m drenched, my clothes sticking to my skin.
The rain is heavy and relentless. My powers feel so small in the face of this storm.
I’ve managed to lessen the intensity of the storm over the last hour but I can’t stop it.
Every time I think I’ve made progress, the storm intensifies again.
I’m supposed to control storms. That’s my power. My responsibility.
But right now, I feel helpless. Powerless.
I’m supposed to be able to manipulate storms, dammit. My family needs me to be able to control them. To keep the harm and danger away.
I can’t. I can’t do it.
My pulse is racing and I’m starting to panic. I fight to ignore the sense of despair clinging to me, but everything in me wants to give up.
Jay stands beside me, his eyes narrowed, his arms outstretched as he struggles with the wind.
He’s trying so hard to help and it makes the guilt so much more intense.
He’s pushing against the gusts of intense wind, redirecting them and trying to lessen their intensity, but nothing works.
The storm is too strong. His face, which is usually bright and full of laughter, is grim, exhaustion already starting to show in his shoulders, in the way his stance wavers.
We did manage to lessen the intensity, but Jay and I are drained. Physically and emotionally.
My hands are shaking. Every second this storm goes on feels like a reminder of how powerless I’ve become.
I can’t keep my emotions in check anymore. Tears are running down my cheek, along with the violent rain.
But, even with a blurry sight, I can still see sparkles of green starting to float around.
No. It can’t be.
I turn around to the forest where the train station is, hope thrumming in my veins.
Glowing green eyes meet mine across the forest as the storm starts to calm. Familiar butterflies come to life around her and my heart races with hope. We can do this. We can do this. We can do this.
I rush back to Jay’s side and we fight back to take control of the storm. Knowing Stella is here to help brings to life hope and the motivation to keep fighting.
And then, slowly, as all three of us use our magic together, the storm begins to fade, settling back into a manageable form. The winds die down, the rain softens, and the sky begins to clear.
Jay and I grin at each other, hope and triumph and relief all taking over. This is over. We did it.
I look up, breathing out a shaky breath, as the air around us stills.
“Finally!” Isabella’s voice is a shout of pure relief, and I don’t even flinch when she throws herself into my arms, nearly knocking me off my feet with the force of her hug.
But as her sobs break free, something shifts in me. As she clings to me, trembling, every ounce of triumph I’d felt fades away as my sister cries into my arms. Her distress seems even bigger than earlier.
I can barely keep my own emotions in check, but I try to soothe away her panic.
“It’s okay. You’re safe. I’m here and I won’t let anything happen to you,” I whisper in her ear, over and over again, my hand rubbing circles on her back.
“Adrian!” Layla calls, running our way.
S he jumps in my arms with Isabella, both of them clinging to me tightly.
I look over in front of us, finding Hazel and Stella sitting with their backs against a shop.
Stella’s eyes meet mine, so full of empathy that I can’t help the stab of guilt. This was supposed to be the happiest night of her life and she came here to help us. I can’t help but wish I’d stayed back with her on her special night but . . . my sisters needed me and I couldn’t let them down.
As I try to soothe both of them, everything in me is saying this isn’t right .
I’d sworn to protect my sisters. That they’d never have to worry anymore and that they’d live a life full of safety, without needing to worry about losing another member of our family to a storm.
But, looking at the state of both my sisters, it feels like I messed up.
Because, by only getting rid of the source of our trauma, I kept the fear alive. I stopped all of us from overcoming our terror of storms and kept us in that cycle.
By trying to take the storm away—by removing the very source of our fear—none of us have healed. I’ve only pushed our fear and trauma to the side, ignoring it, pushing it down.
When I feel Layla’s arms around me, her face pressing against my shoulder, with tears streaming down her face, I know that I’ve failed them.
Tonight only showed me how much hurt is unresolved. How much healing still needs to happen.
This isn’t what I want to show my sisters. I don’t want them running away from their fears. I want them to face it head-on and become stronger.
I want them to find a way to heal.
I won’t let this cycle keep going. Not when I have the power to change it.
Stella
I made it in time.
My smile is pure relief as I walk over to check on Adrian and Jay.
The mental exhaustion of the day starts settling in my bones.
I was already drained after the show, then the constant rush of adrenaline from fighting the storm kept me steady, but now .
. . Now, all the exhaustion of the day catches up to me in waves.
Every muscle feels weak, my legs barely holding me upright.
I stagger toward the nearest building, needing to sit down.
My clothes get drenched from the water the second I sit down, but I’m so exhausted that I don’t even care.
“Hi. How was your show?” Hazel’s shy voice comes through and I open my eyes to find her in front of me.
I laugh, but it’s tired and humorless. “I’m the one who should be asking you how you’re doing. This is . . . ”
Hazel sits beside me with a gentle bump of her shoulder against mine. “None of us saw it coming. But still, I know how it feels to think you are invisible so I want to remind you I’m proud of you. A freaking concert, Stella!! I am so happy for you!”
“Yeah,” I reply, my voice low. “Things are on the up and up for me.”
My gaze drifts back to Adrian, finding his eyes already on me. And in them, I see the weight of his past. My heart aches for him.
Hazel stiffens beside me. She’s watching Adrian and her sisters, too.
She sighs, her voice turning sad as she says, “I hope they realize how much power they’re giving to their fears.
We all know how much that night stuck with us, but healing is possible.
I just wish they could see that. You’re not weak for reaching out for help when you can’t get back up when life knocks you down on your own.
I wish they stopped ignoring the impact of their grief.
” Hazel’s voice cracks. “They’ve been carrying that heartbreak for way too long. ”
I nod. “Yeah . . . They have to face their fears eventually. But they don’t have to do it now.”
Hazel sighs softly. “Maybe. But they’ve been running from grief all their lives. I think now’s a good time to start.”
“You’re right,” I reply, my gaze colliding with Adrian’s again.
This time, his eyes are set with determination and I can’t help but grin.
I know this man is going to face his fear and won’t let himself and his sisters be controlled by their own fears anymore. I can see it in his eyes, the hard set of his shoulders and how much taller he stands.
I’m so proud of him.
“They are going to face their fears,” I say, the words full of certainty. “Soon. I’m sure of it.”