Chapter One

One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand

three The seconds seemed like hours as I struggled

to focus on the math problem at hand. The clock made

its painfully slow ascent toward 2:44, and finally, I

was free. I shot down the hall toward the exit,

dodging bodies as I thought about what was to come.

Summer vacation was finally here!

Then I didn t know what was going to happen to me this

summer. I ran through the halls joyfully, painfully

oblivious to what lay ahead. I rummaged through my

locker and got out my cd player. As I walked home I

listened to St. Jimmy, track 6 on the album American

Idiot by Green Day. It was an angry song and I threw

out the anger to the world. I felt winds rush around

me, building speed and power. At the climax of the

song, the winds howled, almost knocking me over. Then

the song dropped intensity and the winds abruptly

stopped.

Then I looked up, grey clouds were gathering. I

stopped. This was what I loved to do best, watch a

storm be born. I lay down and watched a small grey

wisp. Breathing in and out I was suddenly aware of the

entire storm, the feeling filled my body as I watched

the wisp grow bigger. It thickened and grew as it

turned blacker and blacker.Then, it was a fullblown

thunderhead, lightning sparking in and around it. I

turned my attention to a new grey wisp that wrapped

around the thunderhead cloud and became part of it,

making it bigger. The strength of the storm filled me

and I stood up. Bringing my arms forward, I threw raw

emotion into the storm. A bolt of lightning struck,

right next to me. I felt like I was laying myself out

to the mercy of the storm, feeling my emotions swirl

around me. Then a boom of thunder shook the earth and

I began to walk home.

As I walked home, the storm raged around me, I was

absorbed in my thoughts and did not notice. I was

thinking about lightning and lightning came. Nestled

in my hand was the lightning I had called and I

stretched the baby lightning with my hand and spun it

experimentally. It spun right out of my hands.

Lightning felt weird, like truth and silver cold

feelings with gold electricity mixed in. The feeling

was warped almost. As if you d taken truth and lies,

metal and electricity, fire and water and somehow

combined them to work together. And when you held it

you could not think an untrue thought or even speak.

But that was baby lightning, I wanted to see what true

lightning would do. I called the feeling I had had of

truth and silver cold feelings and gold electricity

warped together. And I called it. A bolt of lightning

hit me , and I was filled with an unearthly sense of

truth. My mind seemed separated from my body and I saw

myself, my hair frizzling with electricity, a bolt

striking through me. All this happened in about two

seconds.

I knew my mom would be worried if I wasn t home soon.

So, reluctantly, I let go of the lightning and the

feeling that held you down to the core. The feeling

that the lightning didn t care. Didn t care about

anything youd ever done wrong, because to lightning

there was no wrong. There was no wrong and no right in

that instant of lightning. Then I finished walking

home. I turned the street into my house. I ran inside

and shouted Hi, im home! My mom replied, Leia, I

was so worried about you, with the storm and all. Your

dripping wet! I m fine, mum, don t worry. I went to

the couch next to the window, watching the storm

outside and feeling warm, cozy and protected. Soon, I

would learn that my house would no longer protect me.

Even in this haven I was now in, I still felt the

raw emotion of the storm. The feeling that it was

asking something of me would not fade away. I suddenly

began to wonder; had I caused the storm? It may seem

obvious now that I had but then I was not so sure. I

went outside to test my theory. I looked up and

instead of laying out my emotions to the storm as I

had before, I soared into the storm. I took control;

established domination over the winds. And then I

became something of a wind, wrapping myself in and

soaring. Asking the other winds to come to me. Then I

looked down. My body was lying prostrate upon the

ground. Shocked out of my concentration I spiraled

down to earth. Still, the winds followed me and in my

human body I was sure of something I had not been

certain of before. I was some kind of witch, or mage.

Then I thought, are there others like me? Others who

can become part of the storm...or maybe a different

talent.Thinking, I didnt notice the dark dampness that

settled over me. That is until it grabbed me. Misty

black fingers settled around me sending chills up my

spine.They couldnt possibly support me I thought, but

somehow they did.I was hypnotized by the swirling

patterns of the misty fingers and I blacked out.

The next thing I knew I was in a dark cave. A man

stood in front of me. He had green eyes that looked

tired and black rumpled hair. He was wearing black

converse sneakers and a black shirt, black pants, and

a red tie. He looked about 17. His face reminded me

of someone but I couldnt think who. I asked him What

the hell s going on around here?

He smiled angrily. You ve been captured. Captured by

the devil itself. On a mission to capture all the

people who could possibly help this world.

You? I asked, meaning who was he?

Then he said Aryon as he said it he whipped around

and fire played around him. An angry fire, black and

blood-red.His eyes wild, he wrapped the fire around

him like a cloak and then drew the fire into a ball in

his palm. The ball grew into a spire and he drew it

into himself. Mostly I play music though , he said.

Astonished I watched and he said and you?

Leia, i said. Leia and I think... I let my

thought trail off and wondering if it would work I

called up the feeling of lightning I had felt earlier.

And the feeling of being a wind. And then the

ferocious anger of the thunderstorm. First I called

the lightning. It frizzled in my hair, then I pulled

the lightning into my palm. A ball of pure electricity

lay there and then I pulled it into myself. Then I

pulled winds from the air, snatching them and twisting

them into a mini hurricane which I let loose. Then I

became a storm. For an instant I am sure he saw

exactly who I was. Every single part of me. And though

I had just met him I think he understood better than

anyone else ever had.