Disclaimer: The Secret World and all associated characters, settings, and situations are the property of Funcom and Electronic Arts. All use of them here is purely for entertainment purposes, without permission or intention to profit.
Author's Note: Another intermediary chapter that I thought necessary for transition's sake. For the record, Storm is the property of Marvel Comics, which (surprise) I don't own either.
Unleashing the Storm
Tuesday, October 24, 10:30AM
Whatever the source of this rising power is in me, it apparently isn't satisfied with driving off my roommate and ruining my apartment. The manifestation in the living room on Monday left me exhausted for a while, but the power has returned now, and with it, another headache. I sit down at a breakfast of cold cereal and consider my options. Trying to hold the power in yesterday was disastrous and painful. Clearly that's not an option. But I can feel the power building inside of me already. I need to give it some outlet. I decide to try to let it out consciously.
After breakfast, I go to the bathroom, the innermost room of the apartment. Supposedly, it's the safest place in a storm, so I figure it's the safest place to let a storm loose—the place where it's least likely to affect the rest of the complex.
I shut myself in and take a deep breath. I look in the mirror. I can see the fear in my eyes, but also, determination. I'm not going to let this power run rampant with me. I'm not going to let it control me. Whatever it takes, I will learn to control it.
With this in mind, I close my eyes. I can feel the power inside of me, pushing against the barriers of my will. I consciously, deliberately lower those barriers and I feel it surge through me and into the world. I feel my feet leave the ground as wind whirls around me. I hear the crackling of lightning.
I open my eyes and see myself in the mirror. I gasp. I am floating, arms outstretched, hair blown back, surrounded by blue fire with little bolts of lightning arcing out from my fingertips at random. I look like Storm, I think. The thought is ridiculous, but it is probably the first pleasant thought I've had since I discovered my power. If I have to live with a supernatural power welling up inside of me, it is somehow a small comfort to know I look like a cool superheroine while wielding it.
Then, the moment ends. The lightning becomes more violent. One bolt strikes the mirror, shattering it. The next blows out the lights. For a moment the only illumination is the blue fire and the lightning bolts, blasting into the tile. Then, the power leaves me. I sink to the floor in darkness. The headache is gone and does not return that day.
I have learned how to summon the power on my own, but I know this isn't enough. I must learn to control it, and I'm fresh out of bathrooms to wreck.
Next Time:
Juggling Fire
