Hi guys I hope you don't hate me, I know it's been soooooooooooo long since I updated, but life has just been so busy and I have 12 other fanfics (this being the first one I ever wrote). Anyway I hope this super long chapter will help you forgive me. It's been sitting half-finished on my desktop for months.
Evelyn Danvers was busy cleaning up the horrendous mess her daughter had made the previous night in their large living room, if you could call it that. As she scrubbed the burn scum left around the fireplace where the flames had kicked up from Summer throwing in the whiskey bottle, she sighed soundly. She had always realised she had had a problem with the drink since her husband was taken from her. She even realised it had kept her from her children. It had just been a cooling agent to keep her numb enough to not break down over the tragic loss of the man she loved and who she thought loved her enough not to throw his life away like he promised. Perhaps her worry over him could have even caused it to start a while before William's accident. All she knew right now was that Summer was far too calm and reserved to get upset over nothing. If something was bothering her enough for her to throw a tantrum in front of her friends than something ought to be done about it. Even being slightly inebriated from the fresh whiskey bottle she had just finished, she knew she was right.
She continued to ponder on her daughter's behaviour as she swept up the broken fragments of the drinking glass she had smashed in her rage before throwing the bottle. She was working and thinking so hard that she didn't hear anybody come in. The night was old and the darkness had created long shadows around the room, which was dimly lit only with small, antique lamps. The eerie light caused the shadows of the stuffed animals and macabre paintings to blend in with that of the intruder, or rather, that which was the intruder. Kira had used her magic to render herself as dark and imprecise as a shadow, making her impossible to see in the dark room. Merely a faceless shape floating across the walls, only revealed momentarily by the illuminating flashes of lightning streaking in through the open drapes behind Evelyn. As Kira tiptoed past her, she created a small draft with. Paired with the accompanying strike of thunder, caused her to wheel around in fright. Nothing was there.
Convincing herself that she was jumping at nothing, Evelyn went back to work, unaware that one of the many shadows in the room was watching her every move with a satisfied smirk, not that it could've been seen. Kira drifted up to the ceiling overhead, concealed by the shadow of the window. As Evelyn grew weary from her work and sat down, Kira grabbed her chance. She silently crept down from the ceiling, edging her way to the now considerably clean fireplace where a roaring fire now burned strong. With the old lady's back to her, she slipped a ghostly hand into the flames and began to disintegrate into a smoky illusion of herself. She rose up with the rest of the fire's smoke and drifted over to where the woman sat in her chair, her worried brown eyes closed.
As Kira drifted slowly away from the heat source with the rest of the smoke, she began to cool, and as she cooled, she dropped. She pooled in a pile of ash at the sleeping woman's feet and then began to rise again, transforming back into flesh and bone. As she reformed as the red-headed woman, the smoke cleared and she chuckled quietly at the helpless woman sleeping in the chair. The quiet muffled sound seemed to wake the woman from her rest and, before she even had time to let out a scream, she was struck over the head, and lay still and unmoving once more.
Kira then smiled at her handiwork and raised her arms out to her sides, creating a strong wind inside the house with her powers as her normally hazel eyes bleached a milky white. The gales caused Evelyn's unconscious body to lift cleanly out of its seat, her wiry brown hair and her clothes ruffling around her. She then took a violent turn away from her almost peaceful plan and turned around, throwing her arms in the direction of the window, the drapes that framed it already billowing in the strong wind. The wind then changed, carrying Evelyn's limp body over Kira's head in the direction of the window at speed. The grand window shattered on impact and the wind continued to carry Evelyn through the rain. She was dropped at Chase's feet outside the gates with an audible thud. He looked across the Dancers' courtyard and grinned at Kira through the broken window. Kira balled fire in her hand and gave a demonic cry of elation and shot fistfuls of flames through the house, causing it to erupt into a blaze like a massive bonfire. Stepping out of the demolished window, she turned back and grinned at the blazing inferno that was once the Danvers' house and ran out to meet Chase.
When he was within her reach, she leapt at him and kissed him hungrily and fiercely. She then pulled back and the two of them watched the house burn for a while before fleeing with their prisoner floating obediently behind them. Before leaving, Chase tacked a piece of paper to the gates of the ruining manor, the rain not seeming to smudge the message written on it. He then turned and fled with Kira on his arm and Evelyn unknowingly following, waiting for the group to come home and see what they had done.
As the others returned to the Danvers' mansion (Summer still not talking to her brother for more than 30 seconds at a time) they pulled into the courtyard and leapt out of their cars in surprise and petrifying shock. Pogue and Kate jumped off of his motorbike hurriedly, Sarah and Caleb scrambled out of the escalade, Tyler jumped out of his hummer and Summer and Reid shot out of the fiesta, all wearing looks of confusion and terror. They rushed towards the gate and tore it open to get in, not even stopping to notice the note pinned to it.
Summer and Caleb were the first to the door. They stared up at their burning home in horror and kept twitching, as if they wanted to run forward, or do something despite themselves. Tyler, who was the last one there, was just running through the gate when he was stopped by the corner of his eyes catching the note. Tearing it from its post he read it over once or twice before the message sank in, then a deep and trembling fear took hold of him. It took all of his strength to even work up the nerve to speak, and he called across the courtyard over the noise of the rain and the fire.
"Caleb! Caleb, you have to see this!" he cried out, causing almost everyone to spin around and head towards him slowly.
"Summer, NO!" Pogue shouted suddenly. They all turned back again and saw Summer kick in the burning door and run inside. Caleb changed course yet again and began running as fast as his legs would carry him to the house again. He was caught up quickly by a sprinting Reid and followed closely by a panicking Pogue. Tyler jogged up to meet Kate and Sarah to ensure they were safe while the others went into the house. Showing them the letter, they all looked at the house in a state of shock and fear.
Summer ran through the burning hall, flames spitting at her from the walls in a blazing blur of orange. Keeping her arms over her head for cover so as not to have to use her powers, she stretched out a skinny but powerful leg and kicked in the door leading to the living room. Looking up from her arms and squinting, she saw the mess of the walls and the weeping paintings as they crumbled to ash and fell off of the walls. Spinning around in search of something that vaguely resembled their mother, and failing, Summer suddenly felt something tug at her arm, and was lifted away by a set of arms that wrapped around her waist, hoisting her off the ground.
She was carried back into the searing and hissing hall where she saw Reid and Pogue standing, coving their faces and coughing. Looking up she saw that it was her brother dragging her out of the house. His eyes were watering from all of the airborne ash and coughed violently, trying to expel the smoke from his lungs. Once they were back outside, the rain on their skin felt like the best thing in the world to them. Caleb dropped Summer, who lay sprawled on the concrete catching her breath while he doubled over, coughing and spluttering to within an inch of his life.
Tyler, Kate and Sarah came running over. The girls pulled Summer up off the floor while Tyler showed the letter to Caleb, Pogue and Reid. They each huddled around Caleb to get a better look as he now held the note in his hand. Summer, who was the last to see the paper, gasped.
To Caleb, and the other members of his sacred little club,
I'm sure by now you've all come home and seen the little present I've left for you. Courtesy of a friend of yours, by the way. You'll find out whom in time. Don't panic, Caleb. Your mother is perfectly safe for the time being. I took her as a little insurance policy before I set the fire. You know how much I require a little insurance, but we won't revisit the pains of our past before I tell you what I want. I find that it always makes things awkward when we finally meet face to face again.
By the way I was charmed to make the acquaintance of your sister, Summer, informally of course. I had no idea the Danvers brood extended further than you. And you're not even the only one with gifts, Caleb. Imagine my surprise when I found out that your sister has power even greater than yours – and with no physical side effects.
As for what I want, well that should be pretty clear be now. I want Summer. I want her alone and at Putnam Barn exactly 1 week from now, and she's gonna will me her power. And if she doesn't, I'm gonna kill your mother, you, and every other member of your pathetic super boy band until she does.
From your brother Chase
Everyone stood frozen for a moment. They looked at each other, then they all looked at Summer, who was wearing a look of horror and was staring aimlessly into the distant. A silence lapsed over them and the rain had begun to dowse the flames of their home by the time anyone dared to say anything. Reid wrapped a protective arm around Summer from behind. She reached up a hand and clasped it without snapping out of her trance.
"We can't, Caleb." he insisted as Caleb continued to read the letter over and over again. "He's not gonna get her."
"Yeah, Caleb we have to figure this out. I mean, Chase isn't gonna hurt Summer. Not if we have anything to say about it." Tyler put in.
"You could beat him with your power. Three of us have ascended now and we have Summer. He's not gonna be able to stop us this time." Pogue added while Sarah and Kate nodded along.
"But he's not alone." Caleb muttered darkly, suddenly looking up from the letter and eying them all gravely. "It says it right here, he has others. Someone we know. And for all we know he might have gotten more powerful."
"So what are you saying, Caleb?" Reid asked him suspiciously. "You're not suggesting we just hand Summer over? I'm not gonna let you do that!"
"Relax! I'm not handing anything over to Chase. Least of all my only sister. I'm just saying we need a plan of attack." Caleb said defiantly.
"We have a plan – attack!" put in Pogue angrily. "We've seen what this bastard can do first hand and I for one am not about to let him do it again."
"Alright!" Caleb said, calming everybody. "We're not gonna get anything done standing here in the freezing cold and arguing. We'll go back to the colony house where it's safe; we'll think of something there."
The group all nodded and began to retreat to their vehicles. Before departing, Caleb stood alone staring at his still burning house. Taking a deep, calming breath, he closed his eyes and thought for a moment. When he reopened them, they were black. Looking up at the rain, a current began to sweep it into a large watery tornado, which then shot directly into the gaping burning holes all over the house. Flowing fluidly through each room and corridor, the water extinguished all of the flames so the manor house was left a smouldering shell of its former self standing broken and derelict in the rain. It was lucky they lived so far away from anyone. No one would notice the damage for hours. Just as well seeing as he didn't have the time to fix it all now. Turning to face Sarah who was waiting, sodden, by his car. He climbed into the driver's seat and drove away, following the others to the colony house.