Chapter 71: you struck someone

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: you struck someone

Amelia’s anger had slipped past the point of control. Lightning cracked in every direction, slamming into the ground and the remains of the house with uncontrollable force. Skye ducked and weaved, using short bursts of power to shatter debris that flew too close.

Jade already lay unconscious a short distance away, her body half-buried under a fallen beam.

"Amelia, stop!" Skye shouted over the roar, one arm raised to deflect another flying plank. "You’re going to destroy everything if this keeps up!"

"I don’t know how!" Amelia’s voice cracked. Electricity still arced wildly around her transformed form, her hands trembling as sparks jumped from her fingertips. "There’s so much pain... so much hurt. It just keeps pouring out and I can’t stop it!"

The brothers reached the edge of the chaos and froze for a split second at the sight of her. Enzo’s jaw tightened; his brother took an involuntary step back before both were forced to dodge as fresh bolts of lightning struck the ground between them and Amelia. The continuous strikes made it impossible to close the distance.

"Amelia!" Enzo called roughly. Can you stop, you are going to destroy this place!"

She shook her hands hard, fingers clenched into fists, trying to force the power down.

It’s alright. I’m not angry anymore. Stop. Please stop.

The lightning did not stop. If anything, it grew brighter.

Panic bled into the anger. Small but vicious tornadoes began forming around her, the swirling air turning a deep, angry red. Debris lifted and spun, whipping past her face.

"No—no, no, please stop." Her voice rose, almost pleading with herself. "Amelia, stop panicking—just breathe—"

It only grew worse. The red funnels tightened, pulling more wreckage into their paths.

Through the storm she spotted the brothers again. The need for help surged so strongly that the words tore out of her.

"Help me!"

They felt it a very sharp and unfamiliar helplessness twisting in their chests as they watched her lose control. Neither of them had ever felt this powerless.

Amelia turned and ran. Debris had already carved a rough path away from the ruined house. She scrambled over broken wood and stone, footwear slipping on broken concrete, putting distance between herself and everyone else.

Then she saw them.

A small group stood frozen instead of fleeing. Kate and the rest of the crew. Their faces were pale with shock as they took in the transformed, lightning-wrapped figure racing toward them.

"Get back!" Amelia screamed, arms thrown out as if she could push the danger away. "It’s dangerous—run! Please, I can’t control it!"

Kate’s body refused to move. Her eyes were wide, feet rooted to the ground. Marcus lunged, grabbing her arm and yanking her aside a heartbeat before a bolt of lightning struck the exact spot where she had been standing. The ground cracked and smoked.

Amelia’s breath hitched. Her shoulders drew up tight.

I’m going to hurt them. Don’t be scared. Calm down. The more fear, the stronger it gets.

She forced herself to drag in a deep breath, pressing both palms hard against her thighs—

A scream cut through the air.

"Ahh-"

Her eyes snapped open. The twins had been struck.

Their bodies jerked once before going limp.

"Oh no! Lila! Lana!"

The rest of the crew were already lifting them, faces tight with worry as they tried to wake them, voices overlapping in panicked calls of their names.

Amelia’s vision blurred. Her hands fell uselessly to her sides.

I’m a monster.

She tilted her head toward the sky and waited, arms slightly open, as if offering herself up.

A final, massive bolt of lightning crashed down onto her. The impact dropped her hard to the ground.

The moment she lost consciousness, every storm, every tornado, every crackling arc of electricity vanished as if it had never existed. The sudden silence was almost louder than the chaos had been.

The brothers reached her side in seconds.

Enzo dropped to his knees, pressing two fingers to her neck. His own heart was pounding harder than he understood; his free hand hovered uselessly near her shoulder before settling carefully against her cheek.

"She’s alive,"

He lifted her carefully into his arms, adjusting her weight so her head rested against his chest, then looked at Skye. "Help those people."

Skye nodded once, already turning. "I’ve got them." She ran toward the crew without argument.

The brothers understood why Amelia had drawn the lightning onto herself. That knowledge did nothing to erase the sharp, lingering fear that still sat heavy in their chests as they carried her away from the wreckage.

***

Amelia opened her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.

She sat up slowly, hands pressing against cool sheets that did not belong to any bed she recognized. The room around her looked familiar—giving that royal family look- even though she has never set eyes on this before.

How did I get here?

The last thing she remembered was the lightning. The impact. The ground rushing up to meet her.

This place was nowhere near the brothers’ territory. She was certain of that.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. Her bare feet met a smooth floor as she moved carefully across the room. A full-length mirror stood against the far wall. She passed it without thinking—

Then stopped.

Stepped back.

In the glass she saw herself, but not as she was. The reflection wore an entirely different outfit: rich fabrics cut to perfection, the kind of clothing fitted for a powerful ruler. Gold accents caught the light along the high collar and fitted sleeves.

Amelia’s lips parted.

"...A queen."

The reflection’s eyes met hers. For a moment they simply stared at one another. Then the version in the mirror tilted her head, expression calm and faintly disapproving, as though she were an entirely different person.

"I had to bring you here," the reflection said clearly. "Absorbing that kind of shock almost killed you. How could you be so careless?"