She stumbled back. Her heart pounded up her throat, as if it wanted to jump right out of her skin. 

Jade clenched her hands, the blood of her step-mother dripping onto the pavement beneath her feet and staining her clothes.  

The silence was like the quiet before the storm. Nobody dared to move. 

 "You... You killed her!",  her father started to yell, his voice drowned in anger. 

The memories hit Jade like a punch in the face, the sudden feeling of dejavu almost knocking her off her feet.

This was just like Célia's birthday. Horrified looks, and Jade standing in the middle of the crushing spotlight. 

The crowd around the two people released a collective gasp, rumours already spreading like a wildfire. 

"This is why your mother left us! You're cursed! A witch!" , his voice snapped, sounding like whip-cracks over the market place. 

The circle around them widened at the man's words as if they were contagious and the people might get infected by Jade's precence. 

"Hey! You leave her alone!", Célia wanted to step forward, but got held back by her brother, who didn't take his eyes off Jade. The girl seemed to be in some kind of frozen trance, not even flinching when her own father accused her of being a monster. 

Mr. Connery suddenly stepped forward, his face twisted and red with rage. His raised hand shot down at her.

The sound of skin ripping at the impact of pure violence cut through the cold air. Somebody from the crowd screamed. But nobody moved. 

Jade had her head thrown back, her cheek already bruising. That seemed to snap her out of her shock. She slowly touched her face, her fingers smearing dark blood over the wound. 

 Just when her father brought down his fist a second time, Jade suddenly caught it midway, leaving the man in surprise. Her expression was as cold as the arctic sea. Her emerald eyes blazed. 

The breeze grew wilder and the sky went dark, ash clouding the white sun. 

"You used to tell me that it was for my own good. That the pain taught me decipline" Her dangerously quiet voice was filled with the thunder that echoed from the mountains. 

"Let me return the lessons"

Her father wanted to free himself from the sudden iron grip the girl had around his wrist. But her nails dug into his skin, leaving permanent marks. 

"You dare..." He gasped out, but his voice was silenced by lighting blazing over the sky. 

Jade never lost his gaze, even when he screamed out in pain. 

"I have the power over death." She twisted his arm until the sound of cracking bones chimed over the crowd. The man fell to his knees, tears rolling down his face.
 "I think its time to remind you, not. To mess. With me"

 Her voice got deeper, like somebody was turning down the volume. She wasn't sounding like herself anymore.
More angry, more inhuman. More like... a demon.

Her green eyes turned black as the night. Dark fog crept from open windows, hissing like it contained a thousand snakes. 

That was when the people finally started to run. They've seen the storm at the ceremony, but this was something different. And not in a good way. 
Claire Valdez was desperatly trying to get her children to leave, but Célia had already loosened herself from Sebastian's grip and was trying to fight her way through the panicked mass, closely followed by her brother. 

What used to be a soft breeze had turned into a hurricane, swiping people off their feet, carrying them into the sky a few metres, and then dropping them again onto the cobblestone street.
Plants got ripped out of the soil, making dirt rain over everyone who tried to escape the dreading scene.

Jade's skin had turned paper white when a strong gust picked her up into the air. But instead of dropping like the others, she seemed to balance on the invisible force, floating above the ground. Her eyes widly scanned over the scenery, this time not out of worry. More like a predator picking out its next victim.

The villagers's screams filled the air, a chorus of terror. Some seeked shelter in their houses, only to be cruhsed beneath crumpling roof tiles. 

Gray strands of mist got sucked into Jade's chest, as if she were feeding on the souls of the dying. 

The weather wasn't just a storm anymore. It was a nature catastrophy, shaking the mountains, making the tallest trees snap like bamboo.

 "Jade!" , the voice sounded insignifficant, overtuned by the agonizing sounds of dozens of people in pain. Yet, Sebastian tried to reach the girl that wasn't herself anymore.

Earthquakes cracked open the pavement. Deep cuts on the ground let the earth crumble. Black smoke, like volcano ashes and magma, swelled from the cracks, creeping as if they were shadows straight out of hell.

Everyone who inhaled it from their hyperventilating fell to the ground, hurt and weakened, unable to move. Like a dragon without wings.

Jade wasn't in control anymore.
Her cold hate was way stronger than her fear, taking over her brain like a virus.

Jades anger overwhelmed Sebastian, who had managed to get closer to her without getting hit by flying rocks, and he stumbled to his knees, sudden fear tightening his chest. He couldn't reach her emotions anymore.

Jade had lost her connection to human feelings, as if she was some supernatural being, incapable of emotions. 

The boy's parents hurried next to him, Célia right behind them. Their faces were grimaces of desperation.

"Sebastian we need to get out of here!"

He didn't move.

"Sebastian please!" ,Célia begged and tried to drag him away, only to pulled into a protective hug from her father, when a piece of rubble closely missed her head. "Sebastian!" She teared up.

He stared up at Jade, his eyes wide.

The girl had her neck open wide, flinching and shaking like a she was getting electric shocks. She was laughing maniacally, but her voice was mixed up like there had been a technical error with the sound panel.

He had never seen her like that before. This wasn't Jade. This was the demon that lived inside of her head, since she got the gift. 

Her wicked stare found her father who laying on the ground, his broken arm outstretched in a sickening way. Her psychopathic laugh turned into a morbid grin and her eyes widened wildly. She flicked her claw-like hand and a crack shot right at him, coming for his soul.

"Jade!"

All of the sudden, the voice of Sebastian appeared inside her clouded mind.
She turned mid-air and saw him struggling back on his feet. 

As if they were in the eye of the storm, everything quiet. The fog still swirled around them, but it did no damage, like they were protected by an invisible dome.

The girl tilted her head, a small smile on her lips that didn't reach her cold eyes.

"Jade... please. I know you're in there.", Sebastian slowly approached the floating figure. Now that he was closer, he noticed how her dark hair was swirling around her like she was under water. She didn't move, so he continued. 

"I know it's talking to you. It- it's making you do things you would never even think of. This isn't yourself.", his voice trembled 

Her emotionless black eyes widened, as if she was somehow recognizing the sound of him speaking. 

"You are blinded by your rage, but this shouldn't destroy you! You're not a monster." 

She flinched. Still floating, she grabbed her head, squinting her eyes in pain. Something tried to break free from the back of her mind. "Get out of my head!"

"It want's control and use you for your powers, but you have to fight it!", Sebastian called out, his voice echoing over the clearing.

"No, leave me alone!"

"You're stronger than that thing."

"SHUT UP!"

Shaking, Jade started to scream, her normal voice reappearing through the deep, raspy tone.
She scratched at her face, small streams of her own blood smearing over her lips. It looked like a second body tried to loosen itself from the other one.

She glitched. First there was the creepy demon-like figure, with hooded eyes and needles as teeth, and in the next second her normal face appeared, her eyes closed from exhaustion.

 Sebastian could sense her pain. She was fighting with the other side of her gift. He felt like his skin was being ripped from his bones. It brought him close to passing out. 

There was a desperate, bone-shattering screech, loud enough to shatter what was left from the windows, followed by an earth-ratteling boom.
An explosion of violently bright light and burning warmth shot through the air making Sebastian's face heat up.

When it all finally cleared, the cracks had disappeared from the ground as if they had never existed in the first place. The houses were standing again, windows and unhinged doors back in their original places.
The sky was still dark, but this time from natural causes. It looked like it was about to rain.

The people slowly crept from their hiding spots, some rubbing their head in confusion on why their loved ones talked about them returning from the dead.

Even if they were shell-shocked, they started to realize what had happened. The curse must've been broken. 

It was over.

Some started to laugh from relief, embracing each other. A few people went to comfort others. It had been a death scene for many of them after all. 

But with the seconds passing, the people allowed themselves to relax bit after bit. The parents Valdez were back in their element, making sure everyone was safe.

But Sebastian couldn't forget the feeling he had when Jade won over the demon. It felt like a knife stabbed him right through his chest. And Jade hadn't appeared yet, her father and his wife nowhere to be seen.
Célia must've felt his eerie mood, because she placed a hand on his shoulder, softly smiling up at him. 

The moment of comfort passed when he noticed people rushing towards the farthest parts of the neighbourhood, and he instantly felt anxious again. 

After exchanging looks with his sister, they both followed the sounds of mumbling people.

They surrounded the last corner just to find a huge crater in the middle of the street as if a meteor had crashed into it.
And at the bottom of that pit was a girl with black hair, curled up in a small puddle of crimson red blood.

Célia let out a suppressed cry and she covered her mouth, her eyes showing her emotions.

Sebastian could do nothing but stare in disbelief.  

"No...-"

He stumbled down the crater.
"No, no, no. Please!" He knelt beside the girl and carefully lifted her onto his lap.

 Her eyes were closed as if she was sleeping.
Sebastian gently shook her. She didn't move. 

"Hey, mi cielo. You did it...you don't have to fall anymore", he let out an empty chuckle, hoping for her to finally smile and tell him it all was just a cruel joke.  

"Jade, please. Wake up. Come on... wake up", his voice broke when the realization started to set in.

A distant thunder rumbled, and light fog placed itself over the village like a drab blanket. 

The heavy feeling squeezed his heart until it was difficult to breathe.

The people had gathered around the crater, whispering to eachother. Célia started to cry and buried her face in her mothers chest. It started to rain. It didn't matter. Nothing of it mattered.

Sebastian was shaking, his chest heaving from the burning feeling inside.
Tears were now streaking down his cheeks. 

"No... no, please don't do that to me. Please...This wasn't supposed to happen... this wasn't supposed to-" unable to continue speaking, Sebastian tightly hugged the cold body.

 The rain was now pouring down, washing away the last drops of blood. They mixed up with his tears.

Célia's parents held their daughter, who was barely able to stand, shivering from the loss of her best friend.

 Even the people around them where sadly watching the girl who they used to fear. Maybe it was a valid feeling. Maybe it was the oldest Valdez son, who finally let go of his strings and allowed his emotions to unravel.

The soft ripple of the raindrops were the only sounds that melted into the night, together with the silent cries of the boy in the crater. 

"It's okay...", Sebastian carefully stroked her hair out of her face, trying to smile, even if it hurt.

"You're free now.", his vision blurred until he couldn't see her face anymore.

He never told her. And now she was gone forever.

Sobbing, he hugged her one last time.

Jade Connery was dead. Nothing could bring her back.

He had lost his miracle