A flood of rage builds within me, causing the waters to rise and the tsunami to ensue behind me, ready to engorge all of Southern California. I stand alone on Mission Beach, nothing but the sound of rushing water penetrating my ears and clouding the screams.

My mother, or the woman who raised me as her own, was innocent. Hushed whispers and confessions resulted in her being taken from me as we walked the sandy coast. My mind swirls around the scene and I'm unable to wrap it around anything other than fury.

"How are you feeling, Storm?" My mother asks as she runs her fingers through her dark hair, attempting to keep the strands from falling into her amber eyes.

I've always wondered how it was possible that I was the only member of our family with lavender eyes. Until very recently the question plagued my mind and my mother's delicate response was always the same, 'You're special.' I suppose, a part of me always knew I was different.

"Well, with all things considered, today is a good day." I admit.

I don't bother glancing in her direction, instead I concentrate on the grains of sand between my toes as we stand on Mission beach and watch the waves calmly stride in.

"Let's get closer to the water." She says as she gingerly takes my hand and leads me to the ocean. "There's something you need to know, it's time."

The volume of the waves seem to rise along with my anxiety.

"Don't be afraid, Storm." She directs as if she's psychic. My mother always seems to know when something's on my mind.

"I'm not afraid." I protest as I always do and she nods, accepting the fact that I hate appearing weak.

"You know sometimes it's okay to lean on others for support." My mother lectures, but if she had had as many men run away screaming as I had she might hold her tongue.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" I attempt to change the subject.

"I'm sure you've realized by now you're different Storm. You're special." She half whispers.

"Oh, Mom." I roll my eyes sarcastically in response to the words every mother says to their child. "Enough with the gushy stuff."

"Now that your father has passed, the responsibility falls on me. I'll always be your mother but-" She takes a lock of my lavender hair between her fingers, examining the rare hue.  Her eyes wander the beach at the tourists who walk close by.

"There are an unusual amount of people visiting the beach today. I've never seen so many ridiculously vibrant Hawaiian shirts." The sun beams down on us as we stroll, warming the sand and glistening against the clear blue ocean.

"Not everything is as it seems." My mother grips my arm and pulls me closer. The volume of the waves rise in my ears as I realize her confession is more serious than I'd thought it would be.

"What's wrong?" I ask, all jokes pushed aside.

Her voice deepens as a quick shaky confession begins to leave her lips. "Have you noticed the abrupt change in the weather?"

My eyes quickly drift to the waves and the quicker my heart races the harder the waves slap against the grains of sand.

"It changes with your mood Storm." My mother's confession leaves her lips and my brows crinkle in disbelief.

"That's crazy." I whisper back, although, it hasn't completely slipped my mind. I'd always just considered it a coincidence. A coincidence that just happens to scare away any man who dares get close.

"Think about it, my love." Her words are hushed and hurried and her eyes flit about as if she's looking for someone. "We don't have much time, they're coming."

"What are you saying?" My mind races with questions and I search for the answers in her amber eyes. "Who's coming?"

"The natural disasters came continuously, ravishing our world, tearing it apart as if we'd angered you in some way." She sounds absolutely mad and my mind scrambles to make sense of her words. "We thought, if we could somehow capture you, they would stop."

"Mom, you sound like a crazy person." I admit through a whisper as my lavender eyes anxiously comb the crowded beach, which seemingly grows in size by the minute. She ignores my concern and continues rambling as if it's something I desperately need to hear.

"They did at first." She rambles. "The world calmed and we celebrated our victory, but we soon came to realize that despite your prison, you carried the disasters on your shoulders, releasing them with the slightest flit of emotion."

"You sound insane." I admit as my mother's amber eyes grow wide with a mixture of determination and fear.

"It's getting worse with each progressive year, the fires in Arizona, the Polar Ice Caps melting, the spring tornado and now the virus you've let loose." Her lips move quickly as if she's afraid our time is running out. "It seems despite our efforts, we can't outsmart Mother Nature."

"What are you saying? Mom, are you on drugs?" I ask in disbelief then attempt to examine her pupils but she jerks away. "Are you trying to tell me I'm Mother Nature?"

I've always known I wore my heart on my sleeve, but even if I were to entertain her crazy idea-

"Look at the clouds Storm." I do as she says and glance towards the sky where threatening murky clouds glare back.

"When you were three your father wouldn't let you have ice cream for dessert, a fire caught in the kitchen and almost burned the house down." She starts.

"That's just a coincidence-" I try but she cuts me off.

"The night you told me your first love broke your heart, do you remember the storm that ripped the roof off our neighbors' houses? Or the earthquake when you-"

"Stop!" I shout, desperate for the blame to stop gushing from her lips.

Thunder cracks loudly in the sky and our heads quickly snap upwards. The bright sun that beamed down on us during the beginning of our stroll is nowhere to be found and lighting assaults the gloomy blue ocean.

"They're here for us." She warns as endless lightning brightens the world long enough to see a crowd of people in suits watching us from the boardwalk.

It sounds absurd, but the confession and imminent danger both feel valid and my heightened nerves only seem to be making things worse. I feel every strike, every harsh wave, surging their power through my veins.

"You'll always be my daughter, Storm." Her words keep me on edge, grasping at every spoken syllable, but now her confession feels more like a goodbye.

A shot rings out from one of the tourists and pegs her in the back before she slinks to the floor. I reach out to hold her and tears pour from my eyes the same as they do the clouds above.

The strange men begin darting our way with no common sense guiding their thoughts. They simultaneously aim they're weapons in my direction, no doubt expecting some sort of surrender, but I quickly rise to my feet and feel the wave swelling behind me.

Rage builds within my chest as the waters begin to rise and the tsunami ensues, ready to engorge all of Southern California. 

I stand alone on Mission Beach staring down the undercover men with nothing but the sound of rushing water penetrating my ears and clouding the screams of the real tourists darting away.

My mother, or the woman who raised me as her own, was taken from me without so much as a warning shot as we walked the sandy coast. My mind swirls around the scene and I'm unable to wrap it around anything else besides the hatred I feel for the group in front of me.

"Go ahead, try your worst." I growl. The words stick in my throat, burning through my chest as if they were venom.

Lightning strikes electric poles on the boardwalk, knocking cables loose and igniting sporadic fires. I watch them run in terror and a happy warmth fills my belly. It seems chaos suits me.

I always knew I was different. Life felt so difficult, harsh even, but I never would have guessed I wasn't human. With no family or friends left to turn to my compassion is gone and I'll make sure everyone pays.

Humanity is overrated.

A band of people in suits walk the beach, guiding panicked civilians away from the scene as the wave continues to rise, two, three, four buildings high. They will not take her body from me.

One brave man in a wrinkled suit, barefoot, and whose dark tasseled hair lies in a mess on the top of his head steps forward. Calm cool and collected, he carefully passes through the crowd who've fled looking to get to safety, but they won't make it. I'll make sure of that.

Electricity flows through my body, feeding off my anger and enhancing my newfound power. My palms rise in the air and the wave grows another few floors as I glare at the newcomer menacingly.

Despite my threat, he continues to surge closer and I find myself curious. Who's the man brave enough to greet the girl who's prepared to annihilate the world for her mother?

"I know you're confused Storm." The man shouts over the chaotic sounds.

How does he know my name?

"But I have all the answers if you'll just take a chance and come with me." His calm demeanor after murdering my mother only angers me.

"You killed my mother!" I scream and the destructive Tsunami rises another ten-stories.

"Your mother is fine." He assures me and I look down to watch the slow rise and fall of her chest. She looks peaceful, asleep even. "We tranquilized her. She'll be taken somewhere safe Storm, but you need to come with me to ensure she'll stay safe."

"Go away!" I scream as tears begin to flood down my face.

"I know you could easily wipe me and everyone else within a thousand-mile radius off the map-" He admits rather calmly for understanding the near-death situation he's in.

"Then why didn't you cower with your friends to safety?" I bark.

"Because if you don't understand your power, I believe nowhere will ever be safe." He admits. He takes a few steps closer, almost close enough to touch.

"Don't come any closer." I warn, growling through my grit teeth.

"I know you can be cruel, but I also know you bring us beauty and life." His words, although shouting over the storm, are almost kind and it stuns me how someone faced with a certain death can be so reasonable. "No one who intricately breathes life into this world would be so eager to watch it perish."

He reaches his hand out and his piercing grey eyes plead with me to join him. He sounds so sincere, I want to believe him. I glance at my sleeping mother then back at the man who's begging me to show mercy.

"If you change your mind, you can always set us all on fire." He quips.

My lips turn up in a smile and the tsunami behind me begins to falter, slipping and dumping waves to the beach.

Panic rises in my chest as I realize, "I don't know how to stop it!"

His calm demeanor never falters.  He takes a few steps closer, holding one of my raised hands in his and begins to gently lower it, all the while his grey eyes never leave mine.

The electricity in my veins calms and the cool breeze slowly extinguishes the fury burning in my chest. I feel the water level slowly lower until gentle waves lap against our bare feet and the sun comes back out to greet us.

"How did you know that would work?" I ask, my nerves calming. I'm partially relieved but also disputing whether or not I did the right thing.

"I didn't." He admits, his lips curling into a relieved smile.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, choosing for just a moment to trust this stranger before my whole world becomes chaos.

My eyes widen in fear as a sharp pain sparks through my body and I realize he's thrusted something into my ribs. My hands instinctively grip his shoulders for support but words escape me.

"I'm so sorry." He apologizes and I watch him remove a syringe from my side. "We have to get your emotions under control, but not here."

I feel betrayed, fooled by the calm collected man who was sent to get me under control. I attempt a glare, to raise my arms and call back the waves that dissipated, but the scenery seems to blur and I can only concentrate on the deceitful grey eyes in front of me.

My body fails as my strength leaves me and my knees buckle. He attempts to hold me upright, but we both fall to the sand.

His fingers thread through my Lavender hair attempting to calm me.

"I trusted you." I whisper, my voice barely above mute.

"It's for the best." He whispers back before everything fades and I'm left with darkness.

Bright lights seep through my eyelids, seering through the lid and directly into my sensitive pupils. I attempt to force them open despite the pain but they end up in a measly squint.

The light mixes in my foggy mind and I realize my body is still fighting whatever drug the stranger gave me. The strong scent of disinfectant prods at my nose, reminding me of the neighborhood Goodwill.

I force my eyelids fully open despite how desperately they want to close and examine my surroundings.

Bright lights all angled towards me, padded white walls, and no door. How is it possible that there's no door? I look again and find a slim door cleverly hidden between the pads.

I lean my tired head back on the patient chair I'm strapped in and concentrate on regaining my strength. I yank my right arm away from the bed, attempting to rip the fabric strap reinforced with metal, but it hardly budges.

Anger rolls through my veins and a Plan B forms in my mind, I'll force my way out. I'll bring this entire building crumbling down and walk away from its ashes.

The only way I've ever caused chaos is with my blood pressure skyrocketing through the roof, however, despite my efforts, the drugs cloud my mind making it impossible to call forth enough anger.

They're keeping me sedated. I groan realizing they want me in a daze so I can't fight my way out. Whoever these people are, they've thought a step ahead.

"Hello?" My throat is dry and my voice scratchy, I doubt anyone can hear my calls. I'd give anything for a glass of water. As hard as I can, I slam my skull into the headrest in defeat.

I sense movement in my peripheral and swivel my head to the right, catching the brief motion of the camera lens zooming in on my face.

I focus all of my attention on it, my grim reflection eerily peering back at me through its eye. How dare they lock me in here like a prisoner without the explanation I was promised, and where the hell is my mother? Was protecting her a lie as well?

Despite the drugs pumping through my veins, the thought of my mother pumps anger to my chest. Hot pressured fumes rage though my head and steam from my ears and I force myself to concentrate on one point, the camera.

The chair gently quakes beneath me but my eyes never leave the little metal camera glaring back at me.  It begins to make odd noises, shrieks of metal twisting and turning until the glass lens cracks, ending their peering.

"Cowards." I grumble to myself before leaning back into my chair and succumbing to my prison. "If you'd like to watch me you'll have to pay me a visit."

"I see that." My head turns abruptly and I watch the man from the beach slide through the hidden door.

"You." I growl.

"Hey." He starts, his hands in the air in a teasing mock surrender. "I know you're pissed but you've got to give me a chance to explain."

"Why should I?" I spit. "Why shouldn't I just pop your little head like a pimple?"

"Well now, that wouldn't give us cause to keep your mother alive now would it?" He threatens, but his kind smile never leaves his face.

"Who are you?" I ask despite the hundreds of questions eagerly plaguing my mind.

"My name is Caleb Matthews, I'm a Geologist of sorts." He answers vaguely.

"Of sorts?" I ask with one brow raised in question.

"My expertise was originally natural hazards and disasters, but my assignment for the last twelve years has been you." He watches my face for a reaction but my brows simply pull together in disbelief.

"You've been assigned to me like I'm some sort of project since I turned 18?" What the hell is he trying to tell me?

"John Matthews was assigned to you previously and I studied under him, but he unexpectedly passed away." Grief crosses his face but he quickly adjusts back to a casual expression.

"Matthews, your father?" I ask. "What the hell is this, some kind of family business?

"Yes and no, He was my father. I was raised watching your every move, naturally when he passed I was the best candidate for the job." I question whether anything he says is true.

"How long have you people been watching me?" Anger burns in my chest, any sense of privacy has been stolen from me.

"Deep breaths Storm. I'm not here to upset you, but if you get out of hand we've got more sedatives at the ready and that means fewer answers for you."

Deep breaths.

"Go on." I close my eyes and attempt to keep my heart rate normal, I need answers.

"Nature has always been a perplexity to humans, disasters can strike from nowhere with absolutely no time to prepare. There seems to be no rhyme or reason and we can't fight dear old Mother Nature in a battle." His calm demeanor is otherworldly, his humor sarcastic and grim as he makes light of the situation we've found ourselves in.

"How we doin' Storm?" He checks in to make sure I'm not about to blow the lid off this place.

"Fine, keep going." I answer, eyes still closed and concentrating on my breathing as if I'm just listening to one of my podcasts.

"Let me start this off by saying if you've studied serial killers you'd realize that most prefer not to have any attachment to their victims."

"Okay.." I don't see what this has to do with my odd abilities.

"We've found, the more a killer identifies with their victims or sees them as a personality, it's much harder for the murderer to take the life."

"What the hell does this have to do with me?"
I argue and he quickly nods his head in disapproval.

"Just trust me." He sweeps over my comment.

"I'm not likely to do that again anytime soon." I remark remembering the first and last time I trusted Caleb.

"Follow along please." He starts. "Mother Nature is the ultimate serial killer. She takes lives in bulk with absolutely no mercy and with the rocky path she's on now, there's absolutely no way to stop her from obliterating mankind. Unless-"

He pauses and his lips hint at a pleased smile.

"Unless we were to find a way to trap her in human form. She'd have the same bonds and emotions as humankind. Compassion, fear, sadness, love, hope, happiness, are all essential parts of being human."

The pieces of his story come together as if my mother was simply sewing a patch on a pair of my old ripped jeans, woven together tightly and impossible to separate.

"You were our serial killer, Storm. You had no attachment to your victims until we trapped you in this human form. We thought we made it harder for you to take a human life, but in reality, you've completely lost control."

"How is it possible?" How could they bottle Mother Nature when it was always unlikely that a single being even existed. "It sounds absolutely ludicrous."

"The truth always sounds ludicrous when you're raised just like every other average human. We prefer the majority of the public to live in a state of blissful ignorance." He watches my brows scrunch together in disbelief. "If everyone knew the truth, it would just be more chaos."

I suppose I understand that, the moment I found out the truth I almost destroyed all of California.

"How did you do it?" I ask, another deep breath.

"You don't think I'm just going to divulge that to you do you?" He laughs. "So you can release yourself and go on a killing spree?"

"Why aren't you afraid of me like the others?" I ask, slightly more personal than my other questions.

"Honestly, I think you're fascinating." Caleb leans closer, too close. I could easily reach out and grab him, but something stops me. I clench my fists to keep myself in control. "The others are weak-minded and unaccepting, but I see so much potential in you. You're not just the bad, the disasters, or killings, you're also miracles."

"Hell, those assholes tried to convince me it was a bad idea to come talk to you right now. Said something about you taking me hostage, and proving me wrong." He glances down at my hands and watches them unclench. "You're not going to prove me wrong are you?"

I watch my opportunity fall wayside as I respond with a sigh. "No."

"Good, now is there anything you need? They're switching you to a lighter sedative and we'll begin training tomorrow." He perks up and taps my knee twice, excited this meeting went well.

"More drugs?" I panic and sit up as straight as I can.

"Think of it more as an antidepressant." He smiles as he opens the door to leave.

"Wait!" I shout. "Is it going to be you training me tomorrow?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Storm." Caleb says through a sly smile and turns to leave but pauses in the doorway. "I think you and I, we're going to accomplish extraordinary feats together."

I watch him exit without saying a word, left with a scrambled mess in my head. He's right about one thing, whether I destroy their little lab and leave it a pile of rubbish or he helps me work through my powers and I thrive in this new unknown, I will accomplish extraordinary things.