The little girl is ripped from my arms by either my mother or my father. I don't notice, I'm too enthralled by the prince. My body doesn't want to move, and it doesn't want to breathe. This entire attack began with the prince of Esaria, he orchestrated the whole thing, and he's been the one trying to kill us all. He was the reason for that lightning strike nearly cleaving me in two.

"Get to the cliff sides," my father orders, his voice stern.

"No," I choke out.

"Roux, do as your father says." My mother's voice is clipped as she backs away with the little girl in her arms. We have a similar goal, save one life tonight-even if that is a stranger. I would choose the little girl's life over my own any day.

I turn to face both of them as the prince prowls closer. Each step he takes, the ground shakes, and the threat is imminent but I can't use my power to stop him. I can't.

This is the end. I'll never live to see another day. I'll never watch Celestine sit at her desk and write novels about an ordinary girl falling in love with a prince; I'll never help my father construct yet another home for incoming refugees to Arego. He's built this village from the ground up. I'll never draw again; not of landscapes or flowers-but faces, smiles, the way people shift their eyes when they're nervous. A few of my pieces, the entire family, hangs on the wall behind Celestine's desk in our shared bedroom.

I think of the drawing of her face, the slight tilt of her smile to the left and her eyes, shifted to the right as she looks out into the distance. Probably to my father, making a silly face to distract her. She looked so...carefree. Like herself. Will I ever see that again?

The prince is close enough for me to see his silver eyes, as haunting as from a distance. There isn't a hint of a smile on his face, only cold dedication as he comes to throttle me, to choke the breath from my throat as I try to escape. But something plants my body where it wants to stay.

"The cliff sides!" My father shouts so loud into my ear I jump. He shoves against my back and then I'm stumbling, running, through a dark alley, towards the cliff sides.

Thunder growls overhead and I know without looking that the prince is following, chasing me like a predator does prey. The prince is chasing after me, the prince. I don't let that slow me down, in fact, it brings strength into my legs as I let the wind carry me. The wind he created.

White lightning cracks over my head and I dodge to the left, clear of the village. Open grasslands spread before me and now his pursuit has a similar ease to striking fish in a barrel, it's impossible to miss. All I have to do is outsmart him and I'll survive.

My power. I have to use my power.

I don't want to but without hesitation; I shove that door open and allow the power to escape. The magic slams against my sturdy walls and they crumble underneath the weight of force. The ground splinters and cracks underneath my boots-causing a cry from my throat as I jump to the side to avoid falling through. The ground shakes and roars, same as the thunder, as the cliff sides come into view.

As far as the eye travels, the storm lingers. Over the distant ocean, lightning cleaves through the water and thunder sings in answer. The water is so ferocious that surviving the crashing waves is impossible. If I survive any part of this, it's possible I'll be the last resident left in Arego. Then again, I can't lose hope for Celestine and Bren.

As the ground cleaves itself apart with every booming step I take, the prince's power reaches for me. A quick glance over my shoulder proves he's chasing me, pure determination on his cold face. His tan hand reaches towards me and a burst of lightning escapes his palm. I dive to the left, stumbling over my own feet, and jump over a rock to keep going.

My power sings a sharp tune and for the first time in my life, I want my power to enjoy freedom. I throw back a hand and the ground behind me shoots into the air, exploding as it heads for the prince. The lightning cuts through it like a sharp knife and the beam sears past me as I duck to avoid it.

This is insane. I'm outrunning the prince.

The cliffs are close. His boots are louder and louder with each step I take and my lungs can't go on much longer. My legs burn to stop but I push harder; throwing back my power every so often to slow him down. Every few seconds, he sends a bolt of lightning down from the sky or from his own hand and it narrowly misses, either by me throwing up a bigger shield than I wanted or being lucky enough to dive out of the way. This entirety is luck.

Over me and underneath, everything is quaking. Our powers mix to shake the world itself and they call out to each other. Opposites. It is then I know why the prince is here and why his family is wreaking havoc on our peaceful village. I'm his Grounding. Our powers are opposites.

Fear slides through me like a knife and I know immediately I have to get away. I won't let him take me back to the castle to be his puppy dog, his slave. Not in a million years.

I'll make these last moments count.

There's nowhere else to go but down.

I send out one last blast of power as the prince closes in. At the same time, he releases a bolt of lightning that grazes my arm. I let out a cry of pain but keep going, despite stumbling and slamming against a boulder. Though my arms burn and my eyes are full of tears at the thought of this world I'm leaving behind; this beautiful, heart-filled village, I throw out one last flare.

The ground lifts from itself and the stone hurdles itself at him, creating a barrier he has to blast through. It gives me those extra seconds to get to the cliffs, all the while holding onto that power and running at the same time. The roaring ocean greets me.

The prince breaks through, his hand extended to where I run. A few more feet.

A blister of lightning cuts through the air at the same time I jump and the prickling heat of the blast crackles inches from my back before I'm falling. Crisp, open air greets me and I squeeze my eyes shut in a headfirst dive to the crashing water below. I don't fall long against the stinging rain before I twist my body to meet the water feet first.

The last thing I see is a shrill bolt of lightning before the ocean swallows me whole.

I don't know where to go. The water is freezing, and it moves in all, unforeseen directions. It throws my body left and right as I try to get a grip on something, anything, but the water tries desperately to keep me down.

I don't know which way is up or which way is down but my lungs are screaming for air and if I don't get there soon, I can count myself as good as dead. A flash of lightning from the clouds bursts to my right; that is where I need to go. Head towards the dark power cutting through the air. Air. I need air.

The water holds strong as I try to swim my way to the surface. The waves folding into each other in deep spirals keep me from where I want to go, towards that sweet air. The water throws my body, somehow to the surface and I can breathe again, only a large gulp before I'm tossed back under the dark waves. My body is little more than a rag-doll in this ocean and as the water spirals me down, down, I know everything-including my power-is useless here.

Why couldn't I control it? If I can't control my power, my only chance is using wit.

Fighting against the current, I grab onto a sharp rock and ignore the tips cutting into my palm as I grip tight. I surface again and look up. The prince stands on the edge, staring down at me as his cloak billows in the ripping wind. He's not done with me. At the same time our eyes meet, another wave crashes over and swallows me whole.

And I allow it.