Although I hate seeing all these masterpieces being torn to pieces by my waters, I keep pulling waves in, my sole focus on drowning the prison underneath us. A broken parchment floats next to my head and at the same moment, a spear of stone breaks through my shields, scratching my arm.

I'm surrounded by blood - my own blood - coming from all the cuts I am receiving from all the Lorem police officers who are firing at me. I never knew so many of us existed, and I especially didn't know that so many members of the Imperium Police Force knew about this prison and are willing to protect it with their lives.

How could I never have realised what horrible people they are? How have they never realised how wrong they are?

All the power that is sizzling under my skin is going towards the water I am sucking from the canal and throwing down the pathway into the underground prison, which leaves me with a tiny amount to protect myself - not enough to keep all the electrical arrows, fire spears, rock bullets and whatever else is fired towards me to get me to stop me from drowning their facility. I'm not willing to lose the flow of water rushing into the building, so the only other option I have is to go underground and wait for the whole thing to collapse or for it to be filled with enough water that I am sure nobody will bother restoring it. I hope for the latter option, because if I am stuck down there I know I will probably never see the light of day again.

Picking up my feet, I let the water take me, the currents whizzing me past the Aqua Lorem officers who are trying to stop my river - they won't be able to. There is a limit one has with their power, but training and daily exercises can make you become much better, and much more powerful. My father had made me train from the moment my powers appeared, telling me that he didn't want me to be defenceless like he was, and so I have become better, stronger - so strong I rival some of the best Lorem's in the world. Unlike the Lorem who are naturally very powerful though, when I use all my power my body gives out, and it takes me much longer to recuperate, my fall from a few days ago is a good example of what can happen.

Once the Aqua Lorems realise I have gone down underground, I can feel them following me, ice appearing in front of me as they try to stop me and my currents. Spiralling, I twist around, breaking the frozen water and melting it back into the water.

I need to decide where I am going to stop, especially if I am being followed.

The broken door appears before me, it's splinters almost grazing my skin due to my lack of concentration as I look back at the men - four in total - and try to decide what to do. I can either stay here until the whole prison is flooded or float down to the bottom of the facility. The first option will mean I have to fight the four police officers, whereas the second option means I will be able to get away from them, at least for a while. The problem is that if there are any problems it will be harder to get out. Plus, the further away I am from the canal the harder it will be for me to keep the river moving, emptying the canals above us.

I need to stay here, then.

The white paint on the walls of the room I had entered only this morning is chipping off, slowly letting the stone underneath it show. The well-kept prison is starting to break down, all it's interior decorations ruined by my stream of water flowing through it.

The sadness I had been feeling a few minutes ago after seeing the art be destroyed is gone, now replaced by anger. I need to control myself though, or else my fury will be transmitted into my powers and the water around me will mist, becoming nothing more than gas. No, I need to keep it liquid, so I need to keep my head straight and focus on my goal.

An icy knife grazes my calf, more blood pouring out as I let out a hiss in pain.

There are only two officers standing in front of me once I turn around and move into a fighting position, the other two grabbing the unconscious officers Gold must have left tied up in the security room, along with the guards Vulcan had taken out and left lying around the floor. I had completely forgotten about them, and although I don't wish death on anyone, the fact that they have worked down here and let people be tortured is enough for my empathy to fade into nothing.

"Giving up?" The man on the right asks, going for his handcuffs. He must think I believe they will defeat me and that I would prefer to be taken into custody while knowing what sort of thing will happen to me. He must be mad.

I don't have enough power left to defend myself without moving, so I flick my wrist, the water flowing from behind them freezing around their feet, climbing higher and higher until it has covered all of them. I know all of the floors beneath me are now flooded, the level of the water climbing higher by the second. It's hard for me to move as I propel myself towards the splintered doorway, the black edges still standing out as water fights against it.

I need to get out of here before my body gives out, or I will be stuck down here until someone comes and gets me or I am taken by the Lorems behind me who are starting to melt the ice, the other two men too distracted with Gold's metal handcuffs to notice I am slipping up into the dark pathway, my only guide to the surface being the light at the end of the dark passage.

My gills disappear, the flow of my power dissipating so quickly I hardly have time to give myself one last impulse before landing on the floor, my body too weak to move.

I'm too late, I didn't plan my time properly. I should have left earlier, I should have never frozen those Lorem and instead focused on getting out.

I am quickly surrounded by police officers, two of them picking me up as they all mutter profanities under their breath, insults towards me and the rest of the vigilantes. They don't seem to care that I am in pain as I am handcuffed and dragged towards the back entrance of the museum, my body unable to fight back, to move away from these people who I used to look up to.

"Chief, this is the only one we managed to get,", the man to my left says, pushing me towards the woman I have been working for during the past few months, almost a year now, and who I have known for much longer. I fall to my knees, the impact making me emit yet another hiss as I try to hold myself still and not fall over to the side.

She doesn't recognize me, the torn outfit of Lilac Royalty hiding my identity.

I want her to know who I am though, I want her to realise that I do not believe in what they have done. I want her to see my anger at the horrors they have done, and how much I truly hate them all. So when she goes to take off my mask, I don't fight it, instead pulling my head back and spitting on the floor, blood mixing into my saliva.

"Agent Aithne?" She asks, surprised, before composing herself. She must realise she is in front of an audience and needs to keep her mask on, "I should have known it was you. That Amber girl didn't seem to know anything, keeping silent as I beat her up,".

I flinch. It's my fault Amber is in the state she is in now.

"Glad to see your true colours," I whisper, my voice hoarse. Just saying these few words take a large toll on me, but I stay put, my muscles trembling as I keep my head high. I will not let her see me defeated, I will not show her any fear.

In a way I am happy I was the one caught and not any of the other members of Lilac Royalty. If this is the price I have to pay for everything I have done, I am willing to go through with it.

"Glad to see yo-".

I am suddenly lifted from the floor, the movement so sudden I can't help but let out a scream. I am floating, moving faster than I ever have, my tired body unmoving as I stare with wide eyes at the scene beneath me. Lights are flying by, the speed making it all look like a blurry image from the museum I have just destroyed.

Deep down I know I couldn't have done anything different without having a different outcome, but I just wish I could have done something to keep those art pieces safe from my water.

"Are you okay?" A voice shouts over the wind blowing into my ears. She sounds so far away, but as I turn my head in the direction of the voice, I realise Hera is flying right next to me, a grim smile covering her face.

"Yes," I grasp out, unable to say anything else.

Her face scrunches up in worry, but I can't keep my eyes open for longer, the pain in my body too unbearable for me to stay awake. So instead of fighting it, I let myself slip into unconsciousness, the thought of Hera being next to me giving me enough relief that I can relax and let myself fall into a deep sleep.

I know she will keep me safe.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE WORD COUNT: 1705

I have finally finished! There is an epilogue I will be posting soon. If you are interested in learning more about these characters, make use to follow me for more updates and add When Birds Swim to your library! I will be continuing the story of Hera Collins shortly.

Question: What's your favourite animal?

Personally, I love owls! They are just so adorable... 😍