Lightning Strikes                         Prologue
               
"Dammit, I told you to listen to me!" screamed my father as he ran into the upstairs bathroom with me on his back. He dropped me on the cold tile and locked the door. "Get out the window. Go, now!" I stood there, frozen in place. He pulled the handgun out of his back pocket and aimed at the door. "Go, I said!" I couldn't move. I couldn't move.

They started  banging on the door, trying to get inside. "Dammit Alexa, I said go, NOW!" Finally I broke out of my trance. I opened the window and jumped out. I fell from the second story of the house, and landed softly on my feet. In total shock, I stared at my hands. I was expecting to land hard on my back, or at least hurt myself in some way; but no. I was getting stronger. And the longer I stared at my hands, the brighter the light coming from my fingertips got.

I was getting stronger. Soon, nothing would be able to stop me. Soon, I would not be able to conceal the power held within me.

I heard one last final scream from my father, and then a gunshot. Without turning to face the house, I closed my eyes, and pictured it in my mind. I knew they just killed him."I love you, Dad." And as the the first tear fell from my eye, I threw by hands up in the air and threw my head back, and the house lit up in flames immediately. I clenched my hands into fists, reached higher into the sky, and screamed. The house then exploded. 

Slowly, I lowered my fists and my head. Looking straight ahead, I wiped the single tear from my cheeck, just before it reached my chin.

Still listening to the crackle of the burning house behind me, I reached for the small, leather journal in my jean pocket. I took out the stained map, and unfolded it. I sighed overdramatically before returning both the journal and map to my jeans. I knew where I had to go next.

I had to find and kill the malevolent woman behind all of this: my mother.