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Elysia stared at the window at the stormy afternoon.  Dark clouds gave the illusion of night, large drops of rain rolled glass past her face, leaving little droplet trails.  The trees across the street leaned with every new gust of wind, branches and leaves threatening to break away.
         Her skin began to tingle slightly. Excitedly, she look upwards to the sky.  Split second later, lightning lit up the sky. Thunder rumbled immediately afterwards.
          Elysia longed to be outside with her element, lightning! ’Not tonight, sweetie.  It’s family night,’ her mom said when Elysia told her about the large storm earlier. 
         Some family night Elysia thought.  Her family was in the living room watching TV, frequently disturbed with ’Severe Thunderstorm Warnings’ for the county.  Like we need any more warning she thought watching another lightning bolt swim through the air.  The center of the storm moved closer and closer. 
         Her skin began to tingle again.  Then there was an extremely bright flash.  Then the power went out. From inside the living room, Elysia heard moaning and whining.  Sighing, she got up and went into the garage.  There, she found an unopened box of light bulbs.  She pulled one out, and the moment her hand came in contact with the metal at the bottom, the bulb lit up. 
         Elysia made her way into the living room.  Illuminating the almost pitch black room didn’t stop the complaining, it only made the source of the noise visible.  The twins were on the floor dramatically describing the best part in the movie they’re missing, Ilana was yelling at them to shut up and not spoil it, and little Aaron, who was only four, was making noise just to not be left out.  Her mom was trying to get everyone calmed down.  Her dad was no where to be seen.  Popcorn was spilled everywhere.
         Elysia plopped into the open armchair.  She sometimes wished her siblings would just go away!  Go on vacation somewhere they wouldn’t cause any trouble.  But, of course, that’d be impossible.  The twins were intolerable, even when they’re separated.
         Her dad returned a few minutes later with a flashlight.  When he caught sight of Elysia and the lit bulb, he turned it off.  “That’s creative.  It’s useful having you around,” he joked.  Elysia rolled her eyes.
         “Great, I’m the handy girl!  Exploit my abilities, charge free!”  One of the twins turned to her.  “Why don’t you  do something helpful and plug the TV into you!”
         “Oh, shut up, Ugo!”
         “Obi,” he said with a smirk.
         “Whatever! Why don’t you make yourself useful for once and clean up the popcorn!”
         “Sure thing, mom!”  Elysia sent a small shock at him.  It hit his right arm.
         “OW! THAT HURT!” He yelled, and with out warning, he sent the popcorn bowl flying at her head.  Elysia shot some lightning at it and it shattered in midair.  Shards of Pyrex went flying around the room.
         There was a moment of tense silence, broken when Aaron began crying. Then pandemonium emerged.
         “WHY’D YOU DO THAT? SOMEONE COULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT!” Her dad was red in the face.
         “WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO? LET IT HIT ME?”
         “THAT’S NO EXCUSE FOR TURNING IT INTO SHRAPNAL!  WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?”
         “THERE WASN’T TIME TO THINK WHEN IT WAS FLYING AT MY HEAD AT A HUNDRED MILES AN HOUR!”
         “That’s right! You didn’t think! You didn’t think about what could have happened! What could have happened to Aaron, to Ilana, to your mom, to everyone!”
         “Why aren’t you yelling at Obi?  He’s the one who threw it!”
         “You’re older! You should know better!”  Elysia’s eyes began to water.  What could she say?  She just turned and ran into her and Ilana’s room. 
         She dove onto her mattress, buried her face in her pillow and sobbed.    She hated them! She hated them all! Just because she was the oldest, all the blame fell on her.  Elysia pounded on the mattress.  She hit it again and again and again.  She kicked it as hard as she could.  She was having a two-year-old’s tantrum.  Each time she hit it, her hand bounced back, each kick rebounded .  When she was done, she felt no better.
         “Hey, Elysia?”  Her mom poked her head in the door.  Elysia didn’t acknowledge her.  Her mom sat at the edge of Elysia’s bed.  Elysia turned away.
         “It was unfair of your father to yell at you.”  Elysia didn’t say anything.  “Your dad’s talking to Obi now.”  From the living room, they could hear Obi yelling “I didn’t touch it!”
         “However,” her mom continued, “you’re still going to be grounded.”  Elysia turned to her.
“What? It wasn’t-” her mom cut her off.  “ Two weeks.  Two weeks grounded, then you’re on parole.”  Elysia turned back to her pillow and swore.  “Elysia,” her mom exclaimed, “ three weeks!”  Elysia punched the mattress.  She began sobbing again.
         Her mom began lightly rubbing her back, just like she used to when Elysia was little.  Elysia pushed her away.  Her mom slowly got up and left the room, slamming  the door behind her, leaving Elysia alone in the darkness.
         She laid there, listening to the storm.  The rumbling thunder shook the window. It seemed to personify the anger and guilt stirring in her.  She was angry at her brother, at her dad, and at herself.  She should have ducked when that bowl came at her, she should have taken it to the face, she should have just sat there when her dad yelled at her, she should have done something else!
         Her skin tingled.  A second later, lightning flashed, lighting up the dark room.  She looked out the window.  The storm was moving away.  Elysia got up and walked to her closet.  She pulled out her tennis shoes and a sweatshirt.  Not bothering to tie her shoes, she opened the window and kicked out the screen.  She jumped into the freezing rain and ran in the direction the storm was heading.  She didn’t pay attention to where she was heading, she just ran.  There wasn’t any traffic.  Everyone listened to the weather advisory, ‘Stay inside, stay away from windows.’
         She ended up at the middle school baseball field.  She flopped onto the muddy grass, hair clinging to her face.  She stared at the dark grey clouds above her. Icy rain dropped into her eyes and mixed with the warm tears on her face.  The cold from the mud soaked through her skin and clung to her bones.  The wind nipped at her skin, causing goose bumps to surface on her skin.  She rubbed one arm to warm it up. It felt like she was rubbing alligator scales.
         Above, lightning shot through the sky.  The hot white of it seemed so welcoming to Elysia.  She slowly stood up, bones creaking from the cold.  She closed her eyes and raised her hand to the sky.  Breathing slowly, she willed the lightning, her kindred  force of nature, to come to her.
         She waited.  Nothing happened.  Sighing, she made for home.  Suddenly, her vision went white around the edges.  She was moving in slow-motion.  From the tips of her fingers, she could see the electricity branching away like a white coral.  Her whole body was warmed like she just jumped into an oven.  She felt like she was filled with power, filled with energy.  So much so, she felt on the verge of exploding in a white wave, with the power to destroy anything in it‘s path.
         Suddenly, she felt herself moving in normal time.  She was throw face down into the mud. There she remained still, the thrill still pulsing through her veins, her heart pounding into her sternum, threatening to break free. 
         It was nearly a minute later when she realized she wasn’t breathing.  Her body went into panic mode.  She grabbed at grass and mud, her legs treaded invisible currents, her mouth was open but her lungs remained paralyzed.
         Relax, her mind stated calmly, you know how to do this, just breath.  In and out.  You’ve done this you’re whole life, you just need to remember how.
         When she tried again, she found herself taking quick, short breaths.  When she gained enough oxygen, she propped herself up, and looked behind her.  At least fifteen feet away, there was a patch of blackened grass, the very spot she was struck.
         Elysia pushed herself to her feet and nearly fell over again.  Her head was spinning.  She stumbled to where the field met the road.  There she doubled over and vomited into the gutter. The rain quickly rinsed it away.  Her eyes stared at the water, but her mind was on the lightning.  The adrenaline, the power she felt.  It was intoxicating.  The rest of the world felt surreal to her, like a dream.
         She got up and staggered down the road back home.  Eyes squinting into the rain, wind whipping at her face, clothes clinging to her chilled skin, she walked on with a smile on her face.