“How come she gave up so easy?” Janelle sat near the window and watched her father take the aisle seat, blocking her in. At the moment, she didn't care. At least she was away from Operation Reckoning.
“What happened?” Gary asked from across the aisle.
Janelle twisted in her seat to answer him, but her dad interrupted, keeping his voice down to a mumble she could barely understand. “She’s not stupid, Janelle. An airport’s the worst place to cause trouble, even for our kind. There’s no way she could’ve fended off all the security. They shot a guy one time for trying to run onto a flight he wasn’t supposed to be on.”
“If she’s not stupid, how come she came after me at the school? She has to know only your parents can pick you up from there.”
“Good point,” said Gary, leaning forward in his seat.
Her father started to wipe off his glasses. The wall of silence had gone back up, and with the vacationers filling the seats around them, she couldn't tear it down anytime soon. They wouldn't be able to talk much on the flight about any more Tempest business.
“I didn’t say she was done coming after us. She has money and contacts. That includes a private jet." Her father twisted his fingers around each other.
The plane took off. Gravity pushed Janelle back into her seat. Houses and car headlights grew smaller below her. She stifled back a cry as she remembered what was waiting for her at their destination. When they landed, they’d be in the Bahamas and she’d be mere hours—or minutes—from her transformation.
Gary started to snore after fifteen minutes. The exhaustion had finally claimed him, and there was nothing he could do now, anyway. Her own eyelids drooped, but she couldn’t stop staring at the carpet of clouds below them as the sun rose. What did it feel like to be a hurricane, anyway? Was it anything like this, drifting miles above the earth and looking down at the land below? Her stomach turned at the thought of becoming one. She might be the next Andrina or Camellia if she was that powerful, even without Operation Reckoning.
Hot tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and threatened to start spilling out. Turning away from her father, she wiped them away on her sleeve. No. She wouldn’t bawl. When the time came, she’d fight with all she had.
The clouds parted some time later, and the ocean sparkled miles below. Another tingle swept through her body at the sight of it. For a moment she imagined diving into the clear waters. Letting them sweep over her. Allowing her full power to burst free of this tiny, restrictive body and to—
No. She wasn’t thinking like that.
Her father wrapped his arm around her. “It’s okay. I know you’re nervous.”
She didn't pull away. Better him than the ocean and its pull. Minutes passed, then an hour. After a while, the hum of the airplane quieted as the pilot started to cut the power. Panic blossomed in her gut, forcing her eyes open.
The sun had come up by now. The plane descended through puffy clouds. Land—and ocean—whizzed by out the window.
Gary woke and jumped as the plane landed with a jolt. Pavement flew past outside and the sun beat into the window. They’d arrived.
Janelle’s father took her arm again as they disembarked and entered the airport. Gary and Mr. Deville dragged their feet behind them, yawning.
“Lucas!” A tall, dark-skinned man weaved through the crowd with a wide smile splitting his face. He took her father’s hand and shook it, slapping him on the back. “I haven’t seen you in sixteen years!”
Her father turned his head to face her. “This is Deon. Deon, Janelle.”
The man beamed at her, showing huge teeth. His gray spiral birthmark stood out on his left arm. “And I haven’t seen you, well, ever. Your dad never had time to introduce you to anyone.”
Janelle tried to shrink away and scowl at him. She had no reason to hide her anger now. She wanted them to know what this was doing to her. Wanted him to know she hated him. How many unsuspecting Tempest teenagers had he taken on fake scuba diving lessons?
Deon looked to her father, his smile vanishing. “She knows, doesn’t she?”
Her dad lowered his voice. “We’ve got to get to the boat now. Andrina knows we’re here. Do you have it ready?”
“Uh, oh. It’s at the marina. Come on.” Deon waved them through the crowd. “Sorry about the short introduction.”
"That's okay," her father said, dragging her along.
Deon picked up his pace and held the doors open. Fresh air with a faint salty smell washed over Janelle. Another tingle swept through her body, and with it, a spike of panic. It was close. The ocean—and her transformation.