Page 35 of Sour Layer

I stepped into the living room and glanced over my shoulder to see Clark watching me intently, eavesdropping if I had to guess.

“How do I stop it?” I asked.

“Stop what?” Clark asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

I held up my finger to him and strained to hear so I didn’t miss anything Clara had to say. “Accept your full ability. Open it wide and fully claim what is to become of you.”

“No. No,” I said with a stern voice. “You can’t ask me to do that. You have no idea what you’re asking.”

“It’s the only way, Mercy. If there was another, I promise I’d tell you.”

I dropped my head, and my heart clenched. I’d only used that part of my ability once, and it had killed. There was no controlling the energy. There was no right or wrong. Keeping it locked away was the only thing that stopped me from becoming a killer. I knew death better than anyone because I was a witness to death. I could take a life just as easily as I knew when one would die.

“Godspeed,” Clara whispered and hung up.

My hand dropped to my side as I stared unseeing out the scenic window. What had been beautiful once before now was dark and mysterious. The blue sky had disappeared, replaced with angry clouds and lightning at the top of the mountain. The storm was coming, and it was looking for me.

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