The Bonded

Part One~ The Chosen

"Powers don't control you. You control them."

Those words are engraved into my core.

From the day I was born, my father repeated them like a nursery rhyme, over and over, until they became a part of me. Those words were meant to prepare me for this moment.

They were supposed to make leaving easier.

They didn't.

I should be ready.

My father spent my entire life training me because he always knew this day would come. Every lesson, every sparring match, every warning was leading here.

But the truth?

I'm terrified.

My whole life has been spent behind invisible walls. Hidden from the world. Protected by my family. Every choice I made, every place I went, every person I met was carefully controlled.

Now I'm being driven to the Academy.

For the first time in eighteen years, those walls are gone.

I'll have freedom.

Real freedom.

And somehow... That scares me more than spending my entire life under lock and key.

"What's the first rule of survival?" my father asks.

"Attack first. Don't wait to be attacked," I answer without hesitation.

A proud smile spreads across his face in the rearview mirror. I can't help but smile back. "Remember, always go in for the kill because they'll—"

"Cause they won't hesitate to kill me if given the opportunity," I finish before he could.

"And if they are given the chance?" he asks, his expression turning serious again.

"I unleash my power... but only enough to pull it back in."

Silence settles over the car.

"Jordan," my mother says softly, placing a hand on his arm. "She knows."

My father's eyes linger on mine for another second before returning to the road.

Only then do I realize I'd been holding my breath. I slowly let it out before taking a few deep breaths, turning to stare out the backseat window.

Tree branches swayed gently with the wind while vibrant leaves danced through the air, each one landing somewhere different from the last.

I love nature.

It's so complex yet so simple at the same time. I wonder if the Academy has trees like these.

Probably not.

It's probably hidden somewhere deep in the desert.

Dry climates weaken our abilities or at least, that's what my father has always told me.

I've never experienced dry weather before.

Our summers have always been cool, our winters bitter enough to freeze your bones, and rain has never been a stranger where I call home.

That's how I learned to control the elements.

Snowy days and endless rain always left the world feeling gray, so whenever Father and Mother weren't watching, I'd sneak away and pull the clouds apart just enough for the sun to peek through.

I would've kept it there longer if I hadn't gotten caught every single time.

Father would scold me for disobeying his orders, reminding me that every unnecessary use of my abilities carried a risk.

But I couldn't help it.

The sun...

It's warmth...

Those were things I dreamed about.

Even if it only broke through the clouds for a few seconds, it was enough to make the entire world feel different.

More beautiful

I always wished I could create something like that myself. But my abilities have limits. I can't create weather from nothing, I can only manipulate what already exists.

Water is different.

Water obeys my commands.

I can create it from nothing and shape it into whatever my mind can imagine.

It's my favorite.

"Shay, baby?"

"Hmm?" I hum, turning toward my mother.

"You should try to get some sleep. It's gonna be a while before we get there."

"I'm not tired," I protest.

If anything, I'm wide awake. Curiosity has replaced sleep. For eighteen years, I've only known the world within the walls my parents built around me.

Now I'm finally going to see what's beyond them.

"You should listen to your mother," Father says. "Once we say our goodbyes, they'll take you straight into testing."

"Immediately?" I frown. "I thought they'd at least let me get settled first."

"They'll test your abilities before anything else," Father explains. "They need to know where you'll rank."

Mother sighs. "Jordan, don't you think that's a little excessive? They're still children."

"They're the Chosen," Father corrects firmly. "The Protector doesn't get a day off, especially with the Outcasts still out there."

His grip tightens on the steering wheel. "If she wants a chance of surviving against Zack... and Zane... she has to start training the moment she arrives."

The car falls silent.

Mother looks toward him before quietly asking, "Do you really think they'll come after her that soon?"

"Yes." His answer comes without hesitation. "It won't take long for word to spread about Shahnta."

Guess exploring is off the table.

It's fine.

I'll get the testing and training done so I can explore afterward. "Mother, it's okay," I reassure her. "I can handle this."

Mother turns around in the passenger seat to face me.

"Honey, I know." She sighs, reaching into the back seat and gently grabbing a strand of my hair between her pointer finger and thumb. "I knew from the minute you came out with sapphire hair and ocean blue eyes that you were destined for greatness."

I smile back.

Her smile is contagious. It could light up an entire room.

"Protector or not, we love you and want you to come back home safe. Okay?" she says, gently rubbing the strand of curly hair between her fingers.

"Okay."

"Shahnta, get some sleep. You're gonna need it."

I open my mouth to protest again. But before I could get a single word out, the car suddenly comes to a violent stop.

Father's arm shoots across the car, catching Mother against his chest before she can slam into the dashboard.

In seconds, my body jerks forward, slamming hard into the back of the driver's seat before I'm thrown backward again.

A groan slips past my lips.

My ears ring.

I blink rapidly, trying to clear the fog clouding my vision.

For a few seconds, I can't tell if I'm awake or dreaming.

Then I hear my father's voice.

"Stay in the car."

His tone is different.

It's the same tone he uses whenever he talks about the Outcasts. And then it hits me.

Something is wrong.

I reach for the driver's seat and pull myself up. My ears are still ringing and my vision is blurry, but I don't have time to wait for either to pass. With my other hand, I grab the door handle and pull.

"Shay, NO!"

Mother screams, but I can barely hear her. Her voice is muffled beneath the ocean waves crashing inside my head, each one knocking against my brain.

I stumble out of the car and immediately collapse onto my knees. Cold cement presses against thin fabric of my leggings. I look around, desperately trying to make sense of my surroundings, but everything looks foreign through my blurred vision.

What's happening?

My eyes struggle to focus.

I need to heal myself. I press both palms against the ground. The earth is cold beneath my hands.

I close my eyes and pull energy. That's the easiest way to explain it. The natural elements around me carry energy, and I can draw from that energy to heal myself. But the earth doesn't give it freely. The more I take, the more exhausted it becomes.

The warmth spreads from my palms through my arms, slowly easing the ache in my body. My ringing ears quiet. My vision clears. Seconds later, I push myself back onto my feet.

I shake off the nasty aftershock, taking a shaky breath.

"SHAHNTA!"

Mother's voice is much clearer now.

I turn toward her.

She's pointing but not at me. At Father. My eyes follow her finger. And my stomach drops. Father is standing in front of the car. Ten men stand several feet away from him, lined up in a perfect row.

All dressed in black.

All staring at us.

One of them takes a step forward but I don't let him take another. I raise both hands. The earth beneath my feet trembles. Then I slam my palms toward the ground.

A wave of energy explodes outward. A transparent barrier rises from the earth, expanding around us until it stretches for miles.

The men stop. One of them reaches toward it. The second his fingers touch the barrier, a violent shock sends him flying backward.

My breathing grows heavier.

Good.

They can't get through.

"Nice trick." A slow smirk pulls at the man's lips

"Haven't seen a lightning barrier before." His eyes flick toward me. "But then again... I've never seen anyone quite like you."