Unbound (Unbound, Book 1) ~Formerly Casting Power~

Chapter 5

Much to my disdain, I woke the next morning just before my alarm would have sounded, and I jumped straight into the shower. As water blasted down to massage my skin, I closed my eyes and leaned forward to rest my palm against the tiled wall. Bowing my head, I let the spray clear my mind and sighed. Just as I was starting to relax, I yelped as the water turned scalding. From the recesses of my mind, it felt like the flames I'd run from four years ago burst to life like an animated eyelid tattoo I couldn't shut out.

I jumped back, flinching from contact with the burning water, and opened my eyes. The fire disappeared from my mind. My breath turned to gasps as I flattened my back against the opposite wall and danced out of the way. Just as quickly, the water turned ice cold. I reached forward and turned off the knobs, hurrying to flee.

Steam billowed, clouding the air within the stall until it felt thick and oppressive. It expanded outward as I opened the glass door of my shower and I reached for a towel. Once it was wrapped my body and tucked in along the top seam, I went to the mirror across the room, nearly completing the splits as I slipped. I caught my balance, grasping the edge of the counter, and then stood tall and wiped a circle in the mirror so I could see my reflection.

Keep calm.

I couldn't regulate my heart, my breath coming in pants.

Thunder rumbled through the walls, shaking the house and vibrating the floor beneath my feet. It echoed into the bathroom. My hand faltered. The hairbrush caught in my wet, tangled hair. I looked into the mirror of the vanity and held my breath.

Was I hearing things?

The floor growled beneath me and a crash sounded.

I rushed into my bedroom and gasped as dust fell all around me, landing in my hair and upon my freshly-scrubbed skin. Chunks of wood were lying on the polished hardwood floor while chips dug into the grooves. What remained of the closet hung on the hinges of the door frame, swaying.

My eyes darted around, and I sighed.

If it was the first occurrence, I'd be surprised, maybe even scared. But this... Well, the only concern I had was making sure the splinters were shaken out of the butterfly-shaped purple shag rugs sitting side-by-side at the end of my bed before I stepped on them. That, and my mother's reaction, which was going to be a thousand times worse. It was the third time this year that I'd blown up my closet. I didn't know why it happened to my closet and nothing else, but one thing was for sure: my mom was going to be pissed.

"Nora?"

Damn.

"Uh, jus—just a minute, Mom." I looked down, frantic, but I couldn't start cleaning in bare feet. My heart sped into overdrive. Maybe I could throw a blanket over the mess and she wouldn't notice?

"What was that noise?" My mom rushed into my bedroom, stopping as soon as she saw the floor. She looked up and glared at me with her hands on her hips.

"What's up?" Grimacing, I met her gaze. At least, not having my glasses on yet, I could pretend not to notice. Play dumb.

I cleared my throat, swallowing a lump of dry, tasteless cottonmouth. Squinting, I put a finger in the air, ran into the bathroom, and hurried to put my glasses on before returning. Everything that I didn't want to see became clear and... yep. She was annoyed—I should have left my sight impaired.

"Go put something on your feet, Nora." She lowered her head to appraise the damage.

"You don't have to—"

"Now."

My mother sighed and walked to my left, bending at the waist. She gathered a handful of the shattered closet and paused to grab the wicker basket from under my baby blue desk. I shook my head and side-stepped over the debris to reach the side of my bed where my bunny slippers sat, waiting to protect the bare soles of my feet from splinters. The slippers were old and faded, and one ear was missing from the left foot after a scrapbooking project went awry, but they were like a security blanket. Some children held blankies, some stuffies. I... had slippers.