Why I Run

Chapter 30

Joules' POV

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I woke up in a laboratory. I really don't want Lucius to follow us. I'll be fine, besides, it's him they want. Though, being Lucius, he probably won't care and will follow anyway.

"Well, the idea was to draw our son here, but while we're waiting, let's have some fun, shall we?" Lucius' father asked. He pulled out a baseball bat and smacked my back with it.

It's a good thing Lucius WASN'T here. First of all, he probably would've died if it meant that I wouldn't be hit, and second, he HATES labs.

I can't blame him. I don't really like labs either, but he's deathly afraid. It's the one place he fears more than police stations.

I took the beating with no emotion, though I missed Lucius terribly. I still didn't want him here, however.

I took the last blow of the bat to my upper back, and fell unconscious from the pain.

Lucius' POV

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I was headed to the one place I thought that my parents would take Joules. The one place I was afraid of more than anyplace else.

A laboratory.

But not just any laboratory. No, it had to be the one I got shocked in. The reason I was terrified of labs.

But I didn't care. I would do anything to get Joules back, even if it meant dying.

I found the place in no time, and I saw my parents standing over Joules. I was instantly angry.

"Hey!" I called to my parents, all fear gone.

"Well, well.....look who showed up. Our idiot son. I can't believe we baited him with this stupid, weak girl." My father said, and I was enraged. Angrier than I ever was before. Insulting Joules? How dare they?

My father shifted to the side and I saw bruises along Joules bare back. I briefly saw red. Joules was warning me with her eyes to stop, that she'd be ok. I noticed that she looked fatigued. No doubt she's been knocked unconscious.

"How dare you.....how dare you hurt her? How DARE you insult her? She's stronger and braver than anyone I know, and that includes you. I will PERSONALLY flaw you alive. You have beaten and hurt the only family I have, the only person I care about. You insulted the only person I love, and SHE is the reason I get up every morning to face a new day. Without her, I would be NOTHING. You have hurt the only thing that matters to me, so I will PERSONALLY KILL YOU!!!!!" I screamed, livid.

Suddenly, my hands crackled, but something felt different. Joules gasped as her hands crackled with white electricity.

That's odd, I thought, and looked down. I was shocked to see my own hands crackling with white electricity.

My parents looked terrified. I shot one bolt of electricity, just one, and they both dropped dead.

"Huh..." I wondered aloud.

"Lucius!" Joules screeched, happy to see me.

"Oh, Joules...." I said, delighted to see her as I scooped her into my arms, as the electricity had burned the restraints from her.

"You aren't hurt too badly, are you?" I wondered, scared for her.

"No, Lucius, I'm fine. Just bruised. I'll live." She said.

I chuckled, then said, "Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," she replied with a smirk on her face.

"Smart-aleck. What I wanted to say was, how did YOUR hands spark with white electricity? I'm glad that you have the new power up, but how.....?" I questioned uncertainly.

"I don't know." She said, "But I just saw your hands spark with white electricity and mine did, too." She said.

"Odd. We should go ask your cousin about that." I said, and she nodded.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Joules has an older cousin, about 23, that felt bad when she was struck. Joules' cousin, named Dani, wants to be a doctor who specializes in storm-based traumas. Crazy, right?

But Dani once helped her out, so we know we won't be caught and we want to ask about our electricity. She has all kinds of books involving freak accidents with storms, so we think she might know something.

We head off to her cousin's, and I find myself secretly thinking that Dani will hopefully know something. Besides, our power has never done that before. We keep walking all night, and my mind wandered to our powers. Is there something different about us that sets us apart from Zoran? I quickly fall asleep when Joules suggested that we stop for the night (at about 11:00 pm) I quickly fell asleep, not doubting once that we were normal.