In the bustling city of Aervale, 17-year-old Ella lived a life of quiet misery. At school, she was invisible to teachers and an easy target for bullies. Most of her classmates only knew her as "that quiet girl." They had no idea that her three older sisters were some of the most powerful and influential women in the city. Fiona, the eldest, was a renowned corporate CEO; Iris was a sharp-tongued prosecutor; and Liora, a decorated athlete, was the pride of Aervale. Despite their prominence, Ella kept her connection to them hidden, ashamed of her own unremarkable existence.
But everything changed one fateful evening during a violent storm.
---
Ella trudged home, her backpack weighed down not just by textbooks but by another day of humiliation. Rain poured in sheets as thunder rumbled overhead. She ducked into an alley for shelter when a sudden gust of wind knocked her off her feet.
"Ugh, great!" she muttered, wiping wet hair from her face.
But as she stood, the wind swirled around her, almost protective. It wasn’t random—it moved with intent. Panicked, she raised her hands, and the gusts obeyed, swirling into a small vortex around her.
"What... is this?" Ella whispered, her heart racing.
---
The next day at school, the bullying resumed. Cassidy, the self-proclaimed queen bee, blocked Ella’s path in the hallway with her entourage.
"Hey, loser," Cassidy sneered, crossing her arms. "You forgot to hand in my math homework. Again."
Ella tightened her grip on her books. "I didn’t forget. I’m not doing your homework anymore."
Gasps echoed from the crowd gathering to watch. Cassidy’s smug expression faltered.
"Excuse me?" Cassidy stepped closer, towering over Ella.
"I said no," Ella repeated, her voice firmer.
Cassidy scoffed and grabbed the front of Ella’s jacket. "Maybe I need to teach you some manners."
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind tore through the hallway, sending papers flying and knocking Cassidy backward. The crowd scattered, screaming. Ella stood frozen, her hands trembling as the air calmed around her.
---
That evening, Ella sat at the dinner table with her sisters. Fiona was scrolling through her phone, Iris was reviewing case files, and Liora was polishing a medal.
“You look... different,” Fiona remarked, glancing at Ella.
“I had a weird day,” Ella admitted, picking at her food.
“What kind of weird?” Iris asked without looking up.
Ella hesitated. “I think I have... powers. Like, controlling the wind.”
Liora burst out laughing. “Good one, Ella. You? Powers?”
Ella glared at her. “I’m serious.”
Fiona set her phone down. “Powers? Since when?”
“Since last night,” Ella said. “There was this storm, and... I don’t know. It just happened.”
Iris leaned forward, her lawyer instincts kicking in. “Did anyone see you use them?”
Ella nodded reluctantly. “Cassidy. She tried to push me around again, and... the wind knocked her down.”
Fiona’s expression turned serious. “Ella, you can’t just go around using powers on people.”
“She deserved it!” Ella snapped.
“That’s not the point,” Iris interjected. “People fear what they don’t understand. If they find out what you can do—”
“They’ll treat me worse than they already do?” Ella interrupted bitterly. “Good. Let them be scared for once.”
---
The next day, Cassidy cornered Ella in the gym with a group of her lackeys.
“You think you can humiliate me?” Cassidy hissed. “You’re gonna pay for that, freak.”
Ella stood her ground, her hands clenched into fists. “I’m not scared of you, Cassidy.”
Cassidy lunged, but before she could get close, a whirlwind formed around Ella, lifting Cassidy off her feet and dropping her unceremoniously onto a pile of gym mats. The other girls screamed and ran, leaving Cassidy trembling on the ground.
“What... what are you?” Cassidy whispered, her voice shaking.
Ella stepped closer, her eyes blazing with confidence. “Someone you’ll never mess with again.”
---
Word of Ella’s abilities spread quickly, and the whispers reached her sisters. Fiona called an emergency meeting that night.
“We need to talk,” Fiona said, her voice firm as they gathered in the living room.
“About what?” Ella asked, though she already knew.
“Your powers,” Iris said bluntly. “They’re dangerous.”
“I’m not hurting anyone,” Ella argued. “I’m just defending myself.”
“But what if you lose control?” Fiona pressed. “What if someone gets seriously hurt?”
Ella stood, the air in the room growing tense. “You don’t get it. I’ve spent my whole life being ignored, being pushed around. Now I finally have a way to fight back, and you want me to stop?”
“We’re just trying to protect you,” Liora said, her usual cockiness replaced with concern.
“I don’t need your protection,” Ella shot back. “For once, I can protect myself.”
---
Over the next few weeks, Ella began to embrace her powers. She used them to stand up for herself and others, becoming a quiet protector for those who couldn’t fight back. But she never forgot her sisters’ warnings.
One evening, as the four of them sat on the rooftop of their apartment building, watching the city lights, Fiona spoke up.
“You’ve changed,” she said.
“Good,” Ella replied.
“No, I mean it,” Fiona continued. “You’re stronger now, not just because of your powers. You’ve always had that strength. We just didn’t see it.”
Ella looked at her sisters and smiled for the first time in weeks. She wasn’t just the quiet girl anymore. She was the wind—a force of nature, powerful and free.
