Starcrossed (Starcrossed 1)

someone with it, and even if he was trying to hurt me, it still terrifies

me.?

?You can?t be afraid of your power anymore, Helen,? Lucas said

gently. ?You are the strongest of us all, but all that strength is for

nothing until you own your powers.?

?But I?ve spent my entire life scared to death of using any of

them,? Helen said in a strangled voice, thinking about her cramps.

?I know I?m asking you to forget about years and years of conditioning,

and it probably won?t happen overnight, but it still has to

happen, and you have to be the one to decide to make it happen.

You are the most amazingly talented Scion I?ve ever seen.? Lucas

raked a hand through his hair and shook his head, at a loss.

?Really, Helen, you can?t see yourself the way I do, but if you could,

you?d be speechless. It?s time for you to stop fearing what you can

do, and it?s definitely time for you to start using all your talents

when you train, especially your lightning.?

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?How am I supposed to do that without frying everyone? I don?t

suppose you have a garage full of lightning rods?? she tried to joke,

flustered that Lucas thought she was powerful, but more important,

that he seemed to love that about her.

?I haven?t worked out the details yet,? he said with a grin. ?But I?ll

think of something.?

When they went into the house it was dinnertime. Helen was

happy to see that Claire was still there, sitting at the table, waiting

to be fed like the rest of the family, chatting away with the twins

about a paper due the next morning for one of their brainiac

classes, and stopped only to wave excitedly at Helen when she and

Lucas came through the back door.

As usual, the kitchen was packed. Pallas and Castor were hovering