Someone was screaming, maybe it was me, it sounded like Varity's name but I wasn't sure in the sudden uproar of sound surrounding me, crushing me as though its volume had mass and weight. My body was moving, I was sure of it, but everything was so slow, like the world had become stuck in thick toffee, dragging my feet, pulling everything back to a snail's crawl while the power burst in Varity's face and she staggered away.
Mom's expression turned down in such slow motion it was almost comical, Varity half turning toward me, her eyes rolling up in her head, mouth slack as she crumpled sideways and collapsed to the ground. My hands were pushing people out of the way, the shrieks turned muffled under the thundering of my ears, the beating of my heart louder than any other sound.