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 ...