Ava did as he instructed.
“Good. Your arms need to be close to your body to block anything. Say I can shoot fire from my hands. If you’re fast enough, you can block the fire from hitting your face and you can duck. While I’m still shooting fire, you can knock me down. So let’s try that.”
Gabriel made a movement with his hands, pretending to shoot fire. Ava ducked, then rushed toward him, but he stopped her.
“Try again. But be quicker.”
Ava lunged at him, pushing him to the ground, and then jumped back so he couldn’t trip her.
“Good!” He praised, getting back on his feet. “You’re fast, so you have to strike fast and get away. If their power is a physical one, you can learn to block it. If their ability is a mental one, keep that shield around your mind. You know what it feels like when someone is trying to get inside your head. Just like when Savina read your mind.”
Ava remembered that very well. Savina asked Ava to tell her who convinced her to see a Necromancer and when Ava refused, Savina reached inside. It felt like a hand had literally grabbed her mind. She shuddered.
“It’s okay. You’re getting very good at hiding your feelings, I noticed, so you have to close off your mind to any emotion as well. Remember to concentrate because what happened on that field could happen again. Though, when we all get our abilities back to full, we will work together. But if someone’s there and takes your powers or negates them, catch them off guard. Once they’re on the ground, if you’ve knocked them pretty hard, you can easily come around and choke them.”
They carried on for a while longer and Ava learned so much in the short time they were out there. She started feeling a little sorry for not training sooner, but maybe it worked better having Gabriel teach her because he seemed to understand her better.
“It’s getting late, we should go,” he said, checking his cell phone.
“What time is it?”
“It’s almost nine.”
“We’ve been out here for five hours?” she asked.
He nodded. “I’m sure you’re hungry, though.”
“Yeah, I am,” she noticed as her stomach growled. “It’s the first time I’ve been hungry in a while.”
“Means you’re getting better.”
The corner of her mouth twitched.
“Come on. Let’s go eat.”
“I should get home. I’ll eat with my dad.”
He gave her a disbelieving look. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
Ava thought he seemed a little disappointed, but she couldn’t tell for sure.
They talked the entire way back to the Manor, and when they arrived, Ava found Peter in the lounge next to the library. He sat on the floor in front of the crackling fireplace with Katarina, Eric, Konstantin, Lance, and Ilya. They were deep in a conversation except Lance, who looked bored.
Eric made his way toward them. “Glad you’re back. Their discussion made me break out in hives. Let’s go eat.”
Gabriel laughed. “Let me change first.”
“Cool. I’ll get Natalia. Grasshopper coming?” He raised his eyebrows at Ava.
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
Eric shrugged and walked out.
She turned to Gabriel. “Grasshopper?”
He rolled his eyes. “He heard me call you that one time.”
She smiled. “Thanks for tonight. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime. See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah, definitely.”
With a smile, he turned and left the room.
Ava sat next to Peter and Lance. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Peter glanced at her, then turned his attention back to Konstantin who was speaking. Ava still had a hard time understanding him, but maybe it was the topic she didn’t comprehend.
“But the chemical equilibrium doesn’t occur in irreversible reactions,” Peter told them. “The reactions are always equal and don’t change with time.”
“But only some chemical reactions are reversible, not all,” Konstantin said.
“Like atmospheric chemistry,” Katarina said.
Ava had no idea what they were talking about. She felt like an outcast. She yawned and Lance caught her eyes. He shrugged, and she agreed with a small chuckle. “How are you?” she asked him.
He lifted a shoulder. “’Bout the same as you. They’ve been at this for an hour.” He rolled his eyes. Exhaustion wore on his angular face. “Where were you?”
“Oh. Gabriel and I went to practice at the beach.”
“And?”
“He taught me how to fight. He told me how to hide feelings a month ago, but this went further. When I stepped into the water, it was warm.”
“Wow. Really?”
She nodded with a lopsided smile.
“That’s amazing. Natalia is helping me, but I don’t think I’m listening very well.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I’m good at the fighting thing. But sometimes I falter. Then get annoyed and it takes a while to get back to figure it out again. If I hadn’t mimicked Peter’s ability, I’d probably be much worse.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know how you’re handling this. Some days I feel like I can’t get out of bed. Other days I want to get rid of my anger in unhealthy ways. Being at school doesn’t help.” His eyes watered, and Ava wrapped her arms around him.
“I told Gabriel I didn’t know how he was so calm about everything. He said he was just really good at keeping things inside. I’m trying so hard to do that, but it’s difficult.”
“Have you been blaming yourself still?”
She let out a sigh. “How can I not? I’m getting better, though. I’ve been selfish and ridiculous for the better part of a month and I know it’s been hard on Peter because I put so much pressure on him. He’s been so stressed and grieving for Seth.”
“Well, him being here has definitely helped. He seems to have come around. Even Thomas has started talking to him.”
Ava felt a little hurt that she hadn’t been the one helping Peter. “He seems to have made good friends with the Russians.”
“Yeah. They’re a good group. Anyway, I think I’m going to go home and sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He hugged her and left the room.
Sleep sounded good to Ava as well, if only she could without having some nightmare. She moved closer to Peter and tapped him on the shoulder. “You’re still coming over right?”
“Actually, I’m gonna stay here. We’ll hang out tomorrow, I promise.” He kissed her cheek as if that made up for not coming.
She was upset, but masked it. Disappointed, she left Peter and the others to their boring chemistry talk and drove home. Ava couldn’t ignore the fact that he hadn’t seemed to notice she hadn’t been there all night. Why did he stay there? What was so important that he couldn’t hang out with her? His constant rejections tired her.
The night felt darker, colder and she couldn’t escape the feeling that someone or something was watching her. The wind blew, rustling the bare branches, and the clouds moved in, covering the moon. Ava shivered and hugged herself.
When she looked around the quiet parking lot, nothing appeared amiss. And then the feeling of being watched was gone. Her pulse quickened. Had someone been inside her apartment?
She bolted across the parking lot and up the stairs. She fumbled with her keys in the lock but finally managed to open the door. “Dad?” she called, turning on the light. She sighed with relief once she saw him on the couch under a blanket.
Her father groaned and squinted from the light. “What is it?” He sat up. The pillow had left indentions on his short bearded face.
“Nothing. I just…are you okay?” She moved closer to him. He looked pale and couldn’t keep his eyes open.
He sneezed, then withdrew a handkerchief from his flannel pajama pants and blew his nose. Ava hated that he used a handkerchief. There were disposable tissues made for that purpose. “Not really. I think I have
the flu. Or something.”
“Want me to call Savina?”
“No, I took some medicine. I should be fine in a few days.”
Ava rolled her eyes. “Dad, stop being stubborn.”
“How was it tonight?”
His changing subjects annoyed her, but she played along. “It was fine. I didn’t watch tonight.”
“Oh, you practiced with the group?”
“No, Gabriel and I went to the beach and swam.”
“Swimming? In December? Do you have your powers back?” he asked, his eyes more alert.
“Somewhat. I can change my temperature again. But that’s about all.”
“That’s a start. That’s really good, Ava. I’m proud of you.”
She shifted uncomfortably. “I haven’t done much for you to be proud of me lately.”
“Don’t go down that road again.”
“Fine. But I’m calling Savina in the morning.”
“You will not. Don’t bother her with something so silly.”
“Dad—.” She could hear the irritation in her voice.
“Ava, I mean it.”
“Okay.” She held up her hands in surrender, and he lay back down. “Do you want to go to bed?”
“No, I can watch TV out here if I can’t sleep.”
“I’ll stay out here with you. I can’t sleep much these days.” For once, he didn’t argue with her as she went to the hall closet and pulled a blanket from the shelf. She dropped it into the easy chair and then kissed her dad on the forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Ava turned off the light, then settled in the chair. She watched her father fall asleep to the blue glow of the TV. She grabbed her cell phone and pressed a button. Its bright light almost blinded her, but she saw no messages from Peter. She missed talking to him and spending time with him. The ache had begun to grow. She couldn’t help it, but even though it was after midnight, she dialed his number, needing to hear his voice.
“Hello?” Peter answered with a weary voice.
“Hey.”
“What’s up? It’s kinda late.”
His short response hurt her feelings. He never cared before how late she called. “Sorry. I wanted to make sure you got home okay.” She made up a lie.
“Yeah, I’m home.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry but I need to sleep. I’m exhausted. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Yeah, definitely,” she said and then hung up. Her stomach twisted into knots. She clutched her necklace, feeling Peter’s remorse. Did he feel sorry for her? Why? It didn’t make sense. She wished for things to be normal again with them. Sometimes, all she wanted was to curl up in a ball. She sighed and shook her head. Way to be pathetic.
Her phone vibrated, signaling a new message. She opened it, seeing Gabriel’s name.
Turn your brain off and try to sleep tonight. See you tomorrow.
Even though Ava rolled her eyes, she smiled. She took a deep breath and heeded his advice.
CHAPTER EIGHT
WATER FALLS
Ava unraveled the scarf from her neck as she walked inside the Manor. It was quieter than usual. She peeked in the library, saw no one, and then made her way down the long hallway to the conservatory. Some people stood around, but as she made her way outside into the blistering cold, she found the group. The Russians had their powers back as did Gabriel, Natalia, and Eric. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Thomas create fire with his hand. Gillian’s eyes couldn’t get any bigger as she praised him.
“Hey,” Gabriel greeted.
“Hey.”
“You look tired. Have you not slept?”
“It’s hard for me to think about sleep.”
“You need to rest.”
“Are they fully healed?” She nodded to Thomas and Gillian.
“Not quite, but getting there. Have you noticed anything?”
“No.” Why hadn’t she though? Thomas had his ability back.
“Calm down.” He winked. “Have you tried anything?”
She shook her head.
“Try to conjure water.”
Just as another gust of wind blew, her body warmed itself. She appreciated that so much more now. She closed her eyes and concentrated, but nothing happened. Her heart accelerated in frustration.
She felt Gabriel’s hand on her shoulder, and she opened her eyes, embarrassed.
“How about we go to the waterfall?”
“It won’t work,” she said firmly.
“Ava, don’t,” he warned. “It’ll help you. I’ll drive.”
She watched the field of Enchanters with powers and it only infuriated her. She knew she should be happy for them, but why couldn’t she do anything? She saw Peter laughing with Konstantin, Eric, and Katarina. She hadn’t seen Peter laugh like that in months. She turned on her heel and followed Gabriel.
“Why are you doing this? Am I that feeble?” She asked as they got in his car.
“Because you need help, and I want to help is all. And no, you are not feeble. I remember the first time this happened to me. I was so grateful to have Natalia, Eric, and Joss to get me through it.”
“Speaking of Natalia, are you sure she won’t mind you helping me?”
“Why would she?”
“She doesn’t like me.”
“She doesn’t like a lot of people. She knows what I went through when I lost my powers before.”
“I see it though. I see that it annoys her that you even talk to me.”
“She’ll get over it.” He shrugged.
“What did you say to her that day I came back? She was actually nice to me.”
Gabriel smirked. “I told her to lay off.”
“Does she think I’m a bad influence?”
“No. She tends to have very little patience with young Enchanters. Mostly because of drama and such. She hates it.”
“Apparently, it loves me. I got enough to last me a while.” She thought of the drama with Peter. It made her throat close and her chest tighten.
“Is something else wrong?”
Ava drew a deep breath and pushed the thoughts away. How did Gabriel do it? “No. If your powers are back, why are you driving?”
“I like driving.”
“If I had a car like this, I would like driving, too.”
He gave a short laugh.
When they arrived at the waterfall, her mind flashed back to all those days after school she spent with Peter. It reminded her of a blissful time, but now, all she got from him was nothing. Her stomach twisted as she got out of the car. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting so sad and fearful? She knew Gabriel could feel her, but either he chose to ignore it or was polite not to ask about it.
“Today, we’re going to work with the basics and see what you’re able to do,” he shouted over the noise of the waterfall. “Stand on the edge of the pool, and try beckoning the water. Don’t think about anything else.”
With a short nod, she inhaled and exhaled slowly. She listened to the thunderous water collide with the pool and rush downstream. It drowned out any noise including those in her head. She immersed herself, letting the water consume her.
Ava gasped and looked down at her hands. The water gently wrapped itself around her arms as it moved up. Her body absorbed the water. She watched in awe and relief as she relished in the occurrence.
Ava laughed while she conjured water and shot it from her hands. She was glad she was able to remember how to use her ability. It was like riding a bike.
She caught Gabriel smiling, but then he turned serious. “Okay, now try creating a wave or a water ball.”
“Okay.”
“When we find them, you’ll need to summon water like you did that day Xavier ambushed us.”
She learned that she was a Healer that day. She wanted that strength back. All of it.
“It’s okay. Don’t push it.” He motioned for her to get into the pool at the bottom of the waterfall
. She moved into the freezing water, but she changed her temperature. The water hugged her body as if it missed her.
“Create a wave,” Gabriel urged as he stood on the rocks, watching, arms crossed.
“Okay.” The water slowly moved with her, listening to her. She raised her hands and the water followed suit.
“Without using your hands.”
“What?” she asked, dropping her arms. Water splashed all around her.
“You heard me. You have to learn to do these things fast without taking too much time to focus. You were pretty quick before, but now your body is weak so it’s like wearing the training wheels again. Your body will remember, but you have to train it back into shape. It’s like working out. The longer you go without working out, the longer it takes to get back to where you were. Try again.”
“Should we be doing so much right now? I mean, is this going to affect my healing?”
“Only if you go at it for hours with no break.”
Ava took a deep breath and started to raise her hands but stopped. Forcing the water to rise with her mind proved to be difficult. She used to conjure water and create tidal waves. But standing there in the waist high shallow part of the pool, she couldn’t make a wave.
She tried again.
“Don’t give yourself a brain hemorrhage,” Gabriel joked.
Ava snapped her eyes open, annoyed, but when she saw his smile, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Maybe if I gave you an incentive.” He rubbed his chin.
“Like what?”
“Attack me. I promise if I overtake you, I won’t let you stand here for long.” He gave a wicked grin that she found to be sexy.
Remembering his strange ability to lapse time without the subject knowing, she shuddered. He had gazed into her eyes, and when she blinked, time had passed.
Without hesitation, she forced water to rise once again, using only her mind. It circled around her, faster and faster, turning into a tornado of water. Feeling it spray on her face enlivened her. She lifted it above her and it darted toward Gabriel, smashing into him. He fell over the rocks with the water splashing all around him.
When he didn’t move, she trudged through the water and climbed out. She leaned over his still body. “Gabriel! Wake up!” She shook him.
His blue eyes opened, and he snatched her, pulling her over him and onto the rocks. He pinned her down, his mouth curving into a half smile. “See, I told you. Some incentive did the trick.”
Under the Winter Sun (Elemental Enchanters Series Book 3) Page 9
