I could still feel that sensation and how it rolled over my entire body. Was this the feeling that Hazel talked about missing?
I spotted Jade and Nora as they were both sitting near the dirt patch. They were stretching as they talked.
I took a deep breath and got out of the car. I headed across the grass toward them. Jade spotted me first, pulling herself up. “Gabriella! We’re so happy you agreed to do this. We are so excited about this!”
I knew this was going to be different from us all just sitting and eating. “Before we start, I hope you guys don’t feel like you have to do this. I don’t want to take up any of your time when I know it’s important.”
Jade scrunched up her nose. “Why on earth would you think we wouldn’t want to help you with this?”
“Because I didn’t tell you.” I chewed on my cheek. I expected them to be angry, but maybe they were pushing that down because they thought it was part of their role.
Nora snorted. “Gabriella, we are helping you because you deserve it. You are new to magic. It’s understandable why you were afraid to tell anyone or even knew what was going on. Neither of us knew what to do, so we understand being scared. It’s all part of coming into your magic.”
I rubbed my hands together. “So, you’re not mad?”
Jade shook her head, giving me a smile. “No, we’re not mad. Little sad you didn’t feel you could come to us about the issues you were having, but that’s a conversation for another day.”
“I didn’t tell anyone,” I admitted. “I didn’t even really tell Westley.”
“Why?” Nora asked. “He’s your husband.”
“Because people would still treat us differently, and I didn’t think it was magic.”
“Was Hazel serious when she said your mother took your guy’s magic away?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I hadn’t come into mine, but Hazel had been.”
“I can’t imagine doing that to my child.” Jade shook her head. “So heart-wrenching.”
“But that is a conversation to have over drinks,” Nora said. “Now, let’s focus and see what we can get out of you.”
We managed to get my magic out a few times, but the more we moved around, the harder it seemed to be. I was getting frustrated because I could feel it just underneath my fingertips. I knew it was there, but I couldn’t use it.
“Let’s take a break,” Nora said as we sat down on the ground. We had been going at it for almost two hours at this point.
I chewed on my cheek, wishing this were easier. I was tired, and my muscles were starting to hurt from all of the movements they had me doing. I was starting to wonder if thiswas going to work, if I was going to get any better. Or was this all just a waste of time?
“Are the guys having training today?” Jade asked as a vehicle pulled into the parking lot. I turned around, and my body froze as I realized it was Westley.
I wasn’t sure if I was ready for Westley to watch me fail at this. It was one thing if Jade and Nora did, but different with him.
“Morning, ladies,” he said as he walked toward us. “How is training going?”
“It’s going pretty well, but we’ve hit a bit of a wall,” Nora said. “It’s going to take some extra time before we get anywhere.”
I felt my face go red with embarrassment. “Sorry.”
“Oh, don’t apologize,” Jade quickly said while elbowing Nora. “We all struggled when we first started, so it’s understandable. You are not going to master this in one sitting. Everyone is different, so we just have to figure out what works for you.”
“What’s the problem?” Westley asked.
“Well, Nora and I did training before we started with this. So, we got in tune with our bodies, learning to listen to them. It’s a little difficult to train when you don’t know your body’s strength.”
I had watched both of them do things, and when I tried, I got so tired. I didn’t think magic required so much muscle or mind control as it did.
“Well, why doesn’t she do some training with me? I have some time, and I promise not to be too hard.”
I felt my stomach dip. Nora and Jade perked up, though. “That’s a great idea.”
