Author's Note: Okay, this is somewhat strange for me. You see, in the novel I wrote, Mirroring Cassidy, chapter 7 was also called "Training". And in it, something very much like what happened to Tucker and Emlyn occurred. So this chapter is very dear to me, as it is connected strongly with my baby, my Mirroring Cassidy.
Chapter 7- Training
They weren't allowed to tell Danny.
Emlyn had made it clear; what they were doing was to be a secret. Tucker and Sam had understood…
But now Sam was ready to rip her own head off.
"Hey, Sam!" Danny yelled from down the hall.
"Oh, great…" she muttered beneath her breath. "Hi, Danny!" She reached up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "What's up?"
Danny's smile was sweet enough to make her heart melt. "Does there have to be something up? Can't I stop and just tell my girlfriend how much I love her?"
"Aw, I love you, too, Danny."
The following silence made his smile slip a little. "Um… is there something wrong—"
"Of course I haven't seen Emlyn!"
"What?"
"I mean—no, no there's nothing wrong. What makes you think that?"
"Look, Sam, I thought you knew you could trust me with anything."
He sounded so hurt. Sam put her hand on his shoulder. "I know. I know that, Danny."
She sent him her most pitiful look and he sighed. "Okay. I just don't like secrets between us. I've got to get to class." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Sam tried to maintain contact as long as possible. "See you."
"See you."
She watched him walk away, her heart breaking just a little bit.
She's keeping something from me.
Danny frowned, unable to concentrate on what the teacher was saying. What secret did Sam have? Why couldn't she talk to him like before? Was it some kind of girl thing?
Maybe that was it. Something hygienic; something Danny really didn't want to know about anyway.
He hoped.
"Take a stance."
Sam's gaze shifted uncertainly, and she turned slightly to the right. She held the long sword feebly, and Emlyn rolled her eyes.
"Wrong," she said. Her speech was clipped. She moved forward, arranging Sam's limbs like a mannequin. "You're nervous."
"Of course I'm nervous! I've got a weapon of destruction in my hands and a warrior princess molding me." She slapped Emlyn's hand, which was trying to rearrange her hips. "Stop that!"
"In order to fight correctly, you have to know how to stand. And I already told you, I'm not a princess."
"Then what are you?"
Emlyn considered before answering. "I am a woman. I am a fighter, a teacher, and a magician. I am a daughter," she finished after a slight pause.
Sam eyed her cautiously. "I don't trust you."
"If you did, I'd think you were foolish."
Two weeks passed, and Sam got better with her training. Tucker watched as she learned to wield the sword, managing to nick Emlyn a few times. Inevitably, though, his crush would deliver the "killing blow", and Sam would be forced to try again.
Tucker was more interested in the magic. When Sam was too tired to fight, Emlyn would sit across from him and tell him about the things she could do.
The way she transported was most interesting. Apparently, the magic she used spun her so fast, that she could move from anywhere to anywhere in almost the blink of an eye. The spinning is what caused the buzzing and wind. The farther she traveled, the more intense both became. That's why when she came to Danny's it was like thunder.
One day, after Emlyn had dropped Sam off, she took Tucker back to the Gray Room.
"Why are we here?" he asked, nervous of being alone with her. He was still having dreams…
"For training. Since you're going to be helping Sam and I, you should be able to defend yourself."
He looked around. "But there aren't any swords."
She stepped forward and took his sweaty hands. "We will not need swords. I see that you prefer magic, so we will proceed in that direction. First, you must know that magic is not as simple as saying Abracadabra. It takes time, energy, and concentration. It takes a trigger. It takes heat."
"What? I'm confused." He blushed, not used to saying those words.
She bit her lip, the first sign of uncertainty he had ever seen from her. "I had never planned to show anyone magic. In the beginning, I hadn't thought to bring anyone other than myself into this, other than the ghost king himself. You must understand that for most of my life, my magic has been my best… and only… friend. Sharing it is something I am reluctant to do."
"Then don't. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I can learn something else."
"No. You see, I sense something about you. I believe you could become a master at what I will teach you, and as a child I was always told that one should work to one's full potential."
"You don't have to do this for me."
"I have to do this for me."
Tucker still didn't understand, but he was getting wrapped up in Emlyn's presence. She had a somberness about her that Tucker had never seen, and it fascinated him. He wanted to soothe the deep sadness in her eyes. "I'm ready to learn," he said quietly.
And she smiled. It was sweet and pure, and Tucker knew that her smiles were few and far between. It was gone in an instant, but Tuck knew that his secret mission would be to bring it back. Emlyn lifted their linked hands. "This connection," she said, "will allow me to show you the feeling of power. You need to become familiar with it, because once you have learned my techniques, it will become a part of your everyday life. It will seem strange at first, but trust me—you'll enjoy it. Close your eyes."
Tucker did so, but he could still feel her breath grazing over his knuckles. He could feel her hands, rough from work but slim and graceful. And he could feel her heat… the heat that seemed to emanate from her wherever she went. But as time passed, everything but the warmth had disappeared. It filled him and grew, gaining strength. Tucker was on fire, burning from the inside out. He took a deep, gasping breath, trying to satisfy his instinctive desire to release the energy. Nothing happened, however, and the heat continued to consume him.
Slowly, he grew accustomed to it. He relaxed, and allowed the sensations to wrap around him. He felt comfort and security, and he wanted it to continue. But the glow began to fade, and something urged him to open his eyes.
What he saw shocked and scared him. Somewhere along the line, his connection with Emlyn had broken. She was lying on the floor, curled into a ball and shaking. When Tucker dropped to his knees beside her, he saw that ice had formed in little lines on her cheeks—frozen tear tracks.
Acting in an instant, he lifted her into his lap and held her close.
Something exploded within Emlyn. The fire was back, but stronger than it had been since she came to Amity Park. She let it wash through her, the familiar sensations comforting her. But soon, even after the explosion had faded into the usual heat, the new and interesting comfort remained. Emlyn opened her eyes and was faced with something broad and firm.
Tucker's chest. He was holding her against him like he'd never let go, and his chin was resting on the top of her head. For some reason, Emlyn was reluctant to leave.
"I am awake," she said anyway, and he released her instantly. She climbed from his lap and sat in front of him in their usual custom.
"What happened?" he asked.
"The warmth you felt was magical power. When you perform magic, the heat fills you like it just did. After a while, it remains permanently."
"But I don't think I did any magic. Why did I get the heat?"
"I gave you mine. I wanted you to feel what it was like, so that when it happens from performing magic, you wouldn't be startled or scared. But when the heat entered you, it left me. I have been living with it for years, and the absence made me colder than I have ever been."
He frowned, lowering his eyes. "I want it again, but not at your expense."
"You'll have it again… when you learn."
Okay, now here is where the real news is. It has come to my attention—through an e-mail, thank you Beth—that we're not allowed to respond to reviews in our chapters any more. However, I love you all too much to just ignore you. So for the people who leave detailed responses (i.e.- not just "hey that rocked") I'll be returning them by e-mail. One of my favorite parts about being on fanfiction is that I get to talk to my reviewers. And by now, you should know that. XD
PS to The Adversary: Please e-mail me. Your reviews aren't showing up for some reason and you don't have your e-mail posted on fanfiction. I really enjoy talking to you!
PPS to Still trying to fly: You absolutely must e-mail me. I so want to talk to you but, like The Adversary, you don't have your e-mail posted. Contact me!
FLUFF HEALS THE SOUL!
--GS
