I know, I know. The delays between chapters are pretty expansive compared to the last story but bear with me. I'm scattered. It'll all get up. I promise! Thanks for reading, everyone, and thanks for the reviews!

"You're serious."

"It's the only way you're going to learn."

"By running off of a cliff?"

"It's the nudge you need to learn."

"It's a nudge off a cliff."

"Just do it."

"And what happens if I can't fly?"

"You can. We all can."

"Can't we do this later? When we're not about to go out?"

"Detta, it's been months since you've turned. Max is ready to throw you off a cliff himself."

"Then why doesn't he say anything to me about it?"

"Because he's still apprehensive. Now stop changing the subject."

Detta sighed, her arms crossed over her chest, and turned from Marko to the edge of Hudson's Bluff. "What if Star sees?"

"I'll know when they're on their way out. What are you doing?"

Detta stopped in her walk towards the edge of the cliff. "I want to see the drop."

Marko marched over to her, grabbed her arm and wrenched her back to her starting point. "Dumb move. Just run and jump."

"Easier said than done."

"Just do it!" Marko's voice started to sound impatient.

Detta had to level with him. She would be impatient with herself too if she were in Marko's shoes. She had been putting off this particular lesson since the beginning, finding excuses as to why she couldn't do it this night or that. Sometimes she forgot that Max was riding his case about her success. She only saw Max at work. While he hadn't changed his demeanor towards her there, it was only the boys that went to his house when he called. Marko said it was because of his apprehension of her passing marks as a vampire. He reassured her that Paul went through the same thing. He was made to busy himself for over a year while the three of them met with Max. Paul knew about him, of course, but the meetings were reserved for "qualified" members only.

Detta sighed again and looked out at the cliff. She could feel the waves beating against the rocks below. The mist cast off from the ocean rose and flecked against her face, prickling her skin. The ocean was not considered running water. 'The Mississippi. What if I needed to go back to New York?' 'You'd have to fly. You wouldn't be able to cross it bodily.' She closed her eyes and blocked out the natural noise around her, listening only to the air moving in and out of her nose. She hadn't been nervous in a while, not like this. She ran a hand along the back of her neck, grabbing at the skin, feeling the tension brewing there. She glared out over the emptiness of the cliff, the lighthouse's eye catching her own every few seconds. It had to be done and it was now or never.

She sighed deeply one last time before she felt her legs start to move independently from her mind. She pounded at the sand, drawing the edge of the cliff nearer. Her footstomps resounded in time with the pounding in her head, the lull behind her eyes. She reached the edge of the cliff and cast off with her leg, launching herself off into the ocean air. Her arms wavered after her legs continued to run. She couldn't tell if she was floating or falling, the fog around her was so dense. But it wasn't long before gravity answered for her. Her dress started to billow up and the wind started pouring up at her. Detta flailed frantically, letting out an ear-piercing scream as she fell through the moist fog.

Stop, stop, stop, stop…

She kept thinking it over and over again as she knew she had to be drawing nearer to the rocks below. But soon she realized that her dress had stopped flapping and stopped screaming to assess the situation. She had, indeed, stopped falling but she definitely wasn't standing on anything. She felt off-balance. She groped around for something to steady herself on but only air and fog surrounded her. She imagined this was similar to balancing on a high wire, just without the wire. Detta wasn't sure what to do, just floating aimlessly under the cliff and over the water.

"Ok. This is awkward," she said to herself. "What the hell do I do now? Marko? Marko!" she shrieked.

In an instant, he was floating in front of her, as if he had been hovering above her watching the entire scene. Detta immediately grabbed onto his shoulders to steady herself, feeling like if she didn't, she was going to fall over. Marko laughed and grabbed onto her arms in turn, humoring her need for balance.

"Well you got the first part down."

"The float of death?"

He chuckled. "You're floating, aren't you?"

"This is what you guys do? I've never been so off-balance before."

"You'll get used to it. I promise. It'll become second nature to you, like walking."

"I won't involuntarily fly, will I?" she asked as she looked around them. They seemed to be in their own void, surrounded by nothing but blur.

Marko shrugged. "You might. But you'll come to control it. Have you ever skateboarded?" Detta cocked an eyebrow at him. Marko arched his own back. "Right. Knew that answer already. Well, it's just like that, really. You need to kick off to get going and all you need is a slight lean to steer. Here. Try this. Lean to your left." She did, Marko leaning with her and they started to float left. Marko righted them again and they stopped. "Now to your right." She leaned and they floated back to what Detta assumed was their starting point.

"How do you just…go?" she asked, moving her hand out in front of her to show Marko what she meant.

He smiled at her before answering her question. "Bring your weight to your shoulders."

Detta's face contorted. "What?"

"Imagine you're weightless, all of it has moved up into your shoulders, lifted up if you will."

"Imagine my weight towards my head."

Marko nodded. It was an odd thing to do but she did it anyway. As soon as she did, she started to move. She had leaned forward slightly and officially started to fly. But, having gone too far, she panicked and stopped. He floated over to her and this time she didn't reach out for balance.

"How did you stop?" he asked.

She turned to him. "I let the weight go, dispersed it."

He nodded. "You're catching on quick."

"And to go down?"

"What do you think?"

Detta imagined her weight in her feet and she started to drift down. She removed the image from her head, letting her weight distribute itself throughout her body, and stopped once again. Marko flew down to meet her, wrapping a hand around the back of her neck and pulling her in for a kiss. He broke apart, his eyes scanning over her face.

"You worry me sometimes," he said to her.

"You mean you doubt me sometimes," she corrected him.

He nodded. "I won't lie to you. There's a lot resting on you. As much as I care for your life, I care for mine too."

She looked into his eyes. His truth always lay hidden there in their depths. He couldn't hide it. "I know. I doubt myself sometimes. But I know what's riding on my shoulders and I won't fail because of it. I've lost you once already. I won't lose you again."

Marko frowned. "What?"

Detta looked taken aback. "What?"

"What did you just say?"

She looked confused but repeated herself anyway. "I know what's riding on my shoulders and I won't fail because of it."

Marko shook his head. "No. After that."

"Marko, I didn't say anything after that."

"Yes you did. You said you've lost me once and don't want to lose me again."

Detta let out an airy laugh. "That's cute. But how does that one work?"

Marko was the one that looked confused now. "I don't know. You said it."

Detta laughed again, placing her hand on his cheek. "You need to feed, kid. You're hallucinating. Last I checked, I didn't know you before I met you."

Marko's brow furrowed, his eyes glazing over as they stared into the mist. "Yeah, you're right," he said, shaking the insanity out of his head. "Must've been the wind or something. Can you get up to the cliff? They're about to come out."

"I think so. Just don't leave me."

Detta refocused her weight to her shoulders and she started to fly upwards, the cliff's edge coming into sight. Marko set down first, his movements effortless. Detta had to go through the motions to set her feet firmly back on the ground.

"Don't worry. You'll be able to do everything without thinking about it. You just need to practice."

"It's not so bad, really."

"I told you it wasn't."

"Yeah, well, I'm stubborn."

"Really…could have fooled me."

"Did anyone hear that scream before?" Star was descending the stairs as she spoke, looking over at Detta and Marko.

"She still doesn't know?" Detta whispered to Marko.

"Not yet," he whispered back. "David likes to wait, let them find out on their own."

Detta smirked. "Should have figured." She turned her eyes back towards Star. "What scream?"

Star passed her as she walked to David's bike. "I thought I heard someone screaming."

Detta laughed what obviously should have been a fake laugh but Star only smiled back. "That was probably me. Marko likes to scare me every now and then." She motioned towards Marko who had already mounted his bike.

Star chuckled. "Yeah. These guys are jokers. Paul blasted his boom box when I was right next to it. Scared the hell out of me."

Detta looked towards Paul and he shrugged, a grin on his face. "I couldn't help myself."

"I'll bet," Detta replied, her smirk mirroring his.

"Lets go," David said as he pushed past Detta and mounted his own bike, Star climbing on after him.

Detta glared after him before joining Marko on his and riding off towards town.

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