Author's Note: So hopefully you're still here. Are you? I can't tell, computers don't work like that. Anyhow, here's chapter two. Stuff gets fun soon.

Chapter Two

Lessons

The day that James had arrived in Ireland had been a Tuesday, and his lesson with Light was on a Friday. So he had spent his Wednesday and Thursday exploring Dublin, careful not to be seen by anyone when he teleported to so many different locations.

He had learned a few things already about this new country. First, it rained a lot. Second, the people (though he'd only met a few) seemed to be relatively nice and accepting. And third, it rained a lot. Like, a lot.

Friday arrived, and with it, a sunrise that was a welcome change to the past two grey and dull mornings. James sat up in his motel bed, stretched his arms with a yawn, and then teleported into the bathroom to take a shower. Yes, the bathroom was only about six feet from the bed, but James wanted to use his power as much as he could before his lesson. Back home, his parents had discouraged it, saying it would make him an outcast, and that it just wasn't normal for boys to go appearing randomly in various places. But here he was encouraged to do it. And do it he would.

After he dried off and getting dressed, he checked his watch. It was 7:15, giving him plenty of time before he had to be at Light's place. One of the biggest advantages to being a Teleporter was that you never had to worry about travel time.

James teleported outside of the motel, down the street, behind a small diner that he had stumbled upon on Wednesday. This place served some excellent scrambled eggs, so he walked in, and sat at the counter.

A plump, middle aged woman named Mirabelle walked over to where he sat. He had been in twice in a row, so the two were somewhat acquainted.

"Well hello there, James," she said. "Back again? Let me guess… scrambled eggs again?" James smiled.

"I've known you two days, and you already know me so well," he said. "Scrambled eggs would be great, thanks. Oh, and some orange juice." Mirabelle smiled, and went back into the kitchen to get James' order started.

While he was waiting, James' mind began to wander about what the lesson would be like. How do you teach teleportation? Would Light be strict with him, or lenient? Where would he practice? They couldn't really get a whole bunch of use out of Light's small house, could they?

Mirabelle returned with the eggs and juice, and James thanked her before beginning to dig in to the fluffy yellow deliciousness. As he ate, he glanced at his watch. 7:30. Still loads of time.

Mirabelle walked back over. "Say, James," she began, as she wiped a rag in a small glass. "Where're your parents? You should tell them to come by some time." James had to fight to keep from spitting out his juice in surprise. He should've figured that someone would ask about his parents sooner or later, but hadn't expected it to happen so soon, and therefor had no prepared answer.

"They're… around…" he tried, and then quickly stuffed his mouth with eggs. He didn't look up from his plate, and eventually Mirabelle left with a shrug to take other customer's orders.

Once James finished his eggs and juice, paid his bill, and wished Mirabelle farewell, he checked his watch again. It was now 8:00. He had an hour before he needed to be at Light's place. But for a Teleporter, an hour is more than enough time.

Walking briskly, James made his way to the back of the diner. Once he was there, he thought of a destination, and teleported away.

He appeared at the top of a water tower, which overlooked much of Dublin. He had seen the tower on Thursday, but never been to it. Now, from high atop it, he took in the city in its whole. It was… wonderful. Not even the city in particular; just being up there, above it all. He would need to make a mental note to return here whenever he was feeling stressed.

James spent a bit longer at the tower, and then, in the blink of an eye, he was back in his motel room. In the past few days, without any training, he had increased his teleportation range exponentially. He could now teleport several miles further than he could have back home, which was saying something. And that was all without training. He couldn't wait to see where Light's guidance would take him.

James lounged around his motel room as long as he could, and when he saw that it was 8:55, he quickly teleported over to Cameron Light's house. It still wasn't raining, but the sky was darkening a bit. Oh well.

He knocked on the door, and waited for an answer. A little while went by, and no one answered, so he knocked again, a bit harder this time. Eventually, someone came to the door. It was Light, looking slightly confused.

"You're here?" he asked. "I wasn't expecting you till nine." James checked his watch.

"It's 8:58," he said, showing Light the watch.

"Well, when you're a Teleporter you're never really early. Or late. You're right on time." James didn't mention that he was pretty sure that was a line from a movie, as at that exact moment, someone else teleported to Cameron Light's house, appearing right next to James. "Ah, hello Emmett," said Light, checking his watch. "Right on time, as always." He said this with an eyebrow raised in James' direction.

"Hello Cameron," said the new man, Emmett. "And you must be James then, yes?" James nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm Emmett Peregrine." He held out a gloved hand, and James shook it. Emmett Peregrine had slightly darker skin than Light (but then again, most everyone did) and dark brown hair that was in tight curls. "Cameron's told me a lot about you."

"Oh," said James. Luckily, that was all he had time to say, because Light ushered the two other Teleporters inside quickly.

"Tea, Emmett?" asked Cameron Light.

"I'd love some," Peregrine said, and Light walked into the kitchen to fetch some.

"Not to be rude," James asked, sitting down on Light's sofa. "But, um, why exactly are you here, Mr. Peregrine?"

"Please," Peregrine said, holding up one of his hands. "Call me Emmett. And I am here, young James, to train you."

"I thought Cameron—"

"Cameron will be training you in the art and practice of teleportation," Peregrine said quickly. "I will be training you in the art of knowledge of the magical world. Not to mention combat."

"Combat?" James repeated, confused. "Why do I need to learn how to fight?"

"In the magical community," Light said, emerging from the kitchen. "We have a surprising amount of violent, homicidal maniacs."

"…I see…" said James.

"It's always useful to know how to fight," said Light, acting as if James hadn't said anything. "You'll find even the oldest, most frail looking of sorcerers can hold their own in a scrap."

"You see," said Peregrine. "Magic doesn't just involve spells and abilities. It also affects us physically. Our bodies are substantially stronger, even into our twilight years. But even the strongest bodies are nothing without training."

"Ah!" Light said excitedly. "A perfect transition!" And with that, he grabbed Emmett and James on their wrists, and teleported.

They now stood in a large forest, with trees taller than imaginable and thicker than James had ever seen. He recognized this place from photographs. These were Redwoods. They were in California.

"A bit hot, isn't it Cameron?" asked Emmett. Light waved him away.

"Now, James my boy," he said. "Let's begin your training." He looked around a bit, and then pointed upwards. "You see that branch there? The thick one, all by its lonesome?" James followed the path that Light's finger was going, and spotted the branch in question. He nodded. "Teleport to it." James was surprised. The branch was only about thirty feet away. That was no problem, even for a novice Teleporter. With a nod, James teleported up towards the branch… and found himself falling from about twenty feet in the air. Before he could register what had happened, Emmett Peregrine had teleported to him, snatched him out of the air, and teleported them both back to the ground next to Light.

"Wha…" said James, confused. "Why couldn't I…?"

"You would be surprised how many Teleporters have trouble going vertical," Light explained. "Horizontal, no problem. They can travel sideways across the globe. Vertically, however, they can barely reach the top of a building. And so, I feel this is an important skill for you to have."

"Next time, try going at it with a jump," Peregrine suggested. James nodded, and leapt into the air, teleporting at the height of his jump. He reappeared nearly a foot away from the branch. His hand swiped out, and managed to touch bark, before he came plummeting back to earth. Light caught him this time, and James tried to hide his embarrassment.

"Keep going," Peregrine urged him. "Try and try until you're exhausted, and then try again. You'll get it. We're sure of it." Light nodded in agreement. Clenching his teeth, James teleported again.

In about twenty minutes, James had reached the thirty foot branch. Then a forty foot branch. Forty five, fifty, fifty five. Higher and higher he got, each branch seeming easier than the last the more he practiced.

He was now sixty feet in the air, teleporting from branch to branch, feeling like a teleporting Tarzan. He teleported to a branch that was surrounded by foliage, and when he pushed the leaves away, he got a breathtaking view of the rest of the forest from his perch so high above the world. He sat on the branch a moment, taking in all the beauty, and then, with one last glance, teleported back to Light and Peregrine.

"Enjoying yourself?" asked Emmett as James stepped out of the open space next to them. James nodded. Emmett smiled. "Good," he said, and then slugged James in the stomach.

James went flying backwards, his back smacking into the thick tree behind him. Peregrine was stronger than he looked, and James was incredibly surprised by that. But even more so, he was surprised by how he felt. Fine. A little sore, sure, but in terms of someone who'd been punched in the gut, flew backwards ten feet, and crashed into a redwood, he was right as rain.

"Like I told you," Peregrine said, sauntering over. "Magic affects us physically. We're stronger, faster, more resilient than mortals." He offered James a hand, which he took, and got pulled to his feet. "And other sorcerers use this to their advantage in fights."

"But why?" asked James, slightly confused. "Why use our fists when we have magic?"

"Well," said Light, chiming in. "Sometimes fists are magic. Elder Bliss, for example, is an Adept who is the strongest man in the world. It's not all spells and teleporting in the magical world, James. Most sorcerers have weapons to go along with their magic."

"Do you two?" he asked. In response, Light pulled a jagged dagger out of his boot, and Peregrine un-holstered a pistol. "Will I get a weapon?" James asked. Light and Peregrine exchanged a look.

"Perhaps someday," Peregrine said. "But not today. Come, let me show you how to fight."

The two Teleporters walked to a clearing in the woods, with Light hanging back, observing. "Now," continued Peregrine. "A key part of combat is balance. You need to control it, master it, and use it. For instance…" Peregrine shoved James backwards, and then teleported. He reappeared behind James, and crouched down, so James fell backwards over him, and landed on the ground. Peregrine teleported in front of James once more.

"That was dirty," James complained, getting up. Peregrine smiled, and James seized his chance. He rushed forward, shoving at Peregrine. Emmett grabbed James' wrists, and in an instant he had teleported them fifty feet in the air. Peregrine twisted free of James, pushed him away, and teleported back to earth. James, cursing, teleported to the ground as well.

"A nice try," Peregrine said, nodding. "But as you can see, I predicted it. Another big part of fighting is guessing your enemy's next moves. It's saved my life numerous times." James nodded in understanding. "But the most important part for a Teleporter, is to use your gifts in a fight."

Immediately, Peregrine disappeared. He reappeared at James' right, and sent a jab into James' abdomen. In a second, he was on James' left, and sent a kick at his shin. Then he was behind him, and shoved him forward. And finally, he teleported directly above the teen, and dropped on him, knocking James to the ground.

"I'm getting pretty sick of falling on my ass…" James muttered, getting back up once more. Peregrine strolled over, looking a tad smug.

"Now, what've you learned so far?" he asked. James thought, for a moment, and then had an idea.

"Control balance," he began. "Be able to predict your opponents…" and then he shoved Peregrine. He quickly teleported behind the older man, and kicked out his legs. When Peregrine fell to the ground, James wrapped an arm around his mentor's torso, and teleported the two of them into the air. He released Peregrine thirty feet above the ground. But he wasn't done. He teleported back to the ground, beneath Peregrine, and gave the older man an uppercut when he came down.

Emmett Peregrine landed on the ground, and groaned. Just then, James heard clapping, and turned to see Light standing there, smiling. "Good show, James!" he called. "Wouldn't you say, Emmett?"

Peregrine got up, brushing himself off. Despite the thirty foot fall followed by a punch to the jaw, he looked right as rain. "Quite," he agreed, and flashed a smile in James' direction. "I think we'll be done for the day, James my boy. Come here, let's get back to Ireland…" he grabbed James' hand, and the two teleported back to Light's house. In a moment, Cameron appeared beside them.

"Keep practicing what we've shown you today," Light told him. "We'll see you on Monday, nine o'clock sharp." He put emphasis on the word sharp, as a hint towards James' early arrival that occurred earlier that day.

"Alright, thanks," James said, a bit awkwardly. He didn't really know how to leave his two new teachers. Did he shake their hands? Say thank you again? Ask a few parting questions?

Luckily, he didn't have to answer, as just then Peregrine showed his watch to Light, saying, "We're needed at the Sanctuary." Light nodded.

"I'm sure you can show yourself out James," Light said, and in an instant, the two mentors were off, leaving James confused and relieved.