Airel - Aaron Patterson [99]
Love. Right. I loved my mom and dad. I loved Kim, and oh, how I missed her. She was such a ham, and I sure could use a good laugh right about now. Michael then flooded my mind, and I could see his eyes. So very blue and welcoming.
I could feel him looking at me, and remembered the way he brushed against my arm whenever he was near; it was always so incidental and natural. Whenever he helped me out of the car or walked with me, or gestured while he talked about something.
It was the way he was. All the physical considerations aside, he was an amazing person. I loved his heart, his kindness and the way he loved so honestly. I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life and I wasn’t ashamed to admit it, even to myself. He would be my one and only; ever.
Okay, this might actually work. I thought back to our date. I remembered how he had looked over at me and smiled as we drove off to the restaurant. He had just stunned me with that line about Audrey Hepburn… my heart melted and I pushed off the wall that marked the safe zone of my thoughts, drifting out into the pool of all things Michael.
Kale’s voice was soft and low. “What are you thinking?” I stood, eyes still closed, hands on the weapon. When I comprehended his question, I blushed. He prodded gently still. “Tell me.”
“I’m thinking of love.” Warmth washed over me, but this time it was different. I could feel Michael’s arms around me. I began to overflow with joy. It just kept coming and coming. After a while I couldn’t stand it anymore. I opened my eyes and saw everything around me awash in a warm foggy light.
I watched as my hands effortlessly shattered the staff like clay on my uplifted left knee. I was shocked. I thought we were done, but before the intensity of the emotion passed away, I heard Kale from what seemed like a great distance: “Now the metal one, Airel; hold the power at your center and do not let it go! Concentrate!”
The silver metal staff appeared in my hands, blinding and almost transparent with light. I spun it over my head expertly before bending it into a horseshoe over my knee. I was smiling when I turned to see Kale standing in front of me. Something about him was impossible to take in—like looking at something in the dark, I could not see him if I looked directly at him. He held out a solid square chunk of steel—at least that’s what it looked like. It was probably half an inch thick.
“Punch through it, Airel. Direct and focus the strength you feel and punch a hole right through it.” I could hear his excitement and I didn’t want this feeling to fade, so I held it close. I drew back my right hand, made a fist, and punched from the tips of my toes to the back side of the steel plate. My fist hit the plate and I cringed as hot pain reverberated through my shoulder. “Owww!” I screamed.
The beautiful light slipped away from me, and I fell to the floor exhausted. I sucked in the sweet cool air and lay on my back, looking up at the wood rafters of the training room. Kale leaned over me with his sideways smile again.
“Don’t worry, it’s your first time. You show more control than I had expected.” He turned away. “There is hope for you after all.”
I was still out of breath. “Thanks. It was so wonderful! Nothing like anger.”
He nodded and furrowed his brow. “Anger is a dangerous emotion; the hardest to control. You must learn to use the pure emotions first. Limit your use of the unclean emotions unless absolutely necessary. They are powerful, indeed… but raw power can destroy its user.”
I sat up, glad to discover that I was catching my breath. “Can I die?”
“Yes you can die, but it is difficult. You will heal from almost any wound. Your heart cannot survive if it is pierced. And again, how can the body survive if the head is severed from it?” He smirked at me. “So don’t go losing your head. If you stay out of trouble, you will age at a very slow pace and live for a very long time.”
I felt like he wasn’t telling me the full story. “What do you mean a very long time? Like forever?” I