Ariella
“Should I kneel or something?”
She shakes her head. “No, Ariella. I never once asked to be put on this pedestal that your kind, and others, placed me on.”
“Maybe not, but your very aura demands it. Do you even know how incredible you are? You're truly amazing.”
I’m sure she rolls her eyes. “Hmmm. Give me your hands.”
I hold them out and she turns them palm side up. She places her hands on top of mine and they begin to warm.
“I will return your memories to you now.” Her eyes swirl black, so black that the blue light that appears between our palms reflects in them. “Memarasa et tu Ariella...”
I jolt back a little and squeeze my eyes shut as the light becomes blinding, and then memories of people and places and eras all appear inside my head. They flicker in front of my eyes in chronological order before finally disappearing. I think of my mother and feel her whole life in memories become accessible to me.
Wow.
“Now your magic,” I hear Aura say.
The heat between our palms builds but then my whole body feels like it tingles. “Ah!” I sob, clenching my eyes closed tighter. I gasp because the tingling intensifies.
“Feel the current of your magic, Ariella. Feel the world around you, the people, the elements, the planets in the universe. Everything around you is connecting to you...” Her voice fades.
I whimper as the energy inside me peaks. The light in front of my eyelids begins to fade and I fall to my knees, gasping for breath. I feel like there is a fire inside me that I can’t extinguish.
And it burns like hell.
“Breathe, Ariella. Let it settle inside you.” Aura begins to chant, and I slowly feel my heart stop racing as the tingling becomes bearable.
Damn, that hurt.
“I did not wish to scare you by telling you of what was to come.”
I open my eyes and see the snowy ground. “Thanks. You were probably right not to, cuz I don't think I would’ve ever asked for it back.” I look up at her and see she's smiling.
“It is over now. How do you feel?”
“Strange. It feels just how you said it would, about it being like a constant current. I kinda feel like I'll electrocute anyone I touch.”
That amuses her. “You will not, but there is an immense power inside of you. It is the source of all that you now are. And just so that you know, your ware is separate to your magic, and one does not affect the other.”
I look back down at my hands. There ain’t no difference to them, but I do feel something inside them, and the rest of me. “Can I use both at the same time?”
“Yes.”
That's good... I look up at her, not feeling steady enough to stand yet. “Okay, so what can I do now?”
“Think of your mother. Is there anything you wish to know about her?”
“Um...” My thoughts go to my great grandmother, Hattie, and see her with my mom. I see how much they loved each other, and how much Hattie wished to be closer to her...
I push the memory away because it makes me feel sad.
“As you have already found out, some things you see will be unwelcome.”
“Yeah...”
“Let us move on to something else. Think about changing the colour of the clothes you are wearing.”
I look down at my grey tracksuit. This is one of my favourites, but there was another that I liked that was blue, and it had a hood.
It appears on my body.
Whoa...
“Now, change into something else.”
I think about wearing a jeans and sweater, and it magically appears on my body instead. I look up at her. “Now that is crazy.”
She's smiling. “I had almost forgotten the excitement of learning these skills for myself. Think of something else you’d like to do.”
“Okay...” I hold out my hand, remembering how Aura made steak slices appear when I was so hungry that day. A white bowl appears in my hand, full to the brim.
I laugh because this shit is fucking amazing.
I hear Aura laugh and I stare up at her in shock.
She rolls her eyes, but she’s still chuckling. “I do laugh, Ariella. Often, in fact.”
She probably laughs at everyone’s random thoughts. “Well, I've never heard you laugh before. To be honest, I've never really known you to show any emotion. You are always so calm.”
“I have and feel plenty of emotion. What else would you like to try?”
“What about visiting somewhere?”
“Good, Ariella. But there are things you must understand when using your gift of porting within the world. So, think of a place you would like to visit.”
“Egypt.” No question. “I've always wanted to see the pyramids.”
All right. And where would you like to go in Egypt?”
I shrug. “I don't know. I've never been there.”
“I know that. But if you think of the Great Pyramid of Giza, for example, what do you see?”
The great pyramid… I see it right in front of me, but the area is busy with visitors, so I’d need to find somewhere to appear without being seen.
“Yes. You cannot merely ‘appear’ anywhere. That would incite fear and confusion. You must always look for an area to arrive safely and discreetly. Now, let us go.”
I look around at the people and suddenly feel a pull to an area that no one is paying attention to.
Then we are in Egypt, staring at the Great Pyramid.
I stare ahead of me, blown the fuck away.
“This is incredible, Aura.”
She looks around. “Yes, it is. But let me show you something even more so.” She lifts her hands and the view is transformed to many years ago, to a time when this place was alive and buzzing with people, and the pyramid was being constructed.”
“Aura...” I'm left speechless. I never imagined that becoming like her would ever be this incredible...
“This is merely the beginning of what you will be capable of, Ariella. There is much for you to see, not only in the past, but in the future, too. She waves her hands and then we are back in the woods. But that is enough for now. Your mate will be looking for you soon. Practice what I have shown you so far. Once you are comfortable with these abilities, I will release more for you to have the use of.”
“I will. Thank you.”
She holds my hands. “You can find me if you need me now, Ariella. Just think of me in your time of need, and you will come to me.”
“When will I see you again?”
“Soon. Now that you have begun your journey to becoming an Elder, you will no longer be required to sleep as long to feel fully rested. Eventually, you will not need any sleep, and in time, once you become responsible for more than just yourself, you will be called for at any time of day to complete what is needed of you.”
“So basically, I'll be on call?”
“I suppose so.” Her eyes swirl black, and I wonder why they do this time. “You can find that out for yourself. Now, I must go.”
She disappears and I’m left on my own.
Crazy.