Amethyst

Chapter 11 - Studying & Training

Sweat coats my skin as I move and spin gracefully in the training room, attacking the wooden dummy with a dagger over and over again. It's been about three days since the attack on SweetWood. since then, I've basically just been in the Training room. When I'm not there, I'm either in the library, reading up on everything I need to know for what lies ahead, or interacting with Nuna, helping our bond grow stronger. Ever since she spoke to me in my mind about the statue, it's left me gazing at her wonderingly when she's asleep. Yet again the question forms in my mind: just how old is she?

I've been in here since the early morning. Ben has continued to studiously ignore me, though I've made no move to talk to him. Each time I enter the training room and he's in there, he immediately leaves, probably having found an empty room in the King and Queens home to practice in when I'm not here. During our time here, I've learned to grow accustomed to it. Unfortunately, I still have the same damn dream every night. The Burial Ceremony feels so far away now. I'm wearing the same dress, walking down the same hallway, always playing the same way: Ben grabbing me, pushing me against the wall, being intimate with me. And each time, I feel the same exhilarating pleasure from his closeness. The want to explore his body, the strong urge to kiss him. 

Each time I wake up crying from the dream, knowing it isn't real. I know I did it to myself, caused myself this pain. But I thought, that during the time we've been here, I could grow accustomed to the wrenching feeling of hurt that is inside me each time I see him, knowing that I'll never get the chance to experience the feelings I have in the dream with him. But who knows? Maybe, as more time passes, the feelings will eventually go away. I guess only time can tell.

I continue to practice in the training room, slashing away at the dummies, allowing thoughts of everything that has happened so far to pillage my mind. Rohit, the Amethyst Court; SweetWood. those who have died. It all just gathers into a big, hot mess. And suddenly, before I have a chance to react, shadow explodes out of me, taking out any light source there may be and covering the windows, leaving the entire room in a shadowy blackness. I decide I'm thankful for the sudden darkness. This is a good time to work on my other powers more; I put the dagger aside and focus.

When I first entered the training room, I opened the cabinet and grabbed the items Ezekiel had me first practice with. Just like before, I begin with my Sapphire Court power. I remember where I laid the bowl of water when I first came in: about fifteen feet to my left. I turn in that direction, place both my arms outward, palms up, and try to pull the water towards me. I stand there in the shadows, waiting for the water to make contact with my fingers. A bit of time passes when eventually, I feel it. The familiar, soothing sensation of the water on my skin. I feel it engulf my palms. While still shrouded in darkness, I bring my palms towards my chest, gathering the water. Once it's at its full strength, I shove my palms outward and make the water explode from my hands. It somehow manages to clear away most of the shadowy darkness. I then turn the water into spheres of liquid so that parts of shadow are trapped within a watery, spherical prison. I bring them towards me and thrust my arms out again, causing them to go flying across the room and hit the wall, the shadows dissipating into nothingness. 

Now I focus on my Jade Court power. Just like the fight, I go down on one knee, put my hands face down on the soft texture of the mat, and visualize multiple thick vines with thorns raising themselves out of the ground.

A rumbling sensation thrums underneath me. I feel the familiar, shaking feeling that occurred during the fight when I see that the vines are around me, their life and thorniness evident. I make the vines trap more portions of the darkness in viny, thick cages, clearing away more of the shadows that darken the entire room. This time, instead of thorny prisons, I decide to see how quickly I can switch to my Rose Quartz Court power, this time making flowery cages of captivity that trap even more of the dark yet beautiful shadows. Gigantic flowers bloom from the ground, the petals closing inward, trapping a considerably few more shadowy clumps of darkness as though they're a Venus flytrap. Then, just for the sake of hoping that I can access it, I attempt my Ruby Court power. I visualize the flames emanating from my palms, making a light in the darkness. Yet as I focus on it, all I get are a few wisps of flame that die out.