It felt like every muscle should be aching after the combat training I was put through, but they didn't. Now that I was aware of my abilities, I couldn't physically hurt anymore and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. It was good in the way I didn't want to walk around with scratches and bruises all over me, but it was bad in the way that it made me feel less human. Everything was so new and exciting but I hoped that I wouldn't lose myself along the way. I'm meant to be protecting the human race, but how can I protect a race if I've forgotten how they feel? This made me think of my mother and suddenly I began to panic.
"Is my mother all right?" I asked Kadar. My sentence came out slurred and rushed as I hastened to get myself an answer.
"Yes, she is fine. She is waiting for you to return", he said calm as usual. I took a deep breath and began walking away from them towards the edge of the large space where I will now complete all the training I need to vanquish the war that will soon begin.
"Aveline", Kadar called after me.
"That's another thing, why do you keep calling me Aveline?" I asked and I waited anxiously for an answer to a question that I've had for quite some time.
"It is your name. It is the name that was given to you at birth", he said quietly awaiting my response. That was the name my father and mother gave to me. It was the only personal piece of information I had about them. The rest was legend.
"Oh, I didn't realise. What were you going to say?" I asked with my eyebrows looking at the blue sky and my hands on my hips.
"I was going to ask you to try and teleport yourself there, rather than driving the vehicle", he said lightly. I removed my hands from my hips and took a few steps toward him until I came to a stop.
"How do I do that?" I asked confused on how I would move all my energy to a completely different part of the suburb.
"Close your eyes and focus. Remove everything else from your mind and focus on where you want to be. What do you feel, hear, and smell? Make it your whole world", Kadar walked me through the process of teleportation and as I did everything he said, I felt my feet leave the ground as though I were flying. However, when I opened my eyes I felt my feet on the floor boards of the warm house with the wonderful smell of my mother's cooking I had grown up in. I was home and I had finally been able to teleport after practising until the smell of the oval became like the smell of an overwhelming perfume.
"Mum", I said in relief as I watched her reach steadily for the chocolate chip cookies that made the kitchen smell of love. However, after seeing her expression, as she turned around, the cookies began to smell more of sadness.
"Acacia, I'm so glad you're alright", she said as though she had a lump in her throat. She wrapped her arms around me and I embraced her too as I stared at the mountain of cookies on the kitchen table.
"Thanks but I'm sure the question is, 'are you alright'?" I said with loving concern. She let go while leaving one hand on my shoulder as if to make sure I wasn't going to disappear. She turned to seek for what I was looking at.
"Don't be silly. I thought you might've been hungry", she laughed delicately. I frowned.
"Are you expecting the seven dwarves? I appreciate your efforts mum but not even I will eat that much. Why don't you sit down?" I said in my attempt to calm her down as I could tell she was beginning to seriously panic. "Now, I understand why you are so worked up but, please explain to me, what else is bothering you?" I voiced my thoughts of doubt as I knew my mother and when there was more to a story than she was letting on. She began to let the cry out that she had been holding onto the moment I teleported in. I rubbed her shoulders to comfort her.
"I'm sorry, I tried to keep it away from him but he was too strong", she sobbed through her words.
"It's okay, it wasn't your fault", I said.
"You don't understand", she raised her voice in frustration at my obliviousness to the situation. "That sword is the only weapon that can kill you. You are vulnerable now", she said. I crouched down to look at her intently so the next few sentences I had to say would sink in and let her know that I meant every word.
"It's still not your fault. There is so much going on and this is just one of many obstacles that we will get through together", I told her sternly. I stood up and picked up a plate of cookies and began eating one. She continued to cry but she nodded her head. I had saved her some emotional pain for now but more will come later, for all of us.
