The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 49

I Really Couldn’t Help But Notice…

**Ella***

+25 Points

After another week or so I was feeling relatively back to normal. I was looking forward to the Christmas break, mostly because I’d finally see my parents again, but also because I hoped that some distance away from Austin would help me sort myself out.

Will been very helpful with getting me back on my feet. Somehow my magic had waned after my injury and it wasn’t quite the same as it was before. The warmth I had felt in my hands was no longer a definitive heat and I worried I’d done some lasting damage.

I voiced my concerns to Will, as we sat on the greenhouse bench two days before the Christmas break, but he rebuffed them immediately.

“Don’t be ridiculous Ella, your magic has nothing to do with your physical body.”

“Why not? A head injury can affect various areas and functions of the body, so why not magic?” I

ask. He roll his eyes at me like I was missing something obvious.

“Because…it is literally…magic. You could be a quadriplegic and still do amazing things,” he begins.

He realises I am unimpressed with his comparison but be continues, “look, in order to access your magic in the first place you need to be mentally prepared, yes? To then use an ability you need to m entally encourage and shape what you’re doing. Ella, whatever the issue you’re having since that evening you hit your head… it isn’t physical, it’s mental.”

I exhale, irritated at the idea that I am subconsciously holding myself back. He looks at me

sympathetically.

“You don’t seem like it outwardly, so if I didn’t know you better I wouldn’t have realised it, but your aura…it’s pretty turbulent again. Something just isn’t right with you whether you realise it or not. It’s like you’re… denying something, you’re holding back for some reason…something. I don’t know what, but it’s becoming more and more apparent as time goes on. Whatever is going on, I’m not going to pry, but it IS going to affect your ability to do magic, for sure. Something is definitely going

on with you,”

“Maybe…” I mutter.

“Maybe? It’s been raining solidly for ten days now. You’re telling me that has nothing to do with you, after you tell me about how you affect the weather?”

I sigh. As well as I’d gotten to know Will these past few weeks, I still didn’t feel up to talking to him about Austin and everything associated with him. The idea just felt weird to me.

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“Anyway,” he says, gripping my knee briefly before continuing, I know it’s the Christmas holidays in a few days, so today I will show you water, and properly this time.”

yes! About time!” I exclaim, perking up. I eagerly get off the bench and stand in the empty middle section by the fountain.

“This is definitely the one you can have a lot of fun with,” he said, making wiggly motions with his fingers and making it rain from his hand over the flagstones. Then he points his index finger at one of the plants, a jet of water issuing from the end like a hose. I laugh hysterically at this until he directs it at me, catching me on my lower leg with the water jet.

“Oh, you wanker!” I shout, hopping away from him.

“Okay, okay, come back over here and I’ll behave,” he says. I look at him suspiciously and head back over, my shoe squelching.

“I will sort that for you…” he says, bending down and hand drying my leg and foot.

“I feel like water is much like air. It also has no boundaries, can be of various intensities, it can be a nywhere. But, it differs in that it can have a different state. It can be solid, it can be steam, it can be fluid,” I remark, looking pensive.

“That…is an accurate assessment. It is similar to how you consider the air but it’s differing states is what makes it quite fun,” Will replies.

“Okay, I’m going to try something,” I say, holding my arm up into the air and focusing on my breathing. I was tired of literally making it rain outside with no control, but I wondered if I could make it snow here inside the greenhouse. I think of thousands of water droplets, heavy and freezing cold and I concentrate for several minutes.

“Hopefully you aren’t trying to make it rain outside, because we will never know if you’ve achieved that or not,” Will jokes quietly. I sigh a little and changed my tactic. Perhaps snow wasn’t meant to be heavy, but light, jubilant and free. A few minutes pass, and then I feel something hit my cheek. I look up just as a few snowflakes fall from the ceiling, one landing on the tip of my nose.

“Ohhh! I see what you’re trying to do. Only you would try something hard after a head injury,” he says slowly, “to be fair this is trickier than general water as it’s about controlling the molecules.” I close my eyes and concentrate harder upon hearing this, thinking about the molecules of a snowflake slowing down until it freezes. I feel it before I see it, now opening my eyes and seeing thick snow falling from the ceiling. I shriek with joy, clapping my hands together in glee.

“Incredible,” Will says, laughing a little at my over-the-top reaction.

“I’ve spent too long in London, and regardless of what a lot of movies suggest, we don’t really get

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much snow,” I sigh, reaching out my palm for the last few snowflakes falling.

+25 Points

“Ha…well, yes, in the lakes we do tend to get snow quite often, so it’s not as much of a thrill for me,” Will replies.

“You must be missing home,” I suddenly say. He purses his mouth to the side.

“A little. The place, mostly, not the people. But I really did need a change and some time away. I think it’s done me a world of good, coming here. Meeting you in particular. Despite my year out and how far I’d come, people still looked at me the same way when I went back for a few days in the summer before school started. My past is going to forever tar my present and near future, back

home. How about you? Are you missing London?”

I make a sheepish face and shake my head.

“Not even slightly, this place has felt more like home than London ever did for the past eleven years. My parents have been in California for the past three months for work, so I wouldn’t have seen them had I been in London anyway,” I say, taking a seat on the bench.

“You must be missing your parents though,” he asked, taking a seat now too.

“Yeah, but I’ll see them in a few days. I’ve had so much going on and the time zones have been so different, it hasn’t been easy to keep good contact. I definitely have questions for them though, obv iously. I haven’t told them about the necklace yet,” I admit.

“Are you going home for Christmas?” I then ask him.

“No. I’m not ready. Besides, they’re not going to be there this Christmas. I’ll figure something out,” he replies. I lean over and rest my head on his shoulder, exhaling softly.

“Thank you, by the way, for being the main reason my transfer here has been so painless,” Will murmurs next to me. I sit up and look at him with a frown.

“Are you kidding me? It’s me who should be thanking you. I would probably still be sat here among a room full of dead plants without your help. I think I would’ve cracked without you. You came along right when I needed someone, and I am so grateful,” I tell him warmly, reaching over and giving his hand a squeeze. He looks surprised for a moment, but then he shoots me a little smile.

“I’ve not had anyone be so openly nice to me before,” he suddenly admits, looking embarrassed. I felt a rush of sadness for him, knowing what he’d been through over the last few years.

“Will, forget the past, because these days? You are kind, thoughtful and such an incredibly gifted person. The magic of course, but also your innate, natural intuition. You’ve understood me more than anyone else here has recently, and it’s been so refreshing. If no one in your life before now has let themselves see that, that is their loss. I am proud to call you my friend.”

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I rest my head on his shoulder again and watch the jets of the water fountain.

+25 Points

“That’s very kind of you to say,” Will said, sounding a little choked. I say nothing further. I knew Will found it uncomfortable when I was positive toward him. I just hoped one day he’d receive it well, or perhaps feel it within himself.

***Will***

I leave the greenhouse with a smile on my face and felt even happier to see it was no longer raining. Had I had some influence over that?

Will, I really couldn’t help but notice, lately… Fabian says, trailing off.

Notice what?

That you are developing real feelings for this girl, he says sadly.

Maybe I am, I admit.

It’s not too late to call this thing off. He replies.

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