The Silvia Saga: Boxset

Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Dara

I wake to the sound of someone opening my door and the fresh smell of bacon. I groan, slowly opening my eyes to find Jolie walking in.

“Hey there, sleepy head. I thought I’d better come and wake you up before Harlan stomps in. We have a big day ahead of us, and I can’t wait to show you some cool shit,” Jolie says, all in a big rush before exiting the room. She is gone quicker than she came. That girl is a firecracker, and I can’t wait to spend the day with her.

I stretch out, I had the best sleep for the first time in a long time. No dreams or tossing and turning. I wonder if it had something to do with Blair putting me to bed.

I jump out of bed and head to the bathroom to have a quick shower. If I don’t get down those stairs in the next five minutes, Harlan will storm in here and all hell will break loose. I prefer to do things in my own time, and if I want to do something I will do it when I am ready, not when someone else demands it.

After my very quick shower, I head downstairs, following the smell of sweet, delicious bacon. As I enter the kitchen, I am greeted with Anna singing a melody and smiling brightly. I return her smile, grateful for her beautiful aura. There is something about her that makes me instantly feel relaxed and carefree. It is the best feeling, especially with all those other negative thoughts going through my mind. I sit up on the stool in front of her.

“How do you like your eggs, Dara?”

“Runny, please. Do you want me to help? I have never had anyone cook for me before. I feel useless just sitting here watching,” I confess to her.

“Oh, Dara, no need to help. It’s my pleasure to cook for you. I love it. So, you’re really doing me a favour.”

It calms my nerves a little bit, but it still feels unnatural. Since it sounds like she really loves doing it, I sit here twiddling my thumbs while she heats my egg.

As soon as I put the last mouthful of egg into my mouth, Jolie enters the kitchen, motioning for me to hurry up. She is way too keen for our training session, whereas I am a little nervous. Magic … I mean, just a few weeks ago I didn’t even believe it existed. Now I am minutes away from being taught this foreign subject. I really do have a death wish.

I make Jolie wait while I slowly finish off my coffee. She stands, hovering over me, moving from one foot to the other. The moment I place my cutlery down, she grabs my dishes and practically throws them into the sink. They smash against one another, and Anna grumbles.

Jolie grabs my arm and pulls me toward the door and down to the torture chamber. I have to think of another name as it isn’t as bad as it sounds. Yes, on that first day, the name suited it to a tee, but now I have actually come to love it.

“I knew you would warm up to it, Dara. After all, you do love a bit of action, don’t you? You’re not as sweet as you look.” Jolie winks at me.

“Can you teach me how to block out my thoughts from you guys? That shit is really getting on my nerves,” I admit as we continue down the stairs.

“Now where is the fun in that, my dear?” she teases back. I shake my head at her. A girl needs some privacy every now and then.

“Fine, yes. I will teach you that today. I don’t want to overwhelm you, and we have a lot to learn in such a short time. Let’s hope you’re up to it, my dear,” she ventures, finally letting go of my hand.

We enter the dome space, and she stops, turning toward me. Okay, here goes. Last chance to run toward the exit.

She ignores my thoughts and comes over to stand in front of me. She grabs hold of my hands, giving them a tight squeeze in encouragement. “Now, Dara, I want you to clear your head. Clear out all of those negative thoughts. Think about a happy place. Somewhere that you feel most at home. Somewhere that you can let go and are truly comfortable.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

My happy place. I try to think of the one place where I feel most relaxed, where nothing else matters. It comes to me, I am in the forest. Nothing else matters. It is just me surrounded by nature. The crisp, clear air, the swaying trees, and the beautiful plants. Yes, the forest is my home.

“Good. Now focus all your thoughts on that place. Clear your mind, replacing your thoughts with new ones of being in that place.”

I take in what Jolie says and I do as I’m told. I focus my thoughts on being in the forest. I inhale, and I can smell the fresh flowers. I clear away all the negative thoughts going on in my head. My breathing evens out into a steady flow.

“You are doing really well. Now, I want you to look deep into your mind. Search for a red cord that is connected to a blue sphere,” she explains, still clutching my hands.

I delve into the recesses of my mind in search of the blue sphere. It takes some time, but once I find it, I see the red cord that is connected to it. I nod to her while my eyes are still closed.

“Yes. You have got it. Next, I want you to pull that red cord off the sphere.”

Focusing all of my attention on the red cord, I grab hold of it and pull. But it doesn’t budge. Sweat starts to drip down my forehead, and my breathing picks up.

“Relax.” Jolie’s word wash over me.

I breathe in and out, taking my time to locate the red cord again. Taking hold of it, it takes a bit of pressure to remove it from its hold. But finally, it releases. The warmth in my body is replaced by a big rush of coldness and the feeling of loss.

“Great, Dara. You just removed your connection to your warriors. They will no longer be able to hear your thoughts or feelings; your connection to them is gone. To get it back, you need to take the opposite action. You must focus and connect the red cord back to the sphere. Want to try?” Jolie asks.

It makes sense, I instantly miss the connection. I feel lost and empty. I follow Jolie’s instructions. Once the connection is in place, warmth spreads over my body again, making me feel instantly at ease. Moments ago, I loved the idea of blocking my warriors out. But now that I have experienced it, I am not sure I want to do that all the time. Yeah, it’s good to know how when I need my space, but the feeling of being alone is terrible. Jolie releases my hands, and I open my eyes to look at her.

“How did that feel?”

I shake my head at her. “It was awful. I have never felt so cold and empty like that before,” I admit shamelessly to her.

She nods in agreement. “That’s because we have always been connected to you, Dara. I felt the exact same when you disconnected from us, and I am sure all of the guys did too. But, if you ever feel the need to be alone with your thoughts, we won’t stop you. At least you now know what it feels like and how to do it,” she explains.

Footsteps approach behind us, and all the guys storm through the door.

“What the fuck was that? Dara, are you okay? What happened?” Oliver surprises me by lifting me up and inspecting every inch of my body. The guys are behind him with the same concerned look in their eyes. I giggle, swatting Oliver away.

“Chill, guys. I was just teaching Dara how to remove her connection to us. For when she needs to be alone with her own thoughts,” Jolie explains.

I am grateful for Jolie’s intervention as I can’t seem to form any words. I am surprised at the guys’ concern for me. I haven’t had anyone care like that before. My heart beats heavily in my chest.

“Thank God, that was the worst feeling in the world. Please don’t disconnect from us again, Dara. Not unless you really need to. After being connected to you for so long, I’d forgotten what it felt like to be alone,” Oliver admits, hurt etched all over his face.

I give him a quick, tight hug to try and take away the pain. His features soften instantly. “I’m okay, guys. Seriously. I am sorry to worry you and I will try not to do that regularly. It was the worst.”

They all nod in understanding.

“All right, guys, now back off. It’s my time with Dara and we are just getting started. So, leave us be,” Jolie orders as she pushes them out of the room. When they go, she returns to stand in front of me.

“Okay, sweetie, next comes the fun part. We are going to access all that magic you have hidden away in that mind of yours.”.

Oh shit. What if I can’t do it? What happens if I’m not as special as they think?

I guess I am about to find out.