Bella Vita (37 page)

You can stay, Sarah
Whiteflower, I would also recommend you enroll in my other
class.
I smiled at her. She
stepped back and I moved on to the next student.

“The same goes for you,
as did for Sarah. What is your name?” I asked a boy with neon green
hair and ivory skin.

“The name's Kip. Kip
Steerling, Mistress Hutchinson.” As he smiled at me his lip ring
glinted in the light.

Kip, please try and
relax. This will not hurt, but don't force me from your mind- that
would be uncomfortable.
I
mentally told him.

He stared
straightforward.

I gently took his hand.
I slipped into his consciousness easily and found the information I
needed. Kip was a healer, he could compel very strongly, and he had
the talent of turning into a howler monkey.

You, too, are welcome
to stay, Kip Steerling. I also recommend you enroll in my other
class.
I smiled at him. He
stepped beside Sarah and I moved on to the next
boy.

“I'm Alexander
Brunswick the Third, at your service, Mistress Hutchinson.” The
short boy bowed to me.

Should you stay in my
classroom, Master Brunswick, I expect some of this formality left
at the door. Now try to relax and this should be over
quickly.
I took his hand as I
told him to be calm.

I quickly discovered
that Alexander could become quite adept at this form of healing,
but also he had an unnoticed gift for tracking people. I decided I
should send him to Leland after class.

You're welcome to stay.
I'd suggest that you speak with Master Aldridge about developing
your gift for tracking.
I smiled
at him, and he nodded at me and stepped back.

“I'm Emmaline Stone,
Mistress Hutchinson.” The girl with kind hazel eyes
stood.

This shouldn't hurt,
Emmaline Stone. Just try and relax. Do not force me from your mind,
that would create a certain level of discomfort for both of
us.
I reached for her
hand.

The girl was covered
with freckles, her strawberry blonde hair told me it was part of
being a reddish head. Her entire personage told me of her kindness.
I was not surprised when I discovered that she had only one talent-
healing, but it was in all forms. I realized that she would need
both this class and Lily's class, as she had not finished that
one.

You're welcome to stay,
but know this. Your talent is for all forms of healing. Both my
class and Lily's class will benefit you. You can choose to stay in
my class and request private study with Lily or the other way
around. The choice is yours.
I
smiled at her, she smiled at me and stepped back.

When the next girl
stepped before me, I finally saw the spark of a warrior. When
Dominic had told me that some people would have a gift for combat,
I didn't really believe him- especially after going through so many
screenings and not finding one, but this girl provided the proof.
She was tall, lean, but also built. Her tight small black braids
were pulled back into a ponytail. Although her deep black eyes
smiled at me, I knew that they would be cold in
battle.

Merry Meet, Mistress
Hutchinson. I'm Tammy Jones. I'm mute.
Her words danced in my mind.

A moment of shock
passed through me.
Merry Met,
Tammy Jones. I sense a great warrior within you. It's an honor to
have such a rare talent before me.
I smiled at her.

The pleasure is all
mine.
When she smiled back at me,
her teeth shone white against her caramel skin.

I'm going to screen you
now. Just relax and try not to push me from you mind as it'll cause
discomfort to both of us.
I took
her hand.

When I stepped into her
mind, it was like walking into another world. The order of her
thoughts and organization was aimed more toward battle tactics than
anything else. It took me a minute to find her power source. I saw
her gift for combat, I wasn't really sure where to guide her for
it, but I would find out. But I also found the same energy healing
that each of these student possessed. It was warming to see such a
balance for one person.

You're most welcome in
this room, Tammy Jones. I don't know where to send you for your
special combat gift, but I'll find the right person for
you.
I smiled at
her.

There is no need for
that. I've surpassed all the professors here in combat at this
point.
She met my
eyes.

Then I'll see if I can
find someone outside of these walls with a similar talent. No
talent is truly alone, I'm coming to discover.
I gestured for the rest of the new students
to step forward.

“These five students
all have the gift for healing. It's their choice to stay with this
class.” I turned to them. “Please, each of you must now make this
choice.” I stepped to the side.

Tammy went and sat by
Leland. Alexander and Kip sat together in the middle, surrounded by
females. Sarah went to stand near the adults in the back. Emmaline
seemed to have a brief debate within her mind and then went and sat
next to Tammy.

“Okay, now that's all
sorted. Let's establish some rules. First and foremost, I'm Emma,
not Mistress Hutchinson. If you wish to show me respect, then pay
attention and work hard in my class. Secondly, everyone in this
room is and will be at different levels as we progress. Do not feel
that you're lacking in any way should you be toward the slower
folks to get something. Also, don't get cocky if you find yourself
flying through some sections. Energy healing and wielding, in
general, will come in different forms to each person and in
different levels of complexity. If you feel that you're having a
hard time with something, ask me or one of your classmates. Never
be afraid to ask. If you don't come to class, let me know why. This
class isn't one of your core classes, you're here because you
possess a rare talent. You are unique. But if you want to learn how
to use this talent you'll need to get some training. So please come
to class.” I smiled at them.

“You will be expected
to practice what you learn in here. I want to see improvements, I
don't care if it's perfect, I just want to see that you're trying.
Today might feel slow for many of you, or really fast for some. But
rest assured that no one will be left in the dust, and everyone
will feel one way or the other at some point. I promise. Are there
any questions before we start today's lesson?” I paused briefly.
“Okay, then let's begin.”

The class flew by. I
went through the basic forms of mediation and tried to pair people
together with someone below their current level and at about the
same. Towards the end I began to introduce the idea of pulling
energy to oneself to use. I had a lot of blank stares. But I asked
them to try and practice this for our next class.

There was about a
twenty minute break for me between my two classes. I took that time
to breathe. I was allowed to use the same room, so I didn't need to
go anywhere. Some of the people that were in that class stayed near
the room as well. I sat outside on a small picnic table. Leland
came and joined me

“Nice class. And thanks
for the tracker. I figure that you saw that Kip was able to change
as well.” He leaned against the table.

“Yep. But I figured you
knew about him. Howler monkey, though?” I laughed as I imagined Kip
with his green hair becoming a monkey.

“This coming from the
knocker that turns into a wolf, I see that as funny.” His Aussie
accent colored his words.

“Alright, what the
devil is a knocker?” I sighed.

“Aw, come on, you yanks
know nothing. A knocker, ya know, is someone that is critical, they
criticize people.” I could tell he was worried I might fly off the
handle again.

“Go figure. You know I
don't actually criticize people, I just found howler monkey to be
an odd predator choice. But hey, I didn't say there was anything
wrong with it.” I rolled my shoulders as more tension seemed to
pile on.

“It wasn't meant in
harm. Just teasing, is all.” He smiled a lazy smile at
me.

“I'm sure it wasn't,
Leland. I guess it's time to head back in and get ready for round
two.” I shrugged.

“You'll do ripper.
You're welcome to use me as a demonstration again.. that worked
last time.” He held out his arm for me.

“Thank you, I'll keep
that in mind.” I laughed and headed back inside.

I did end up using
Leland as an example, but since it was for mental training I had no
need to slice him open. I helped him realize the full potential of
his ability to compel, something he found out wouldn't work on
me.

The class went by more
quickly. In this one, I had them work on mediation to try and learn
to listen to their inner selves- a task I knew was harder than it
sounded. It ended up being their homework. As I walked off for a
small break before I went and tried to learn more about my people
and our history I realized that today could have gone much worse. I
drifted in this content state through the rest of the
day.

When I finally got
home, Dom was waiting for me. He had dinner set
out.

“So how was it?” He
beamed at me.

“I survived,
obviously.” I laughed.

“I'm sorry I didn't get
to see any of it. They put me in meetings before and after my
classes. I left right after my last one so I could get all this
ready.” He smiled up at me.

“Oh, you made me a
celebration meal.” It seemed like such a little thing but it
brought tears to my eyes, “thank you.”

“Come here, I know
today must've been hard on you.” His strong arms wrapped around
me.

“It was just so tiring.
I mean, on top of the studying about vampires, I'm also screening
them out, and teaching them, all in one day.” I
sighed.

“Perhaps your classes
could be kicked down from every day?” It was a nice
suggestion.

“I currently have two
classes which I have to teach three times a week. I don't think I
could survive daily classes with them. It gives me more time to
screen on the odd days.” I let Dom guide me out to the patio area
he had built for me.

“Well, I made yummy
food. So stop thinking about it and enjoy it.” He laughed as he
pulled out my chair.

“Will do, Master
DeDominico.” I giggled.

“How long did the
'Mistress Hutchinson' last?” He cocked his golden brow at
me.

“Only in the first
class, and only before I had a chance to talk to them as a whole.”
I shrugged as way of explaining myself.

“I can only imagine.
Eat.” He put a plate down in front of me with buttered grilled
artichokes.

“Yes, sir.” I stopped
thinking about school and teaching and finally just enjoyed my
evening.

It wasn't hard to find
my groove. By Thursday I had everything down. I even had my lessons
planned for Friday. I had just finished my screenings and was
waiting for my classes to start when a strange wave of panic rushed
through my body. I knew it wasn't Mike, but something else. It was
almost like a compulsion, only it was done in the same way- even if
it didn't really affect me.

It rolled through me
again, feeling stronger this time. I stood up and looked around. I
tried to latch onto the energy to try and trace it, but it wasn't
done with something I was familiar with.

Dom?
I sent him a silent message.

Emma? What's wrong? I'm
teaching right now.
Concern
colored his thoughts.

Something is, eh, I'm
not even sure what it's doing.
I
wasn't sure how to explain what I was going
through.

What do you
mean?
Dom knew there was little
that I couldn't explain.
Do you
need me to come to you?

I don't think so. I'm
just...
That was as far as I got
before it rolled through me once more. This time it poured pain
into my body. I screamed out in pain and fell to the floor. The
pain rolled through me on a continuous loop. My body bucked in
response trying to rid myself of the harm that couldn't be
pinpointed.
Dom...
I called out in one last attempt for him to
hear me, my inner voice was fading.