She points her fingers at my black scars.
"It burns you. Because it thinks you're not its master."
I stay speechless. Now that I think about it, she's controlling a lot of fire at once, but she doesn't have the slightest burn mark on her... How the hell does she do that? I take a deep breath.
"...Mara, you need to teach me that."
She smiles.
"Of course, I'll teach you everything! You'll see, it's so fun when you can play with fire!"
Oh right, I'll play with fire. And then, I'll burn that bad Mommy's damn ass out of our body.
Chapter 25
I take a deep breath and expand the circle. It grows unevenly and I have to focus hard to not let it get out of hand. This damn fire just won't listen to me. It grows unruly, like a dog running around in random circles. I try to focus, but the more I do, the wilder it gets. The flames get more intense and raging, and I feel the burn on my body. The dark scars appear, making me grimace.
"You're being too mean with it."
I sigh and stop, turning to young Mara. She's pouting, staring at me like I'm some... bully.
"What do you mean, I'm just trying to control it better," I say.
"You can't control fire, silly!"
I bite my thumb, completely at a loss. It's probably only been an hour or so, but I feel like the more I train with mini Mara, the worse my fire handling gets. I don't get it. She can just play around with it and use it however she wants, while I'm struggling to not get burned in the process.
"Look, just ask it to be your friend!"
She makes her own fire appear, and it starts dancing in perfect circles around her. Not only that, but she can split it in several circles, and I've even seen her make it change color. Is she much stronger because she's a spirit? I frown, still unable to get it. I feel like it's dangerous to let it loose, but the more I control it, the wilder my fire gets...
I don't have time for this. I need to get stronger, and fast, to get out of here. I get up, letting go of that pointless exercise, and walk up to the mirror.
"Are you worried?" asks little Mara.
"Of course, I am. Mara, your mother... She wants to hurt them, you understand? This is why I need to get out of here. Get stronger and fast!"
"Why do you want to get strong fast?"
"Well, I... I don't have time to lose," I sigh, turning to her.
She's crouching down, her arms wrapped around her knees, looking confused. She often takes that position. It actually looks like a fetal position, now that I think about it. It would make sense for her...
How long have I really been here? I just can't tell. The light in Nora's bathroom is only a light bulb that no one's turned on for a while, and the light above, in the garden, is my only clue. It somewhat starts to look like the evening up there... It makes me crazy to be stuck here, so helpless, with no idea what the hell is going on outside with my friends. I tried breaking those mirrors, begging Mara, but it really looks useless. She can't do anything. It looks like she was right to say help has to come from the outside, but who the hell will be able to do this? How long will it take them to realize they have the wrong woman roaming around in my body?!
"...Are you sure she won't be able to use my magic?" I ask again, frowning.
"No. Mommy is a Water Witch," sighs little Mara, drawing circles on the floor with a pout. "She can't..."
Well, at least there’s that. What is a witch without magic? No more than a human, I suppose, and I trust Liam and the other werewolves to be able to best her if she starts some trouble, but... what of Kelsi? Or the children? I keep seeing her with that knife in hand, over and over. At least, she seems to want to go after Damian Black first, but who knows what she’s willing to do to get to the oldest Black brother? Who she'll attack? Moon Goddess, I'm going crazy in here, imagining the worst.
"Mara, you need to help me," I say. "I have to get out of here fast, learn fast. I don't have time for so many lessons."
"Why not?" she asks, tilting her head. "We have a lot of time in here!"
"No, no, you don't understand. Look, it's already dusk outside. Hours have passed since she forced me in here!"
She looks at the little frame of sky above us with a cute frown, then comes back to me, her big blue eyes looking surprised.
