“For me?” I repeat, surprised.
“To be honest, Elena and I weren’t sure when to give it to you… We wanted to wait until your birthday or Christmas, but we don’t really know when you’ll celebrate the first, and the latter will definitely be crowded with the kids and all, so…”
Now I’m curious to know what she is talking about… She takes out a little box, and I have no choice but to put Rose down for a second. I take it, wondering what she and Selena came up with…
Moon Goddess… A necklace? I’m in awe, staring at the rose gold necklace. It’s a short chain with what looks like a five-pointed star for a pendant with red little rubies.
“Nora…” I mutter, shocked.
“It’s just something small,” she smiles. “I have this moon necklace, and Elena has a sun one… Since you’re… part of the family now, and such a big one at that, we thought it would be a great way to… welcome you in.”
I’m in shock, I don’t even know what to say. I did notice their necklaces, and I thought they were beautiful, but… I never thought they would go as far as to gift me one! Damn it, I can’t start crying now, but I am still touched…
“Thank you…”
“Let’s put it on you,” she chuckles.
She takes it and helps me put it around my neck. I don’t really care to see how it fits me, I know it will be perfect… Nora smiles and nods, visibly satisfied.
“Perfect,” she says. “...Now you’re an official part of our little trio… The third Luna of the Black Family.”
“...Thank you, Nora,” I manage to say, a bit choked up.
“No,” she shakes her head. “Thank you for coming to us.”
I nod, and we hug each other. Oh, Moon Goddess, I love it… I really feel like I am part of this family now. This is where I belong, with all of them. We hug for a long while, hearing the children shouting and playing in the house. I finally hear Nora sigh, and we part, holding each other's hands with big, silly smiles on.
“Alright, let’s go inside before those kids tear the house apart…”
I chuckle and follow her inside to reunite with Liam, the kids, and the rest of the family coming here.
I’m home.
10 Years Later
"You're doing great," I encourage her. "Now try to hold it there. Take deep breaths and focus on the sensations inside."
The massive body of water between us trembles. The shape is changing in irregular shapes, little drops falling on the floor, but nothing alarming. She's doing amazing, considering the size, and slowly moving it across the area. I see her frowning a lot, her fists clenched, almost glaring at that huge bubble she's holding together. It keeps moving, floating in the air until it is almost above the half-empty pool.
"Alright, now slowly release the pressure, slowly. Just let go as if you were opening your hand..."
I hear her breathe out, and I try to feel her magic. Her pressure is strong, but she's too scared to let go. She gently releases the pressure, but she's still holding on, and the water falls too faintly, a few drops at a time.
"It's okay," I encourage her. "Trust yourself, you're doing great. Just a bit more..."
She listens, and soon, the water starts falling back into the pool, several liters dropped one after the other, making splatters but still going where we want them. I see her smile on the other side, witnessing her success. I say nothing and just let her go on. She suddenly gets a bit too confident, and as soon as she looks up to glance at me, all the water suddenly falls, splashing both of us in the process. She gasps, and runs over.
"I'm so sorry!" she exclaims. "I lost focus, I didn't think it would fall like that..."
"It's okay," I chuckle, wiping my face. "You still did pretty great! Don't worry, it's just water, and it will dry in no time. But you did amazing! See? You just need to focus on your power, and trust yourself with it. Really, you're doing great for your age."
"Thank you, Mara... I wouldn't have done it without all your help and advice... I feel so much better than before now, I'm really so glad... C-can I hug you?"
"Oh, sure."
She hugs me right at the end of my answer, tightly. I smile and hug her back. She's a sweet kid, just a bit lost... and a great future witch, I can tell. After a while, we part and I wipe the tears off her cheeks.
"Thank you so much..." she cries.
