I spun around so fast, I was surprised that I didn’t damage the muscles in my neck. Ms Grant stood in the doorway with a scowl darkening her features. I hadn’t seen her since my first day here and somehow she seemed a lot taller. A lot more intimidating. Me sitting on the floor probably had a lot to do with that, so I got to my feet. It didn’t really help much.

My brain tried to catch up. “We were… Tracy was teaching me how to meditate.”

She glared at me. “That’s not what it looked like to me. It looked like you were goofing off.” I opened my mouth to protest. “You were goofing off.” She raised a finger. “Now, I need you to listen to me. The level of magic you shot at my employee is not something trivial. It is very dangerous. Deadly. You could have killed her.” I cringed. “You could have set the house on fire. You have to learn control as quickly as possible so this does not happen again. You first need to learn to keep your emotions under control. Do you understand?”

My mouth had gone dry. “Yes.”

“Then make sure you take these lessons seriously.” A stray lock of hair fell from her perfectly-styled ponytail and she pushed it behind her ear. “You need to make it your top priority to learn. Are we clear?”

“Yes.”

She turned to Tracy. “The sooner she gains control of her magic, the safer everyone will be.”

Tracy nodded. “I understand.”

Ms Grant stared intently into my eyes for a few long moments, gave an almost imperceptible nod, turned on her heel, and disappeared down the hallway to her office.

I let out a breath as my stomach churned. I knew I had to concentrate. I knew it was important. It wasn’t my fault the spirits in this house were out to drive me insane. And Ms Grant didn’t have to be such a bitch about it.

I sighed. Why did these ghosts have to make everything twice as hard?

I made a move toward my cushion, wondering how the hell I was going to get back into my relaxed state.

“I think that’s enough for now,” Tracy said, putting up a hand. “Cuppa?”

Relief washed over me. “I’d love one.”

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

After we’d had a cuppa and – me having tea and Tracy having black coffee – we practiced some more. This time, there were no distractions. No kookaburras. No squealing children. No smirking teenagers. And best of all, no glaring woman hellbent on making me feel like nothing but the crap on the underside of her shoe.

This time, I did much better. She told me to shift my focus from the beach scene to a single object. It could be anything. A flower. A crystal. A butterfly. A swirly pattern. I chose Dragonia, the little dragon in Ruby’s shop. I wasn’t sure why. I guess it was just something I found beautiful.

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I was able to relax and breathe deeply and as I sat there with my eyes closed, picturing the dragon’s scaled skin and shining eyes, Tracy talked about how I could use this technique in a quiet, relaxed environment, but would need to be able to connect to this peace within my mind at any time and in any place in order to calm my thoughts and emotions and stay in control.

That wouldn’t be as easy to do, but I promised that I would try my best and I would practice these skills.

I didn’t have much choice. I had to get this right. There was no room for mistakes. Someone could get seriously hurt if I didn’t keep things under control.

We stayed there for maybe another hour, and I was ready to tell her I’d had enough. Before I could say anything, she announced that I could stop.

Once we’d picked ourselves up off the floor, Tracy gave me a smile. “You did good.”

“Thank you for the help. I really appreciate it.” I was still feeling guilty.

She smiled. “I think you’re ready for your first magic lesson.”

My eyes widened. “Right now?”

My chest felt tight. I wasn’t ready to just start throwing magic around.

She laughed. “No. Tomorrow. We have a lesson in the afternoon that I’m taking Kellie and Laynee to if you’d like to join them.”

Relief coated my insides and I took a deep breath. “Yes. I’d like that.”

“Okay then. It’s settled. Now, go get some rest and I’ll see you in the morning.”

I headed back upstairs and stopped short when I saw Victoria standing outside my door. She bit her lip and fidgeted with the hem of the upper section of her dress. “I’m sorry, Maddelyn. Can I speak to you for a moment?”

I gave her a quick nod and we went into my room. She waited till I closed the door.

“I am so sorry about Jemma earlier. She gets so excited and forgets that she has to be quiet.”

“It’s okay. Kids will be kids.”

“Yes, but you were trying to learn and to concentrate. I’d like to tell you it won’t happen again, but kids are so unpredictable.”

“Yes, I know. Please don’t be too hard on her. She’s too young to understand.”

“Yes. That’s the frustrating part. She has been four-years-old for so many years that I have lost count.”

I winced. Most kids grow up and grow out of childish behaviours. Jemma was stuck. She needed to cross over.

I opened my mouth, but closed it again. That would have to be a conversation for another time. I was too exhausted to delve into that one right now.

After I assured her that everything was fine, she said goodnight and walked through my door.

Would I ever get used to that?

I doubted it.

I didn’t think Kassie was going to appear and apologise anytime soon. I sighed and tried to push thoughts of her aside.

I slowly changed into my pjs, happy that the nights weren’t too cold now. I was looking forward to summer. I wandered over to the sliding door and as I pulled the curtain open, I gasped in surprise. Johnny was outside on the verandah.

I put my hand on my heart. “You scared me to death,” I whispered.

“Sorry. Can I come in?”

I nodded and he walked through the door, knowing I couldn’t unlock it to let him walk in.

“How long have you been there?”

“Maybe about half an hour.”

A thought occurred to me and ice slid through my veins. “Oh, my God – were you watching me get dressed?”