Althea awoke the next morning feeling well rested. Her first slumber in her new bed was phenomenal. She had never slept on a mattress that felt as though she were enjoying a peaceful rest on a cloud. It was hard to tear herself away from it, but after a morning spent basking in the feel of the silken sheets and goosefeather pillows, there was a curt knock at the door, pulling her from the tranquillity. Althea stood and made her way across the room. There was nobody beyond the large wooden door when she swung it open, but at her feet sat a box with a note attached to it. Snatching up the box, she shut the door once more and sat at her vanity to open it.

The note read: Dearest Althea, please enjoy these garments handmade for you by our seamstress Layana. Inside are enough clothes to last you the rest of the week until you choose some of your own. - Mistress Stamos from the Division of Fundamental Resources.

Interesting... Althea set the note aside and opened the box. Laying on the top were four sets of clothes, a similar shirt and shortened trouser set to the one she’d worn yesterday, however, the material was different. Rather than being made of cotton, they were constructed of something elastic. If it wasn't for the stretch of the material she would have swore the garments would be much too small, even as she stared at them now, she was baffled as to where she would wear these... were they meant to go under her clothes? They were far too revealing to be worn alone. She moved them to the side, looking at the other items in the box. There were a few dresses, but none were of the variety she was used to. They didn't involve corsets or layers of skirts or petticoats, they were simple, light and delicate, unlike anything she'd worn before. There were also undergarments and shoes, some flat and some with heels.

What was she to wear today? Normally everyday was the same, even days when she did nothing but stay at her aunt's estate, she was still expected to be fully clothed in the latest fashions, in the case that a suitor may make a surprise visit.

Unsure of what to wear, she just slipped on the same dark grey shirt and trousers from the day prior. She'd ask Monique what the proper attire was when she saw her.

Althea finished getting ready by sitting before her vanity and brushing through her long, umber curls, she kept them down for the first time in a very long time. They were almost always styled up in braided corennets or pinned updos in these last months. It felt good to give her aching scalp a break.

It was a bit difficult for Althea to remember the various turns she and Jasper had taken to get to her bedchamber the night prior, considering they had been deep in conversation during the walk. It also didn't help that all the long, narrow corridors appeared the same. However, after a few wrong turns, Althea finally found her way to the dining hall where she assumed most everyone would be for breakfast.

She guessed correctly, judging by the chatter she could already hear from outside of the large room. Her mind skipped to the silence that had been bestowed upon her yesterday evening when she'd entered the room. She silently prayed it was an isolated incident.

When she rounded the corner into the room, the chatter did not stop as it had last night, but she averted her gaze as some eyes lingered on her. She kept her head held high and looked straight forward.

"Althea, over here," there was a call to her left from Monique who sat alongside James and Meg.

Smiling, she walked in their direction and sat beside them. Upon inspection she realised Monique and Meg were both wearing tight fitting clothes, similar to those she had pulled from the box she received but an hour ago. Suddenly she felt silly for her choice of attire.

"So, how'd you sleep?" Monique asked, raising a brow, "bet your bed was pretty comfortable right?"

Althea chuckled and nodded. "Yes actually, it was."

"Ah yes, that's just another perk of having people bring back knowledge from the future, in a couple hundred years, nearly everyone's main goal is comfort and ease according to those I've spoken to about such things."

"And riches, don't forget that," Meg said, sounding unamused by the topic of conversation.

"Oh don't mind her, she's still coming around to the idea of some of the advancements here at the institution," James chuckled, looking adoringly at Meg who only scoffed.

"Jeez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Jasper said, taking a seat across from Althea. His eyes moved from Meg to herself and his smile spread.

"Good morning Althea, did you have a good first night's rest here at the insti–?" he began to ask but before he could fully finish the sentence Meg interrupted.

“Yes she slept just fabulously, my word does anyone else care to know how Althea slept?" She turned towards the people sitting at the other side of the table, interrupting their own conversation to ask them mockingly.

Althea's cheeks flushed. She wasn't sure what to say to this, she'd never heard a young girl speak as Meg did before. Luckily she didn't have to think long, as Jasper said, "does it hurt not being the centre of attention Meg?"

Meg just clenched her jaw in response and looked to James, who shrugged quickly as if to say, ‘what do you want me to do?’

"Okay children let's everyone calm down now," Monique spoke in a mother-like voice then turned to Althea smiling softly, "apologies, they can get a bit rowdy sometimes."

From across the room, Althea could see the kitchen staff coming through the door with breakfast. They served poached eggs, toast, jam, sausage and biscuits. Although it was a relatively simple meal, the sauces and spices made it better than any she'd tasted before.

As they ate, Monique explained what each garment in her new wardrobe would be used for. The attire she wore currently was considered casual, something she may wear for leisure or while she slept. They dressed more ornate on Sundays for dinner, which is what the simple gowns were for. As for any events such as balls or gala's, they got dresses handmade by the seamstress Layana and her workers.

Because today would be the start of Althea's training, Monique recommended the elastic-wear as it was made for easy mobility and if there were to be any perspiration, she would not soak thick, heavy fabrics. The sound of that made Althea rather wary of what sort of activities they'd be doing during training, but she tried not to let it plague her.

When they finished breakfast, Althea changed into the tight training set and met with Jasper. She couldn't help but note how his eyes did a quick pass from her face down to her legs before he averted them from her. She felt her cheeks heat as she wondered how she appeared dressed in them. She felt uncomfortable. Never had she been so completely bare in public, with only a thin layer of stretchy material concealing her body beneath. And her legs were out, bare skin exposed to everyone. She was fighting off the urge to cover herself.

But Jasper said nothing as he led her out of the institution, past the gardens to an open plot of grassy land. The hills rolled beyond for miles, it appeared. Nothing like the bustling, busy London streets she’d been greeted by upon arriving to this city, they must have been on the outskirts of it.

"What are we doing out here?"

Suddenly Monique appeared from beside the only tree in sight. It was a massive Oak that looked as if it had been here far longer than the institution, or even the city of London itself had been. The tree's thick branches swept out around it and its leaves shimmered in the sunlight.

"This is where we will come to practise magic! It is always good to be away from others, especially when you start out, so you don't accidentally hurt someone."

That made sense, but Althea couldn't help the rigid feeling inside. She was nervous to begin this, not only because it was all completely new to her, but also because by practising freely, it felt like she was admitting this whole thing was real. When she awoke here this morning, in that beautiful room she’d dozed off in, she kept waiting to wake up in the lumpy bed at her Aunt Harriet's home… kept waiting to find that this had all been one big whimsical dream. But deep inside she knew it wasn't. And the only way she could overcome that feeling was by embracing this… power, inside of her.

"Okay, so... how do we start?" she asked, looking between the two cadre members.

"Well, there may not be any action today. We are going to start by warming up your mind a bit, okay?" Monique asked and Althea nodded warily. They sat on the soft grass in an imperfect triangle formation.

"Alright now close your eyes. I am going to ask you a few questions to see where your mind was at, the night you summoned your ability," Monique stated. The three of them closed their eyes. Althea's fingers intertwined with the grass, as she plucked a strand, twirling it between her thumb and forefinger, a nervous habit she supposed.

"Okay Althea, I want you to start by taking a few deep breaths for me. We will breathe in for three seconds, and out for three seconds," Monique said, demonstrating as she did so, "in," Althea counted to three in her head, "and out."

Althea tried to focus on her breathing but her mind was on the relaxed breaths to her left. Yes, Jasper breathed deeply next to her, and for a moment the image of him reaching for her hand as he had the night of the gala, flowed into her mind. She remembered how his firm hold felt on her waist as they danced together. How he had spun her around as the others danced and sang. Monique’s dazzling smile flashed behind her lids too, and the way her blue eyes had sparkled as she glanced over a shoulder to Althea, beckoning for her to follow. The whole time they’d known that there had been something rooted deep within her… Monique had felt it upon that first moment when she’d saved Althea from Sir Herbert's incessant ramblings.

"Okay ready Althea?" Her thoughts were cut short by Moniques question.

"Yes,” she answered quickly, brushing her own rambling thoughts aside.

"Okay. The night you last interacted with your power, what was the state of your mind?"

The state of her mind? As if Monique didn't already know the answer to that based on what Althea had told her yesterday.

But nevertheless Althea said, "I was... scared. Very scared." She paused, visualising Mr. McNeil's hands around her arms as Sir Herbert tore open her nightdress. "I felt trapped in my body, and was wishing I were stronger so I could prevent what was to happen to me."

She didn't want to go into anymore detail in front of Jasper. She didn't want him to know the kind of treacherous things she had experienced, and, though she didn't think he would, she did not want that judgement… the judgement of her being alone and exposed in front of multiple men.

"And do you believe it was this fear that triggered your abilities to materialise from their dormancy?" Monique asked.

"Well... yes, I think I was looking for a way to protect myself, and I received one," she answered. She hadn't really thought about it, but that did seem logical.

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"How did it feel, did you feel anything within yourself before you used your power? Dizziness? Or blurry vision?”

"Yes... I felt this... buzzing in my head. It felt as though there was a build up of pressure inside of my skull. And it kept getting stronger and stronger until I noticed that the men around me all stood frozen." She paused briefly, "oh and the two men called me a witch because my skin was, as they said, ‘hot as flames’… I didn't feel it but they kept going on about it."

Monique fell silent. It was as though both of them had disappeared completely, she could not even hear them breathing. Althea opened her eyes and Monique and Jasper both shared an incredulous look.

"What is it?" she asked looking between the two for any answer as to why they looked in such disbelief.

"Nothing Althea, the buzzing is quite common as the energy of your power courses through your veins." Monique answered, trying to brush her off.

"And the heat? Is that normal too?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Yes, likely another symptom of your power rooting." Monique was unconvincing in her answer. Althea knew she was hiding something.

"Likely?" she asked. Monique raised a confused brow. "You said it is likely another symptom of my power rooting. So you don't actually know for sure?"

Jasper stared at her with what looked to be pity, this only made her grow more unsettled.

"Like I've mentioned before, we haven't had as much experience with power like yours so it is hard to tell, but I would assume that it is just another side effect of your abilities," Jasper stepped in, trying to sound sure so Althea could be at peace. It didn’t work, but she asked no further questions as she did not want to upset her newfound friends.

They continued going through mental exercises for a while longer until Monique decided Althea was ready to try summoning the power within her again.

"Okay Althea, I want you to take that fear, that anger and the rage that you felt that night, and use it to unleash what is within yourself."

"How do I do that?" Althea asked. A slight flush spread over her cheeks at the honesty in her question, but she didn’t know the first thing about any of this.

"Think of the things in your life that have tormented you, let the rage build inside of you, think about getting revenge on those who have wronged you. Whatever it is that triggers that mental barrier to lift and your power to flourish," Monique answered.

With a nod, she closed her eyes and imagined herself back in Sir Herbert's bedchamber. She thought of how he tore her nightgown open to reveal her chest to the two males. Her stomach twisted with disgust as she did. She had gotten her revenge on them, and it hadn't made her feel satisfied. She wanted to weep thinking of what happened to Mr. McNeil. She was the reason he’d jumped from the terrace, he’d seen whatever lurked within her, and he’d rather face death than be confined to the same room as her. Her thoughts didn’t feed that rage, or her fear… all they did was provide further incentive for her to keep that power within her as insignificant as possible.

Even when she thought of the man at her fathers estate that night, thought about how she hadn't gotten a chance to give him the revenge he deserved, she couldn’t keep her focus pinned. Her mind flashed from his large hand over her mouth, to the sound of fabric shuffling as she fought him, and then to her father. She could feel tears rising behind her closed eyes at the memory of that look her father had given her… the way he’d spoken with such disappointment and disgrace. But there was no rage… only an ache low in her belly as she still wished that none of it would have happened. Even if she was here now, and had friends who might care about her, a part of her still ached to have her old life back.

"Well?" Monique asked, pulling Althea from her thoughts.

She let out a long, steadying breath before saying, "this isn't working. I am not feeling any buzzing, I am trying to get mad but I just... can't. Those situations are over now and honestly, I would like to keep them that way."

Monique gave her a sympathetic smile. "I understand Althea, but what if you find yourself in another detrimental situation with no proper training on how to use your magic… you may not be so fortunate if there is a next time."

It hurt Althea to consider that she was right. But she just didn't know how to get over these feelings. She was sad and conflicted, and she missed having a more simplistic life, even if it was dull by comparison to all of this.

They continued their pursuit to summon Althea's power for nearly three hours. By the last stretch she was so frustrated she found herself cursing the itchy grass and the sun for beaming so hot overhead.

"Ugh, it's no use! I can't do this," Althea sprung from her place on the ground, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. "At least not today," she muttered.

Jasper placed a hand on her back, "hey, it's okay. There is no rush, we will be here to help you figure this out... together." He looked at Monique when he said the last word. She nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we certainly will. Let's take a break for today and try again tomorrow." Althea nodded solemnly, feeling as though she’d failed them… wasted their time. She hated how many invasive thoughts crowded her mindspace. What if she was never able to summon whatever was within her? How long would her friends wait… she doubted they would be so patient forever. She wondered if, once they realised how useless she was at invoking her ability, they would stop showing so much interest in her, stop being her friends at all.

"I've got some matters to tend to in Skyworth but I will be back in time to dine with you," Monique said, and pranced off towards the opposite entrance of the institution from where they'd come.

"What's Skyworth?" Althea asked Jasper, not recognizing the name from any map she'd seen.

"It's the board’s small city in the sky," Jasper answered as they walked towards the institution.

"In the sky?" Althea was bewildered that such a place could exist. Surely he must have meant it figuratively right?

"Yes, the board has quite a sum of power, and with their combined magic they are able to keep themselves hovering high above the clouds and out of sight of humans."

How very interesting. She imagined that it must feel like being in heaven everyday up there. She was tempted to ask how Monique would get up there, but figured she would likely find out herself sooner or later.

They entered the stone walls of the building once more and walked down one of the many long corridors.

"Do you need help navigating your way back up to your bed chamber?" Jasper asked.

"Oh no, I've got it, it's just right this way... or maybe that way..." she looked at the forked hallway unsure of which way they'd come from. She had been distracted by Jasper's subtle looks at her as they were walking earlier.

He chuckled. "I would be happy to escort you to your bed chamber Althea."

She smiled shyly.

"Thank you. My apologies for not having learned the layout yet." She blushed.

"It is no problem at all. In fact, you are catching on much sooner than most. Many who have not been raised in the institutions find them to be difficult to navigate through… and it takes them a while to get used to all of the odd contraptions we have here." That made her smile. She was glad she wasn't alone in thinking some of the futuristic aspects of this place were odd.

Suddenly Jasper stopped mid-walk. When she looked back at him, his eyes had turned completely white. No longer were the hazel orbs she had grown used to. No, those eyes were that of a ghost, completely pearlescent.

"Jasper?" She was unable to hide the panic in her voice. He did not respond to her, only making her more worried. His body was taut and frozen in place. She was beginning to wonder if she’d somehow activated that magical ability inside of her, but then Jasper's eyes snapped shut quickly. When they opened again they were back to their normal hazel colouring.

"What was that which took over you?" Althea asked, still looking at him with what she knew must have been a mix of the shock and confusion she felt inside.

"I had... a vision," he looked down at her as if she appeared to him now, not as she had only a moment before, but different… new. He looked forward again but made no move to continue walking, only wrinkling his eyebrows together in confusion.

"What was it? What did you see?" she asked.

"Aye, I'm still trying to fully understand that myself." She recalled how he had told her the night before that his ability only allowed him to see pieces of a bigger picture.

She waited patiently for him to elaborate, not wanting to overwhelm him.

He looked at her once more, and swallowed. "It's you… you’re," he paused then blinked again, as if realising whatever he was about to say, then shook his head.

“I’m what?” she asked impatiently. His eyes fell over her again, and there was something different behind that stare, and the intensity there… the way his eyes leapt between hers, as if he were searching for something. She just gazed back at him, her own confusion etched into her face.

He shook his head once more. "Nothing… do not allow me to trouble you with things that I do not yet understand. Provide me the night to think of what I've seen and elaborate fully in the morn."

He forced a false smile onto his lips as he peered down at her. "Come, allow me to escort you to your bedchamber.” She wanted to refuse, wanted to insist that he divulge what he’d seen… he’d seen her, he knew something about her and she wanted, desperately, to know what it was. But despite the roaring questions burning within her, Althea only nodded, and walked beside him. She would respect his wishes. As they made their way up the stairs, she could feel his eyes upon her. When she spared a glance in his direction, she caught them glimmering with what appeared to be a mix of eagerness and curiosity. Or something of that nature. What had he seen behind those glazed eyes?

"What?" she asked, squinting at him.

"I just..." he paused his step, turning towards her and brushing a stay curl from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. She could feel her face heat beneath his touch. "Feel as though I know you so well, and yet not at all… it's conflicting, these images of you that flash in my mind, which haven't happened yet. Never have I experienced something like this before."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. Perhaps he didn’t want to share what he’d seen because it had been… her cheeks flushed as she let her mind wander to the multitude of things he could have witnessed.

"Well, what did you see of me this time?” she asked, following quickly with, “Besides that which you wish to withhold until tomorrow." Althea stepped forward, continuing the walk towards her room.

"Well, it is really only bits and pieces, but it’s the emotions which I bear for you that conflict me. There is this urge to protect you, keep you out of harm's way, but when I think about it, it feels… wrong. I’m not really sure, like I said, I just need more time to gauge what it is I felt and saw." He looked into her big, curious eyes, as if seeking something from her that she didn’t know how to give him, so she just smiled warmly.

"Protect me from what?" She had never talked to a male like this before, and all of her emotions seemed to mesh and crash into one another. Her stomach ached as she longed to understand what he meant by his words.

"I don't know... anything that could hurt you or make you sad. I just know I never wish to see you like that, and yet I, I will…” he paused, his eyes flashing with what looked like pain, before he continued, “you are to grow very dear to me Althea, for when Yuletide greets us this year, we are to be... together enjoying our time by the fire." She could see fear on his face, perhaps at what he’d admitted to her. She knew her face must have been as bright as a tomato, but she appreciated his candour. Especially considering his words also meant that she would still be here by winter... perhaps she would gain control over her abilities, after all why would they keep her here if she didn't? It calmed all of the fearful thoughts that had plagued her earlier. And though she could sense that there were still things that he was withholding from her, Althea decided to put them aside for now, and focus on the last image he’s projected into her own mind… the two of them sitting together by the fire, enjoying the winter holiday. Peace, and a bit of giddiness and joy fluttered within her at the thought.

She was unsure why but the swirl of emotions inside Althea pushed her to do something without thinking. She paused her step, turned towards Jasper and laid a gentle kiss on his cheek. His skin was so warm beneath her lips. She pulled away quickly and averted her eyes before he could say anything. She kept walking but to her side she could see him sparing glimpses at her, his face an equal shade of pink.

She smiled to herself as they both stopped in front of her door.

"Thank you for your help today," she said shyly.

"It was my pleasure," suddenly he grabbed both of her hands in his, looking into her eyes, "you will overcome this okay Althea."

He sounded so absolute in his answer that it made her feel as though he had already seen her using her powers in the future. Is that what he had been about to say earlier? Hope tugged at her, but she supposed she would have to wait to find out until tomorrow.

"I’ll see you at dinner?" Jasper asked.

"Yes… see you at dinner."