Rain was thudding hard against the window panes when Althea awoke the next morning. In the distance she could hear the rumble of thunder as lightning struck down from the sky. Judging by the time in between the flashes of light and the rumbles, it sounded like the eye of the storm was mere kilometres from the institution.

Althea ran herself a hot bath in her bathing chamber, and sank in after adding some lavender and cardamom oils. The water stung at first but as she grew used to it, it eased her.

When she was done washing her body and hair with a soap she'd picked up from Florence, the institution's chandler, she dried off and changed into her fitted training garbs.

Althea had expected to meet her new trainer in the dining hall, however, as she ate breakfast with the others, no one approached her.

The rain had let up from the downpour it had been at when she’d awoken. But she still assumed they would meet in the large, empty ballroom where she had met with Monique whenever it was wet outside.

After breakfast, Althea made her way to the ballroom, but discovered it empty. She waited for a while, presuming that her trainer must still be in the dining hall. But after the clock chimed nine o'clock, signalling she had been waiting an hour, she knew there must have been some mistake. The sun crept slowly from behind the dark storm clouds, and through the stained glass windows of the ballroom, creating a rainbow of hues on the wooden floor.

She decided to check outside, just in case her trainer may be out there, though Althea was doubtful. Maybe Monique had gotten the day wrong… perhaps her new trainer hadn’t arrived when she’d thought.

When Althea opened the door to the outside, the thick, humid air instantly dampened her dry skin. It was far warmer than the air inside of the institution. Already she could feel her nicely cleaned curls beginning to expand from her head with the humidity.

With a huff she walked the distance to the place where she and Monique had met daily to train. Sure enough, beneath the large, shady tree, she could make out a figure sitting against it. Now she felt silly for her late arrival. She hoped they'd understand when she told th—

Suddenly the person stood up and she realised it was a man beneath the tree, not a woman. Cocking her head in confusion, she continued walking towards him. His features were dark, and between the broad shoulders and the large biceps squeezing through his tight tunic, she found herself a bit wary of him from his size alone.

"Hi... um I was looking for my new trainer, have you—"

"Althea?" he asked, his voice deep and rough. She swallowed. This couldn't be him right? She had not been expecting a male trainer. Especially after everything she'd told Monique of her past, she had assumed the board would have picked someone... well, less intimidating. His eyes scanned her face before narrowing.

"Well, is that you?" he asked, sounding impatient. She hadn't even realised she'd been silent for passing seconds.

"Yes, sorry I—"

"You're late." He turned from her, his voice seething with unamusement.

"My apologies, it's just we normally meet inside when the weather is—"

"Now that you will be meeting with me, we will meet outside, regardless of the weather." His voice was curt. He had an accent like that of the Persian dancers her father had brought to the winter solstice ball when she was thirteen.

She sighed, wishing he would stop interrupting her.

"Understood," she said just as sharply, gathering her hands behind her back and cracking a knuckle to keep from saying something out of line.

She followed him as he walked, mesmerised by the movement of the corded muscles beneath his shirt. Even his back was toned. Are they sure this man had the same ability as her? She didn't think time manipulation required so much physical strength.

"So how far have you gotten in your training?" he asked, rummaging through a small pack. Had they not told him anything of her training thus far?

"Um... not very far," she replied, biting her lip.

"How far is not very far?" he snapped, looking up at her. Despite his dark hair and facial features his eyes were an icy blue, almost silver in the sunlight. They glowed against his tan skin, scanning her face, her own eyes, as if studying every detail.

She swallowed down the urge to snap back at him. He must just be upset that she was late.

"Well, I'm having trouble summoning my ability," she admitted. His face was aloof as he turned back to his bag, continuing to look for whatever it was he was searching for.

"So how exactly do you know you have an ability if you haven't summoned it?" he asked.

"I did summon it... once," she said the last word quietly.

"When?"

"Um... a few weeks ago." She could see his jaw clench tightly. What was his problem? Why was he being so rude to her?

"Okay, and what made you use it?" he asked, sounding irritated.

She didn't want to divulge anything about that night to him. She barely even wanted to speak to him.

Swallowing, she said quietly, "fear."

She could have swore there was the slightest glimmer of empathy in his eyes, but if there had been, it quickly disappeared.

"What were you so afraid of?"

She squeezed her eyes closed. She really didn't want to go into the details with him.

"I don't know why any of this matters," she finally snapped back at him, "can't we just get on with my training?"

He rolled his eyes glancing back up at her, he scanned her lilliputian frame in the training garbs, likely contemplating snapping her in half so he didn't have to deal with helping her.

"It matters because in order to train you, I need to understand how you got here." His voice was more calm now, but still tight.

With a huff, "two men threatened to hurt me, and I defended myself," was all she said.

The man before her pulled a dagger from his pack, fondling it in his fingers. Apparently he found what he'd been looking for.

Suddenly he stood, grabbing ahold of her body and pushing her into the tree beside them. She let out a scream as her back thudded roughly into the bark, spine roaring with pain.

He held the dagger to her throat, pinning her head against the gnarled trunk of the tree. She felt her heartbeat skip and plummet as the blade pressed into her pale skin.

"Tell me Althea, what did they try to do to you?" he tormented, his other hand pressed firmly on her waist as his hot breath caressed her face.

"Help!" she sobbed out, not meeting his eyes.

"They can't help you Althea, the only one who can help you is you. Now tell me, how did they try to hurt you?"

She could feel the tears welling in her eyes as she looked at his face. Those icy blue eyes pierced hers. She tried to look intimidating as she glared back at him but they both knew how much stronger he was than her… there was no escaping… at least not with physical strength alone.

"How far did you let it go before you put a stop to them?" His lips curved into a devious smirk. She wanted to rip into his neck with her teeth. Gathering her saliva in her mouth she spit on his face. The smirk disappeared, replaced by a grimace. He pushed the knife further into the fragile skin at her throat. It had to be drawing blood by now. If it was, she couldn't feel it due to the overwhelming pain she felt in her abdomen as he crushed her against the tree trunk. The bark dug into her back as the elastic shirt rode up. His large hand wrapped nearly the width of her waist, keeping her pinned in place.

"Did one of them attempt to violate you Althea? Did they both?" His hand began journeying down her torso, each trace of his fingertips bringing with it a wave of revulsion.

Althea squirmed beneath his hold, kicking her legs and hitting him in a futile attempt at resistance. Those argent eyes bore into hers once more, a serpentine glint in his gaze as he purred softly into her ear, “I would love to see the vengeance you unleashed on them for that. Show me?” and itt was the cadence of his words, woven with intrigue and laced with delight, coupled with the tantalising proximity of his mouth to her neck, that set her mind ablaze with rage.

That familiar, warm buzzing began filling her head, caressing her mind to complete and utter calm. Althea knew what was about to happen.

In the same second that his fingers grazed the curve of her hips, she closed her eyes and clenched her body. The anger was building inside of her as the humming grew more intense. The man loosened his grip around her waist and released her, swearing to himself and staring down at his hands. When he looked back up at her, his eyes widened. He looked frantically between her own eyes, as if searching for an answer within them.

"You… your skin… it's burning…" he began, taking a step back. But before he could move any farther, he was frozen. Or rather, Althea had frozen time around them. She reached for him, but he moved quickly from her grasp. What? How was it possible? Everything else around them had stopped, the earth, the wind, the leaves on the large tree, everything else was frozen.

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"You’re doing it Althea, you are controlling your ability," he said from beside her. It was as if they were speaking in a bubble outside of the real world. She supposed this was because he had the same gift as her.

"Focus on how you feel, although it was fear that brought you here, think about the process you went through in your mind to be on this plane."

She closed her eyes and focused on the buzzing, the heat, the rage. It was all a system, if she could just memorise it, she would be able to access her power whenever she needed to.

Her senses were heightened. It was as if each speck of air around them created a bridge to guide her between this plane of existence and the one she'd been on a moment ago.

When she opened her eyes, she felt as though there was a heavy weight, pushing down on her head. She breathed out and suddenly the wind had returned around her. The man who had been beside her now moved faster than her eyes allowed her to see, beaming from one spot to another as he paused and unpaused time. That must have been how she looked when she moved throughout the room that night. No wonder they had called her a witch.

When he moved again he was in front of her, but the dagger he held before was put into its leather sleeve in his pack as if he'd never removed it.

She didn't know what to say to him. He had attempted to harm her... violate her in order to make her scared enough to access the part of her mind she needed for her ability to present itself.

Althea found herself torn between the impulse to let her rage take over and smother him or extend a begrudging gratitude. After all, he had done what he came here to do, but did he need to be such a brute to gain those results?

She took a step back from him.

"Althea…” He began to take a step towards her but stopped, as if reading the fear still evident on her face. “I apologise for frightening you. But in order to get results sometimes we need to make sacrifices," he said, stepping back from her, as if to say he would not attempt her any harm.

"Besides, I wouldn't have actually hurt you. In fact I was very close to giving in, thinking it wasn't going to work."

"Well it did," she muttered, folding her arms across her chest, uneasily.

He turned away from her, zipping up his pack.

"Our training for today is over, go rest okay? You'll need it for what I have planned tomorrow. We'll meet here, same spot, eight o'clock, sharp," he bit out the last word, clearly referring to how late she'd arrived today.

He began walking away from her before turning back and smirking slightly.

"Oh yeah, my name’s Arsalan by the way." And with that he strode back towards the institution.

…

Her new trainer didn't eat with the rest of them in the dining hall that evening. She wondered where he took his meals. Perhaps he had them brought to his room while he got settled.

"So how did your training go with your new instructor?" Monique asked, taking a bite of the fish fillet in front of her.

Althea must have grimaced slightly, for Monique's bright expression faded.

"What is it?" she asked nervously. Althea shook her head quickly not wanting to raise suspicions about the man who had terrified her earlier that day, Arsalan.

"Nothing, nothing... he's just not what I expected I guess..." Althea trailed off, picking at her food. That was an understatement. He scared the wits out of her, and his rude, loutish behaviour didn't help matters. She knew she was in for a hell of a time with him.

"He?" Jasper's head perked up. He displayed a concerned expression and Monique wore one to match.

"Hm, I had supposed it would be another female helping you," Monique shrugged it off but Jasper still looked at her, studying her face closely.

"Yeah, so had I... but I can't complain, I summoned my ability today," Althea tried to sound nonchalant, hoping no one would ask for specifics. She didn't know if she could handle talking about her encounter earlier. She knew that Arsalan had only wanted to help her summon her power, but it still made her feel uneasy to think about the situation.

"What?" Monique exclaimed, "that's amazing!"

"Yeah that is really great news," James chimed in. Even Meg offered a nod of encouragement.

"What was his technique for helping you summon it?" Jasper asked, smiling. He looked proud of her. He had been there to witness her failed attempts for multiple training sessions.

Althea looked down at the rice and fish on her plate, attempting to swirl it into a plausible lie.

"Since he has the same ability, he just knew exactly what exercises would trigger it I guess," she shrugged. It wasn't exactly a lie, he did technically do that... just by scaring the life out of her.

"Well that is great!" Monique said happily, rubbing Althea's arm.

After finishing their meal Althea and Jasper broke away from the group. They sat out in the courtyard, enjoying the cool, night breeze. With September being only a fortnight away, the heat of summer was slowly beginning to fade. She could smell the soft decay of autumn leaves from the western wind that swirled around them. Many of the once vibrant summer flowers had now shed their petals, preparing for an early frost.

"I'm really proud of you for having the courage to overcome your burdens," Jasper said as they sat together on the stone bench. They sat only a hand's width apart.

"Thank you," she said, staring up at the sky, beaming brightly with stars.

Heat engulfed her as Jasper's hand made to cover her own. Looking down at it, he intertwined their fingers together. Her heart fluttered in her chest at the touch. The feeling of his soft skin against hers.

"I really am sorry for withholding things from you Althea, but I promise, soon everything will begin to make much more sense.”

For the first time since earlier, she thought back to what Arsalan had said to her. When she was summoning her ability, he had muttered ‘your skin, it's burning,’ after ripping his hands from her. His skin hadn’t felt warm, and he’d seemed surprised by it… meaning her hope that it was related to their shared ability was obsolete. What was it then? What did it mean? Why couldn't she find any information in the hundreds of books she'd gone through over the past weeks? She wanted to ask, but she wasn't sure she could bear any more obvious deflections. Not to mention, even though it was pathetic… Althea hated how isolated she had felt when Jasper had ignored her last week. She hadn’t realised just how dependent she was on his friendship. And it was because of this that she didn't ask him. Perhaps tomorrow she would bring it up to Arsalan, ask him why her skin grew hot when she activated her ability. Maybe he would be more forthcoming with information.

"I understand that there are some things that must be withheld for my safety." She gave him a small smile. She did know this, but whatever they thought she couldn't understand, she could. She had been brought here and introduced to so many new ideas so quickly, and yet she never faltered. She never backed down from anything they threw her way, not even today when she was terrified. But still, for some reason they didn't fully trust her yet and it made her feel alone. It made her feel like everyone was a part of this group and she was an outsider amongst them, just as she had been for her entire life. She just wanted a place where she could be accepted.

Jasper moved his other hand to touch her chin. He lifted her face until they stared at each other. His hazel eyes studied her, landing on her lips, slightly agape from the sudden touch.

"I'm glad yer here Althea." Those were the words he had spoken to her in the maze that night as they danced together under the same stars they now sat beneath. When he had swayed her and showed her what it truly felt like to be free. That was the first time in her life she had felt the joy of acceptance. Maybe she was being too quick to judge. They only sought to keep her safe, because all of them, Monique, Jasper, James, hell even Meg, they all cared for one another and they all cared for her.

"I am too," she whispered. Her mind swirled with thoughts of that night spent drinking and singing together cheerfully. She thought of the way his hands had felt against her skin, and how his breath had tickled her ear when he'd said those words nearly two months ago. And then there’d been the way he dipped her low, ready to lay a kiss on the lips he now looked at with the same intent and desire that he had then.

His eyes flicked between her eyes as if asking for permission, before peering back down at her lips once more. Althea's stomach leapt into her chest as Jasper's eyes fluttered closed and he began leaning in closer to her. She did the same, mirroring his motions. Their lips met in a warm, gentle kiss. His hand rested lightly on her jaw as she moved hers to caress his brown hair, tied at the base of his neck. It was soft beneath her fingers. When he pulled away to look at her, she let him, but quickly pulled him back for more. Their lips moved together in a soft, sensual dance. His tongue flicked her lip and she opened her mouth without hesitation. He tasted of spearmint, and she found herself wondering if he had chewed on mint leaves, anticipating this moment between them.

Althea didn't know what she had expected her first kiss to feel like, maybe wet or sloppy, but this was neither of those things. It was delicate and laced with a pent up longing, from both of them.

When she finally pulled away from him, she was breathless, as was he. They rested their foreheads together, her hair acting as a veil around the two of them. Althea closed her eyes, his hot breath tickling her lips as he let out a soft chuckle.

"You have no idea how badly I've wanted to do that since the first time we met," he said. She opened her eyes to see his mouth curving upwards in a smile. She wanted to kiss him again, and again until they were both exhausted and even more breathless than they already were…but she knew she needed to pace herself so as not to get too carried away.

"That was..." she trailed off, unable to put words to the magic she felt inside of her, even still her heart beat rapidly. He had truly struck her speechless. "Extraordinary," she said finally.

His smile grew as he caressed her cheek in his hand. "You are extraordinary," he said, leaning up to give her one final peck before pulling completely away.

"Can I escort you to your bedchamber?" Jasper asked, reaching out his hand for Althea to take. Grinning, she grasped his fingers in hers and followed him back into the institution.

…

Arsalan had opted to take his dinner in his guest chamber that evening. After he had spent nearly two hours attempting to put into words what he felt and what he witnessed in Althea's eyes that day, he finally gave up on writing it down in his journal. The board had given him very strict instructions when they sent him here, and he knew why.

One of their close contacts here in the London institution had shared some rather interesting knowledge regarding their new trainee, and today he’d witnessed it first hand.

For centuries the Board of the Ageless had searched for the connection that held the power to sever them from the control the human world held over them and their power. The flame is what they had called it. He had spent years studying the signs, and yet he was still taken by surprise by the petite girl whose green eyes glinted with an amber ring of fire around them as she summoned her ability. And those green eyes… they were so familiar to him, but surely he’d remember meeting someone like her. It felt as if he’d met her in a dream, long, long ago.

The way her eyes had blazed, and her skin had scorched his own… he had never seen or felt anything like it before. But he had spent years now, working alongside the board, his sole mission being to find any sign of the flame’s essence… of that ancient, intense power. And while there was no evidence to suggest what exactly it might be, or where, there had been research to suggest that a person or group of people could be placed in charge of protecting it. But this small, timid girl? It seemed out of odds for her to be a part of such a scheme… especially when she hardly knew how to wield her own power. But he couldn’t deny the parallels between what he’d spent years researching and what he’d witnessed today… This girl, Althea, was connected in some way with the flame, the curse that needed to be lifted in order for those with abilities to fully access their power. And if that were true… he had other reasons, besides serving the Board of the Ageless, for wanting to find the flame. So Arsalan decided it was in his better interest to wait for more solid evidence before taking further action. For now he simply wrote, "I have made contact with the girl, and she has successfully summoned her fourth dimension manipulation ability. Nothing else to report yet. -Arsalan"

He stilled the thoughts in his mind, willing everything around him to complete silence. He could feel the walls around him pause their slow shift towards the earth as gravity inevitably wore them down. The air around him grew thicker as the atoms began moving quickly and colliding into one another. He clasped his hands together feeling the energy building between his palms. More and more molecules collided until a bright red light began emitting from the gaps between his fingers and he made to expand his hands. He kept the board’s formal audience room in his mind as he launched the orb of light out into the room before him, letting it expand to form a portal. Then he threw his message into the void.

He blinked and the portal was gone just as quickly as he'd summoned it, taking the note with it to be delivered to the board.

His work for today may have been done but his mind didn't allow sleep to greet him that night.