Believing in Myself

Falcon, thank you for your wonderful reviews! I'm sure there was another who reviewed before it was deleted... I thank that person too! After all, so long as I get at least one reviewer, I have reason to keep writing!

Chapter 5


John awakened the next morning feeling slightly drained. He tried to remember what he did that caused him to feel this way. He opened his eyes to see amber ones looking back at him rather closely. He fell off his bed and got up with a seriously pissed off look.

"Will you not do that!? It's bad enough you did it once, but if it's going happen every morning, I'd rather you leave!"

Jessica smiled slightly. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. And anyway, I thought it would be good to get an early start on training."

"Training… oh yeah, the magic training! Hang on a second, I'll be right there."

John walked over to the bathroom and splashed water on his face, as a small wake-up to himself. He returned to his bedroom to see Jessica was already gone.

"Figures…"

He removed his nightshirt and sweats to get ready for the long day ahead. He figured lighter clothing was needed for today so he slipped on some shorts and a white shirt. Just as he was putting on his shirt however, Jessica came in.

"I've made some-."

Suddenly she became aware of the awkward position they got themselves into. John flushed red a bit and Jessica turned away in embarrassment.

"The hell!? Can't a person get dressed in their own bedroom without someone barging in on them!?"

Jessica rushed out of the room, and when John exited a few moments later, he looked like he just got back from an argument.

"Eat up. You're going to need your strength for today."

On the table was some pottage, bread and some milk. John ate slowly watching Jessica, who appeared to be staring at him.

"What is there something on my face?"

Jessica blushed slightly. "What? No…"

John leaned back. "You're blushing… I thought angels didn't blush."

"We do… sometimes…"

"You can't lie to me."

"I'm not lying! Angels can feel the same emotions humans do. We just feel them in a different way is all."

"What do you mean a different way?"

"What I mean, is that we understand the basic concept of things like happiness and love. But yet you humans experience it in ways that we haven't yet fully understood."

"I guess being an angel isn't all that great after all."

"Anyway… it's time to begin training."

They both walked outside, Jessica leading. She pointed to a series of targets that John was sure had not been there before.

"I set these up last night while you slept. You're going to target them with your fire magic."

"Alright… where's the book?"

"You don't need it. Trust me."

John didn't like it, but decided to trust her anyway. He raised his hand like before and tried to concentrate. "Fire!"

His hand felt warm, and he expected the blast to appear, like before. But nothing seemed to happen.

"But… but I don't get it! I did it perfectly last night!"

"Well, just concentrate harder next time."

John did just that, focusing with all his might. Jessica walked around the village a bit, to familiarize herself with the surrounding area. The village itself was a few simple houses, mostly farms, and very few grand buildings. The only thing that seemed to stand out was a tower, that stood off somewhere to the south. She looked at it, puzzled as to why something like that would exist here. But deciding against exploring it, she walked back.

It was around midday that Jessica came to check on John. He was lying face up on the ground, completely exhausted. None of the targets had been destroyed.

"John what happened!?"

"What do you think!? I've been trying to cast magic all day!"

John sighed. Never before had he felt so drained of energy. His whole body was warm, from trying to cast fire spells but to no avail.

Jessica gasped. But I…I don't understand! He cast it with such power last night! So perfectly! How is it it's all gone?

"Come on… I think you earned a break."

Jessica helped him up and led him over to the house. But in her mind, she couldn't help but wonder. What had gone wrong?