Smoke and Wishes (Best Wishes #1)(47)



“Thank you, I’ll take the stairs,” waving goodbye I caught sight of his nameplate, Jonathon Reiter. I committed the name to memory, something about the old man had left me curious. I turned and headed up the stairs, huffing a small bit when I reached the fourth floor because of the high vaulted ceilings. Jonathon was right, the door was a deep stain and made of solid wood. I knocked, not wanting to just barge in. It opened to reveal Alex dressed in a navy suit, white button up, and his signature black tie.

“Come in, Lucie,” waving me in he headed towards his desk. The inside of his office was much like his door, dark hardwood floor was covered by a large Persian rug, the antique desk was a large, acting as the centerpiece of the room, and the walls were covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves. Two overstuffed leather chairs sat facing his desk. I ran my hand over the back of one of the plush seats. The smell of linen, cognac, and pipe tobacco filled the space. It was oddly comforting, linen and cognac in a delicate balance with the smokiness of the tobacco. I took a seat in the armchair to the right as he sat in the high-back leather office chair behind the desk. “How was your week so far?” He asked casually as he leaned back, setting into his chair.

“It was fairly standard. Classes, hanging out with my friends, studying. No more issues with anyone this week, if that’s what you mean.” Crossing my leg over my knee, I attempted to get comfortable. The bookshelves drew my attention, old leather spines lined almost every shelf, only two of the cases held newer-looking volumes.

“I’m glad to hear you didn’t have any more confrontations. Have classes been going well?” I nodded, “and your power testing? I heard you’ve yet to make much progress.” Again I nodded, nibbling on my lower lip. “Not to worry. Today, instead of working mentally, I would like to work on your reality warping. Professor George informed me that so far you’ve only been able to perform when emotion is involved. We will work on combating that. What I’m going to show you only a minimal amount of people know about, so I will ask of you to please, keep it to yourself, is that alright?” My curiosity piqued, I nodded. Standing from behind the desk, he requested I leave my bag at the chair.

I got up when he went over to the second of four bookcases on the left wall, reaching up to a book at chest level he pulled. A click sounded, and the case swung inwards revealing a hallway and an open room at the end. My eyes widened as I walked down the hall and stepped into the secret room. There were displays of antique artifacts and more shelves with even older books. Alex pointed out the three doors leading to other areas in this hidden alcove.

“This is my private quarters, I have my official rooms in the faculty housing section, but this is my equivalent to your rooms in the library.” He explained heading to the door to the left, “This leads to my apartment, there’s a small kitchen so if you need something to eat or whatnot, it’s here. The second door there,” pointing to the door on the wall in front of me, “That’s my personal bedroom and bathroom. And the third door here,” he moved over to the last door on the right, “is my personal practice room.” I followed him into the room. It was empty, with cement floor and strange tan colored panels on the walls.

“This is awesome,” I didn’t try to hide the awe I felt at the set of rooms. The amount of history, antiques, and rare books in this small area was astonishing. I wanted to read everything and learn about each piece in here. Only a small amount of people know about this, so why me? “Alex, I was just curious, why would you show me?” I was confused as to why he would want to include me in this secret knowledge.

“Because you need practice, Lucie, and I want to help you succeed. I want all of my students to succeed and to be the best they can be before joining the rest of society,” his tone brokered no further arguments, although he hadn’t really answered my question. Unbuttoning his suit jacket, he hung it on the handle to the door.

“What are these?” I asked rubbing my hands down the beige, rough surface of the paneling.

“Power absorption panels. They keep any excess or misdirected magic or powers contained to this room. The practice rooms and gymnasium have them as well, they’re just more concealed and inconspicuous,” he explained before walking out of the room and returning a few moments later with a yardstick. “To get started I want you to try folding this in half,” he laid the object on the ground between us. I stared hard at the piece of wood laying on the cement, the command to fold echoed strongly in my mind. Just as it had with previous practices, nothing happened. Grinding my teeth together I stared even harder. Maybe I can glare holes into the wood if I stare hard enough, I scoffed.

“Alright, I think I know what the issue is. I want you to close your eyes and clear your mind just like you do in your mental defense class,” his soothing tone calmed my growing irritation at not being able to use my powers. Doing as he suggested, I emptied my mind, the shield I had created in class was still holding strong. “Good, now I want you to push outside of the edges of your mind to feel around you. Remember that thin bubble? Exhale and feel past that, feel the tendrils of your powers extend past your barrier.”

I took a few deep breaths before attempting what he suggested. On my third exhale I felt the space around me. It felt as though I could walk with my eyes closed and avoid running into anything. My awareness brushed across the ground till finally coming in contact with the yardstick.

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