In The Beginning by Gail Daley (top 100 books of all time checklist .TXT) 📕

I felt the tears run down my nose and looked down at the floor as I pawed at them, annoyed at my lack of composure.

Before I could even react, Lia rose from the bed and crossed the room to where I was sitting. Standing over me, she embraced me tightly, her long black hair spilling over my face to block my vision. I didn’t react at first, caught off guard by the gesture, but I slowly raised my arms and returned the hug. Burrowing my face into her shoulder I allowed my tears to fall freely as my thoughts ran unbidden to the memories of all the people I had loved who I would never see again.

We remained there a while, locked together in each other’s arms. Lia didn’t speak, but she ran her hand through the hair on the back of my head in slow, calming scratches. The feeling was so soothing I thought I might fall asleep right there in her arms. I took a few deep breaths to center myself, noting a faint, pleasant aroma of mint mingled together with the natural scent of her hair and skin. Giving her a slight squeeze, I pulled away and wiped my leaking nose and eyes. She smiled softly and returned to the bed, sitting at the bottom this time, only a few feet from my chair.

“Sorry about that.” I gave a few harrumphing coughs to clear my throat and clapped my cheeks lightly. “I’m sure you have more questions for me, so please, ask away.” Even though I still felt embarrassed about the outburst, I felt a lightness in my shoulders and chest that I hadn’t experienced for a long time. Maybe stuffing unresolved emotions down inside to hide from them isn’t the healthiest way to live after all.

“Lux, it’s okay, really. I’m just glad I could be here for you.” Lia scooted forward to the edge of the bed, dangling her legs over the edge. “I really appreciate that you’re being so open with me.”

I felt a small pang of guilt. “About that. There is one thing I haven’t been honest with you about.”

She tipped her head to the side, curious. “What’s that?”

“My name isn’t really Lux. That’s just a nickname I got a long time ago in Alderea, the first world I was sent to.” Although there was clearly a story to be told on the subject, I moved on with the current line of thought. “Ever since I...left that world, using my real name just didn’t feel right. My name is Elden Graham. I would prefer if you kept calling me Lux, but...I just wanted you to know.”

“Elden…” She tested the name out with a whisper. Just hearing it spoken aloud made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Lia gave a curt nod. “I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

“I appreciate it.” I gave her a small smile. “Now, with that out of the way, what’s your next question?”

Lia considered for a moment, and then her face lit up with excitement. “You told me that you would help me learn magic!”

“I did say that, didn’t I?” I laughed a bit, feeling relieved to be done with heavy conversation, at least for the moment. “What would you like to know?”

The question stumped her. “Well, everything, I guess! The magic that you do seems a lot different from the magic I’ve heard about in the Unity Church.”

“I’m not sure we have time tonight to go over everything, but...let’s see.” I pondered the topic of magic, trying to find a good entry point. “The way that I cast magic might be different, but I think the end result is the same. In my experience, everybody has the ability to use magic, but you need to be taught how to access it.”

“Even me?!” Lia leaned forward, buzzing with excitement.

“Even you, Lia.” I couldn’t help but smile. Her enthusiasm and passion were infectious, and I seemed to be developing a weakness for it. “If you practiced for long enough, I’m sure you could be just as good as I am.”

She let out a small squeal, throwing herself back into the center of the bed. Wiggling around for a moment, she took a deep meditative pose, most likely imitating how I had been sitting in my cell. “Okay, I’m ready. How do I do it?”

Raising an eyebrow, I shook my head. “It’s probably not something you’ll be able to pick up immediately, Lia. It took me four days of hard practice to use my first spell, and I had an experienced teacher. I can’t say I’ve ever had to instruct somebody before.”

“You’ll do fine! Just tell me.” She bounced up and down as she clapped her hands at me in anticipation.

“Okay, okay!” I laughed, putting my hands up to calm her down. “Here are the basics. You either want to be standing with your feet planted firmly about shoulder width apart or sitting up straight like you are now. The most important place to start is your breathing.” I sat up straight to mirror her, placing one hand on my chest and the other on my stomach. Quickly, she copied my position.

“Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.” I took a few of my own, over-emphasizing the noise as an example. “As you breath, direct the air down to your core, pushing out your bottom hand with your gut. Do your best to not move the hand against your chest. All of your power comes from your core.”

I watched her quietly as she adjusted to the new breathing pattern. “That’s good, Lia. Focus on the air moving in and out of your body and clear your mind of everything else.” Standing, I circled to the side of the bed as I continued. “Now, everybody has the energy inside them they need to use magic; I call it mana. When it isn’t being used, it sits like a small