Frostbite

Furthering the Mind

It was early August, and I had mastered several techniques that Stephen had taught me. Each one came easier than the next. There were things that I even taught myself in my spare time. There were plenty of books with all the information I could ever need.

One of these were astral projection. Stephen was unaware of this as far as I knew. And I was bored, so maybe it was time to surprise him.

I crossed my legs as I sat on my bed, concentrating on separating myself like I had before. Suddenly, I was peering down at my own body. My eyes drifted toward my hand while I rotated it, marveling at what I had done. It felt as if I were weightless.

The halls were silent as I made my way to one of the studies. I had a feeling he'd be in there, nose stuck in another book. A grin spread across my face as I hesitated at the wall, preparing to launch through at him. Just as I was ready to go in and spook him, a head popped through in front of me.

"Hey there."

"Son of a bitch!" I yelped, scrambling to get away. Stephen burst into laughter, and I glared at him.

"Way to steal my thunder, Stephen," I muttered, crossing my arms with a huff. The rest of his body phased through the wall, and he shook his head, a sly smile still there.

"You really didn't think you could sneak up on your own teacher, did you?"

"Was really hoping to."

"Wanna go a round?" he asked, glancing at the sun setting through the window.

"Sure thing. Let me uh-" I said, pointing back to where my body was waiting. He nodded, still shaking his head in amusement as he disappeared once again.

We met in the courtyard after I had changed into my robes and collected myself. He took up his fighting stance, and I did the same. I ran through all the spells in my mind that he had taught me for fighting.

"Remember, no cheating. Don't use your powers," he warned. I nodded, knowing the rule.

I lashed out first with a blue, fiery whip, sparks flying as I maneuvered it between my palms. He deflected it with a mandala shield, turning on his heel as I tried again. His shield quickly transformed into a similar magical whip, and he struck with it without hesitation. I feinted to the side and managed to grab ahold of his arm, tugging my end of the whip.

Stephen used a shield and sliced through it with ease. He landed a hit on my side and attempted to sneak in another. Before he could, I had thrown up a similar shield, blocking the hit from ever coming. He didn't let up though and continued to push forward. I jumped in the air, avoiding him, continuously hopping onto shields to keep myself out of his reach.

Thinking I could get the upper hand, I flipped forward, landing directly behind him. I hit him, shoving him forward, but before I could make another move, Stephen had whirled around to face me. He threw several disks soaring through the air at me, forcing me to the ground to dodge them. And just like that, he had both my wrists ensnared in whips, holding me down.

"Agh, you win. Again," I grumbled, tugging to get him to release me. He did and offered a hand to help me up.

"You're getting much better. Not many people pick up as much as you have by this point. You can only improve as we continue," he said, offering the praise. I had a feeling he only encouraged me because he thought I'd lose patience and possibly leave. I bowed with a small smirk at the compliment and earned a scowl in return.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I called as I sauntered away.

"Melanie," Stephen called after me, and I paused, "Please make sure you're being careful."

I opened my mouth to ask about the warning, but I decided against it. It didn't seem so much a nag as if he was genuinely concerned. He knew I went out several times a week but had never asked since I had kept my word about staying sober.

"Of course," I waved back.

———————————————

Chase and I had grown closer over the last few months and met every week. Something told me not to mention what I had been up to at Kamar-Taj to him. I didn't know why, but I just didn't.

We had sat in silence for a bit, just enjoying the company, but my mind had been wandering. Ever since I had figured out how to use my astral form, I'd had the urge to use it to find the others. Or truthfully, Steve. I could make myself seen if I wanted, and I wanted to see him. It had been eating at me for a while, to just make sure he was okay.

"What's wrong?" Chase inquired, bringing me back from my own thoughts.

"It's nothing," I assured him, fiddling with the chain around my neck. He didn't seem to notice and shook his head.

"You're lying. Come on, out with it," he drawled, poking my arm playfully. I glanced at him and rolled my eyes.

"I think I have a way to find them," I explained, knowing he would know who I referred to, "I think I can, and I want to. I need to see Steve."

His eyes widened, and he glanced around to make sure no one was in earshot.

"Really? How?"

"I don't know how to explain it, but uh- through magic," I admitted.

"Holy crap. So, you're going to do it then? When?"

"I was thinking of trying tonight. It might take a while to actually track them down but..."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Chase asked, his voice changing drastically.

"What do you mean?"

"After everything you went through, you think going back to him is the best idea?" he clarified, staring at me incredulously. I was taken aback and took a moment to collect myself.

"I never said it was as simple as-"

"Melanie," he whispered, using my real name, "Don't put yourself through this. You seem to be doing so much better now. Don't risk everything for him."

I could see his point, but it was still my decision to make. Even if it went to hell when I saw him, I knew it had been my choice. I was ready to take that leap. When I opened my mouth to tell him this, he gently grabbed my hand and leaned in close.

"Don't try to find Rogers. Don't. Stay here and stay safe. You're still upset with him," he told me, never breaking eye contact. That wasn't true, though... I was hurt sure, but the anger had passed. As I stared into Chase's eyes, it was like it all came rushing back. The anger I had worked so hard to work through, had taken ahold like it had been thrust upon me.

"You're right. I don't want to see him. That was a dumb idea," I agreed, glancing away. Something inside me screamed that something was wrong. I shook my head, dispelling the thought. There was nothing wrong. I was just fine.