Between Gates (The Gate Chronicles Book 1)

Chapter 2: Training and Complications

Nari had been at MBC - Magic Balancing Corps - for a week, and things were going well. She was receiving excellent training to learn how to handle the balance between black magic and white magic. It was an important task, and MBC handled it all. It was also an enormous burden.

She hurried down the grey, pristine halls. She had to get to class. Everyone else was in their classes, but she had private tutoring lessons with Andrew right now. And Andrew was waiting for her.

Her mind drifted to other more serious matters as she walked. The places her mind wandered were disturbing to her, but she didn't push them away. It was necessary to consider the things she did.

She found herself wondering about Andrew. Did he give special training to all the agents?

Knowing that he was busy, Nari very much doubted that Andrew spent his time helping the other agents as he was helping her. He had seen something special in her; Nari just didn’t know what it was yet.

She wanted to figure out what Andrew saw in her that had caused him to spend time with her when he could be attending to other things. Nari knew that he had other, far more important things to do. He was the General after all.

Instead, he was teaching her how to lead armies and handle people. She did have to admit, though, Andrew knew how to handle people. In his hands, she became as malleable and easy-going as she had been before her sister and father died.

With Andrew, Nari regained something she had thought lost forever. Not that it mattered. Andrew was kind to her, but it was only friendship between them. Nari knew that was all it would be. What she really wanted was to be loved by someone.

Her mother had loved her, but Nari had spent her life feeling that her mother loved her sister, Hanna, more. She’d never resented Hanna for it, but she hadn’t loved her mother as much either. Her father had loved her, but he was dead. His passing had left a huge hole in her heart, larger even than Hanna’s passing had left.

Now, as she grew older, she realized that she wanted a strong man like her father to fill the gap. She wanted to marry and have kids so that she could have someone to love instead of the empty existence she had now. She wanted a family.

However, it wouldn’t be with anyone she’d met so far. They treated her well enough, but they didn’t love her. Her heart was still cold and empty.

She cut off the trail of thoughts aprubtly as she reached Andrew's office. She had little time for allowing her thoughts to ramble. In order to remain focused and composed, she needed to keep her thoughts under control. 

It wasn't as easy as it seemed. As soon as they began the lesson, Andrew noticed something was wrong and began to take note of it with some concern. “Nari, you aren’t focusing on your lesson. Why?” He placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m just thinking about other stuff.” She shrugged off his question, not wanting him to know what she was feeling. It wasn't something she was proud of, and those areas hurt too much to let him probe them like he was doing.

Andrew gave her that cocked eyebrow that meant: elucidate. She shook her head, silently ignoring the fact that if anyone would understand, it was probably Andrew.

“Talking about it would make it easier to deal with, Nari.”

“It’s not something I want to discuss with you.” She turned to him, giving him a hard stare to get her point across before turning back to her terminal.

“Indri tells me that you’ve been having trouble focusing on your lessons with him these last few days too. Is there something I can do?” His voice was soft and gentle, but it didn't fix the fact that he was pushing her.