The Coven

Equinox: Chapter 19

"Try again! Have you even been practicing or are you too busy making out with Harrington to keep up with your lies?" Mason questioned angrily as another gust of wind blew Lilly back into the bushes. She sat up quickly only for another gust of wind to blow her into a backwards summersault deeper into the brush.

Every night since she returned home from the Thanksgiving weekend her and Mason were out by the pond practicing using the air affinity, something she was terrible at. That night was particularily cold as the temperature was close to freezing and the wind was strong. She was out on the grounds with a took, mittens and her winter coat while Mason was in his leather jacket

Lilly sat up and tried to get a grip on the air around her, feel the wind through her hair and body. Before she had a firm hold she was pulled into the air and dropped back to the ground with a hard thud. She let out a frustrated growl, "How am I suppose to learn if you suck at teaching?"

He shrugged, "Be a better student."

"I can't be a better student if you don't give good advice! All you've done is attack me over and over again! I don't know how to do anything to defend myself!"

Without another word another wave of attack came at her and she was pushed back to the ground, not as hard as previous strikes from Mason but it was still frustrating. "You know what your problem is?" He asked, before Lilly could open her mouth he answered his own question, "You take too long to reciprocate. In the tune it takes you to focus, feel the power and use it it's too late."

"So how do I get faster."

Another gust of freezing wind from the icy air around them and she was on her back, again. "Practice."

After letting out an extreamly angry growl Lilly climbed to her feet and used her own ability, water, to send a counter attack at Mason. He was a second too late realizing a splash from the icy lake was decending on him and when it was over he was soaking from head to food standing in the middle of the clearing shivering.

Lilly, proud of herself stood up straight and smiled, "Too long to reciprocate?"

Mason shook the hair out of his face, and really he should be getting it cut, Lilly thought as his dark hair began to curl at the ends, in the summer it was the perfect mix of short and flow.

Mason, who was beyond pissed, glared at her from across the clearing. "It's fu-fucking co-old." He shivered, slowly his arms folded around his body and he held himself as though that would help him keep warm.

Lilly shrugged, "Maybe you should be nicer to me when we're training together."

He smiled, "That wou-would take all the fu-fun out of it."

So playing games and being nasty was fun to him, unless it was third grade all over again and this was his way of flirting, unlikely. Lilly, now feeling bad for soaking Mason from head to foot, sighed and walked over to him picking up some logs from the ground. "Do you have a lighter?" She asked without looking at him, but holding up her hand to him expectantly.

The small plastic lighter was placed into her hand and she tried to use it to start a small fire but the water ruined it. Frustrated she handed it back to Mason and stood up. "Well that was-" She didn't finish her sentence, she was flying off her feet and landing a good fifteen feet away from where he was standing. Dazed and confused she looked at her new surroundings and frowned.

Mason was stepping closer now, though clearly his rage was making him forget how cold he was. "How about this." No more stutter, "We battle this anger out then call it a night."

She thought about it for a moment, though she was skilled in manipulating and using her ability Lilly was no where near as good as Mason who had been practicing since he was a child. But what choice did she have? If she said no he would call her a coward and it was something else he would have hanging over her head, but if she said yes at least she would have a chance to beat him.