Masked

x.

x. Emerald

Nine months. 

The first three months were in Florence, Italy where Jemma taught me. There I learned a lot about my powers, how to control them, and countless hours of practice. I learned spells, how to create my own if need be, and the use of potions. 

The three months passed by quickly and I wasn't aware of the fact that there would be a deadline when it was all over. Yes, I knew that Jemma was pushing me much harder and faster than I would've thought but I took it and didn't question it. 

Not until one morning when she said my teachings were over and that I was going to go through with my werewolf training. Of course I had believed that I had more to learn, but with the vagueness of just about everything in witchcraft, I went along with it. I understood that there were a lot of things that I needed to learn on my own and that it wasn't as easy as asking a question and receiving a legitimate answer. There was never anything straightforward when it came to witchcraft. 

I believed that I was going back to the states to complete my werewolf training, but I was wrong. 

It was originally the plan, as Jemma had said, but it was too risky. With keeping in contact with Malena in Washington, she had told me that my brothers had kept my disappearance on low profile- as I expected- but they were still looking for me. With neighboring packs they had, quite successfully, made them believe that they were looking for one of my brother's mate. And in werewolf community, that went over fairly easily. Even months after learning this, I still mentally rolled my eyes at this at how easy it was for them. 

So with this, I did my werewolf training in Europe, different location though. 

For those following three months, I had trained in Thessaloniki, Greece where Maximus Martyr trained me. Rather roughly. He was a nice guy, no doubt, but he trained hard. He took your weaknesses and built on them hours on end until they were no longer considered a weakness to him. It was rare that werewolves could feel pain and soreness for longer than an hour, so imagine how hard he had to physically push me for me to feel it for hours. 

I knew if I were human, I would've died. No doubt. Not trying to be overdramatic but that was the case. 

It took a lot for him to take sympathy on me in cases of training me. He knew the story of my lack of training and he knew my secret, but that didn't stop him. 

And though I felt like dying countless times, I appreciated him. 

So now where was I?

I had gone back to Florence to see Jemma, not knowing really what to do. And taking in consideration that I had never fully experienced life, in and/or out of the states, I traveled. I saw many cities in Italy, got a job even to compensate for myself. I stayed with her for about a month before going out on my own and living my own life.

It was something that we knew I had to do. Because I couldn't live with someone for the rest of my life. I was nineteen years old and needed to experience that aspect of my life even though it somewhat scared me. 

The past two months I had been in Paris, France- once again traveling but also to work. What I had come to realize about being in Italy and Greece was my love for food. One would think that with the lack of what I had when I was trapped for nine years was the reason. But I had developed a liking in cooking. My first job was a little bakery in Florence, Italy where I enjoyed making pastries and then I expanded my horizons and went to Paris to learn gourmet cooking. 

It was a risk, no doubt, but it was one I was willing to take. 

I had a little apartment near the restaurant I worked at as assistant chef. I was the right hand to one of the best chefs in Paris, Raphael Fournier. It was pure luck of how I became his assistant in the kitchen but I was thanking the gods every time I got to do what I loved. 

Life as of now was something worth living for. And it was something I could have only dreamed about before. I made no sudden movements to change the life I have. 

And maybe this wasn't the life that Venus and Luna spoke about but it was one that I wasn't willing to give up just yet.