Rose was left once again shocked. He hadn't even asked her! What if she refused? Samael gave her a hard look, as if telling her to calm down and let him handle it. She reluctantly kept her mouth shut and allowed him to do as he wanted for now. However, this truce was temporary. She'd get answers, and if they weren't to her liking, there would be problems for him.
"So be it. Let us know when you're getting started today and we will send someone to observe." Katya said, nodding. She didn't look thrilled about it.
"Observe? No, that will only get in the way. I will train Rose privately," Samael said firmly.
Katya looked grim. "My people hardly trust anything you say right now after all the hardship they've been through. They wouldn't trust you to do this alone under any circumstances. This is what you agreed to. Whatever happens, you have no one else to blame."
That seemed ominous. What was she implying? Whatever it was, it was enough to silence Samael, who seemed just a touch paler.
"Do we have to start today?" Rose asked, hoping she could find a way out of it. She didn't want to develop her powers. She'd rather keep them hidden and pretend they weren't there.
"Yes, I'm afraid we have no time to lose. Come with me. Let's go get you something to eat. I'm sure you must be hungry and you'll need all the energy you can get for the day ahead of you." Katya gently led Rose toward the kitchen.
At her suggestion, Rose realized just how hungry she was. She hadn't had time to think about it until now. They had been so busy; first they fought the Reapers yesterday, then searched for Katya. She'd hardly thought about her hunger at all. She had a lot of experience with ignoring it. But with the suggestion of food, her stomach decided it was time to make its hunger known again.
Katya sat her down on a stool at the huge marble island and opened the fridge, looking for ingredients. "Do you eat here? I know S-Death doesn't." She almost slipped up and called him by the name she knew him by. She'd been so perfect so far at referring to him as everyone else knew him, but it was hard sometimes if she didn't focus on it.
Katya began pulling out items and Rose watched intently, curious about how different things might be here. To her surprise, most things seemed the same. Katya pulled out what appeared to be flour, though it was a light brown color, and several other ingredients like sugar, cream, and salt.
"I know you probably know him by another name. You can call him whatever is most comfortable. He went by another name when I first knew him, too. And yes, I eat. We all do occasionally. We can feel hunger, but it's more of a mental feeling than a physical one. If we ignored it, it would go away."
Rose wondered about Katya's background with Samael again. "What name did he go by with you? I hardly know anything about your relationship. How did you meet him?"
Katya paused in her breakfast-making to glance up at Rose long enough to give her a wry smile. "He went by Veles. That is who he is in my cultural context. But I think we should save that conversation for another time. What name does he go by with you?"
Rose pushed her slight irritation aside. It was a personal question she'd asked, after all. Katya didn't have to tell her. "Samael."
Katya's head whipped up in surprise before she burst into laughter. "Of course he would go by that name."
"What's so funny?" Rose asked, smiling at Katya's infectious laughter.
"Oh, nothing. I'm sure he wouldn't want me telling...anyone." She stopped chuckling suddenly, and the air grew awkward as Rose realized she meant he didn't want Katya to tell her. That should have been no surprise with the way he had treated her.
As an uncomfortable silence settled over them again, Rose put the dark thoughts aside and watched Katya cook. She pulled a pan out of a cupboard and put it over the stove, turning the heat on. She poured a thin batter-like mixture into the pan and Rose realized she was making crepes. Katya continued until she had a large stack, and finally split them in half on two plates and handed one to Rose. She handed her some strawberry jam as well, before spreading it on her own stack and digging in.
"Here, eat up. I hope you like it."
Rose brought a fragrant bite to her lips, wondering what it would taste like. After all, the ingredients looking similar didn't mean they tasted similar. She took a bite and was surprised by the delicious nutty flavor of the crepe combined with the tart, fruity flavor of the jam. It was like crepes she'd had in the past, but she'd be willing to bet the flour was made of something other than wheat.
"Wow, that's so good. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'm glad to have someone around who appreciates my cooking. It's been a long time since I've been able to make blinchiki for someone else." Katya smiled at her, eyes crinkling.
Rose quickly ate the delicious meal, then she and Katya walked back to the living room where Samael was resting on the couch, eyes closed. She wasn't sure he could teach her anything while he was so unwell. He looked somehow even worse than yesterday with the growing dark circles under his eyes.
"Hey, wake up. It's time. You need to earn your keep." Katya shook him less than gently.
Samael groaned, then glared at Katya. "Fine. Help me up."
Katya grabbed his arm and gently helped prop him up against the couch cushions. When he was situated, he scrutinized Rose carefully. Content with whatever he found, he nodded to himself.
"Let's begin. That is, if you don't need to fetch one of your mistrustful clan members." He threw that last sentence dryly at Katya.
"Not this time. I am their leader, after all, and they expect me to hold up our decisions and rules, which is exactly what I will do." That last part sounded pointed, though Rose wasn't sure why.
Samael rolled his eyes exaggeratedly before turning back to Rose. "Now that's out of the way...let's focus on where your power comes from first. Usually, when someone uses power, it comes from one part of their body or mind. It's like a pulling feeling directing your motions. When tapped into correctly, it allows almost instantaneous access to the power and increases reflexes considerably. For now, I want you to see if you can make the power rise and figure out where it's coming from before letting it subside again."
That made sense. Rose remembered feeling a pull before when she tried to use her powers when she was being shot at. All the other times, it felt like it had completely taken her over and was all around her. But maybe the key to controlling it was tapping into that pull like Samael had said. Before she could do as he said, however, she hesitated. Did she really want to do this? Every time she used her power, she worried she might open a door that could never shut again. That was the last thing she wanted.
"Do I have to do this? I don't want these abilities. Can't I give it to you or something?" Rose asked, hopeful there was something she could do.
Samael looked at her, no readable emotion on his face. "I am sorry. I know you do not want this, but in order to get you out of here we have to comply for now. If I could take it from you and lessen your burden, I would." Rose's disappointment must have shown on her face because Samael reached out, fingers barely touching the back of her hand. "I promise I will let nothing happen to you. I will get you out of here and to safety."
That reassured her a bit. So far, Samael hadn't been one to break a promise. Katya sighed heavily, breaking up the moment. "Can we please get back to work? We have a lot to do."
Rose pulled away from Samael's touch and nodded. She needed to focus. If Samael said he would help her find a way out, she believed him, which meant right now she had to do as he said. She closed her eyes and focused on her body. She wasn't completely sure what it meant to bring up her power. She had never done it intentionally–every time it came up, she was in danger.
After a moment of nothing, she opened her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry. I just don't know how to bring my power up."
Samael looked thoughtful. "Think of it as a spring bubbling up inside you. Usually, the spring is bringing up just a trickle. It's not enough to use. When you're in danger, your fear signals that spring to bring up more, faster. If you concentrate on the need to use it and direct that need onto something, you should be able to draw it up enough to feel where it's coming from."
Rose nodded and closed her eyes again, willing to try. She remembered back to when the fake delivery man aimed his gun at her. The fear coursed through her system and the inescapable need to survive had taken over. She put herself there again, allowed the images to flash through her mind, felt the blood rushing through her veins in a desperate urge to get oxygen to her brain quickly, smelled the gunpowder in the air as a shot rang out, and tried to focus on that spot in front of her where she was trying her hardest to move the gun away. A pulling sensation throbbed in her chest, somewhere under her heart.
"I feel it."
"Open your eyes," Samael barked out urgently.
Rose opened her eyes to see Samael floating in the air directly where she'd imagined the shooter. As soon as her focus shifted just the slightest with her surprise, he fell back to the couch and groaned in pain. Katya had her mouth open in awe.
"You certainly are powerful. No wonder Frederick fears you," she muttered to herself.
"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Rose looked him over, hoping he was okay.
After a moment of catching his breath, Samael finally responded. "I'm fine. The important question is whether you could detect where your power comes from."
"Yes, it was–" Rose was about to tell him when he cut her off.
"Don't tell me or anyone else. Wherever your power pulls from needs to be protected. That's where your soul is most directly stitched to your body. It's also where you are most vulnerable. If you get hit there once you could lose the ability to use your powers ever again or, in the worst case scenario, die."
"Oh." That was good to know. Rose would definitely keep that in mind. She wouldn't mind losing her powers but she absolutely did not want to die.
"Now that you know where your power draws from, you can call it there more directly. If you focus on that spot and practice calling the need to use your power forward, it should come to you more easily. Try it, but focus on something other than me this time."
"I'll try."
Eyes closed once again, Rose focused on that spot just under her sternum and imagined the book on the coffee table in front of her. She brought a feeling of urgency forward as though she was in danger and felt the pull starting. She opened her eyes to direct the book up into the air. She gasped as her concentration slipped again like a bar of soap in wet hands and the book went flying right into Samael's face.
The three of them froze for a moment before Katya burst into laughter. Samael grimaced and gently touched his cheek where the book had hit, and Rose started apologizing.
"I'm so sorry! I lost my concentration."
"That was good. Don't apologize, he deserves it." Katya chuckled as Samael shot a glare her way before turning back to Rose.
"It is okay. It's difficult to control at first. At least you are showing promise so far. I was worried you might not tap into it at all. Well, we should take a short break. Go take a walk and refresh yourself."
She didn't think she needed a break until she stood up and fatigue crashed down on her. It must have taken a lot out of her. That felt a little embarrassing considering how little she'd actually done.
"Come on, let's go out to the garden for a while. Some fresh air will help." Katya led Rose out the back door into the pretty garden. She looked at the flowers and shrubs around the neatly cut grass and felt heavy as she realized the people who had done all this work to make their garden beautiful were gone.
"How did this situation get so bad? I still don't understand how Samael didn't see what was happening," Rose muttered to herself.
"That is a good question. Honestly, Death's leadership style is vastly different to mine. I never would have left my people unattended long enough for this to happen, even in the hands of someone I trusted. But he's not that way. He's much more hands off."
Rose shook her head, confused. "Are you saying he's negligent?"
Katya thought for a moment before answering. "...No. It's more complicated than that. He has his reasons, but I can't deny that it was the wrong way to go about things. He's never paid a lot of attention to his role here."
That sounded like a nicer way of saying what Frederick had said last night. She was getting more and more confused about the truth. It seemed like at least some of what Frederick had told her was true, but she still couldn't differentiate truth from lie. There was too much gray area.
Katya abruptly pulled Rose from her thoughts as she grabbed her shoulder. "Look, I'm glad you've been getting the hang of using your power. It's important to at least know how to protect yourself. But you shouldn't do too well. Do you understand?"
Rose didn't really understand. Katya's clan had been the ones to push for her to learn. Why had it seemed like she didn't want her to tap into her powers all day? Was she saying not to trust Samael? He'd promised she'd be safe. She thought about arguing, but Katya's expression was dead serious, almost desperate. So instead, she nodded. Katya relaxed slightly.
Before Rose could ask anything further, Katya was leading her back inside. She followed, wondering yet again what was being kept from her. When they walked back in, Samael seemed paler and his breathing was more ragged as his eyes were closed. Katya rushed in front of him, putting a hand to his forehead.
"He's burning up. It's getting worse. Let's call it a day. You must be exhausted, and he's been pushing himself too much."
"Is there anything I can do to help? Why is he so sick?"
Katya sighed, drooping a bit. "It is complicated. No, there's nothing you can do. It's okay, I will take care of him. You can go."
Rose left, worried and angry. Once again, she was getting shut out of the conversation. It actually seemed like she was getting told less and less. She walked out of the house, determined to take her anger out on her legs. If she took a long walk, she might return more composed.
She began walking down the gravel-laden street, looking at all the nice houses around her. It haunted her that this area showed signs it used to be occupied and thoroughly loved. Now everyone who lived here was just...gone. Frederick had rounded them up and destroyed them, but it was Samael's negligence that allowed it to get that far. That was the root cause of her issue: she didn't know who to trust or believe.
It's not that she wanted to trust Frederick. It would make her perfectly happy to write him off as a psychopath. However, she couldn't deny what was right in front of her; Samael had admitted he should have done more and had given no reason for it. He wasn't giving her anything to trust. Frederick had also offered her what she really wanted: a way out. She didn't believe he would keep his word, but it was tempting. If she continued to follow Samael, she'd have to tap into her powers and help him before she could leave.
The gravel crunched under her feet as she walked to the edge of the city, near where the forest began. Deciding she had probably gone far enough, she turned around to head back. What sounded like a branch cracking drew her attention again to the trees just a few feet away. She hoped beyond hope it wasn't another animal. That had been one of the most terrifying experiences and there was nobody around to help.
Maybe it was because of the work she'd done earlier that day tapping into her powers, or maybe it was just pure luck, but she suddenly felt a pull in her chest that set the air behind her on fire. She turned to see an unknown man jump back, clutching his hand to his chest like she'd burned him. Shivers ran down her spine as she realized he must have reached out to grab her just as her power activated.
"Who are you? What are you doing?" she demanded, doing her best not to show how shaken she was.
"Damn! You didn't need to burn me!" he yelled, half bent over in pain.
Rose lifted her hands, trying to seem threatening even though she wasn't sure she could tap into her power on command again. "Tell me who you are right now before I really hurt you!"
He finally stood up straight and looked her in the eye. "Frederick sent me to guide you to him. He said you accepted some kind of deal."
Rose's eyes went wide in surprise. "How does he know where I am?"
The man scowled, still holding his hand gingerly. "You led us here. Now, come with me."
"Us?" Alarm blared through her mind. She didn't think she'd done anything to lead them here.
He gave her a wicked smile. "You didn't think I was the only one he sent, did you?"