Lessons

Sheena sat in her living room, several books laid out in front of her as she studied, cross-referencing information between them all, frequently losing track of her place as she tried to bounce around them, and the notes she was hastily writing and rereading weren't helping. The words and images were swimming through her brain, and as much as she grasped for them, they refused to become solid, and repeatedly swam away from her before she could utilize them. She could feel her face starting to burn, the blood rushing to her cheeks as she got angrier with her lack of progress. How was she going to pass her test if she couldn't learn?

After over two hours of attempts, she shoved the books off of her table in frustration and went to take a shower. She tried to relax under the heated water, but the hazy recollections of her failed attempts at studying were still fresh in her mind. It bothered her how much she was struggling with this, when in the past it hadn't been such a pain. She was feeling pressure weighing down on her shoulders unlike anything that she had ever experienced before. This was her final test, and one that she would no longer have help with. She would be entirely alone for the first time in her life.

She looked at the scattered books and pages of inane notes on the floor as she came back out, and judiciously decided to ignore them, stepping over them on her way into the kitchen. As she started a kettle to make some tea in hopes of calming her mind, she pushed her way into a small side room, spartanly decorated, with a single candle, a paintbrush, and a single small pot of red paint in the corner. She knelt down to dip the brush in the paint, and began to paint a circle on the floor. It was second hand to her now, she had drawn it so many times. Figures on the inside with long forgotten meaning, which spoke of other worlds and missed opportunities.

The kettle hissed with steam just as she was finishing up, and she backed out of the room to finish her tea. Cup in hand she returned to her summoning circle, and knelt down once more to light the candle. The flame burst to life in the center of the circle, its smoke rising quickly, but not fading. It rose and billowed on itself, taking the form of a young human girl. Sheena looked calmly up at her sister as she formed, sipping away at her tea.

"Sheena," her sister chastised the moment her lips had formed. "We have been over this a dozen times. You must do this on your own."

Sheena sighed and set down her tea. "I know, Ciral. Please, I'm not asking you to help me with my test right now. I know that I can not be the next sage unless I prove my own powers. But my head hurts, and I am tired. For once, can't you just be here to help me relax?"

Ciral rolled her eyes and turned away, but did not fade. "Fine. But after this, it's back to your studies."