Whispers

Chapter twenty

I woke up the next morning, to Bane's alarm clock, thanking everything in me that it was Friday. My first full week of training and school was over. 

I rolled out of bed, slowly getting clothes together when a knock came to the door. Groaning, I opened it, to see Angel on the other side with a big smile, "Morning, Gill. You ready?" I groaned again and shrugged. Was I ready to sit behind a computer for a couple of hours and complete school work? Not really, but I didn't really have a choice. I gathered up my clothes and went into the bathroom to change while Angel poked at Bane's sleeping body. 

I changed quickly, swiped my hair up into a ponytail, and brush my teeth. 

"Angel! I will f*****g crush you if you poke me again!" I jumped at the sound of Bane yelling. Angel was laughing at Bane as finished up. I walked out of the bathroom, rolling my eyes. 

"Angel I don't think he was kidding," I said, slipping on some socks while looking for my shoes. Angel looked at me, still laughing. 

"I know he's not kidding. Bane doesn't like waking up. Takes him several hours for him to get to normal," He flopped down on my bed with a sigh and watched as I put on my shoes, "Have you met Will yet? He came in last night." 

"I stayed in my room last night, Angel," I mumbled, sighing at the end. I couldn't get the look on Jason's face when he brought me my food out of my head. I rubbed my face, trying to push away the memory, willing myself to think about anything else, "So, no. I didn't get to meet him," I stood up and started for the door. Angel said goodbye to Bane as we left the room, allowing him time to get up and ready to face the day. We walked to the computer room, side by side. 

"Why did you stay all last night in your room? Is everything okay?" Angel asked, the closer we got to the computer room. I shrugged at him, not sure how to answer. 

"I just didn't want to be around people. I like being alone sometimes." We got into the computer room and sat down behind the same computers that we have been sitting behind all week. I sign into the portal that we use to take classes and got up to get some paper and a pencil to do math work on. I came back to see Angel diving into an English quiz. I clicked on the math class and got to work. 

I made it through the rest of my classes without a problem. I aced a Math quiz and a History quiz with little effort and made a mental note that I needed to take an English and a Science quiz Monday. I looked at the time on the computer to see that it was nearing noon, which meant it was almost time for training. I sighed, and clicked on my English class. I still had time to take it, so I might as well get it out of the way. 

Just as I was about to start the quiz, Jason came in the room looking for someone. We locked eyes and he smiled slightly, sending my stomach into my chest. My wolf yipped, happy to see him. 

"Gill, Dom wants you. Sign out of the computer and come on," He said as quietly as possible. Angel looked from him to me, giving me a weird look. 

"Why does Dom want me?" I asked, signing out of the computer, trying to think of everything that I've done. It's possible he would want to talk to me about yesterday; That is if Jason told him about yesterday. I swallowed, nervous, and got up. I gave a small wave to Angel, and walked out the door behind Jason. 

We walked in silence to Dom's office. Jason opened the door for me, giving me another small smile, and walked in behind me. 

"Ah! There she is! The girl of the hour! Gill," Dom came up to me and guided me towards another person standing beside his desk, "This is William Turb. He's the Bender that the Council has assigned to be your instructor." I looked at Dom, who was smiling bigger and broader than ever. 

William was tall, blond hair, and tan. I could definitely tell that he had spent some time under the California sun. His smile was warm and inviting as he came over and put out his hand for me to shake, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Gill. I've heard much about you," I took his hand and gave it a slight squeeze. 

"Well hopefully not too much," I said with a laugh. William laughed along with me, and shook his head. 

"I know as much as I need to get started, and please, call me Will. No one but the Council members call me William," I nodded and looked over at Jason, who was looking everywhere else but at me. I rolled my eyes, trying to figure out why I cared so much about what Jason thought. "I'm excited to learn more about you, Gill. Should we get started?" Will held out his hand for me to shake, taking my attention away from Jason. I swallowed the slight anxiety in my throat and took Will's hand. 

"What are we going to work on first?" I asked, feeling small. We started walking towards the door, my body heating up as we got closer to Jason. Jason looked at me, finally, his eyes looking heavy with something I couldn't describe. My body went completely numb as Will opened the office door and lead me out. I checked in with my wolf, just to make sure that she was okay, and then turned my attention back to Will. 

"We first need to find out what kind of Bender you are," we walked side by side, up the trail head, and into a part of the territory that I wasn't familiar with. We ended up coming to a lake, making me slightly confused. Looking into the lake, you could see straight down to the bottom. I had never seen water so clear. "Come over here, Gill. On to the dock." I followed him to the dock and stood on the end with him by my side. 

"How do we do this?" I asked, taking in a deep breath. The fresh air filling my lungs felt like nothing else. I could feel my heart slow and calm as I closed my eyes to take in the breeze that made its way through my braided hair. 

"There are many ways to determine what kind of Bender you could be. How much have you been told?" I open my eyes and look at Will, who's sizing me up, his arms folded across his chest. 

"Not much, if I'm honest. All I know is that Benders can manipulate the elements," I looked down at the water and sighed. I didn't know anything about anything. I heard Will scoff. 

"That's one of the main things that Benders can do, but they can do much more than that. Benders are powerful because they can preform things that are in all three abilities groups. Benders have mind abilities, Body abilities, and then the abilities in their own subgroup. This is why people are tested before they are put into abilities training. A lot of people have more than one ability; but to be a Bender you have to have the element manipulation aspect," I turned to face Will fully, feeling the breeze pick up, "So, tell me, Gill. What have you experienced?" I took in a deep breath. 

"I've made people fly across the room before," I thought back to when I was with my old pack. I threw that demon across the room before I even knew it was a demon. 

Will nodded at me, "Okay, so that's telekinetic, which is a Mind ability. Anything else?"  

"I fought this girl names Sarah and almost broke her arm. Then I broke the leg of the red eye wolf that we have held hostage in Doc's office," I shrugged, watching as Will thought long and hard about what I said. 

"I'm not sure if fighting is a Body ability. I will have to check with the Council." I swallowed. Maybe the Council was wrong. Maybe I'm not actually a Bender. 

"Other than that I don't remember. At the Council meeting I blacked out when I got outside. That's when the Council told me I was a Bender. I just assumed that they would know what a Bender looks like," I shrugged, feeling the wind pick up some more. I could feel my heart racing; why did I feel like I was a fraud? 

"The Council does know what a Bender looks like. So does Dom and Kitty, so I have no doubt that they know what they are talking about," Will placed his hands on my shoulders and gave me a slight smile, "Your Body ability could be weak since you just really started training, so don't worry too much, okay? We are going to figure this out." I took in a deep breath and nodded. I needed to trust Will, even though something in the pit of my stomach said I shouldn't. 

"Gillian," I looked Will in the eyes, something that I avoided doing, and swallowed. The uneasy feeling in my stomach wouldn't go away. I could feel my mutant side stirring as my wolf stood her ground. "You need to trust me. I know what I'm doing." I swallowed again, and took in a deep breath. This was going to be interesting. 

"It takes me a while to trust sometimes," I whispered, my breath caught in my chest. 

"Well you're going to have to trust me right now," Will's purple eyes deepened in color before my eyes. Behind me, I heard wave starting to hit the dock. I turned quickly, panicked, and watched as a giant wave came up and headed right to me. I turned, ready to run, stuck in flight mode, but Will blocked my way. I backed up to the edge of the dock, unsure about what to do. I didn't know what to do. 

I screamed as the wave swallowed me whole. I crash landed into the lake and struggled to get to the surface. The current I was stuck in kept pulling me down. I looked down, the water stinging my eyes, and saw some plants wrapping their way around my ankles, dragging me further down. This lake was a lot deeper than I thought; There was no way I was making it out of this unscathed. 

I fought against the vines that grabbed my ankles, but they wouldn't budge. The more I fought, the more I panicked, and the more my chest closed. I needed air, and I needed it now. I couldn't drown now! 

I closed my eyes, my head starting to go fuzzy, and tried to focus on channeling some kind of energy. I willed my mutant side to work with me, to help me. Usually she would have taken over by now, but not now. 

Stop panicking! I can't help if you're panicking! I thrashed some more, trying to get free when I heard my mutant side whisper to me in the back of my head.

I'm underwater and I need to breathe! How would you like me to stop panicking?! I stood still, my chest starting to become hungry for oxygen. The vines worked their way up my legs, getting closer and closer to my knees. I tried to get them off, but it wasn't any use. They would grow back faster the more I tore at them. My vision was fading.

Let me take the wheel. I looked up at the surface, my head pounding.

Every time you take the wheel I black out. I closed my eyes, no longer having the energy to fight.

If you don't trust me then we both die! I told you I would protect you, now let me!

In that second, I let go. My lungs had closed in on themselves, and my head pounded at the lack of oxygen. I could feel my heartbeat slow in my ears, slowing down. Just as I thought I was going to die, air filled my lungs. My eyes shot open as I felt my heart beat start to get stronger. I sucked in the air, realizing that I was still underwater. 

I was breathing underwater? How is that even possible? 

Before I had time to figure out what was going on, I shot right up. I went right through the current, breaking the vines that held me to the bottom of the lake, and took a hard landing onto the dock, shaking it violently. 

I vomited up water, and coughed so hard that my throat throbbed. I vomited up more water, my body sore and shaking, when I felt a hand on my back. 

Freaked, I got up and involuntarily launched the person into a tree. They hit it with a groan, and sat at the base of the tree, hissing. "s**t," I coughed some more, and realized who I just threw. 

"Damn it, I'm sorry Will!" I croaking, still coughing and vomiting up water. I finally felt like all the water was out of my lungs as I stood there on the doc. Will look at me and smirked. Holding his side, he got up and limped his way to me. 

"Don't be! Your mind abilities are strong. You were able to launch me into a tree with such force that I'm pretty sure I broke a couple of ribs. Nothing that won't heal in a day or two," Will looked at me, his smiled growing. I still in front of him, mad as hell, and soaking wet. 

"What the hell was that?!" I yelled. The wind picked up and blew around me, whipping my braid into my face. I swallowed as I tried to control the overwhelming power that was trying to consume me. I didn't want to black out. 

You're not going to black out, said the whisper in the back of my skull. The wind surged again, landing Will on his butt, looking up at me. With the wind still blowing, I walked to him and stood over him. Will was taller than me, like everyone else, but on the ground he looked up at me like he was a child. 

"Let me explain, Gill," He whispered, holding his hands up in surrender, his eyes blanketed in fear. I took a deep breath and let it out, feeling the wind die down, "Every bender has a main element. We can manipulate all four, but we have one that comes forth faster than the others. Mine, is water," Will got up to his feet, keeping his distance from me. "The Council members that witnessed your power at the meeting told me that you summoned a tornado around you; This usually mean that someone has an air affinity. I wanted to test it."

"By drowning me?!" I yelled, feeling the wind pick up again. 

"Gill, this entire time you have been using your mutant abilities as a survival tactic. The only way to help you access it, before I teach you how to access it more easily, was to put you into a survival situation. I was never going to let you drown," Will said softly, taking small steps towards me. 

The feeling in the pit of my stomach was telling me not to trust him, but it was also telling me that he was telling the truth. He wouldn't have let me drown; He would have come to rescue me and brought me back if I wasn't able to get out on my own. 

"How did you know I have been using this as a survival tactic?" I asked softly, willing the wind to die down. It was all the way down to a slight breeze when I saw Will relax. 

"Dom told me everything. About how you didn't use your powers when Jason saved you from the shapeshifter, but they kicked in at the Council meeting. He told me about what happened in the infirmary after you were shot," I looked down at the ground, coming to a sudden realization. 

All the times I have used my abilities, the mutant side of me took over before I could completely panic. At the meeting, I held back my panic with help of Kitty, and was able to let go when I got out of the building. When I beat up Sarah and Damion, I was angry. When I was in the infirmary, I was scared, but I wasn't panicked. The mutant side of me has been responding to intense emotions, but it couldn't work with utter panic. It needed another strong emotion to work with, like anger or fear, but not total panic. 

"It doesn't work when I'm panicked." I whispered, looking up at Will. He took in a deep breath and nodded. 

"For you, yes. Every Bender is different. For me, it's complete anger. Getting annoyed or pissed off, it will work, but if I'm so angry I can't think straight, then it doesn't work," Will came over to me and put his hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down. 

"I don't understand though. I thought I have been panicked before and it's worked," I rubbed my head, thankful that it was done throbbing. 

"There is a difference between fear and panic, just like there a difference between being frustrated and angry. For me, being frustrated makes more motivated. I'm able to think my best when I'm frustrated. When I'm angry I can't think straight. My body takes over and completely blocks out my mutant side, leaving me unable to use my abilities," Will took his hand off my shoulder and took a step back, giving me some room to breathe, "For you, it might work the same way." 

"My abilities have really shown themselves when I'm really angry," I turned back towards the lake, still trying to figure out how I survived. I shouldn't have survived. I should have died on the bottom of the lake, wrapped up in vines while the current pushed me under. I swallowed, feeling my fear surge in my chest. I felt my abilities come forth. 

"And why do you think that?" I looked at Will out of the corner of my eye. 

"What do you me, 'why do I think that'?" I crossed my arms and sat down on the edge of the dock. I just wanted to calm down. I didn't want to be afraid. 

"Why are you so angry?" Will sat down beside me and leaned back on his hands, looking at me. I gazed at him, thinking to myself. I wasn't angry. Was I?

"I'm not angry," I looked into the water, feeling the whisper of my mutant side rising up in the back of my head. 

Liar. 

"Are you sure? Because you just said that it comes out when you're angry." I watched Will pick at his fingernails, completely calm. I thought about it some more. 

"I suppose I am angry a lot," I said, looking into the lake. I felt the wind pick up at the thought of my last pack and everything that I had been through. 

"What are you angry about?" Will asked softly, sitting up straight. I swallowed, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. This was the first time I didn't get sick or black out from using my abilities, and I wasn't about to change that now. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath.

"A lot of things," I admitted. I looked over at Will, who nodded at me. 

"I understand. For me, my abilities were triggered by fear. I grew up scared and got even more scared when I learned what I could do. Once I learned how to control that fear, I got control over my abilities. Once I controlled my anger, I figured out how I could access them. Fear and anger are not mutually exclusive; often times they come with each other, but they block each other sometimes." Will's eyes bore through me, as if he wanted me to elaborate as to why I was so angry. He shared with me a piece of him, and now he wanted me to share too. 

I just didn't trust him. I didn't know what it was, it was this rock that sat inside me, telling me not to trust him or to let him in too quickly. I looked out into the woods in front of me, remembering my old pack. I felt my abilities rise to the surface. I wasn't super angry, but I was still mad about everything that happened. 

"So, what do I need to do?" I looked at Will and saw him flinch slightly. I waited for him to say that my eyes were the deepest purple he had ever seen, but he didn't say anything. He just looked at me and smiled. 

"First, you have to let go of this anger that your holding in you. You are letting your anger control your abilities when you and your mutant side need to work together. I assume you have talked to her?" I looked at Will, surprised. I thought I was the only one who communicated verbally with their mutant side. 

"Yes. How did you--,"

"Powerful mutants can verbally communicate with their mutant half. It's the little whisper in the back of your head. I assume you talked to her at the bottom of the lake?" I nodded at his assumption, "It probably told you to stop panicking, and allow it to take over, which it couldn't do until you almost drowned?" I looked down and nodded again. 

"Can all mutants communicate with their mutant side?" Will shook his head. 

"No. I can, and you can. Jason might be able to. But others like Gator and Bane more than likely can't. They might be able to hear it every once in a while, but it's not as strong as ours, and they definitely can't communicate as efficiently," I nodded and brought my knees to my chest. I rested my chin on my knees, feeling smaller than ever.

"How am I supposed to let go of this anger that I have?" I whispered, feeling hopeless. I've been angry for years at everyone from my dad all the way to Alpha Collins. I've been mad at my mom for not fighting for me. I've been mad at Luke for not choosing me. I've been mad as Sarah for obvious reasons. I've been angry for so long; I don't know how to not be angry. 

"That part is up to you. I'm not you. I could give you suggestions, but I don't know what's best for you. Only you know that," I took in Will's words and swallowed the growing lump in my throat. I took in a deep breath, fear coming over me. I didn't see any way. 

"What do you suggest?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. I was afraid of what he was going to say. 

"Well," Will took in a deep breath and sighed heavily, "If you're angry at a person, you could call them or write to them. Or, if you're angry at a situation, you could talk about that situation with someone you trust," Will looked over at me and tried to give me a half smile. He could sense my unease, which was making the air between us heavy. I took in a deep breath and sighed. 

"I don't think my dad will answer the phone if I called," I said with a groan, "And I don't think Luke or any of the Collins family will answer either." I scratched at my still damp hair. Will put a hand on my back and gave me a slight pat. 

"It's worth a shot, Gill," Will got up and extended a hand to me. I took it, and stood up with Will. Together we walked back to the pack house. Everyone was starting to file out of the gym. I didn't realize how much time had passed; training was over. I swallowed at the thought of calling my dad. I was nervous. I haven't talked to him in a couple of weeks; I wasn't even sure if I knew what his voice sounded like anymore. 

I caught sigh of Angel and Bane as they walked out of the gym and gave them a slight wave. Everyone else around them looked at Will and I, whispering. Will was like a celebrity here; Everyone knew him, and everyone wanted to be friends with him. 

"I'll walk you to Dom's office. I'm sure he will let you use his phone. Do you have your father's number memorized?" I nodded at will, allowing my anxiety to slip for a second. Angel came up to me, sensing my nervousness, and gave me a quick side hug. I took in a deep breath and nodded at him. He let me go, and Will and I walked the rest of the way to Dom's.

When we got there, Dom was sitting behind his desk going over some paperwork. 

"Hey, can we use your phone?" Dom looked up at Will. 

"Sure. I'm done here anyway. I assume this is apart of her training?" Will and I nodded, which made Dom smile. 

"Good, I'm glad we are getting somewhere," Dom's eyes shone with pride, "I'll give you guys some privacy. Good luck," Dom got up and patted my shoulder, trying to give me more luck for what I was about to do. I swallowed the lump in my throat, feeling even more nervous, as I walked to the other side of Dom's desk and took the desk phone in my hand. 

Quickly, and without thinking, I dialed the home phone number. There was a chance no one was home; it was a work day. If no one was home then I would just call my dad's cell. My heart pounded as I waited for something to happen. 

Someone picked up on the fourth ring. 

"Hello?" Asked a gruff voice. My heart stopped and my mouth became dry. I sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. I needed to do this. 

"Dad?" I asked, sitting down in Dom's chair. I felt nervous tears come to my eyes. What if I dialed the number wrong? I looked down at the desk phone again, knowing that I typed the number correctly. 

"Gill?" Said a surprised voice. I let out a huge sob of relief. 

"Yeah," I wiped my eyes and smiled, "Hi."

"Holy--It's Gill," My dad whispered to someone, "Gill, thank Goddess. Alpha Collins wouldn't tell us what happened after the meeting. We assumed the worst. Are you okay? Are you safe?" I felt myself get angry at the though of my father and Grace being in the dark about me. I swallowed it and focused. One thing at a time. 

"I'm okay. I'm safe. There's a whole pack out here with people who are just like me. I'm learning how to control my abilities," I said, feeling my anger subside. 

"Wow, really? That's incredible," I heard my dad laugh on the other side of the phone. I could hear his voice breaking on the other side of the phone, full of tears. I only hoped they were happy tears. 

"Yeah," I said with a slight laugh. 

"So, not that I'm not thrilled to hear from you because I was worried sick about you, but why are you calling? I didn't think I would ever hear from you again," I took in another deep breath. 

"Well, I've realized all these years that I've been incredibly angry. It's not just at you; It's at a lot of people, but one of the ways that I can learn how to control my abilities is to learn to let go of that anger that I'm holding," I let out some breath and sucked some more in, "So, I'm calling you." My voice broke. I heard my dad sniffle through the phone, not answering. 

"Dad," I said as a tear slipped down my cheek. 

"Yes?" He said, sniffling more. 

"I don't want to be angry at you anymore," I whispered, "I don't want to be angry about you taking me away from mom. I don't want to be angry about you marrying Grace. I don't want to be angry at you going to a new pack. I don't want to be angry at anything you've done," I sobbed slightly into the phone and I heard my dad sigh. 

"I don't want to be angry at you either, Gill. I love you. You're my daughter. That's never going to change," I laughed, tears now spilling down my face, "I'm glad you called," He whispered. 

"Me too, Dad. Can you put Grace on the phone?" I wiped away my tears and listened to my dad hand over the phone to Grace. 

"Hello?" I laughed, feeling the tears come back to my eyes. 

"Hey, Grace," I heard her sigh with relief. 

"Oh, thank the Goddess. Gill, you're safe," I laughed at Grace and sniffled. 

"Yeah, I'm safe. Listen," I wiped some more tears away from my eyes and looked at Will, who was smiling at me, "I'm sorry for everything, Grace. I lived with you and Dad for six years and I never really accepted you. I held onto so much anger for so long, but I don't want to be angry anymore. I hope you can forgive me for everything," I sighed, wiping more of my tears away. I heard Grace laugh slightly over the phone. 

"Of course, Gill. I forgive you." I smiled at her words, feeling thankful. 

"Thank you all so much." I said, feeling like a weight was lifted off of me. I felt like I could finally relax and breathe. For once I didn't feel like I was carrying around a bunch of baggage with me; I actually felt lighter. Like I could hold my head up high and not be ashamed for it. "I have to call Alpha Collins and Luke." I said, swallowing more of my anxiety. 

"Okay, Gill. And please, call us again. We miss you." I told her I would and hung up the phone. I took another deep breath and reached for the phone again. I dialed the pack house's number and waited. 

I wasn't expecting Mrs. Collins to pick up the phone. 

"Hi, Mrs. Collins," I said, my voice catching in my throat. Silence on the other end of the phone. There was sound on the other end, like someone was handing off the phone to someone else, and another voice came over. 

"What do you want, Gillian?" Asked Alpha Collins, using his Alpha tone. I sat up straight and took in a deep breath. I needed to do this. It was now or never.

"Alpha Collins," I let out the breath I took in and brought in another one, "I'm sorry for everything. I wasn't the best pack member, I ran away, hurt your son and the future Luna, and made a lot of bad decisions. I've come to terms with that, and I'm trying to better myself. I don't want to be angry anymore; Not at myself, not at my family, and not at you. You did what was best for the pack, and I get that now," I breathed out and sucked another deep breath in, "That's all I really wanted to say." 

The line was silent for a minute, neither me or the Alpha saying anything. I swallowed, feeling nervous. I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst. 

"Thank you for your apology, Gillian. But it doesn't fix the damage you've done," said the voice on the other end. My heart hammered in my chest and I bowed my head. 

"I know. Nothing I do ever will," I whispered, "But I have to let this go. I have to let all this anger go. I can't live like this anymore. You can be angry with me all you want; but just know I'm not. I'm choosing to forgive myself, to forgive my family, and to forgive you. That's all I needed you to know," I took in a deep breath, waiting for a response. 

"Okay, Gillian," I heard the dial tone on the other end and sighed. I didn't know what Luke's phone number was, but I knew Ambria's home number. I could call her. I quickly dialed the number and waited with anticipation. I missed Ambria more than anything, and she was probably angry that I ran away without saying good-bye. This was my chance to apologize to her for doing that. 

"Hello?" Came a questioning voice over the phone. 

"Hi, can I speak to Ambria?" I asked, my heart pounding. 

"This is her," I broke out in a laugh. 

"Bria! It's me! It's Gill!" I yelled into the phone. Ambria yelled back at me, not believing it was really me. I heard her sob on the other end of the phone as she lost her mind for a minute. 

"I can't believe--Gill, where are you?! I've been so worried! I miss you so much!" I laughed, happy tears spilling down my face and landing on my bare legs. 

"I'm not really sure, honestly, but I'm safe. I'm alive and safe." I wiped away more of my tears, feeling at ease. "I called for two reasons. Well three actually," 

"Okay, shoot!" Ambria laughed. 

"Well," I took in a deep breath, my smile dropping, "I called because I missed you first of all. Second of all I called because I wanted to apologize for running away. I left you alone, and that wasn't a good thing for me to do, and I've been angry at myself for doing that. And three, I wanted to see if you had Luke's cell number," I let out the breath and waited. 

Ambria chuckled, "Well one, I missed you too. Two, I forgive you. You needed to get out of here, and I'm glad you're safe. Three, yes. Write this down," I grabbed a pen and told Ambria I was ready. A minute later, I was waiting on the other end of a ringing phone. I wanted Luke to answer me, but I had a feeling that he wouldn't. Alpha Collins probably got to him before I did. This was confirmed when I got his voicemail. I sighed, and tried again, hoping that he would answer if I called a second time. 

When he didn't pick up, I decided to leave a voicemail. 

"Hey, Luke. It's Gill. Listen, I know you don't want to talk to me. You probably hate me, and I can understand why. I don't blame you. I'm calling you because I'm done being angry. It's bad for me, and it's why I have no control over anything. I wanted to let you know that I'm sorry. If you don't forgive me, that's fine, but I forgive you and I'm forgiving myself. I hope you have a good life. Bye, Luke," I hung up the phone, feeling defeated, but satisfied. 

I looked over at Will and sniffled. He smiled at me as I stood. 

"That was brilliant, Gill. Forgiving yourself is am important first step to recovery. Now we can start on some actual training. Tomorrow morning, we are going to work out some, and then work on your abilities. Sound good?" Will whispered, down at me. I smiled up at him and nodded, feeling light as a feather. Will and I left Dom's office and walked over to the dining room, where people were lining up for food. My stomach growled. I hadn't eaten at all, so food was definitely a priority at the moment. I got in line with Will and got food, then searched around for a table to sit at. 

Angel and Bane waved me over. I waved good-bye to Will and went over to them, eating my food with a smile on my face. When I was finished, I threw away my plate and made my way to my room, happy that it was Friday, that I got to apologize and work on bettering myself, and that I finally feel at peace with myself. I got into my room, and laid down on my bed, feeling the weight of the day overcome me. 

For once, I was actually excited and happy to wake up in the morning.