Page 45 of The Alien in the Archive

We get to work moving the cushions away from the table, toward an empty space. It isn’t that roomy here—no reading nook should be—but it’s large enough that she should be able to practice safely. Page sits cross-legged on one of the cushions, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Alright, teach. What’s step one?”

“Step one,” I say, sitting across from her, “is focus. Clear your mind of everything else. No distractions, no doubts. Just you and the energy around you.”

She closes her eyes, her hands resting lightly on her knees. Her breathing slows, and I can feel the subtle ripple of her energy as she begins to center herself.

Her mind reaches out to mine and I get a glimpse of her thoughts…

I try to block it out.

She’s thinking about my lips against her skin.

“Good,” I murmur, my voice betraying where my thoughts have gone with a low rumble. “Now, instead of directing your energy outward, turn it inward. Picture yourself lifting; light as air, free of gravity’s pull.”

Her brow furrows slightly, but she doesn’t open her eyes. I watch as the energy around her shifts, growing more concentrated. For a moment, nothing happens—then her body lifts a few inches off the cushion.

Her eyes snap open, and the moment breaks. She drops back onto the cushion with a soft thud and a grunt.

“Oh my God!” she breathes, her face lighting up. “Did you see that? I actually floated!”

I can’t help but smile. “Yes, you did. Not bad for a first try.”

“Not bad?” she repeats, her grin widening. “That was amazing! I didn’t think I could actually do it.”

“You can do more than you realize,” I say.

Her gaze lingers on mine, and for a moment, the air between us feels charged. I clear my throat, breaking the tension. “Try again.”

Page nods, eager now that she’s done it once. She closes her eyes, but then she opens them again, twisting her mouth into a smile I’m certain means trouble.

“What if…”

She stands up, walking over to the table. It’s only a couple feet off the ground, but it still makes my pulse pound as she steps onto it.

“What are you doing?” I ask, rising to follow her.

“I’m going to try to jump off,” she says. “It’ll be fine.”

“This is foolish,” I start. “Page?—”

But she’s already closing her eyes…and this time, her energy feels steadier, more deliberate. Slowly, she takes a step forward, then another?—

And she’s in the air.

Hovering.

It makes me remember doing this with other scholars in the Magisterium, a long time ago. Experimenting with what Elixir consumption could do, before we knew how far we would go to hang onto that power.

“Am I doing it?” Page asks. Her eyelashes flicker. “I think—oh shit!”

Once she begins to overthink it, she falters; then she’s tilting forward, like just one foot has forgotten how to fly. She rocks toward me, putting her hands out to shield herself from the blow?—

I move without thinking, catching her before she hits the ground. My arms wrap around her instinctively, pulling her close as her breath hitches.

Her hands are on my shoulders, clinging to me.

She’s so,sowarm.

“I told you that was a stupid idea,” I mutter, desperate to say something…anything. My hands are moving over her back despite myself, because I need to make sure she’s okay. “You promised me you’d try not to fall again. That you’d be careful.”

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