ELLA

As Lyla walked away, I realized she had said she’d see me at school on Monday rather than tomorrow. That probably meant we wouldn’t be training.

I resisted the urge to call out to her and ask if training was off the schedule, deciding instead that I’d just come here on my own - either to train or to read a book.

The spot she had picked for our sessions was beautiful. The sound of water crashing against the rocks as it cascaded down was refreshing, and I didn’t mind spending some time alone here.

I turned toward the waterfall, watching the sunlight reflect off the flowing water, and...