Adam woke up, lying in bed, covered by blankets. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since yesterday's picnic. Adam stretched in bed, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He looked around, noticing the room was completely dark.

"What time is it?" Adam asked aloud.

He heard someone walking down the hallway, and suddenly bright light flooded the room.

"Good morning!" Kaley exclaimed, entering the room.

Adam blinked. He saw Kaley wearing her pajamas, and smiled at her. "Good morning. Where did you find clothes to wear?"

"In the closet."

Adam walked over to the closet in his room. Sure enough, there were a number of outfits hanging in the closet. Adam pulled out a white tracksuit, which he put on quickly. They hurried to the training room, finding everyone gathered together.

"Time to start training." Maria said. "Follow me."

She led them towards the center of the vast basement, where a circle had been drawn on the ground. A number of candles and torches burned, providing ample lighting. Maria pointed to the middle of the circle.

"All right, Adam and I will be doing our training here. Coraline set up another circle outside for you all to practice in."

Everyone nodded, Coraline led Hannah and Kaley to the spot where they would train.

Adam and Maria stood in the middle of the circle, facing each other. Adam looked at Maria. She stared back at him. For a moment, the two of them just gazed at each other. They didn't say anything, simply staring at each other.

"Okay," Maria said. "Let's get started."

She sat down cross-legged on the ground, resting her hands on her knees. Adam followed suit, sitting next to her.

"First, we need to establish a connection between us." Maria said. "The first thing we need to do is to focus on our mental link. We need to be able to communicate mentally."

Adam looked at her questioningly. "How do we do that?"

"First, close your eyes." Maria told him. "Then, focus on my mind, and try to connect to mine. Just think about me, and try to reach out to my mind."

Adam closed his eyes. He focused on his mother's mind. He tried to reach out, but couldn't. He felt nothing. Adam opened his eyes, feeling frustrated.

"Try again." Maria said.

Adam closed his eyes, trying to focus on Maria's mind. Again, he failed to make contact. He felt disappointed.

"I don't understand," Adam complained. "Why can't I reach your mind?"

Maria sighed. "It's because you're focusing too much on the physical aspect of making a connection. Focus on the mental side. Try to visualize something that represents me."

Adam closed his eyes again, thinking about his mother. This time, he imagined her face. He pictured her smiling at him. It wasn't long before he felt a warm sensation in his chest. It tingled, like when he felt she was close to the abandoned warehouse.

"I felt something. I've felt it before." He explained his experience sensing her presence.

"That's exactly how we found you." Maria answered. "Now, try connecting to my mind again. Focus on me, and try to make contact."

Adam closed his eyes, trying to reach out to his mother again. He reached out, trying to find Maria's mind. Once again, he felt the warmth in his chest.

"There it is! I feel it!" Adam exclaimed.

"You're getting better." Maria praised. "Now, try going into my mind. Try to see what's going on inside my head."

Adam closed his eyes, reaching out to his mother. He tried to visualize her face. He felt a warmth in his chest, and then he began to see images in his mind. He saw himself standing in front of Maria, looking at her face. He saw her smiling at him, and he heard her voice.

"Adam!" Maria cried out, startled by the sudden intrusion.

Adam gasped, snapping his eyes open. His heart was racing, and his breath caught in his throat. As he regained his composure, he realized that what he saw wasn't real. It was merely a vision in his head.

"So, what did you see?" Maria asked.

Adam stammered, still shaken from the encounter. "I saw myself standing in front of you. You were smiling at me, and you called my name."

"That's great." Maria said, satisfied. "I saw you, too. I saw you smiling back at me."

Adam took a deep breath. "I felt something when I connected to you. It was warm, like I could sense all of your emotions, not just your thoughts."

"I'm glad you figured that part out." Maria smiled. "We'll have a lot of work ahead of us, but now that you know the basics, I think we can move forward."

Adam nodded, feeling relieved.

"I want to start with something simple." Maria told Adam. "If you are having trouble connecting to me, try imagining yourself standing in a dark room. Then, picture me, and try to reach out to my mind. See if you can connect to me."

Adam closed his eyes. He pictured himself in a dark room, alone. He reached out to his mother's mind, picturing her face in his mind.

He felt an intense heat in his chest. He gasped, surprised. He had never felt anything like this before. He felt his mother's warmth. He felt her smile. She appeared in front of him, smiling at him.

"I felt it!" Adam exclaimed. "I felt a warm sensation in my chest. I saw you, and you were smiling at me."

Maria smiled. "Good job!" She clapped her hands together. "It's not always going to be that simple. Right now I'm inviting you in, but there will be times I'm focused on something else and won't be able to concentrate on you."

Adam nodded. "Okay."

"If that ever becomes the case, you have to concentrate really hard. Try going for a strong emotional image to push through to me. I'll actively be trying to keep you out so we can practice."

Adam nodded again. "Got it."

He closed his eyes, trying to envision his mother's face. He pictured her smiling at him. He could feel her presence, but this time it felt like there was a brick wall between them. He sighed.

"Try again," Maria encouraged.

Adam took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine his mother, smiling at him. He pictured her face, the way she looked at him. He pictured her smile. He felt something in his chest, like he could almost touch it.

"Keep trying." Maria urged. "You're getting closer."

Adam concentrated harder, this time, picturing his mother's beautiful green eyes. He imagined her arms wrapped around him, holding him tight. He was looking up at her, the same image he saw last night. He was in her arms, the ruins of the warehouse around him, as he nuzzled against her breast.

His breathing quickened. The warmth in his chest became stronger. He could feel something coming off of his mother, but he couldn't quite make out what it was. He didn't care though, all he wanted was to be with her, to feel her body next to his, to feel her lips pressed against his. He could hear her voice, whispering in his ear, telling him everything would be okay.

"Adam!" He broke through.

He opened his eyes. He was panting, his heart beating faster. He could see the look of surprise on his mother's face.

"I thought I heard your voice, but it was coming from inside my head." He explained.

"Yeah, I could see what you were thinking about as you made contact." Maria blushed.

Adam was shocked. "You could read my thoughts?"

"Sort of." Maria sighed. "There is a mental connection between bonded magic users, which allows us to share our thoughts with each other. What you shared with me was mostly your thoughts, but I also got a small glimpse of how powerful your feelings are towards me. You're a very passionate boy, Adam."

Adam blushed. "I don't know why."

Maria shook her head. "It's okay to be passionate. It makes you human. Magic doesn't need to be cold and calculating. Let yourself feel what you feel."

Adam nodded. He knew his mother was right. He'd been afraid to let himself get close to anyone before because he was terrified of the pain of losing someone, of not being enough. He was so frightened of the feeling of loss that he didn't allow himself to feel anything, locking himself up from the rest of the world. Now, thanks to his mother, he had the ability to experience what it felt like to truly connect with another person.

"So much has changed these past couple of days. It's insane." Adam said. "I never thought anything like this was possible."

Maria smiled. "You have changed. I couldn't get you out of your room, no matter how hard I tried." She laughed. "This may not be the way I would have preferred to get you out of the shell you had withdrawn yourself into, but I'm just glad to have my baby boy back."

Adam smiled.

"So," Maria said, changing the subject. "Do you think you're ready to try something different?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been practicing your mind link technique, but I think it would be wise for you to focus on some of your other abilities." She said, standing back up.

"Like what?" He asked, doing the same.

"Hand to hand combat."