From the Diary of Amy Noble:
Dear Diary, working with my pseudo-grandfather was a nightmare. The horribleness of it wasn’t just because of his impatience, but my inability to dig deep enough inside of myself to figure out how I’d used magic to heal my horse, Duchess.
Closing my eyes yet again, I took myself back to that day at Tom’s ranch when Duchess had stepped in the hole that broke her leg. To my horror, she’d fallen to the ground and me with her.
I rubbed my elbow which, in this intense moment, sent lightning up my arm as I’d thudded to the hard-packed soil and skidded across it a few feet, causing rug burn-type injuries on that elbow and across the tender skin on my arm.
It had taken a second to realize Duchess had been injured, but the horrific sound of her leg breaking rushed over me like a violent wave. I’d crawled to her, then laid across her body, wracked with gut-wrenching sobs.
Warmth above my head spread downward as if embracing me, surrounding me, then-
-And it was gone.
Dammit! I was so close that time.
Daring to look at Grandfather, nothing about him had changed even though I’d failed. If he was angry, his expression didn’t betray his feelings.
“Again,” was all he said.
“There is something wrong,” I said, my voice breaking with exhaustion. “I’m doing just as you said, returning to when Duchess was down and how it felt.”
“Yes,” he said, his expression still neutral.
“Oh, my-lanta, Grandfather! Can’t you do something to help? This is ridiculous!”
His chin remained high, his shoulders pushed back, and his hands clasped behind his back.
“You must trust the process, Amelie. I have planned for every obstacle, although you seem to be having a difficult time.”
A difficult time? Just the fact that he said that made me want to smack his smug face.
“Look, what happened with Duchess must have been a fluke of some kind, because I’m not feeling it now. At all.”
Wouldn’t that be something if I didn’t have any special powers at all? What I would give to not be a total freak!
“Ahem.”
To my dismay, Grandfather had a way of bringing my thoughts back to this impossible situation.
Once he was sure I was paying attention, he continued, “You definitely have powers, my dear. I know this because I’ve been spelling you to forget all about it.”
“Can’t you do that again? I mean, you’re supposed to be my grandfather. Why do you want me to live a life like this? Just make me forget all about it all. If you did it then, you can do it now.”
He shook his head and I could see the fire of determination in his eyes.
“Fine,” I said with a huff.
“Try again.”
Taking a deep breath, I repeated the steps he’d given me, putting myself mentally back in the moment when Duchess stepped in the hole, then fell… my elbow sending a lightening strike of pain up my arm to my wrist, numbing my fingers… the burning skid across the hard ground… pushing the physical pain aside as I realized my horse was fatally injured… crawling to her on bruised knees… sobs wrenching free from my tight chest…
The brilliant heat floating above my head, then snaking down my shoulders to my limbs… Unconsciously, I raised my arms as high as they would go, my eyes clenched tight.
I heard Grandfather as if he was miles away, his disembodied voice saying, “Yes, that’s it.”
My jaw went slack as the heat moved throughout my entire body, and I sensed a vibration that accompanied it.
Then, suddenly, it left me, and I nearly crumpled to the floor at the release.
After a few heaving breaths, I managed to choke out, “I failed again.”
“No, my child, you had it. You were there. Next time will be even easier. But now, you must rest.”
From the Diary of Sophie Woodbury-Noble:
Dear Diary, I’ve been shaking and weeping all day, not knowing how Amy would react to the family diary. How would she feel about my sister’s-her real mother’s-strange entries? I’ve read them so many times, still not able to make complete sense of them. She was so delusional toward the end of her life… so ill in her thoughts.
My worst fear had always been that Amy would somehow follow in Gigi’s footsteps. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to the little girl I’d raised as my own. Since I took care of little Amy from the day she was born, it felt as if she was my own child. Now we were estranged.
Sebastian was of the mind that once Amy read the diaries and saw my sacrifices, she would come around and understand my decisions regarding what she should and should not know.
I was on a rescue mission to save that baby and I’d done everything I knew how to keep her safe. Yet, I didn’t want her to know that. Sure, it might make my life easier if she knew, but it would also be incredibly painful for her.
As Sebastian drove me to Gerrard’s mansion where Amy had been staying, I replayed our lives over and over in my head. Even so, I could not see another way to have done things. There’d been no other solution except to keep these details from Amy, and if any powers were to leak through, have Gerrard suppress them.
As a light rain began to fall, I stared out the window, wishing Seb was bringing me anywhere else. Thoughts of escape invaded my brain, but I knew there was no avoiding what I must do.
Once we got there, Sebastian stayed with Gerrard and I went upstairs to Amy’s bedroom. I knocked, calling out, and entered, setting the diary down on a table in the room.
Amy moved closer, taking it in without touching it.
“This is my section, but I’ve also included my sister’s entries.”
“My real mom,” she murmured.
It didn’t feel like a barb, but those three words came across as someone trying to get used to the idea that things were different now.
“Yes,” I said, trying to sound detached even though the fact she knew I wasn’t her biological mother cut me to the quick.
“Thank you.”
I took a deep breath. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
Suddenly, as if she remembered she was supposed to be angry with me, her eyes glared, and her nostrils flared as she asked, “Is there anything else I should know?”
You shouldn’t even know that, I wanted to snap at her, but that would get me nowhere. I didn’t want to argue. I wanted my baby back.
“Everything is in there. I’ve held nothing back.”
That’s when I realized I was wringing my hands. The inheritance ring shone brightly in the lamplight.
“I’ve just remembered this ring will be passed to you once you turn eighteen. Unless you want it now.”
Her eyes softened, and she held her left arm.
“No, Mom. I don’t want anything before I’m supposed to. And you could argue I’m not supposed to have the diary yet, but this has gone on long enough. I need to know everything.”
Finally, I concluded she was right. Even if she was wrong, it was happening, thanks to Gerrard. The dirty old bastard.
“You will read some horrifying things in this diary. Perhaps you should come home and we can read it together?”
Instantly, she shook her head.
“No, I need to be here with Grandfather and away from anyone I might accidentally hurt. You, Dad, and Gil don’t deserve it, but I’ve been so angry to the point I feel I can’t control it. You all need to stay away and let Grandfather teach me.”
Gulping back my tears, I slowly nodded.
“All right, Darling. If that’s how you feel, I will let you remain here. But you know you can come home anytime. We all love you.”
She lifted her chin and held her shoulders back, and I felt a pain in my heart because her stance reminded me so much of Gerrard.
“Thank you. I love you, too.”
From the Diary of Amy Noble:
Dear Diary, today is a new day and Grandfather has decided I worked so hard yesterday, I could have the morning to do whatever I wanted. And I wanted to spend time with Duchess.
We didn’t go for a hard ride or anything, but I jumped onto her back without tacking her up. Duchess and I had a deep connection and most days, I thought for sure she could read my mind.
All I had to do was barely squeeze with my knee and she would turn that direction. We trusted each other implicitly, and that is why every time I thought of her being hurt, that weird, vibrating warmth snaked over me.
Was that the power? Was it really real?
“Hi, Amy.”
I looked up in surprise to see Harlow standing in front of us as we sauntered back to Grandfather’s house.
“H-Harlow.”
“Can we talk?” she asked.
My cheeks flamed red, and I kept my eyes down, afraid to even look at her.
“I miss you, and I think we need to clear the air.”
OMG, could this get any more awkward? The way she’d run off the other night had about killed me inside.
Wait! Maybe working things out with Harlow was the answer to my magic problem! Could it be?
There was only one way to find out.
Special thanks to Bee (Stories by Bee / Poses by Bee) for the poses used in this chapter: Spiritual Ceremony, Adult Worship/Singing, and Convo/Emotion Poses – Set 2.
Thank you so much for reading, liking, lurking, and commenting!
Other Credits:
Diary Image: ha11ok from Pixabay
Other Poses: Casual SJ Pose Pack (scroll down)
World: Winchester Farming Community
Lot: Hill House
I think for now, Amy needs to stay with her grandfather for most efficient learning. She’s going to be really learning some amazing things and needs to remain close by in case she runs into trouble. Gerard is definitely who she needs right now. However, Amy and Sophie really need to keep the lines of communication going. They are under a great strain, because Sophie wanted to keep things from her. I totally get that because of past history, and she wants to protect Amy. at the same time, though, Amy needs to know the truth and get a bunch of stuff worked out in her head. Hopefully, once all this settles down, their relationship can heal and be much stronger.
I think what Amy needs to realize is that the key to her magic is love. When you love someone as much as she loves Duchess, that magic just rises up and that’s just how it is. Lenora can tell her that. 😍
Speaking of Lenora, I totally want to get back to our beautiful power couple. However, that new EA app has really made a mess of things. A bunch of my content has disappeared, but I’m watching some tutorials on how to redo it. Imagine my utter shock and desperation win, once I got my mods from crashing my game, none of my store worlds would work. And I need my Aurora Skies to do “Forever in Time.” So yeah, EA is sitting right at the top of my shit list right now. I went back to reread some of the chapters, and man, is it sad right now! I need to get those two out of their current situation and reunited. ❤️❤️❤️
Sophie and Amy just really need some good communication. I do think Sophie was hiding things from Amy because of her own fears and memories of what happened to Gigi. I guess she’s hoping that by keeping Amy away from all the magical stuff, nothing bad will happen. But the more information Amy has, the better she’ll be equipped to deal. Things went bad with Gigi because she had limited information and Laris used her.
I really like what you said here about Gigi and how she was used by Laris. You are right that she knew next to nothing about her abilities, so she was easily used by him.
If Sophie and Amy communicate in the right way, so many of their problems will be solved.
So glad to see Amy and Soph had started mending their relationship. Sophie will always be the mother figure to Amy, as she did raise her. It is normal for teenagers to grow independent of their parents, so with/without powers, I feel that Amy and Sophie would still be in a same or similar relationship. Where they are now is just a different form of relationship, with both adjusting to the differences in boundaries. A trying time for both, only amplified by Amy’s need to control/understand her powers.
I still question the motives Gerrald has (does he plan to use Amy as a weapon?), and will be keeping an eye on him lol.
And enter Harlow. This has turned quite interesting (and I’m glad I can binge this instead of having to wait for the next installment lol)
I think you’re right about Sophie and Amy’s relationship. I like what you said about teens with or without powers.
That’s a great question about Gerrard, and you may have a real reason to worry. We’ll find out.
LOL I do that sometimes, too, because I like reading more than one in a row. 😀
I think it’s a good idea for Amy to stay with Grandfather for now. She’s going to be learning some incredible things in the next while and it will be hard for her to control her feelings.
Thank you, Jacquie. I agree with you 100%. I can understand why Sophie wants her home, but as you said, she isn’t able to control her feelings right now. I have a feeling if there are any magical “mistakes,” Grandfather will know what to do.
Oh mylanta LOL
LOL! 😂😂
Another fun chapter, Kymber! Have a wonderful week 💕🙂
Thank you so much, Harmony. I hope you have a wonderful week, too. 💕💕
Gosh! Amy is so buff! Has she been working out? I’m happy to see some reconciliations coming!
LOL Thank you, Cathy. She’s very athletically inclined and loves the treadmill. I’m happy about that, too. 🙂
Thank you for sharing!!.. Glad Amy got the diary as it will help her understand and glad everyone is taking the first steps together.. learning is a slow process when done correctly “Any piece of knowledge I acquire today has a value at this moment exactly proportioned to my skill to deal with it. Tomorrow, when I know more, I will recall that piece of knowledge and use it better. “ (Mark van Doren )…. 🙂
Until we meet again…
May the dreams you hold dearest
Be those which come true
May the kindness you spread
Keep returning to you
(Irish Saying)
Thank you so much, Dutch. Your comment, as always, is so kind and encouraging. I agree with you 100% regarding learning being a slow process when done correctly. Amy is finally getting the proper tools she needs in order to learn, and she finally has the support from all the family members, too.
So happy about Duchess–I think! What a lot of story in these chapters!
Thank you, Jacqui! I’ve been writing this story since January, 2016, and Amy is the last heir as we’re currently on Generation 9 and this story goes to the 10th generation. It feels bittersweet, but I’m looking forward to Noble Doubt ending, and starting a new project with a new feel to it. 🙂
Amy learning about her powers makes me think of a toddler taking their first steps. It’s rocky at first, but they get there in the end. I wish she’d read everyone’s journals, unless they’d been lost to the sands of time, or something to that effect. But that’s just me. LOL! I can’t wait to see what she thinks of her mother’s sacrifice(biological and adoptive) and who her birth-father ended up turning out to be.
Thank you, Hilly. Yes! Amy learning her powers was meant to seem like that. I thought of that exact image in my head as I wrote this. 😀
The rest of the journal entries are in Sophie’s possession and she will hand them over once Amy is eighteen. She decided to give Amy only the parts that directly pertained to her.
I can’t wait for you to see what thinks about what she reads. Wait till she gets a load of Laris Bloodgood.
To avoid spoilers, I’ll text you my reply. LOL!
Got it! 😀
As I looked at the first pictures of this chapter, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of deja vu. And I wasn’t mistaken! Amy’s braids are the exact same hairstyle you had `Sophie wear in the beginning of this gen. This is such a cool detail! And they were/are both in such a confusing place while wearing this hairstyle with Sophie being worried about Gigi and Amy being confused with her abilities.
I’m so excited she finally got the diary and I hope she can learn to control her powers soon.
Harlow, though. Uh-oh, I wonder what she has to say.
As a side note, as the perfectionist you are, I thought you might want to know the line ‘so hard yesterday’ appears twice in the first line of Amy’s last entry. It got me confused for a moment.
Great chapter, Kym! I am soo looking forward to this gen being over. I feel like it’s been dragged out long enough, although I completely understand why. Still, I think you’re ready to call it quits as well. Must be very tedious to have this particular plot in your head unexecuted for a long time.
Yessssss, thank you, Jowita! You are ever-observant. ♥ Thank you for thinking that’s a cool detail. I do try. 😀 😀
Ooooh, you know me so well! Thank you for telling me about the repeated phrase; I’ve corrected it now. That is a line that got edited several times, so it was bound to happen.
Yes, this gen needs to end…. yesterday! LOLOL You are correct in what you say. I’m thinking of wrapping Noble Doubt up within the first few chapters of Gen 10. I think I might have already told you that. But I am definitely ready to start my new project. I’ve been pulling things together, trying to decide what I want to do with it. 🙂