I glance down my body, checking for any changes. So far there’s nothing, but perhaps there’s a slight delay for it? After all, time is not linear nor is it uniform.
With every passing minute, I continue to fret over what calamity might befall me now that I’m without any protection.
Will thunder strike me dead on the spot? Will mother send a bolt of energy to pierce my heart and render me dead?
Anything could happen.
And that’s what makes it so terrifying. For hundreds of years I’ve lived under the protection of the shield; sheltered from everything. Now, though? I’m completely vulnerable. But what’s worse is that I don’t knowhowto cope with that.
My anxiety is through the roof when I hear a knock at the door. It jolts me out of my thoughts.
For a moment, I stand fully still, frozen on the spot.
Maybe I imagined it.
Another knock.
I gulp down.
Maybe they got the wrong address.
Another knock.
I creep closer to the door on the tips of my toes, doing my best to keep silent. Pressing my ear to the door, I listen carefully.
Nothing.
“Hello?” A voice suddenly rings out.
I jump back.
The voice is soft and feminine, the total opposite of what my mind had conjured just moments ago: an army of immortals ready to take my life.
Of course, who’s not to say the army could be comprised of females, or that my mother herself would be the one leading the charge. But this isn’t her voice.
It’s sweet and melodious, and to a certain degree familiar.
“Hello, is anyone home?”
“Who is it?” I ask, though every cell in my body is urging me to keep silent.
“I lost my way. Do you happen to have a map of the area?”
A reasonable request. But too convenient.
My lips flatten as I stare at the door separating us.
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“I can vow it to you,” her reply is immediate. No hesitation.
Hmm…
Perhaps closing myself to the world has made me too wary, too unaccustomed to dealing with people. Granted, I’ve lived here for hundreds of years and this is the first time someone has wondered over asking for directions.
The protective shield extended to the area surrounding the house, too.
That’s right! I had forgotten that small tidbit. Even if people wanted to come ask for directions, the shield would prevent them from ever reaching the door.
