“Do you want me to help you with the menu?” the young waiter asked me.
“Oh, no, thank you. I am ready to order. A sticky toffee pudding,” I replied, and I sensed him caressing my boobs with his eyes while his thoughts were mostly concentrated on how he could get me to stand up so he could check my butt too.
“Forget that, I’m not going to the loo,” I said out loud as I handed him back the menu and I was amused by the mixed expression of confusion and shock were quickly painted on his face.
After the young waiter went away, I looked around to get a better view of the crowded place.
“You are going to die.”
A cold male voice intruded into my calm mind and made my hair stand on end.
I looked around to locate where that cold voice had come from. I scanned everyone’s brain, but I was unable to locate the man whose voice sounded unwelcomed into my mind. That was weird. It had never happened to me before.
The male voice insisted. I turned around, and then I saw him.
He was sitting at a table close to the main entrance, dressed in black, pale skin, and piercing eyes. I froze. Something seemed wrong about him. It was like there was nothing beyond his face, like there was nothing inside of him; like he had no soul. It was not the first time I met a soulless creature. I had fought with one of them during my trials.
I grabbed my bag and rushed to get out of the pub. However, I had to pass by him to get to the door. I took a deep breath and I started walking. I was just a few steps away from the door when he grabbed my hand. A shiver went down my spine. His hand was cold as ice, no feeling had been transferred to me through his fingers.
Terrified, I tried to free my hand from his tight grasp. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor made him turn his head and lose his grip, giving me the chance to draw my hand away. Much to my relief, the young waiter started walking toward us with a questioning look on his face. I freed my hand from his grasp and ran toward the exit. Panic-stricken, I pushed the door and got out.
The last time I had met a person whose mind I was not able to get into, it had ended badly.
With shaking hands, I removed a curl off my sweaty forehead. But before I started walking again, everything went black around me and I felt like I was diving in a black hole.
THE WET SOIL PRESSING on my body was the first thing I felt when I woke up. Mud mixed with dried leaves, damp with morning dew, covered my body. I tried to open my eyes and a soft light blinded my body. I moved my legs abruptly and an eerie rustling broke the silence.
Where the heck was I?
I propped my body up on my arms and raised my torso with difficulty. Anxiety, panic, and fear flooded every molecule of my body. I had never been so frightened before. How did I get here? What had happened to me? Was I hurt? Was I bleeding? Had I been assaulted? I did not know. I could not remember. Nothing made sense and I felt so dizzy.
I wrapped my arms around my body and then groped my legs in search of any wounds or injuries. Everything seemed to be fine, no bleeding, no bruises. Suddenly, my fingers got numb. “I’m having a panic attack,” I thought and shook my hands and slapped my cheeks to calm down.
“I need to stand up,” I told myself as I placed my palms into a thick layer of dried leaves on the damp ground. I took a deep breath and I put all my effort to support my body weight with my arms. I exhaled with relief when my muscles obeyed what her mind commanded. I quickly stood up on my feet and looked around. I was in a forest. Breath bated I took a step forward. Dry leaves crunched underneath my feet and a couple of birds fluttered away from their nest, frightened by the noise. There was no one around. It was only me and the forest.
“But which forest?” I muttered to myself.
I pierced my eyes closed and I tried to turn back time. No use. Merlin had blocked again my time manipulating powers. If he knew that I was able to read minds, then he would have blocked this ability as well.
The sun had begun to set, and I had to get out of there. I started walking fast, not knowing where I was heading. I was nimbly descending a steep talus slope when the sound of a twig breaking made me lose my balance. I fell and started rolling down the steep hill. Sharp rocks and broken twigs scratched my bared arms. Hot air ebbed and flowed in waves over my back. Was it the air? Was it someone’s breath? My backpack slipped from my hands. When the painful descent stopped, I looked back, searching for my belongings. I recollected my backpack and, breathless, I ran towards the clearing that had suddenly appeared ahead.
Thunder echoed in the distance and lightning flashed. The skies opened and a stream of rain started splattering hard. I raised my bag over my head like an umbrella and I started running towards the clearing. And then I saw it.
A medieval castle was standing at the end of the clearing, ivy-covered and proud. The autumn foliage formed a yellowish umbrella with purple touches above its entrance.
