“Panna? Please let me–” He took a step toward the girl in the doorway.

“NO! Get away!” Almost in a state of panic, Panna yelled out and thrust out a hand and shoved the man away from her doorstep and slammed the door.

The man had been shoved back by her shove to nearly the end of her walkway- a strangely far distance even for such an abrupt and hard push. He tried to take a step toward the door, but found his legs oddly heavy and unable to move forward. In his mind’s eye, he could see her angry eyes flashing as she shoved him out of her doorway; the power behind them were blazed into his own eyes, like the residue of a bright light suddenly shone into his eyes but gone, leaving just the red glow behind his eyelids.

Once more, he tried to take a step closer to Panna’s front door, this time using his own powers to add force to his step. He still couldn’t move. The barrier– or whatever Panna had put up unconsciously from keeping him approaching– was strong, stronger than he had expected.

Shrugging, the man gazed once more at the house, then he turned around and disappeared.

---

Inside, Panna shuddered, curled up in a small ball on her favorite armchair. A thousand questions were bouncing around within her head. Who was that man? Why did he try to get in her house? How did he know her name? Was he a stalker? Why did he mention Araeil? Why did he answer ‘yes’ when she asked him if she knew him? After all, she didn’t know who he was. Did she?

In the midst of her thoughts, she felt a slight pop from the direction of the door and heard the bell-like tone again. Disturbed from her thoughts, she looked up.

Nothing.

Wondering if the man had left, she crept up the stairs and peeked out of her window. There was no one there. Glancing up and down the street revealed nothing. He was gone.

Relief poured into Panna like water released from a dam. She sat down on her bed abruptly, and a few moments later, she felt calmer than she had for as long as she could remember. Still slightly unruffled by the events a few minutes earlier, Panna still felt far less disturbed than she thought she would be.

When the phone rang, Panna felt a quick tightening in her chest, but ran to get it anyway. Picking up the receiver, she said softly, “Hello?”

A familiar voice came on the other end, and she stiffened, remembering the one thing she had forgotten to do this morning: go to work.

“Panna, girlie! Where have you been? You’re late for work!” The sharp voice of her boss pierced the quiet of her house like a hot knife through butter. Any tension left in Panna’s body disappeared as she apologized profusely to her boss.

“Don’t apologize to me, girlie! The kids are waiting for you, now hurry up and get your lazy butt down here!” Then there was a click, and Panna was left holding the receiver, feeling slightly chagrined at her forgetfulness.


Rushing through the house, she brushed the other half of her hair, stuffed her shoes on, and jumped into her car, and already, her mind was erasing the events of the morning.


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