His Warning

As the door shut behind Zephirah, Alicia's shoulders sagged in relief. She let out a long, shuddering sigh as the stress began to leave her body like water exiting a constricted dam. "That was close," she muttered to herself, scarcely raising her voice above a whisper. Her thoughts were still racing from the meeting as she carelessly patted her chest.

Her eyes were clouded with bewilderment, and a frown pinched her face. "Hey! But wait," she wondered aloud, a tinge of confusion in her voice. "Why do I fear her?" As she struggled to understand her own disquiet, her brows wrinkled more deeply. She shook her head as if attempting to remove the residual worries, "It's not like I did something wrong."