She was surprised at the back door though, to see two young boys approaching. They were surprised to see her too and stared a moment. One of them said something to her though in a demanding voice, stepping forwards towards her threateningly. The second boy followed the first one’s lead a moment later.

Kes narrowed her eyes, feeling fear take hold. She knew from past experience that she probably wouldn’t be able to outrun them, especially not when she was carrying things and they weren’t… and even if she could, they could raise an alarm and then who knew what would happen. All she had were two knives and no practice at all in using them as weapons (also no desire to kill anyone, which, if by some chance she won against them using the knives, might be the result). No, so she knew her only real choice was to try to use the newly discovered aspect of her mental abilities she’d used before and hope she could make it work for her again.

–I’m not really here, you’re seeing things– She mentally told them, trying to force them into believing it.

The boys’ eyes went wide and they looked startled again.

–You… you forgot something, something important, where you came from. Someone might steal it if you don’t get it back.– She told them, trying to speak to them beneath the level of words, willing them even more to believe what she needed them to.

They didn’t seem to, but they did look confused. She kept at it, moving to the side, towards the alley she’d come from. One of the boys fainted and the other one looked dazed. She darted away and hid in the alley. She watched as the boy who was still conscious slowly came out of his daze and looked around in confusion, asking aloud what had happened, or if someone was there. He saw his friend on the ground and knelt down by his side, shaking him and telling him to wake. The boy did wake and was similarly confused.

Kes felt so relieved she almost felt like she might faint herself. What she’d done had worked – she wasn’t completely sure how, but it had. She rubbed her neck under her ears though, feeling her own thoughts a little hazy as well. Her neck ached a little too. She tried to snap herself out of it though and clear her mind. Thinking of the danger she was still in and how urgently she needed to be on her way, both for her own sake and for the woman and children she’d promised to help, helped greatly to focus her thoughts. She made her way again out of the city, still being prudently cautious and making sure to stay as out of sight as much as possible.

As she was leaving the city, she had a scare though. She came very close to rounding a corner right into the path of an older male who was walking with a boy. She’d caught herself in time to hide though. Still, as she made her way back to the foothills and retraced her path back to the make-shift house among the stones, her heart was beating fast and her nerves felt on edge.

Before she’d come to this place, she’d never once in her life felt under threat of physical harm before. Now she felt like that almost constantly, and she very much wanted it to stop.

—————————

to be continued

also, I’m always happy to get comments (even really short ones)