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Mejt

The man turned toward me, and I took half a step backward, wariness overcoming anything else. Running wasn’t an option. If he really could change into animals, he could outrun me. He didn’t have weapons, but he didn’t need them.

He looked confused. His eyes were mismatched, one blue, one green.

He bowed, giving me an unfamiliar greeting. I’d never seen it before, not even among the many travelers.

“My apologies, my lady.”

I instantly shook my head, almost in a reflex. I flicked my right hand in a return greeting, open, palm upward.

“I’m not a lady. Don’t–” I said, my words catching in something that was too close to panic. I could get in trouble if anyone assumed I was something I was not. Even if it wasn’t my fault, I should have prevented it.

“I’m just May,” I insisted. The name felt more bitter than my own. I had exchanged ‘Spring’ for ‘bitter sea’ so often, but it never started feeling true.

He looked even more confused now, then tried a different greeting.

I shook my head, even more vehemently now. He was trying, I couldn’t blame him for it, but I had to get this sorted out fast.

“Are you traveling peddlers?” he asked.

“No, I’m not,” I said, rather more sharply than I’d meant. I understood his confusion, it wasn’t his fault. I was too used to people being rude to me when I didn’t understand something everyone else knew. Or worse, laughing at me.

“We’re trapped here,” I said, trying to soften my tone. I could see hurt behind the puzzlement. He was just as disoriented as we were, far out of his element. His violent reaction made more sense now. How often had I lashed out when I felt cornered by things I didn’t understand?

“We’re not together,” I nodded toward Enydd. She seemed nice enough, but she was a stranger. I didn’t like strangers.

The man stared at me harder now, straight in the eyes. I automatically averted my eyes. It was rude to stare at someone directly like that, at least in Liqeni. I had learned that lesson the hard way, by making mistakes and feeling my way in the darkness of an unfamiliar culture. Through the awkward blushes when I accidentally did something rude. I hated doing that, it was safer to avoid people altogether.

“Then what brought you here?” he asked.

I quirked a cold smile.

“Let me know when you figure that out.”

I couldn’t even remember how I’d gotten here.

“Then the dhaiga didn’t send you?” he asked.

“Who?” I asked, genuinely confused.

Enydd came back and started talking to the man. I found out his name was Abirami. Odd, I’d never heard anything like it. I tried to pinpoint where it could be from, but nothing came to mind.

He said he was an ‘Aygiff’ which meant absolutely nothing to me.

Enydd was trying to pull me into the conversation, but I didn’t take the bait. I drew back, as though I could pull up walls around me that would get them to leave me alone.

Abirami was called away, and I took the opportunity to draw back into the shadows. Isella was sitting against the wall again, pale as wax. I hoped she’d be alright. At least she had my jacket.

I wrapped my arms around myself, as though I could wrap myself in shadows, or invisibility. I hated being around this many people. Actually, I hated people, period. They said things I didn’t understand, words skimming too fast to keep up, accents scrambling the words I did know. Why was this so easy for everyone else?

They seemed to have no trouble understanding what others meant, reading the simplest gesture, while I was left confused, trying to unravel the layers under the words. Sometimes, people would say something and then laugh, but I never knew why. I didn’t understand. Why couldn’t I understand?

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Huh, Mejt was nicer than I expected. I didn’t think she’d sympathize with Abirami…