When I went to grab a jacket, I saw the car keys hanging by the kitchen door and knew luck was finally on my side. Someone had returned my car. Snagging them on the way to the garage, I gave Zotera a quick explanation of gas-powered transportation.
“This is wondrous,” she said, watching me start the engine.
She buckled and unbuckled, playing with her seatbelt as I backed out of the garage and passed through the ward. The usually strong tingle felt like an army of ants crawling under my skin, and I shuddered at the sensation.
Zotera noticed.
“Did it hurt?” she asked.
“No. Passing through the ward just feels weird. It’s been a while, and I guess I forgot what it felt like.”
“Ooh!” she said, turning and pressing her hands against her window. “There are so many homes here.”
“Yep. There are. I’m the only human on this block, though. Can you tell humans apart from other children of the gods?” I asked.
“Mostly,” she said, sounding uninterested as she leaned forward and looked up at the starlit sky.
“That is beautiful, Mother.” She sat back and looked at me. “Ashlyn.”
“I appreciate that you’re trying to use my name,” I said. “But don’t worry if you accidentally call me Mother. I won’t get mad. I know I look exactly like her.”
She made a slight sound of agreement but turned her attention to the world outside the car. I tried to imagine how alien everything must feel to her and couldn’t. Where I would have been terrified, she was simply in awe of it all.
The drive to Megan’s house didn’t take long and was thankfully uneventful. Since the lights were on inside, I didn’t feel too bad arriving unannounced so late at night.
I didn’t open my car door when I parked, though. Instead, I looked around the yard.
“What’s wrong?” Zotera asked, watching me.
“The car is warded, but I'm vulnerable as soon as I leave it. So, I’m checking to make sure no one’s around. I'll run and knock on Megan’s door as soon as I’m out. She shouldn’t take too long to answer. Hopefully.”
Zotera giggled a little. “You don’t need to run, Ashlyn. You’re not vulnerable when you’re with me. I promise to keep you safe.”
I glanced at Zotera, who had repeatedly shown she didn’t have a mean bone in her body. How many times had I run away from monsters in Hell while she did nothing but watch? Not that I held it against her or would ever point that out to her. I understood that Hell had different rules.
“I’d rather not risk either of us if I can help it,” I said neutrally.
She just smiled and asked me to show her how to leave the car. She played with the handle, opening and closing the door twice before getting out.
As I’d warned, I left the car in a rush and raced to Megan’s door to knock.
“Hold your pants!” Megan yelled from inside when I knocked a second time.
“Why do we need to hold them?” Zotera asked.
“It’s just an expression,” I said. “She means we should wait and that she’s coming to answer the door.”
“She expects you to wait?” Zotera asked, horror in her tone.
“She expects whoever is knocking to wait. She doesn’t know it’s me.”
The door swung open, and when Megan saw me, the flicker of flames vanished from her gaze.
“Oh my gods,” she said. “Is it really you?”
“It is. Can we come in? Please?”
She grabbed my arm and yanked me inside, catching me and hugging me hard. I hugged her back. Before my time in Hell, I wouldn’t have said we had this kind of friendship. After Hell, I didn’t care. I just wanted a damn hug for everything we’d both gone through.
