Still giggling, she continued, “I didn’t think he wasthatgood looking.”
I wasn’t ready to let go of my humiliation. “Make an appointment with an eye doctor. I’m concerned that your vision is going.”
Ava laughed harder. “Okay, so he’s handsome. Did he render you speechless?”
“No, the exact opposite. I had verbal diarrhea. It was so embarrassing. I didn’t even stop talking long enough for him to tell me his name. I went over there to welcome him to the neighborhood and I still don’t know his name!” I exclaimed, covering my eyes with my free hand at the memory. “Who does that?”
“Apparently, you do,” Ava answered.
“Please stop trying to make me feel better. You suck at it.”
“Then maybe I need more practice,” she retorted.
I groaned.
“Savannah, I’m sure you’re overreacting to the situation. Think about it. Did you sense irritation or disgust from him when you were talking?”
I froze then as an epiphany hit me so hard that it nearly hurt. “No.”
“See? He wasn’t–”
“No, Ava. You don’t understand. I feltnothingfrom him. No emotion at all. He was completely blank.” My heart raced. I’d never experienced anything like that before. I hadn’t even sensed his mental barriers. Even when I couldn’t feel Ava’s emotions or those of the witches I met from time to time, I could sense their mental walls. I knew they were there, almost as if I could see them. With my new neighbor, there was nothing. Just silence and stillness.
She fell quiet for a long moment. “Really?”
“Yeah. It was like he didn’t have emotions at all. Or his mental shields are as solid as a concrete wall three feet thick and completely invisible to me.”
“That’s probably it,” she replied. “I don’t know a lot about him, but I can tell he’s had a long, difficult life.”
“And his eyes.” I trailed off then.
“What about them?”
“They were black.”
I could practically feel the change in Ava’s mood vibrate through the phone. “What? I never noticed that.”
“It was strange,” I mused. “I felt like he could see right through me.”
“Okay, that’s it. I’m coming over. You’re going to tell me exactly what happened and then I need to make a decision.”
“About what?” I asked in confusion.
“About whether Rhys stays or goes.”
“His name’s Rhys?”
“Yes, his name’s Rhys, but that’s not what’s important right now.”
She clearly knew something I didn’t. “What’s important, Ava?” I questioned, my eyes narrowing. “Why are you talking about making him leave?”
“Your safety.”
“Well, that’s a bit melodramatic, don’t you think?” His emotions were a blank slate to me, but he didn’t seem dangerous.
“We’ll see,” she replied mysteriously. “I’ll be there in half an hour.”
She disconnected the call before I could respond.
