Free Soul

Chapter 1

16 and 3/4 Years Later 

I open my eyes and smile when I see the dream catcher above my bed, then sit up and hit the alarm clock when it goes off with it's annoying buzz. I dress in a white tank top and cut-off jeans, walking down the stairs into the kitchen and jumping when the doorbell rings loudly. I rush to the door and peek out the window next to it, perplexed when I don't recognize the young men standing in front of the window peering in. Both are tall, but one is tan with golden eyes, the other pale with silvery eyes. I unlock the door and carefully open it a c***k, warily asking the two men a tentative question. "Hello, do you need something?" The tan one smiles warmly and says he is looking for an Evelynn Animosa, then asks his own question. "Are you Evelynn?" I frown. "I'm Evelynn Maxson, but the name sounds familiar. Why?" He mutters something about magic, evil sorcerers, and a lost princess, and I burst out laughing. When I can finally breathe, still grinning, I ask them for their names. "I'm Ranan and this is my brother, Kendrik. We are from the kingdom of Mairnn, where you are Queen of the Free Souls." "He's a nut job." I think to myself. The pale boy, Kendrik, tilts his head as if listening for something, then frowns indignantly. "He is not a nut job." He says fervently. I stare at him in shock, my mouth gaping open. Ranan elbows his brother and mutters, "No magic, remember? You are going to freak her out!" Kendrik elbows his brother back, "She's still listening, Ranan. Besides, she has magic too." At this point, I'm sure this is either a hallucination or a dream. I open my mouth to speak, then close it again. Open, closed, open, closed. It takes me a minute to clear the astonishment from my mind, and when I do, I realize I believe them. I really do trust these two strangers on my front porch. Then I do the stupidest thing I could have done. I let them inside my house.