Spirit Elfen

1 Adi stared at the thick envelope that had been shoved into her dorm mailbox. She tugged on it lightly, but it had gotten stuck when the postman had forced it into the metal box. Oh boy, she had a suspicion what it might be. Her stomach dropped as she tugged harder. Damn it, how hard did that guy jam the letter in there! Adi used both hands and pulled as hard as she could. The paper resisted for another moment, then gave with a protesting tear. Adi huffed, looking at the two pieces of envelope in her hand. At least only the outside was damaged. She freed a stiff, expensive-looking piece of paper from the wreckage. The intricate seal at the top, depicting St. Peter sitting on a throne in front of an impressive Gothic cathedral, made her pulse quicken. She knew what this was! Adi quickly skimmed past the formal German greeting to get to the important bits. “We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Master of Arts program at Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg. Please be advised that there will be an orientation event for foreign students from 3–5 October.” Adi clapped her hand in front of her mouth to hold in a high-pitched squeal. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! She stared at the letter with wide eyes, giddy with excitement. The adrenaline rush made it impossible to stand still, and her whole body buzzed and vibrated. Another few moments of white noise, and reality washed over her like cold water. Honi. Her eyebrows drew together. For a second, she’d forgotten all about him. When they’d returned from the spirit world, their relationship had grown in leaps and bounds. But lately, something had changed. For the last few months, they’d barely seen each other. Sure, they still had one class together, and Honi trained Adi once a week, but outside of those few hours, they went their separate ways. In fact, she hadn’t seen him in days. Every time she’d texted him, she’d received curt, one-syllable responses. Resentment grew cold in her stomach whenever his name flashed on her screen. She was getting sick of his unresponsiveness. Maybe that was the real reason Adi hadn’t shared her plans with Honi. She’d applied for the master’s program before she’d met him last year. The German university was in huge demand due to its extensive international program, and requests had to be submitted more than a year in advance. She’d applied on a whim and forgotten all about it. A couple of months ago, the acceptance letter would have thrown her into a serious tailspin. They’d been so in love and spent every minute together. Now her resentment had grown to the point where taking a break from each other might not be such a bad thing. She loved him, but she hated being ignored. It felt as if something was pulling him away from her. Something he wasn’t prepared to share. A flash of irritation distorted her face before she took a deep breath and sighed. Anger didn’t help. She needed to find him, talk to him and then make a decision. The leaden weight in her midriff popped when she reread the letter. Wow, Heidelberg. She had spent a few hours researching the place before applying. Oldest university in Germany, dating back to the twelfth century. Hotbed of student revolution in the 1970s. Young people from all nationalities studying and playing in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Adi’s excitement returned, and she couldn’t help herself. She jumped up and down, pressing the piece of paper against her chest. If anybody saw her, so what! If she couldn’t express the joy bubbling inside of her, she’d explode. Better to release the pressure with a high-pitched squeal after all! Back in her dorm room, Adi held the phone in her hand. She needed to make this call sooner rather than later. The letter lay next to her on the bed, promising her new experiences, but also bringing up old memories from her childhood growing up in Germany. Adi’s eyes moved from item to item in the small room that had been her home for the last nine months. Everywhere she looked, there were indicators of how deeply Honi had dug himself into her life. The blanket she sat on, bought at a powwow Honi had attended last fall. Red with ocher diamond shapes, a black dragonfly woven in its center. Its colorful threads cheered Adi up every time she looked at it. The carved image of a wolf, representing Honi’s spirit animal, Ho’neo. The likeness was uncanny. She suspected that it had been carved by another spirit walker who’d been able to see Honi’s wolf. The artist had certainly caught the intelligence in the creature’s expressive eyes. Her favorite thing stood on her bedside cabinet. Honi and Adi had visited Chicago last year, and Honi had taken a selfie on Navy Pier with the city skyline in the background. Adi reached for the silver-plated frame. They both looked so happy, Honi’s arm around her shoulder. His straight black hair reflecting the sun, his skin several shades darker than usual. Adi’s face was glistening and red from the heat, yet her joy was evident in her smile. What a difference a year made. Adi swallowed hard, pushing down her sadness. She never doubted that Honi had loved her, still loved her. Yet something was different. Forcing Honi to sit down and talk this through was way overdue. He had changed, and now she’d been given a way out, a chance to take a break. Mind made up, she hit speed-dial and waited for her boyfriend to pick up the phone.