Shifters

Flashback

Patricia sat silently at her desk, boredom slowly creeping up on her as she neared the final pages of yet another dusty, old, leather-bound book. Sighing as she thumbed through the last page within the ancient novel, she tossed it aside as she scanned the interior of her room. Realizing she'd already completed all of the texts that she'd brought back from her earlier excursion in the Library, Patricia let out another sigh as she sat back in her chair.

'Should I grab something to eat?' she wondered, noting a primitively crafted clock she'd made in her spare time, 'Or should I get some rest. After all, it does seem that I've been at this for a couple days.'

Staring at her room once more as she struggled to decide what to do, Patricia's expression soured as she realized just how disorganized it had become. Strewn carelessly over her bed, floor and desk were copious, scattered amounts of books, scrolls and in some instances, one or two stone and wooden tablets could be seen jutting out from in between the various piles.

'I'd better clean this up before it gets as messy as Joana's room,' Patricia thought to herself.

As he mind crossed on her absent mentor, a wave of loneliness coupled with a sliver of sadness filled her entire being. By her calculations, it had been over three months since Joana had visited her in this secret hideout of theirs. Anxiety rising as various, terrible speculations arose within Patricia's mind for Joana's unusual absence, she quickly stood as she attempted to calm both her heart and mind.

Struggling to keep up with the racing heart palpitations, she clutched her chest tightly as she took in several deep breaths, "We're not doing this today, Patricia," she said aloud, attempting to soothe herself, "I'm sure Joana's fine and will be back here any minute now."

Unaware of how prophetic her words truly were, Patricia jumped as the familiar sound of energy invading the dimension's entrance rang throughout the outer corridor. Anxiety replaced by curiosity, she hustled her way to the door, opening it, before staring down the long hallway as she tried to investigate the source of the noise. To her welcomed surprise, a figure she knew all too well could be seen striding down the corridor towards her.

"Joana!" Patricia shouted, voice filled with both surprise and relief at her mentor's return.

"Woah, easy there," Joana said, equally surprised as Patricia rushed up to her before landing a bear hug.

"Where have you been all this time?" Patricia asked, holding back tears as she awaited Joana's explanation.

"Sorry," Joana said after a long pause, "I know I've been away for a while. How've you been?"

"There's nothing really exciting to report," Patricia replied, shifting her eyes to the side, "It's been the same old routine every day for the past few weeks."

"So everything's okay?" Joana questioned, gauging her expression.

"Everything's fine," Patricia replied, "Even more so now that you're back."

"Patty," Joana began, gazing directly into her eyes, "I'm sorry but I can't stay this time."

"B-but," Patricia said, disappointment painted blatantly across her face, "You just got back and you're already leaving?"

"Things are getting bad out there and I'm needed nearly everywhere at once," Joana said seriously.

"Can't someone else handle things for a change?" Patricia asked, tearing up as she spoke.

"You know that's not how it works," Joana replied gently.

"I-I know," Patricia replied, quickly relenting as she continued, "Wait, if you're not here to stay, why are you back?"