Scribes & Archers

This is another excerpt from a short story instead of The Shadow Raven.

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Fiona’s eyes flashed open. The room around her was still, but it only took her a moment to identify what sound had woken her. The front door had opened. Why was someone coming into the house at… She glanced at the clock by her bed. Why was someone coming into the house at three in the morning? She debated for a moment over whether it would be better to stay in bed or go investigate, and finally she got out of bed and put on socks and tennis shoes. It would be good to be ready to run if the need arose.

She heard footsteps on the stairs and looked at her closed bedroom door. Best to pack some things, too. Her parents had told her someone might come after her. She grabbed her backpack from the closet and stuffed some clothes into it, followed by her purse and a box of granola bars from her desk. The footsteps came toward her door and she glanced at it. The knob began to slowly turn and she slung the backpack onto her back. Time to go.