Chapter 4 - Trapped

June 30

I watched in horror as Filomena hit the wall of my bedroom with a cracking sound. When she fell to the floor, I was surprisingly grateful to see that it had been the drywall that had cracked and not her. I didn’t want her to get hurt. She had, after all, saved my life.

Filomena stood and stared at her hands in horror. I recoiled at the raw animal ferocity contained within them. She let out an inhuman roar that was louder than it had any right to be coming from such a small frame.

I suppose I had never really properly looked at Filomena until this point. It struck me that she really did just look like any college student, if that student had short cropped pin straight white hair and red eyes. Even her eyelashes and eyebrows were white. She was taller than I was, but not by much, and certainly not abnormally so. Thin but not emaciated, and strangely curvy. At some point someone had dressed her in a stereotypical maid outfit which did not suit her in the slightest.

In this moment, however, she was unimaginably alien and horrifying. Her nails grew into long ice blue claws and she began swiping at the door with a ferocity that seemed impossible. I slid quietly off the bed and hid behind it, squeezing my eyes closed, and covering my ears.

“Please, stop. Please, stop. Please, stop,” I began, almost chanting, “Please. Stop. Please. Stop. Please! Stop! PLEASE! STOP!”

The scraping of claws against a magic barrier stopped. I opened my eyes.

Oh, no. She’s definitely looking at me now. She’s going to attack.

Instead of being ripped to pieces. Nothing happened. After what felt like hours, I looked over the edge of the bed. Certain with every instant that passed, it would be my last. Filomena was kneeling on one knee by the door.

Her hair was a mess and she addressed me while staring at the floor, “I’m sorry, mistress. I have failed to protect you. I will accept whatever punishment will make this right.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I failed to protect you, mistress. As I have failed to meet the requirements of our contract, I must be punished or the magic you have given me will turn to poison inside me.”

Wait, is that how the contracts work? That’s terrible.

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand. I don’t think you deserve- I mean, I wouldn’t even know how to…” I let the unfinished sentence trail off.

“I don’t understand, mistress,” Filomena raised her head, giving me a puzzled look, “How can you not feel that I failed you? Look at your hands.”

I looked at the scrapes that covered my hands. There was the odd, tiny fresh scab. I looked at her.

“Do you mean that’s why you were angry?” I asked.

“Of course, mistress. Failing to meet the terms of an agreement is not only deeply frowned on for hollows, it is downright dangerous if recompense is not made. That is why I am asking you to punish me for my failure to keep you from harm as I promised.”

I don’t know how to do that! I don’t even want to do that!

She looked up at me with uncharacteristic puppy dog eyes.

What do I do? This is absolutely unbelievable! Wait, maybe if I-

I walked up to her, not sure if this would count, but it was something my father would do when I messed up a little. I raised my hand up and did a gentle karate chop to the top of her head. She flinched a little when it made contact, even though there was no way I could hurt her.

“I’m sorry, did that hurt?” I asked, “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Not at all, mistress. Was that my punishment?”

“Yes. Let’s both do better next time, okay?”

She looked up at me and smiled. I offered her my hand, pulling her up to her feet when she took it.

“Mistress, I would like to reaffirm my pledge to serve and protect you. May I?”

Why are you looking at me so earnestly? Did I really misjudge you this entire time?

I cleared my throat, “Is that really necessary?”

“Not strictly speaking,” she said, scratching her cheek.

“I think that we should try to be honest with one another going forward.”

She looked at me with confusion, “I’m not capable of lying, mistress.”

“I know but mean,” I took a second to think about what I was trying to say, “Honesty isn’t just about not lying, Filomena. Honesty is about telling the truth. For example, I don’t know anything about having a familiar.”

“I think you’ve made that perfectly obvious, mistress,” she laughed.

“It’s an example. It may have been obvious, but neither of us has actually talked about what that means. Therefore, we haven’t been honest about it. Do you see?”

“I hope you will forgive me for correcting you, mistress, but I believe the word you are trying to use is forthright, not honest. We have not been forthright with one another.”

“Ah, thank you. Yes, I meant that we should be forthright with one another going forward. Also, I don’t mind you correcting me if I’m wrong about something.”

“How much do you know about the familiar contract, mistress?”

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Practically nothing. Why? Is there something you think I should know?”

“Probably more than we have time to go into…,” she said, looking contemplative.

“Oh,” I said, looking down.

“I’m sorry, mistress,” she waved her arms around, like she was trying to wave away buzzing insects, “I didn’t mean to imply that we can’t eventually, just…”

“Just?”

“Don’t you think we should do something about our current circumstances?”

“I don’t even know what our current circumstances really are. I mean, I understand you’re upset about my hands, but they’re fine.”

“Mistress, do you really believe that your new guardians are treating you well?”

“No, I suppose they aren’t. I don’t really like being trapped in this room.”

“Nor do I, mistress.”

“Wait, can’t you just zap yourself back home?”

“No. This circle,” she pointed at the circle burned into the wooden door of the room, “has nullified all magic inside this room. I’m completely disconnected from the Hollow Lands.”

“Then how are you still here? I thought hollows were made from magic.”

She made a wishy-washy gesture with her hands, “That’s a pretty oversimplified way to think about it. I can remain here because of our contract. If I were not bound to you, then this circle would most likely have killed me when it severed my link to the Hollow Lands. As it stands, I still exist because I am tied to you. You can exist here, and therefore I can exist here.”

“That sounds uncomfortable.”

“It is. Extremely.”

“Hey, you stopped calling me mistress.”

“I’m sorry, mistress.”

“No, it’s fine. You don’t have to call me that. I’m fine with Max or just nothing. I’d like us to work together as friends.”

“I’m afraid the contract forbids friendship.”

“As partners then?”

She thought for a moment, and a strange warmth filled my face, “I think that works. Partners.”

“R-right. Partners. Um, anyway, you can’t use magic, and I assume I can’t either. So we need a mundane way out of this room.”

“And we should grab your things if we truly are leaving.”

“Yes, my things…,” I looked around the room, almost nothing in it was mine. Almost all of my stuff was presumably still at my house, “I don’t actually have anything but what I’m wearing. They didn’t bring me here with anything.”

“We should probably be ready for a fight, once we are through the door.”

“I don’t think I would be much good in a fight, and you clearly couldn’t best my uncle.”

“He caught me by surprise,” she pouted.

“Right, tell me more about this circle. Is that what’s preventing the door from opening?”

“Yes. The door won’t move, and I can’t even touch it.”

I looked around the room, It was pretty simple. There was a closet, a window, a couple of bookshelves full of books, the bed, a nightstand with a lamp. I stared.

“I assume the circle is also preventing us from going out the window, right?”

She thought for a moment, “That’s too simple. Isn’t it?”

“I don’t know. We are pretty high up. Check the circle, while I try to open the window.”

We each went to our tasks. I inspected the window closely, but it seems that it didn’t actually open.

Isn’t that dangerous? I guess people who act like their own niece is a burden probably don’t care about fire codes.

“Hey, it looks like this window doesn’t actually open,” I announced, “but I can touch it.”

“It seems that the circle doesn’t touch the window.”

“Even so, we’re three floors up, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to climb down.”

Filomena stood beside me, looking out the window, “I can easily handle that jump. You would be fine, if I carried you.”

I stared at her wide eyed, “Even without your magic?”

“Easily,” she turned and considered me, “You can’t be that heavy. Is that the plan?”

“I guess so?”

I felt myself tense as Filomena picked me up in a princess carry. I could feel her holding me tight, and my heart began racing. Her cold breath fell across my face. I flushed trying not to look at the beautiful woman carrying me.

Why did this have to be the only way out of here? Don’t think about what is happening. Don’t think about the fact that the very attractive woman in a maid outfit is carrying you. Isn’t she surprisingly warm? You’re thinking about it. Stop it, Max, seriously.

“Are you ready? I have no idea how your uncle will respond once I kick out the window.”

“Once we land, set me down, and we’ll run off. It’s simple,” I said, hoping that my voice hadn’t cracked.

“And where exactly are we running?”

“I hadn’t actually thought that far,” I admitted, sheepishly, “How are the Hollow Lands this time of year?”

“If I’m being honest, I don’t think you would last long at your current strength.”

“Then we’ll just pick a direction and see how we do. I’m sure there’s something out there for us.”

I could tell by the silence that followed that she had her doubts about my plan, but she kindly left them unvoiced. After a three count, she stepped back, and unleashed a side kick that could have collapsed a barn. Even dampened by Filomena’s body, I felt the shock of it in my bones.

Just how strong is she?

I didn’t have long to contemplate that, because after she threw my bags out the window, I watched as she took a step onto the broken window sill, and dropped without a second thought.

The falling sensation didn’t last nearly as long as I thought it should. I opened my eyes and was surprised to find myself in a beautiful garden. Filomena put me down, and put herself between me, and a woman sitting in a wicker chair covered in floral cushions.

As old as she looked, something about her felt even older. I couldn’t put my finger on just what, but her presence immediately commanded respect. She simply sat watching us, as she sipped tea from a small floral cup.

I wasn’t sure if Filomena was being over-protective because of her recent “failure” or if I should be more on guard. I didn’t sense any harmful intent.

“Please excuse us,” I said after a moment, “We didn’t mean to trespass in your garden. We’ll happily leave, if you could point out the exit.”

I looked around, and as far as I could see was simply more garden.

“Trespass? Whatever do you mean, Maxwell Oldstone?” the old woman said kindly, “Are you not here to take the entrance exam?”