~
Jack completed the remainder of the lap around camp on his own whilst Ethel disappeared into the mist that floated down from the mountains in the early morning. By the time Jack had finished his run, he was hot, sweaty, and out of breath. The idea of a nice, warm soak in a bath was heavenly. Even holding onto Avalon would be enough to warm him to the bones. But he couldn’t have either of those things. The most the Guard had to offer was a bucket of cold water with a few holes poked through the bottom. You could hang the bucket above your head and water yourself like a flower. Though Barney had been quick to liken Jack to a weed because of his lankiness.
Hopefully, at this early hour, Jack would be able to wash without his clothes being stolen. Last time his bunker-mates thought it would be hilarious to burn his clothes. Jack had been forced to hunt down another uniform whilst completely naked, covering himself with his towel.
Grabbing his things, Jack proceeded to the designated wash area, a bucket full of water in his hand.
He entered a stall, put his things on the bench, and hung the bucket up. He’d just finished undressing when a cry met his ears.
Spinning around, Jack saw Axle, who was lying on the ground, howling with pain. Jack quickly wrapped a towel around his middle.
‘What’s the matter?’ Jack asked at once. He was highly suspicious that this might be a diversion so Barney could steal his clothes again. He approached Axle and was surprised to see fear in his eyes.
‘Stay away from me!’ said Axle, scrambling to his feet.
‘What did I do?’ asked Jack, rather bewildered.
But Axle did not respond. Instead, he bolted from the shower-rooms cursing.
‘What the-?’
‘Told you I’d take care of it,’ said a sing-song voice.
Jack spun around and saw Ethel looking over the stall wall.
‘What are you doing in here?’ asked Jack at once. ‘This is the men’s wash room. I’m … I’m not wearing anything!’
‘Nothing I haven’t seen before,’ she gave him a wink.
Jack felt his ears burning and knew he was blushing.
‘What do you want?’ he asked, tightening his grip on the towel around his waist.
‘I was helping you,’ said Ethel, her grin widening. ‘Do you like what I did to Axle?’
‘What did you do?’
Ethel held up her right hand, and a shimmering blue light appeared in front of her, like an invisible wall.
‘I put a shield charm around you,’ she said. ‘No one can pass through it without your consent. Well … until it wears off, anyway.’
‘Really?’ asked Jack, surprised. ‘How long does it last?’
‘A few hours, give or take,’ she said. ‘I can only ever generate one shield at a time, so you’d better appreciate it.’
‘I do,’ he said quickly. ‘Thank you.’
‘There’s a radius of three feet,’ said Ethel. ‘So be careful. It hurts when others touch the shield.’
‘This should be interesting,’ said Jack. ‘Is there a way to penetrate it?’
‘A few ways,’ Ethel admitted. ‘But I’ll never tell.’
‘No wonder you joined the Realm’s Guard' said Jack, ‘with a Power like yours.’
‘Yeah.’ Her smile dropped. ‘No wonder.’
Jack sensed a level of discomfort, so he dropped the subject.
‘Uh … so, do you mind?’ said Jack.
‘Huh?’
‘I’m … naked,’ he said lamely.
‘oh … OH! Right!’ Ethel’s brown skin became flushed red as she quickly disappeared behind the stall wall.
~
Jack woke to the sound of sirens wailing across the grounds. In a daze, he sat up and searched for his shirt. The bunker was dark, and people were moving around with panicked voices.
‘What’s the matter?’ he grumbled, swinging his legs out of bed and standing on unsteady feet.
‘Get up, Greenwood, the warning siren is sounding,’ said an urgent voice near Axle’s bed.
‘What? Why?’ Jack was confused. It was dark, and he was still half asleep. ‘Is it a drill?’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Axle. ‘Get dressed, quick!’
A booming voice sounded over the sirens, magnified a hundred times louder than its actual volume.
‘ALL PERSONEL PLEASE PROCEED DIRECTLY TO THE DESIGNATED MEETING AREA. REPEAT. ALL PERSONEL PLEASE PROCEED DIRECTLY TO YOUR DESIGNATED SHELTER AREA.’
Alarmed, Jack pulled his shirt over his head and followed Axle and Barney out of the tent, careful not to let anyone cross the three-foot threshold around himself because of Ethel’s shield that was still in place.