The letter

"No?" The men repeated in chorus.

I nodded to confirm, "No!"

Once again, the thin membrane of my bubble was rumbling. I cried out. Without worrying about my startled gasping, the boy with the emerald eyes pounced on my little bubble.

"Maybe we better, let her finish. That thing is really solid," I heard from the figure holding the sword out on my right. The long blond hair, waving softly down his shoulders. He seemed different somehow. Apologetic. In his amber eyes, there was something like regret.

"Hey! You!" He addressed me while the others stared at him in disbelief. That was my chance. I had to convince him. Somehow. "The letter...it's from my...my master...I am to take it to this person," I hastily pointed to the name that was emblazoned on it. "...I am to pass it... only to this person. PERSONAL... " I finished my stuttering concerto.

"And who is this person you seek?" He asked me calmly.

I stared at the letter. "Lü Zu!"

"Lü Zu!" the boy behind me laughed, but I only concentrated on the other two. For a split second, there were so many things in their eyes that they narrowed into tight slits. Something inside had changed.

"We don't know any Lü Zu," hummed the boy with the snow-white fuzzy head. In his green eyes lay this dangerous glint. It took my breath away.

"But! He must be here," I protested.

"That's impossible."

"The letter brought me here."

"A mistake."

"No," I stamped angrily. Those kind of butterflies didn't make mistakes. This spell I mastered. I was sure. I shook my head vehemently, the thick wool hood slipped from my dark hair. Tie Guai Li made no mistakes. The blond boy stepped one step closer. "Who is the author of this letter?" I looked at him indecisively. Why was it important? "Tie Guai Li"

"Don't tell fairy tales." The guy with the green eyes was now so close to me that only the bubble separated us. The shadows of the night rushed dangerously across his smooth features. as if he wanted me to..." You're lying," it flowed like poison from his lips.

"I do not." Anger was in my voice. I bit my lip.

He hissed, his hand running through his hair. I stared at the letter again... everything was true.

"The letter..." I replied hissing. "This is the proof," and held the letter out to him. The boys were looking at each other. They seemed to be discussing something I didn't understand.

"Give it to me," he reached out his hand.

"No. It's only for Lü Zu." I tried to sound firm and determined, but suddenly something thudded against the hard membrane of the bubble. I flinched abruptly. A warning? "Give it to me," he now repeated growling. I shook my head vehemently. "You can give it to me, or we can take you out of this thing by force. You know your punishment," I stared at him wordlessly. But actually I wanted to run. I wanted to turn around and run away. Far away. But I approached the membrane even closer. We stared at each other, right in the eyes. I suppressed a shiver. No one made a sound. We just stared at each other. For seconds. Although my heart was beating much too fast and the blood was rushing too loudly through my ears, I didn't want to give up, because there was something new. A feeling that I've rarely felt. Confidence. I didn't know where it came from so suddenly. But I did know... I couldn't let them get away from me. The paper rushed under the pressure of my grip. Probably it had got some more wrinkles on top of it. A strange tension hung in the air. I wanted to be determined. But there was something in his eyes. Dark. Imminent. It frightened me. Yet I pushed my chin forward. I looked at him. No one spoke.

I shook my head when I realized.

Defiantly, I pushed the letter to my chest. The bladder bulged. It bulged. Formed another bubble around the letter before the letter landed on the other side in front of the boy.