"You weren't worried that I might kill you?" Esther asked.
"I hoped you wouldn't." AnnMarie said. "And if you did, then... oh well."
-‐------------------------------‐-------------------------
Esther LaGrange never stays in one place too long...
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Esther's priest friend texted her the next day, letting her know he had arrived. After AnnMarie had left for work, she texted him directions to the place. He still had trouble finding the place, however, even after Esther had told him about the one tree that stuck out a little farther than the others.
Esther finally heard the knock as she sat on the couch, and she went into the kitchen to let him in.
"May I come in?" He asked from the front porch.
Esther eyed him without amusement.
"You're not the one who has to ask." She said.
"Still. It's polite." He said.
Esther held the door open, and he crossed himself before walking inside.
"It's not my house anyway, so I really can't formally invite you in if we're being technical about it."
"True, I guess." He said. "Did you notice the porch?"
Esther glanced out of the window.
"What about it?" It looked pretty regular in her opinion.
"The ceiling is painted blue, haint blue, specifically. It was traditionally thought to ward off evil spirits." He said.
"Oh—"
He kept going.
"Yes. It was believed spirits couldn't cross water, so the blue paint was used to trick the spirits into thinking it was a body of water, therefore keeping them from entering."
"Oh—"
"Also, the broken glass bottles on the window seals." He continued, not really giving her a chance to respond. "Same thing."
Esther frowned. "There's broken glass bottles on the window seals?"
Peter laughed. "you didn't notice?"
"Not being attentive of my surroundings is sort of a chronic problem of mine."
"Interesting." He pulled a pen from his jacket pocket and quickly scribbled on it.
She looked him over, and much to her relief, he looked much the same as when she had last seen him ten years ago. Clear dark brown skin, neat hair trimmed short, and the most disarmingly friendly smile she'd ever come across.
Getting close to humans was hard, as Esther always found herself feeling distressed at the subtle signs of aging that she started to pick up on after a decade or so.
