I tried the doorknob again. Still locked, and I didn’t have the strength to break it. A strangled sob burst from my lungs. I wanted to scream, to kick the door, shake it. This can’t be happening! As I looked up, something caught my eye. A shadow had shifted to my left, silencing my whimpers. I frantically glanced around, hoping it was just a trick of the light. The last thing on earth I wanted to face right now was the Shadow. I carefully turned over and slid my back into the corner. And watched. Very little light from the hallway reached the area near the door, but enough to see that I was alone. Unless the Shadow was hiding in the darkness, watching, waiting for me to make a move. My gaze slowly went to the doorknob. Maybe I could do the same light trick I’d done before. And fast. With a shaky hand, I produced Light and guided it into the doorknob, but the second it touched the metal, my Light evaporated. I tried several more times, tension in the air growing, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t create a tangible ball of Light.
