A COMMITMENT - #flashfictionmagic -

Flashfictionmagic by Sheri Yutzy #flashfictionmagic – A COMMITMENT
Lise slipped around the gnarled oak, its bark ragged beneath her raw fingers. A mossy hollow lay within the copse of ancient trees.
Why was he not here?
Had he forgotten his whispered promise so soon?
She brushed a smudge of dirt from her apron—she wanted to take it off, but there would be more suspicion if Head Cook or one of the other maids saw her without it.
The sight of the white linen apron stilled her, throat suddenly swollen.
“What was I thinking?” she whispered.
A handsome foreign boy like him probably played games with maids everywhere he went.
A twig cracked deeper in the forest. Panicked, she pressed back against the oak, letting herself fade. She’d been a fool to come, a fool to force herself to use her gift where he might see.
But it was done, and she was invisible. Her gaze roved the trees, searching for sight of broad shoulders and sandy hair.
“Lise, I know you’re here.”
No one else said her name like that, with a hard “s.” She whirled, her heart an explosion. “Ander?”
Her brother stood behind her, his sharp face split in a grin. She slammed into his chest, only remembering to drop her invisibility when he grunted in surprise.
“I thought you were dead,” she whispered. “It’s been so long, and the news from the front so terrible.”
His arms tightened around her. “It is terrible, Lise. That’s why I need your help.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jack, the boy who directed you here? He and I are trained as spies. We’re about to go on a mission, and we need someone with your particular skills.” He pulled back to look at her. “Only if you want to. It’s safer for you here, of course.”
Her heart spread its wings. “A chance to use my invisibility for more than hiding from Cook? I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
“He was hoping you’d say that.” Ander glanced over her shoulder and she turned to look. Jack stood at the edge of the trees, hands stuffed into his pockets. He winked and Lise found herself grinning.
This rendezvous had turned out better than she’d ever hoped.