Zinia slowly lowered her empty hands. She did not cry. She just took a quiet step backward into the shadows of the hallway. She watched her siblings play with their new toys. She learned a very harsh, undeniable lesson that day.
She was easy to forget.
It happened all the time. Her parents would plan a family vacation to the summer lake house. They would pack the carriages with luggage. They would talk about the trip for weeks.
One sunny morning, Zinia sat in her bedroom. She read a thick book about geology. She waited for her mother to call her downstairs. She waited for the signal to load the carriage. She read for three hours. The house became incredibly quiet.
Zinia put her book down. She walked out of her bedroom. She walked down the long, carpeted stairs. The lights were turned off. The front doors were locked. The carriages were completely gone.
Her family had left for the summer vacation. They simply forgot to tell her they were leaving. They forgot to check her bedroom.
Zinia did not panic. She walked into the kitchen. She made herself a cold ham sandwich. She sat at the large dining table entirely alone. She ate her sandwich in silence. Three days later, a magical messenger bird arrived with a panicked note from her mother. The note said, "We thought you were riding in the second carriage. Please stay inside the house."
Zinia stayed inside the house. She read her books. She practiced lifting stones in the backyard. She accepted her role.
The absolute worst moment happened just three years ago.
Her oldest sister got married. The wedding was a massive, incredibly lavish event. Hundreds of wealthy nobles attended the party. Bright magical fireworks exploded in the night sky. Loud music played from a grand orchestra.
Zinia wore a nice dark green dress. She stood near the bottom of a large marble staircase. She watched the guests dance. She stayed out of the way.
Her new brother-in-law walked down the stairs. He held a glass of expensive wine. He looked at the dancing crowd. He did not look where he was going. He bumped directly into Zinia's shoulder. His wine spilled slightly onto his own sleeve.
He jumped in surprise. He looked at Zinia. He blinked his eyes in total confusion.
"Whoa, sorry about that," the new husband laughed nervously. He wiped the wine off his sleeve. He gave her an awkward, highly apologetic smile. "I completely forgot you even exist."
He did not mean to be cruel. He was just being honest. But those words pierced straight through Zinia's heart.
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"I forgot you even exist."
The sentence became her absolute truth. She was the invisible girl. She did not command attention. She did not demand space in the world. She just existed quietly in the margins of other people's lives.
Zinia distanced herself from high society. She stopped trying to join conversations. She stopped expecting people to notice her. She focused entirely on her earth magic. She learned how to pull massive walls of solid rock from the ground. She became a shield.
Shields are incredibly useful in a battle. People hide behind shields. People rely on shields to survive. But when the battle is over, people put the shield back in the closet. They forget about the shield until the next fight begins.
Zinia loved the 13th Unit. She loved Princess Iris. She considered Naomi, Laxmi, and Sayma her true sisters. She would gladly step in front of a magical laser to save any of them.
But even here, in this wonderful estate, Zinia still felt the old habits returning.
She often sat in the corner of the strategy room during meetings. She let Naomi do the loud talking. She let Sayma do the brilliant planning. She let Laxmi do the excited cheering. Zinia just nodded and agreed. She stayed in the background. She was entirely certain that if she quietly walked out of the room, nobody would notice she was gone for at least an hour.
Zinia sat on the wooden bench in the sunny training yard. She looked down at her calloused hands. She rubbed a patch of dry dirt off her thumb.
"It is totally fine," Zinia mumbled softly to herself. She let out a long, quiet sigh. "I do not need to be the center of attention. I am the vanguard shield. My job is to protect them. I am perfectly content with my role."
She picked up her white towel. She stood up from the bench. She decided to go inside and take a cold shower. She needed to wash the sweat off her arms.
She walked across the dusty yard. She headed toward the back door of the estate.
Suddenly, the front iron gates of the courtyard swung wide open. The metal hinges squeaked loudly.
Zinia stopped walking. She looked toward the entrance.
Ken Eliot shuffled into the courtyard.
---
Ken dragged his cheap shoes on the cobblestones. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. He wore his usual navy blue suit pants. His white dress shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He did not wear a tie. His messy black hair stuck up in wild, confused spikes.
He looked absolutely exhausted. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He was carrying a very large, insulated magical cooler box in his arms. The box looked quite large.
"This is an absolute tragedy," Ken complained loudly to the sky. He stopped walking and let out a massive, dramatic groan. "The sun is a deadly laser today. It is actively attacking me. I almost melted into a puddle on the sidewalk. This heat wave is definitely a villain's secret weapon. I need a water dragon to cool me down."
Naomi walked out of the main house. She smiled a very bright, incredibly warm smile. She did not scold him for his untucked shirt. She walked over and playfully nudged his arm.
"You actually went to the store, Ken?" Naomi asked cheerfully. Her green eyes sparkled with genuine amusement. "I am very impressed. You left the couch voluntarily. You survived the sun."
"I am a brave explorer," Ken lied smoothly. He set the large cooler box down on a stone table. "I braved the frozen aisles of the grocery store. I secured the ultimate treasure. This was a highly dangerous retrieval mission."
Laxmi ran out of the house. She peered over Ken's shoulder. "What did you buy, slacker? Tell me it is food."
Ken popped the latch on the cooler box. He flipped the lid open. A massive cloud of freezing white mist poured out of the box. It spilled over the edges of the stone table.
"I brought ice cream," Ken announced proudly. He pointed a lazy finger at the box. "It is entirely too hot outside. We need a coolant buff. Ice cream provides superior thermal regulation. It is basic video game logic."
"Ice cream!" Laxmi cheered wildly. She pumped her fist into the air. "You are the absolute best, farm boy!"
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