It was bright and early in the morning when she opened her eyes. Evanna yawned and stretched. She fell back on her bed, her head hitting her soft pillow. She snuggled into it and closed her eyes.
'Evanna,' an annoying voice called out. 'Wakey-Wakey.'
She groaned, 'Go away, Scar. I'm sleepy,' and pulled the covers over her face, blocking the bright sunlight.
Scarlet ignored her and pulled the covers off of her and started dragging her from her bed. 'Come on, Evanna. You're mom made blueberry pancakes,' she said, her voice too chirpy for such an early morning.
Evanna groaned loudly, accepting defeat and let her be dragged by her best friend down the stairs. Her mom turned to her and laughed at her.
'What?' Evanna asked, mid-yawn.
'Nice hair,' her mom said, going back to stirring the batter.
'Thanks. Bed hair is the new sexy,' she replied, sticking her tongue out at her mom. She just shook her head at her daughter and placed a big stack of blueberry pancakes in front of her. Evanna picked up her fork and started gobbling up the pancakes.
'Mmmmmm...Mom you make the best pancakes ever,' Evanna moaned, her mouth full.
'Don't talk with your mouth full, Evanna,' her mom chided, waving her spoon in the air.
Scarlet poured herself and Evanna coffee. She placed Evanna's cup in front of her and sipped hers. They were talking and giggling when her dad came downstairs, freshly showered.
'How are my beautiful ladies?' he asked, reaching for the coffee pot.
'Hey dad,' Evanna said, reaching over to kiss him on the cheek. Her mom kissed him and placed a plate loaded with pancakes in front of him too. They all sat and talked all through the morning, like a normal, happy family.
She felt someone shake her. She heard her name being called, but it sounded so far away as she felt the memory fade away.
'Evanna,' the voice called again, this time closer. The voice sounded so familiar. She felt herself being shaken again and she slowly opened her eyes, covering it partially against the bright sunlight.
Blue eyes met brown ones and Evanna blinked the sleep from her eyes. 'Scar?' she asked her voice rough from sleep.
'Hey,' she replied softly.
'Where're mom and dad?' she asked, rubbing her eyes.
Scarlet looked shocked for a second, before her eyes softened to something resembling pity. Evanna scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion at her friend's strange behaviour. Her eyes cleared up then and she noticed their surroundings. They were in a meadow of wild dandelions, not in her room. She sat up properly and noticed that she'd slept on the grassy ground, not her soft bed.
'Why are we here?'
'Evanna, what do you remember from yesterday?' Scarlet asked.
Evanna frowned trying to remember. She saw flashes of memory. Shadows, learning about the mystics, the park, being attacked by shadows, being rescued from shadows by Aaron. The flashes rushed by faster now. Dancing. Walking back home. Sorcerers. Seeing her parents. Her parents being killed. Crying. The meadow. Evanna's eyes snapped open, panic blatantly obvious in them.
She clutched Scarlet's arm. 'They're still alive, right Scar?' she asked, desperation laced into her words. She can't help but hope that there's a chance that they're alive. 'Please, please tell me they're alive,' she said, her nails digging into Scarlet's arm. Scarlet flinched, but not from the pain from Evanna's nails, but from the look in her friend's eyes. They were wild, unshed tears threatening to spill.
Evanna's eyes were wide, red and puffy from crying the whole night, desperate and already grief stricken. She could see the sliver of hope in her eyes and dreaded the fact that she had to tell her best friend that her parents were dead, shattering that hope.
Evanna could see it in her eyes. They didn't make it. But she wouldn't believe her until she got a verbal confirmation. Her eyes were fierce, coaxing her friend silently, even though she knew it will not help in any way.
Scarlet visibly paled and swallowed. 'I'm so sorry, Evanna. It was too fast,' she started, taking her hands in hers.
Evanna shook her head, trying to keep her tears at bay. 'No,' she said, defiantly. She stood up abruptly. Scarlet stood up as well, her heart going out for her friend.
'No!' Evanna cried, her eyes flashing, at Scarlet. 'They're not dead! They can't be. Maybe you just think they're dead. Like you said, it was all too fast right? There's a chance that they may be still alive! They're still alive!' she shouted. She tried to blink her tears away, but that just made them stream down her face. Her lips trembled and she shook slightly with the onslaught of emotions. She hugged herself and bit her lip, trying not to scream out loud. 'They have to be,' she said, her voice broken and full of emotion. 'I can't do this without them. And my dad, he promised he'll be there. It wasn't supposed to be this way,' she rambled, not willing to believe that they were gone.
Scarlet moved forward and hugged her best friend, offering her the tiniest bit of comfort. 'They aren't supposed to leave me all alone. It's not fair,' she cried softly, against her friend's shoulder.
'I know, I know...' she replied, softly stroking her hair. She let Evanna cry out all her tears, hugging her all the while. It reminded Evanna of the way her mom used to hug her after a bad day. She pulled back after a while and tried to stop her tears. Scarlet squeezed her hands and sat down, leaning against a tree trunk. She patted the spot next to her and Evanna sat down.
'It is because of me that they're dead,' she said, after a while.
Scarlet sighed. 'Evanna, you can't blame yourself. It's not your fault,'
'How can you say that? They were fighting off sorcerers to protect me! They were attacked in the first place, because of me! How can it not be my fault?' she demanded, angry at herself. 'I killed them,' she kept thinking.
'They were trying to protect you because they love you, Evanna. They were worried about you. They wouldn't want you to blame yourself for what happened to them. The sorcerers were just too fast and came out of nowhere,' she said. 'Do not blame yourself,' she added firmly, looking into Evanna's eyes.
'I can't stop thinking it's all my fault Scar,' she said, her voice rough. 'It is my fault. I shouldn't have argued with them. I should have just left you guys. It was because of me they were attacked. If I hadn't been there, there would've been no attack and my parents would still be alive.'
'Evanna, listen to me. It is not your fault. Who's to say they wouldn't have attacked even if you weren't there?' When Evanna was quiet, Scarlet continued, 'You can't blame yourself for something you had no control over.'
Evanna just nodded, having no energy to argue further. No matter what anyone says, she'll never stop blaming herself. They sacrificed their lives for hers; she can never come back from that. She can never forget the emptiness in their eyes when they fell to their deaths. The two girls were quiet for a few minutes, the only sounds were the occasional sniffles from Evanna. She stood up suddenly and started walking. Scarlet let her go, knowing she needed some time alone.
Evanna walked and walked, concentrating on her steps, not thinking of anything else.
Right foot forward. Left foot forward. Right foot forward. Left foot forward.
She couldn't think of anything else. She wouldn't. She looked up from the ground, coming to an abrupt stop. She was standing on top of a hill, which was, she now realised, where the meadow was. She looked at the view in front of her.
The sun was peeking from behind the clouds and the surrounding hills were lush with greenery. The village- or town, or city – was so tiny from where she was standing, so inconsequential. All she could see was brown specks and a lot of green fields. It was so quiet and calm. Like the calm before the storm. Evanna knew she had to confront the raging feelings brewing inside of her, but she was scared that if she did, it will just make the fact that her parents are dead all the more real. And right now, she was not ready to face the reality.
Just a few more minutes, she thought, just a few more minutes let me imagine that my parents are still alive and that yesterday was just a bad dream. She closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet air, hugged herself from the slightly chilly wind. She felt something warm slide over her shoulders and opened her eyes to meet grey-blue ones.
'Hey,' Aaron said softly.
She stared at him for a long minute and turned back to look at the hills. He was quiet, his arms crossed over his chest. He kept giving her quick looks out of the corner of his eyes.
'Stop it,' she said, turning to him finally.
'What?' he asked innocently.
'Stop looking at me like that,' she deadpanned.
'Looking at you like what?' he asked, raising his eyebrow.
'Like I'm going to fall apart any minute. I'm not.'
'I'm just concerned,' he replied, his grey eyes softening.
'Well, don't be. It's none of your business and I don't need your pity,' she said, her voice bitter.
'I know you don't, but I am still sorry. I know how much it hurts to watch your parents being murdered right in front of your eyes,' he said, his eyes growing dark like a storm was brewing behind them. Evanna looked at him, slightly confused.
'My parents were murdered by sorcerers too. I was hiding under the bed but they knew I was there. They were coming for me when a bunch of guardians came in and killed them. My parents were guardians too, so everyone I knew kept giving me pitying looks. I was only ten, but it was too hard to be around people who reminded me of what happened. So, my uncle took me away and trained me. After I turned eighteen I went back and became a guardian. It is my way of honouring them. It felt right,' he finished.
Evanna didn't say a word for a while. She just stared at him, trying to understand the man standing in front of her. She leaned forward and hugged him, because she didn't know what else to say. She couldn't imagine how it must have been for a ten year old child to see their parents being murdered in front of them. She's eighteen and she didn't how to deal with it.
He was shocked for a second but then brought his hands around her waist. 'I'm sorry about your parents,' he whispered into her hair.
She pulled back and he was afraid for a second that she was going to snap. But she surprised him by smiling slightly and replied, 'Thanks you.' She paused for a second and then added, 'I'm sorry about your parents too.' He just nodded and they both turned to look at the scenery in front of them again. In some bizarre way, they were both comforted. After a few minutes, he felt her start to shake slightly and he turned to her. She was crying silently, her body shaking and he felt his heartstrings pull for this beautiful girl who has had too much dumped on her in a day. He took her hand and squeezed her as if saying, I'm not going anywhere. She squeezed back and he knew she didn't have to say anything else.
It was midday by the time Aaron and Evanna returned to Scarlet. She was picking apples from the trees and didn't notice them. Evanna removed the jacket and handed it to Aaron, who gave her a small smile. She smiled back and called out to Scarlet.
She was a little startled and almost fell down the tree. She caught onto a branch at the last minute. She glared at her and let go, landing on her feet like a lithe cat. She smiled at Evanna. 'How're you doing?' she asked, concern etched on her face.
Evanna's face fell slightly. 'I don't know. I'm not really feeling anything, because I'm trying not to think about it. I've spent half the day crying. I just... I'm scared if I do think about it, I'll start again. And I'll feel things I don't want to because it's too hard,' she replied, tearing up again.
Scarlet nodded in understanding and said, 'Do you want to help me with the apples then?'
Evanna agreed, grateful for the distraction. She then remembered something. 'Where are we anyway?' she asked, looking around the beautiful meadow.
'Hills surrounding the Village,' Aaron replied, stretching.
'What village?' she asked, her eyebrows scrunching up.
'Purra,' he replied, now yawning.
Evanna raised her eyebrow. He sighed. 'We're in a trading village between realms,' he explained.
'A what between what?' Evanna asked, feeling like a fish out of the water.
'Well, there are many belts connecting one realm to another; sort of like a web if you will. Not everyone can teleport, so there are trading villages which have portals to take people to whichever realm they want to go to. It's the middle ground, I guess you can say. So, people from everywhere come to places like this for, let's say, easy transportation. But mainly it's a trading village-you know, like markets and stuff?'
'Wow, that is the most weirdest thing I've ever heard. So, people from Earth also come here?' she asked.
'Well, not exactly. Your people don't know of the existence of these other worlds, magical worlds. Ignorant lot, they are,' he added, winking. Evanna rolled her eyes.
Scarlet threw an apple at his head. 'Ow,' he cried, rubbing his head. 'What was that for?' he asked, biting into the same apple.
'Get off your ass and help us,' she replied, throwing down apples to Evanna.
'Fine,' he groaned. He started picking apples and all three of them didn't say a word until all the trees were stripped of all the apples. They started munching on apples, when Evanna asked, 'This teleportation you mentioned, is that how we got here?'
Scarlet nodded, pulling out her amulet, she continued, 'This doesn't just control our magic. It creates a portal as well. But only a select few can teleport between worlds.'
'Why?' Evanna asked.
'Well, otherwise, people will just keep teleporting back and forth. It's usually just the royal guards who are allowed to teleport. And the royal family of course,' she added. Evanna nodded, still not having wrapped her head around the "Royal Family" thing.
They finished eating and were lying down. 'I want to go back home,' Evanna announced, her gaze still on the clouds. She felt silly, cloud watching when her parents had been brutally murdered mere hours ago.
'Nope,' Aaron said his gaze on the clouds too.
'I wasn't asking you, dumb-ass. I'm saying,' she said, giving him a pointed look, 'that I want to go.'
'And I'm saying that you can't. It's too dangerous,' he said, sitting up.
Scarlet groaned half-asleep. 'What is going on?' she asked.
'She wants to go home.' 'I want to go home.' They both said at the same time.
Scarlet turned to Evanna and frowned slightly, 'It's too dangerous,' she mumbled.
'I know, but-'
'No, Evanna,' she replied, firmly.
'What about my parents?' she demanded.
Scarlet didn't reply.
'Aaron, please,' Evanna asked, turning to him.
'Nope. Not going to happen, Evanna. We don't know who or what is going to be waiting for us there. It is one of the most obvious places to look for you. By taking you there, we are basically handing you over to be killed,'
She glared at him. 'You both are there to protect me,' she replied.
'There are only two of us, Evanna. We'll be dead before you know it,' he replied harshly. Evanna flinched a little, hurt and got up and left, abruptly.
'Nice work, dumb-ass,' Scarlet said, shooting him a dirty look. Aaron felt bad and got up as well, stopping Scarlet. 'I'll go,' he said.
'No. I should go. You've done enough damage,' she replied harshly. He looked dejected. Her eyes softened. 'I'm sorry, Aaron. This is a really hard time for her. You have to understand all this is still new to her. Added to that, she just lost her parents.'
He just nodded and let go of her arm. 'Tell her that I am sorry.' She nodded and jogged over to Evanna.
She found her best friend crying near the stream running down the hill. She sat down next to her and put her arm over her shoulder, giving her an awkward hug. 'You didn't have come,' Evanna sniffled.
'Of course I did.'
'What happened to my parents' bodies?' she asked, her voice breaking at the last two words.
'The other guardians would have taken care of them,' Scarlet replied softly.
'Taken care how?'
'Taken them away and buried them,' she replied, wincing at how casual she sounded. 'Sorry,' she added.
'No funeral then?' Scarlet asked, biting her lip to stop from crying again.
'We usually don't have one on the day of the burial. We have one after,'
'I can't believe they are dead. I mean, I was there; I saw them die. But it's like, my mind hasn't exactly come to terms with it yet,' she replied. 'I just...God, this is all so messed up! Not two days ago, I never even knew any of this existed! Now, I'm some magical princess who is hunted by the most powerful, most dangerous sorcerer to exist!' she cried, frustrated.
'I know that this must be really hard on you. I get it; I don't know what happened to my parents either,' Scarlet said. Evanna looked up her eyes wide, opening her mouth to apologise, when she stopped her. 'I am not blaming you for anything. I'm your guardian and my duty is to protect you.'
'I'm sure they are alright,' Evanna said, looking down.
'I know they are. They had called for back –up by the time we left,' she smiled. 'Do you want to go back to the Castle? Meet your real parents?' Scarlet asked after a pause, slightly hesitant.
Evanna took a deep breath, wiping off the tears from her cheeks. 'I have to sooner or later. I would rather it be sooner. Ripping off a band-aid, you know.'
Scarlet nodded and went to get up. 'But I want to go back home first. I need to say goodbye,' she said, her voice pleading.
Scarlet stared at her best friend and she could see how hard this was all on her. Her eyes were red and she could see the tears ready to spill, she had dark circles under her eyes. She also saw the determination and the fire in her eyes and knew that she'd lost the fight. She gave her a curt nod, not wanting to argue and started walking back to the clearing when she saw Aaron come towards her.
'How is she doing?' he asked, concerned.
'She wants to go back,' she sighed.
'It's too dangerous, Scarlet,' he argued.
'You don't think I know that? She won't listen to me. But she did agree to go to the castle after.'
'Yeah, I figured she wouldn't. Going back to our home is much safer than going back to that land. We don't know what is waiting for us at her house,' he said, starting to pace.
'I know but I think it's her way of saying goodbye,' she replied, looking down.
Aaron stopped pacing and turned to her. 'We might not be able to protect her,' he said, his eyes clouding over.
'We're really good, Aaron. I've spent all my free time practising. We're trained to fight. You have killed a lot of sorcerers. We can handle it,' she stated.
He sighed. 'Is this what she really wants?'
'Yes. She's been through so much in one day, Aaron. She has to have the chance to say goodbye to her parents. Plus, I have to go see my parents, take care of some things.'
'Okay,' he replied, after thinking for a long minute.
'Okay?' she asked, surprised that he gave in.
'This is a horrible idea, but yeah, okay,' he replied, nodding.
Evanna walked over to them and asked, 'What's going on?'
'We're going back home.' Aaron replied, turning to her.
'We're going back home?' Evanna repeated.
'Yep,' Aaron nodded. He felt the wind rush by and something warm pressed against his body. He almost toppled over by her sudden hug, but managed to balance himself. He was still surprised when she pulled back a second later. She smiled up at him, her eyes shining and he was thrown off by how beautiful her smile was.
'Thank you. I know you didn't want to take me back and I get that you want to protect me. But I am also grateful that you understood,' she said, smiling slightly. It didn't reach her eyes, but it was still a smile.
Aaron just nodded and said, 'We should get going then.' He marched up the hill to Scarlet. 'We should teleport right into the house. It'll be safer,' she said, when they got closer. Aaron nodded and pulled out his amulet, holding it out in his palm. It rose a little in the air, glowing brightly. It took her a minute to notice, but Evanna eventually saw the light getting brighter, before it became as big and wide as a door. Aaron walked closer to what she now understood to be the portal and he was gone in the blink of eye.
Scarlet led Evanna to the portal and once she got close enough, she felt a gravity like pulling, dragging her into the portal. She felt the ground beneath her shift before it entirely disappeared. She felt like she was floating, but before she could get used to the feeling, she stumbled into her room-well, her old room- Scarlet following right behind.
She took in her light blue walls, her twin bed, posters all over her room. It felt like she hadn't been here for years, when it had been only been a little more than a day. It all looked so normal, mundane; everything she'd said she would miss.
'Evanna?' Scarlet asked, waving her hand in front of her eyes. She was brought out of her reverie and she shook her head from her thoughts.
'Yes?' she asked, clearing her throat.
'I'm going down to my house. I'll be back in a while with the updates. Aaron is here if you need anything,' she said, tilting her head slightly.
'Okay,' she replied. Scarlet went to go out the door, when Evanna caught her arm. Scarlet flinched and Evanna noticed it.
'Hey, are you hurt?' she asked, retracting her hand from its grip on her arm.
'It's nothing,' Scarlet dismissed it. But Evanna ignored it and pulled back the sleeve of her jacket. She saw a large cut from her shoulder-blade to several inches above her elbow. She'd stopped the bleeding by tying a piece of cloth over the cut. Evanna's eyes widened and she turned her eyes up to look into her friend's brown ones.
'This is not nothing, Scarlet Collins. We're taking you to a doctor right now,' she said, her voice giving no place for an argument.
'Evanna. I'll get it cleaned it up at home, okay? Let's not make a big deal out of nothing.'
'But Scar-'
'Hey. It's fine. I'll take care of it, okay?'
'Alright,' she reluctantly agreed. 'Be careful, okay?'
'Yes, mother,' Scarlet replied, painfully sarcastic. Evanna shook her head and watched her friend walk out her door. She looked around her room once more and let out a deep breath. She picked up a suitcase from her closet and started at it. What was she supposed to take to this place? She was pretty sure that none of her clothes were normal over there. She filled it with knick-knacks from her room instead- her old teddy bear, her photo album. She moved to her gaze to her mirror when she noticed the music box sitting atop the dresser nearby. She opened it and heard the soft music come out of it. It was her mother's. She'd given it to her when she was six and had told her to make a wish every time she opened it. She'd said, 'Everything you want, you will get if you wish hard enough, honey.'
Evanna smiled, remembering her mother's words as clear as day. She was so naïve back then, believing in making wishes and thinking that they'll really come true. But even now, she closed her eyes and wished for the one thing she knew she'll never get. She felt the tears slide down her face but she didn't wipe them off, but instead held the music box close to her heart. She slide down to the floor and cried silently and then she felt the sobs wreak her body and her cries became louder, desperate. She mourned her parents' death. She mourned the fact that she never got to say goodbye. She mourned at the unfairness of it all.
She felt a presence sit next to her and pull her closer to a warm body. She didn't have to look up to know who it was. She had become so accustomed to his embrace in such a short time that, if she hadn't been crying over her parents', she would have found it frightening. She leaned her head on her shoulder, seeking the comfort she craved, her body shaking.
She leaned on him like her life depended on it, like she couldn't hold herself together anymore. After a while she moved her arms to encircle around his neck, holding him closer. He hugged her closer and said, 'It's going to be alright, Evanna,' He shushed her, rubbing her back-up and down, up and down. She concentrated on the motion of his hands, up and down, and started to calm down. After what felt like years, Evanna pulled back, letting her hands fall down next to her. Her head was bowed down, eyes directed downwards, trying to hide the sorrow and loss behind them.
Sniffling she said, 'Thank you. I don't even know you and you've... Just, thanks.'
'Stop it. You know more about me than a lot of people. Don't think like that, that I'm just a stranger,' he replied, lifting her chin with one finger.
'I didn't mean it in that way. I meant that I haven't known you for long.'
'I know what you meant. You don't need time to know someone. Time just makes everything more complicated than it is.'
Evanna didn't say anything for a long time. She opened her palm which held the music box. Lightly tracing the design, she said, 'Sometimes time is all you have. And sometimes time is all you want. But sometimes it is something you wish you had more of, but will never have,' she said and moved past him.
She resumed packing, placing the music box in her suitcase, while he was standing stock still. 'Time makes you forget,' he said out of the blue that Evanna was slightly startled.
'Excuse me?'
'Time. It makes you forget the memories that you did have. It makes you forget the time that you did have. That's why time is insignificant. I tried so hard to hold on to the memories of my parents', but they did fade. I can't remember their faces now and it kills me.'
Evanna was quite for a long time before she said, 'I'm sorry you don't remember them.'
He just nodded and left the room, leaving Evanna to stare after his retreating form. She finished packing and looked around her room. She picked up the photo frame laying on top her bed-side table. It was a picture of her with her parents on Fourth of July last year. It had been the perfect day. She ran her finger over their faces and tried to etch the memory in her brain so she doesn't lose it.
So many memories that she didn't want to lose, but she would eventually. She wiped the single tear that escaped her eye and placed the photograph in the suitcase and closed it.
'You done?' a voice asked from her doorway.
Evanna turned around to see Scarlet freshly showered and dressed. She had a duffle bag in her hand.
'Yes.' She took a deep breath. 'Let me just take a shower,' she said.
'Of course. I'll take your bag down for you,'
'Thanks.' Scarlet took her suitcase and left the room when Evanna called after her. Scarlet poked her head into the room. 'Yeah?'
'Did you take care of your wound?'
'Yeah. My mom bit my head off and cleaned it up.'
'Did your mom have any other news?'
'Yes. Why don't you finish with your shower and come on down?' Scarlet replied, smiling slightly.
'Okay.' Evanna grabbed her clothes and toiletries and closed the bathroom door. She walked over to the mirror and looked at her reflection. Her hair was a tangled mess, her skin was deathly pale, her cheeks had dry tear tracks on them, her blue eyes that were once bright and full of life were now empty, lifeless and puffy from all the crying. All in all, Evanna Harthlow was a mess.
She let out a huge breath and closed her eyes. 'When I open my eyes, it will be the new beginning. I will stop being the girl whose life was normal. I'm going to be the girl who has to stay strong and keep her head up high no matter what. This is going to be a bloodbath and I should be ready to face whatever is going to come at me. It will be a fight of life and death and I will fight till death. For my parents. When I open my eyes, I will no longer be the girl who lived behind the green door. When I open my eyes, I will start a new chapter of my life and I will not turn back. I will charge on ahead.'
6: Finding Home