Evelyn frowned. "What's Ereseville?"
"It's a nice, lovely town a few hundred miles from here." Ellete answered.
"Wait-we're moving?" Evelyn's brain finally managed to catch up to what Atler had said.
"Yes, we are. Or momentarily, at least. We'll move back here when-if-Master Wyatt Egar has another vision of you-but one that shows you're breathing and healthy and alive." Atler said.
"B-but we can't move!" Evelyn shouted-stammered.
"Why?"
"What about my friends? And my school? A..and this house? And Willowwill? And the dragon egg? And my life here? And-"
Ellete stopped her before she could continue. "I'm sure we can figure it out."
Evelyn started hyperventilating and buried her face in her arms.
Ellete approached her and sat on the bed, wrapping an arm around Evelyn. "Listen, Evelyn-"
"I can't!" Evelyn raised her voice and looked up. "I have a life here and I have to leave it. It's bad enough that I had to leave my life behind in the human world, but now I have to leave my current life here and live another different life altogether in a random town I didn't even know existed?! And I was just beginning to feel like I fit in."
She wanted to apologise to Atler and Ellete when she saw their shocked and heartbroken faces after hearing her unexpected outburst but she bit her tongue and buried her face in her hands again.
"Evelyn, I'm sorry you have to leave your life here, but your actual life is on the line." Ellete said in the most gentle way she could. "And I promise we'll figure it out. This time, you won't be departed from this place completely-we'll find ways to keep you in touch with your friends and everything. But we have to move- it's not a choice. It the only way to keep you safe, and we're unsure whether or not you'll really be safe." Ellete's voice hitched at the end.
"So we're moving to another place, depending on an 'if'?" Evelyn lashed out.
Ellete sighed. "I know you're mad at us and you're frustrated but it's the only way to keep you safe. You have no say or decision in this- we're moving, and that's that- end of discussion. Now get some rest-moving tomorrow."
Evelyn powerlessly watched them exit the room.
"Sorry, kid." Zak whispered when they left the room.
"I can't believe it." Evelyn mumbled. After all she had gone through-was it all just to leave her life behind or even possibly die?
"You should start packing," Zak suggested. "I can help you."
"I don't want to," Evelyn whispered. "It feels like I'm packing my life away and leaving it for my new one."
Zak sighed. "Evelyn, I hope you'll listen to Atler and Ellete and cooperate. The truth is, they love you. You're they're daughter- their only child, at this point. And I know you only think them as guardians but you don't know how much they care for you. When they left you in the human world, I had to watch them crying and sobbing the nights away. It was heartbreaking- they acted like the world was crumbling to ruins, and maybe it was for them since you're their child. And one of the worst parts was when they returned to look for you but saw you playing with your new parents. They stood there for hours, watching you with tears streaming down their eyes. They had to stand there and watch their child forget all about them since you would be safer and happier with your new parents. So they sacrificed their heartbreaks, the endless nights of sobbing, the tears, crying and so much more just so you'd be safe and happy. You mean the world to them, Evelyn."
"When I was a kid, I was....less fortunate. My parents had a lot of children-my mother gave birth to eleven grimmies in total-"
"Your mom had eleven children?" Evelyn has to ask for confirmation.
Zak nodded. "And I was the youngest. So after a talk, my father and mother decided to abandon some of us kids. They ended up abandoning the youngest three- me and my two brothers. I was a toddler when it happened, so I didn't know much. But my brothers were seven and ten already, so they looked after me. My brothers had to work for food and they did odd jobs for money, even at such a young age. I really do appreciate my brothers- they worked day and night to get food for all of us, especially me, since I was a growing toddler. Then on my first day of middle school, I met your -. I got into a local nyx school because they offered to let my brothers and me attend the school for free out of pity. Your- helped me tremendously and we became great friends. If not for your dad, I doubt I could even be here right now."
"Oh," Evelyn bit her lip, not knowing what to say. "I'm so sorry that happened to you."
Zak fixed his look on his hands. "Let's move on- this topic is touchy. We should start packing up your belongings."
Evelyn hesitated but still nodded.
"I'll get the bags." Zak said as he walked out the door.
He walked back in a few minutes later with two empty duffel bags in his hands. "Here, kid." He placed the bags in Evelyn's hands.
"Try to pack less- you won't have enough space for all your belongings in your new room and in the carriage."
"Carriage?"
"Yes. We're going to ditch teleballs and teleporting. We found out your 'murderers' might be able to track you down by hacking into the online teleporting files."
"What if… what if my death is not caused my murder? What if like it's caused by like an accident?" Evelyn paled. Talking about her own death still gave her shivers, but then again, who wouldn't be scared about their own death?
"Highly unlikely." Zak answered. "Evelyn, a dagger was stabbed in your stomach."
Evelyn tried not to picture that.
"Alright, kid. I'll leave you to pack. Are you hungry?" Zak asked.
Evelyn shook her head.
"Well, I'll make you some soup anyway." Zak decided and exited her room, leaving Evelyn staring at the bags.
The first thing she packed was her photo album and she stuffed her singed clothes- the same ones from the day of the fire-which she kept in a ziplock bag in her closet and stuffed it in one of the two bags and threw in her important personal belongings and the gifts she had received from her friends, Zak and Atler and Ellete.
In the second bag she threw in a bunch of clothes and a few books to read.
When the two bags were full, she stood up and looked around the room, checking if she had left out anything.
"Oh!" she exclaimed when she spotted Doodo on her night drawer. "How could I have forgotten you?"
She picked up Doodo and placed the chipmunk on top of her bag then got down on her knees and looked under the bed, pulling out two trunks full of her childhood toys- she had completely forgotten about them up to this point.
The trunks were a little dusty so Evelyn swept the dust off and clicked both open, revealing all her childhood toys and pulled out a figurine of a merhorse, which sparkled with bits of silver glitter.
"Evelyn?" she heard Zak's voice call out.
Evelyn placed the merhorse into the stack of toys and slammed shut the trunks, locking them up.
"I got you some soup," Zak explained, walking into the room with a bowl of soup. "I hope you like it."
Evelyn got up and sat on the bed, accepting the bowl of soup and taking it into her hands. She was a little skeptical and gingerly took a sip because Zak's cooking history in the past wasn't the best....
"This is delicious!" she announced. "What is this stuff?"
"Simple pumpkin soup with some spice- a recipe Ellete taught me."
Evelyn gulped the whole bowl down and finished it in seconds.
"Okay, now get your sleep, kiddo. Tomorrow you get to say your goodbyes before you go." Zak said and took the bowl from her, switching off the lights on his way out.
Evelyn lay on her bed, her head against the soft pillow. In just a few months, her life had completely turned upside down. From learning she was actually a nyx with soon-to-come magical powers to learning she was going to be....murdered.
But Evelyn was confident she'd outrun the vision Master Wyatt had seen. They were moving to another village altogether- Evelyn believed that was enough to not get her killed.
One thought led to another and Evelyn slowly drifted to an oblivious sleep.
"Evelyn?"
Evelyn heard someone say her name as she slowly got up with a yawn. She felt calm and peaceful for a second until yesterday's events filled her head.
She looked to her doorway, where Ellete was standing with a tray in her hand.
"Are you hungry?" she asked, slightly tilting the tray to show Evelyn the plate of pancakes on it.
Evelyn's stomach grumbled at the savory sight but she shook her head. "I have to get ready. I'm heading over to Leia's."
Ellete nodded and was about to leave when she turned and faced Evelyn. "You're not mad, right?" she asked as she bit her lip.
"Why would I be mad?"
"Because we're moving. And I know it's harsh for you. We ripped you off from any connection of Earth and bought you to an entirely different world altogether and now we're closing off any connection from you of Celestara and moving to Ereseville."
Evelyn sighed-it was complicated. "I know it's not your fault-it's just that.....you know that feeling when your brain tells you something but your heart refuses to listen?"
She continued. "My brain's telling me it's not your fault- I'm going to get murdered-" her voice hitched. "And you guys are trying to protect me by moving. But my heart, being as stubborn as it always is, is refusing to listen. So I'm a little mad right now, yes, but my heart will soon come to realization and listen to my brain."
Ellete sighed. "I understand. But either way, I'm sorry. For all of this happening to you. You're a good kid- you don't deserve this."
Evelyn smiled weakly. "Well, you know what they say about fate. I guess this is mine."
Ellete excused herself and Evelyn heard sniffles when she left.
Tears filled Evelyn's eyes, but she held them in. This was her fate- and she couldn't outrun it. However she tried to run away, fate would always corner her. And she couldn't change it- so the best she could do now was say her goodbyes and move to Ereseville.
She got up and changed quickly, grabbing her teleball and tossing it in the air, muttering for Leia's home.
The usual bright light flashed and she found herself in front of Leia's elaborate mansion. The walls were white and vines grew alongside the walls, giving it a elegant nature vibe. Bushes of assorted flowers and rare trees lined the pathway to the door and Evelyn could spot a few gardeners trimming the bushes and watering the plants. Leia's dad was royalty, which meant Leia's family were wealthier than others.
Evelyn walked to the front door and knocked on it and two doormen opened it, welcoming Evelyn inside.
The inside was as glorious and elaborate as all the times Evelyn has visited Leia and seen it. Gold lined the walls and ceiling and there were lots of beautiful, homey potted plants.
"Is Leia home?" Evelyn asked the doormen.
"Yes, Mistress Leia is in her room. Would you like me to escort you to her room?" one of the doormen asked.
"It's fine- I know my way around." Evelyn assured him and proceeded to the stairway.
After a few flight of stairs and twists and turns, she finally made her way to Leia's room.
She knocked on the door with a gold-lined sign hanging on it that said Leia with loopy handwriting. "Leia?"
"Who's that?" she heard Leia's voice call out.
"It's Evelyn."
"Oh! Evelyn! Just a sec!"
After a few seconds, the door opened and Leia's head popped out. "Hi, Evelyn! What's up?"
"We need to talk," Evelyn mumbled, feeling her voice giving away.
Leia's smile dropped as she let Evelyn in. "What's wrong?"
Evelyn stepped into her room, which was as ginormous as she remembered. The ceilings were so high up even a georrafe-a taller, bigger version of a giraffe- couldn't touch it and huge, tall windows let plenty of light in. Gold lined the walls- though gold seemed to line everything here- and of course, there were lots of plants. A chandelier hung from the ceiling and a huge king-sized bed was flat in the middle of the room.
Evelyn took a deep breathe, willing herself not to cry. "I'm moving."
"YOU'RE WHAT?!" Leia asked, a little too loudly.
Evelyn bit her lip.
"B-but why would you move? Why all of a sudden?!" Leia asked with a puzzled and panicked look on her face, but her looked dropped away when she came to the realization. "Is it because of the vision thing?"
Evelyn nodded, not trusting her voice to dissolve into sobs when she explained furthermore but her stubborn eyes refused to listen and tears leaked down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry," Leia mumbled. "But we can still teleport to wherever you are to visit you, right?"
"Evelyn shook her head and tried to explain that Ellete and Atler were removing all sort of communication and teleporting to avoid her murderers from tracking them down but when she opened her mouth, all that came out was sobs.
Leia's face filled with worry and she gave Evelyn a hug and they just stood there until Evelyn calmed down.
"Thanks," she mumbled, wiping away her tears.
"C'mon," Leia led her to the bed and they sat down. "Is there anything I can get you?"
"Can you call the rest of our group and tell them to gather here?" Evelyn asked.
Leia nodded and disappeared into the bathroom to make a few calls to their friends.
Evelyn sniffled, holding in her tears to avoid soaking Leia's bed in tears. She had made such great, caring friends and now she had to pack up and leave and possibly never see them again.
A knock on the door scattered her thoughts as Leia rushed to open it and Brooke, Asher, Camila and Amelia filled into the room.
"What's wrong?" Asher asked. "We came as soon as possible."
Soon, all of her friends had gathered around Evelyn with worried and puzzled faces.
Evelyn swallowed and willed herself not to cry again as she started explaining everything and when she was done, she broke into tears.
Leia wrapped her arms around Evelyn, followed by Brooke and the rest of her friends- it had transformed into a full-blown pity party with running tears and ruined mascara.
"Hey," Evelyn smiled weakly and wiped her tears and snot, trying to cheer herself and her friends up. "We should spend our last day together by having fun, right? Not a pity party."
Leia nodded. "If that's what you want."
Soon everyone was gathered in a big circle, ready to play truth or dare.
Everyone was still gloomy so Evelyn decided to cheer them up. "Come on, guys. It's my last day with you all. We should be happy." she said, trying to convince herself too.
Everyone nodded and plastered smiles on their faces but it was obvious their smiles were forced.
To lighten the mood, the decided to give everyone a dare first. "Okay, guys. My dare for you guys is start dancing and go crazy!"
Everyone got on their feet and at first everyone was still down in the dumps but when the dancing session was over, everyone had real smiles plastered on their faces, including Evelyn.
Asher went next. "Okay, truth or dare?" He was replied by a chorus of dares.
"Um..." he looked at Evelyn and Evelyn nodded, gesturing for him to proceed. "I dare you guys to pull a prank on one of the gardeners."
Everyone sneaked down and decided to pull an awesome prank on one of the gardeners by making him think that Leia wanted to try to trim the bushes and cut off her own hand.
Leia got some ketchup from the kitchen and everyone else hid in the bushes as they watched their prank play. In the end, everyone was laughing, including the gardener they pranked.
After a fun day of truth or dare, Ellete gave Evelyn a call to go home and everyone's moods dampened again.
"Well, I'll miss you guys." Evelyn said after they had gathered in Leia's room for a final goodbye. "You guys have been awesome friends. I really don't want to say goodbye, but I know this isn't forever. We'll meet again, right?"
No one nodded or agreed.
"Thank you for accepting me as your friend and I've had the greatest time here. You guys made me feel special. And thank you for giving me this last day of fun- I'll never forget today. I know our bonds are strong and will last forever. From the very first day 'till the last, you guys have been the greatest friends ever. I'm forever grateful- and don't forget me when I'm gone, kay?"
Her friends replied with nods and sniffles.
Tears filled Evelyn's eyes again and they gathered for one last group hug.
"Okay," Evelyn said weakly. "I gotta go now."
She dug her teleball out from her pocket and looked at her friends for one last time. "I'll really miss you guys- thanks for all the fun and I'll never, ever forget you guys. Bye." she waved goodbye for the final time and her friends did the same.
Then she took a deep breath and teleported home with tears in her eyes.