Scarred

Chapter 68

Eva's POV
Ten Months Later
"You look tired," Cas laughs as I drag my way into the Ebony house. Despite now knowing his family, Cas has unsurprisingly decided to keep living with Maven and James, just now in a different house located in the capital city. They're a short walk away from my house and I seem to spend more time with them than I do at home, though that might just be because it still feels weird to be away from Cas for too long. Ten months have passed since the curse broke and yet things hardly seem all too different other than the fact that I now live with my parents.

But that's ignoring the elephant in the room.

Just several months ago, I had the big news dropped on me. I'm getting a younger sibling, more specifically, a younger sister by the name of Clover. She's due to be born any day now, and part of me is getting more than a little stressed by it.

"I am tired. Any day now, I'm gonna get a little sister, feels weird. I'm struggling to sleep because of how much I'm thinking about it," I sigh, flopping down onto the sofa. "Almost sixteen years younger than me, it's strange."
"You can say that again. But hey, better now than in the past, at least she can safely live her life. Oh yeah, I keep forgetting to ask, how's school going?"
"It's sensory hell," I grunt. "It's bright and loud and I can never focus. So for now, I'm learning from home; it's been a much nicer experience, I have to admit. And you?"
"I think I'm actually beginning to catch up now. It's kinda awkward when I don't really know anyone there, but Elizabeth's been keeping a close eye on me and helping me out when she can."
"That's good to hear."

On top of all the changes when it comes to the treatment of different bloods, the change in leadership and all sorts of other things, there's been a more personal change for me and Cas, that being school. It was never safe for me to attend before now because of my blood, so that also meant Cas couldn't go because of the curse. Maven taught us what he could, but because of the war, not even Maven had a fully fledged education. But now, we can and do attend school. We were lucky enough to end up in the same one, coincidentally the one Lizzy has attended for years now, but we didn't end up in the same classes for the most part.

And plus, even if we did, it's not like it would matter much. I never thought I'd hate school as much as I do - I mean, I'd like to think I'm a pretty enthusiastic learner - but I was wrong. Everything about it is so incredibly overwhelming that I just can't bear it. So as I said to Cas, we've come up with a temporary solution where I use a communicator to listen to the lesson and take notes at home. I do hate to leave Cas mostly by himself there, but I can barely survive a moment in that place.

"I should've known you'd be back again today," James laughs, walking into the room. "I'm guessing you don't want to be dragged along to the hospital and are hanging around here in hope to avoid it."
"Duh. I don't think I could deal with all the panic and what not," I reply, glancing towards him. "But hey, at least Clover's not gonna be as messed up as me, she won't have to worry about curses or Pures or parents or anything of the sort. I'm almost jealous of her."
"Aren't we all? Getting born into a life where the queen and her influence no longer exist sounds like a dream come true," Cas adds, sitting down beside me. "And I think most kids she'll end up knowing will be jealous that Clover has such a cool older sister."

"Cool? Me? I'll have to disagree-"
"You're literally part of the reason Clover is even able to exist. Clover's gonna love you, I just know it."

I stay for a fair bit longer, even going as far as to have dinner with Maven, James and Cas, but I have to head back home before it gets too dark. When I arrive back at the house, no one responds after several knocks on the door. Sighing, I get my keys out and unlock the door before heading inside. A note sits on the coffee table in the living room, written in a much more scribbly version of dad's handwriting.