All Of Us - Part 1: Summer

Chapter 21- Acceptation

Trigger warning: violence

- Evangeline -

Tap Tap Tap

The footsteps are brisk, and soon enough Keiti sticks her head around the corner.

"Evangeline ? Hey, how are you ?" she asks me with a radiant smile. "Did you get enough sleep ?"

"Uh, yes. Thank you," I reply awkwardly.

"I just gotta borrow Aline for a sec', if you don't mind," she winks. Aline gets up and throws a "I'll be right back" over her shoulder. I wonder what they're going to talk about. I lay my head against the wall. It's the same cave where I was kept prisoner, but it feels different somehow, now that it'll be my room and not my cage.

I rub my eyes with my fingers. All of this has happened so fast... I decided to join on a whim, but strangely, it feels like the best decision I have ever taken. Except for one small detail, I suppose.

They hate me. They do. There's no lying about it. Aline and Keiti and Mouse don't seem to, along with a couple of people from the debate. But that's it. How am I going to do this ? I close my eyes, but instead of an angry mob, Tarquin's drunken face slips to mind. I clench my teeth. How can such people... be alive ? I feel no remorse for what I have done. I would do it again, even if it weren't a test.

I let my jaw loosen. Maybe I am harsh. But he... How can I not ? With everything that happened at the Court...

I spring up. I can't think about that. Not now. Are they soon done ? I cast a glance at the closed door, before getting up. Impatiently, I start to pace in the room. I'll just have to ignore the rebels who dislike me. Their problem.

"Alright, so Aline's in charge of you, Evangeline," Keiti declares as she strolls back in the cave, her friendly eyes shining in my direction. I nod and she smiles. Stifling a yawn, she replies: "Ok then, I think I'm going to take a nap. If I don't, I think Dæor will force me into a sleep that I'll never get out of, if you catch my drift." She winks cheekily. "See you around !"

Dæor... I had forgotten - or choosen to forget - about him.

"Evangeline ? Yah comin ?"

"Yes."

Aline turns and plants her eyes in mine, with a seriousness that I'm now unaccustomed to. Uh-oh. Am I in trouble ?

" 'Being A Rebel: lesson 1.' It ain't 'yes', it's yeah. Don't yah dare reply with a measly 'yes'."

"Ye- yeah."

"Good", she laughs. "Ready fer a tour of the caves ?"

"Yeah !"

"C'mon, this way." She gestures for me to follow, and I happily comply. We start to walk down the hallway, and she points to the door at my right.

"There's the Lake #3. It's small, but shallow. Convenient if yah dunno how tah swim."

"Oh, don't worry, I can swim."

"Oh yeah ?" She raises a quizzical eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, they had pools at the castle. What about you ?"

She snorts. "I ain't ever swimming. No way."

"Scared ?" I taunt.

"Yeah, and I have no shame. Ain't going near the lake in the main hall. Way too deep."

"Oh, I remember that one," I muse aloud. "It's gigantic. How come you - we - have all of this water ?"

"Some people dug canalisations, 'pparently. Ask Gail 'bout it if yah curious. She's the smart one 'round here."