Evangeline Rosewell has too much love to give. Fortunately, the three people she loves the most are exactly the same way.
( THE INFERNAL DEVICES TRILOGY )
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CHAPTER SIX RUMORS
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Evangeline was up earlier than usual the next morning, before anyone else, and she ended up having to call Sophie early in order to get dressed. Her dresses weren't designed for her to be able to put them on by herself, unfortunately, but she had most of it on by the time Sophie arrived at her room. Only the buttons on her back were loose. Sophie buttoned them up quickly, eyeing Evangeline through the mirror as she did. She was surely taking note of the dark circles under Evangeline's eyes. Evangeline hadn't slept well at all after leaving Jem. She'd ended up thinking of her parents, and then she'd eventually gotten up to curl onto the window seat with her mother's stele in one hand and her father's old watch in the other, staring at them blankly and wondering if they were watching over her. Maybe they weren't. Maybe, like Jem believed, they had already passed onto a new life. Evangeline hoped so. She hoped they could live a full and happy life next time, instead of a life that was tragically cut short, with nothing but an orphaned daughter left behind.
Now Evangeline was tired and sad and maybe even a little moody, but she showed none of that, simply picking up a jar of powder and gently dabbing it under her eyes until the dark circles were no longer visible. The powder wasn't as dark as her olive-toned skin, but hopefully no one would notice the slight paleness under her eyes. She hadn't applied much. She patted at the powder under her eyes a bit more, trying to get it to blend more into her skin. Then she grimaced and reached for a washcloth, wiping the powder away. The cosmetic powder was toxic, according to Henry, and Evangeline had forgotten about that until she saw it on her face. She would have to do with an energy rune. She picked up her mother's stele, feeling sentimental, and etched the rune on the inside of her left wrist. It did nothing to hide the circles under her eyes, but it did ease the aches of exhaustion in her body.
"Are you feeling well, Evangeline?" Sophie asked quietly, now twisting up Evangeline's dark hair in a pretty updo, pinning her locks in place with pearl pins. They had also been her mother's. Evangeline couldn't remember getting them out of her vanity drawer to look at them the previous night, but she was grateful that Sophie seemed to understand why Evangeline was so tired. She was still holding her mother's stele, after all, rolling it around in her palm, unwilling to let go. And her father's hand-held pocket watch—the old, mildly ugly thing that didn't even work anymore—was on her vanity instead of wrapped in her chest. She touched it, then decided if she was wearing something of her mother's for the day, she would wear something of her father's, too. She picked it up and placed it into the pocket of her dress.
"Yes, Sophie," Evangeline sighed, trying not to let her shoulders slump. Grief was a funny thing. She could be fine for weeks, even months, but then it would fall down on her because of the smallest thing. The smallest stray thought. Jem had said once that grief never really went away, it just grew bearable enough to ignore, and Evangeline understood that better than most. She swallowed and attempted to smile at Sophie through the mirror. "Do you miss your parents, Sophie?"
