The Chase

26 Evie

The thin woman who walked in like she owned the place demanded a drink and then kept steam rolling over every one else. She was the thinnest sharpest bulldozer of a woman I had ever seen. I liked her. That was strength and confidence that had been earned, I could feel it. She had stories.

She strode directly towards me, making Sky get up and move from his seat with nothing more than a brief move of her eyes, and taking a seat with nothing more than a single curt nod as Sky got out of her way. Laurel took his arm, and kissed his cheek as he went to stand behind her. They looked at each other like each other was the sun. Realization dawned on me, a sharp twist in my heart. I yearned for that. I looked to Luca, could we be that?

I turned, and watched Josephine's deep chocolate eyes look me up and down once, a firm appraisal of all that I was. Suddenly freshly ashamed of the bangs I didn't want as I felt her eyes judging me. If I was going to be scrutinized I wanted to look like me. Like Evie. Not Emily Violet. Never anything like Ginger.

In one moment I had bangs, then suddenly they grew, I watched my bangs grow right in front of my eyes. Until they were shoulder brushing layers in my long hair that I could once again tuck behind my ears. I watched the new woman's eyes go just the slightest bit wider as I brushed my new hair back behind my ears.

"That's never happened before..." I said to no one in particular. Luca and Alexander I noticed were near perfect matches across the sitting area we had arranged ourselves in outside. Gargoyles hovering over their...

A boney hand with long elegantly manicured fingers"Josephine my dear, and it might be a sincere pleasure to meet you." She said introducing herself to me, not knowing what else to do I shook it. Flashes of a woman who looked almost like, like me. Pale skin and dark dark hair. No freckles and dark colored eyes. Like she could have been my sister. Flashes of memories that weren't mine, Josephine had loved her. Really loved her. But-

Josephine snatched her hand back. "Who was that?" I asked. Sincerely curious, the memories had been so visceral, it was like I could feel what Josephine had felt. The ache in my heart wasn't my own right now.

"Auris what can you tell me about Pixies?" She demanded. Ignoring me. The thin blonde man perked to attention and smiled. Smiled of all things after being barked at.

He smiled a dark smile of his own, the very air around me felt different than when Josephine had called his name. "Only that anything is possible with a Pixie around." It was unsettling how his one gold eye didn't seem to be in sync with his green eye. Laurel moved, and put her hand on the shoulder on the side of the golden eye. Whispering "Basalt, you're still scaring her, she can feel you." The golden eye faded away and a matching emerald color took over. Leaving Auris looking and feeling like a different man than he had been a moment ago. He didn't seem as frightening, the experience of whatever that had been was, bewildering. It was like they were two beings who were completely separate and connected.

"What was that?" I asked the room. Feeling rude instantly, not understanding why. Then I felt everything. Everything from everyone. The life in the woods and ground underneath us. Concern from Laurel, then worry, then lots of worry. Lots of a lot of peoples feelings.

It was too much. "Stop stop stop stop stop." I tried to block my ears with my hands. It didn't stop the feelings that weren't mine from getting into my head. My eyes were closed, trying to stop whatever was happening from happening. There were voices but I couldn't hear anything over the buzzing din of life everywhere. It was just noise. Crushing noise and smothering, heart stopping feelings.

Then a heart beat I knew like a favorite song, right in my ear, arms that made my skin come alive wrapping around me. Then I felt something like a strong static shock pass through my entire body and quiet. Just Luca's heartbeat in my ear. My own ragged breathing. The crickets outside. Were the only sounds now. The little ball of feelings that were Luca manageable and in my heart, not my head.