The Trouble with Evie

Chapter 10

I was tired. Walking through the corridors at school, it felt like I bumped into every single person in the entire building. Of course, I knew it wasn't the case. If it were, I'd have Audrey Hartley glaring at me, snapping her fork tongue with acidic words of hate.

Scrubbing my eyes, I yawned and turned to my lonesome corridor of darkness. Only I wasn't alone. It was the purple-eyed boy, and it looked like he was waiting for me.

His eyes were definitely purple. There was no mistaking them for blue.

"They're coming for you," he said softly.

"Who are?"

"Who are what?"

I gasped, turning around to see Audrey behind me. The other girls were not with her. I'd managed to avoid all of them until now.

"I was,"

Turning back, the boy was gone.

"Nothing," I murmured.

The wise me said to be wary of looking like a lunatic by asking if she'd seen the guy with purple eyes that had disappeared into thin air. This place was clearly more than just a boring town.

"You're Evelyn, right?"

"Yeah, everyone calls me Evie."

Except for Niko, but I couldn't exactly say that.

Audrey smiled as if it was beneath her to offer the gesture to me. Almost like she was being forced into this by a certain master or a father desperate for attention from the very same master.

"I'm Audrey. You're new to Hades."

"Yeah, arrived just over a week ago."

Gritting that forced smile, Audrey clutched her books to her chest as if they were the only thing that could save her. She was picture-perfect, looking like she'd spent a long time deciding on the right cashmere sweater to match the school skirt. It wasn't the school's official jumper, yet it seemed as if no one cared.

The blond curls were artfully placed on either side of her neck, with pink barrettes clipped to the side. Everything was coordinated. Being this close to someone who was the complete opposite must be incredibly difficult.

"Well, that's good, I guess. So, I heard you're living on the east side."

In the house with a crack in the basement wall? Why yes, Audrey, you are right.

"Yeah, we found a cute house the other day."

"You know it's haunted, don't you?"

"That's what the removalists said, but the builder that fixed the wall said it was rubbish. I wonder who is telling the truth."

I pretended that I was shocked when I gasped.

"Maybe it was the builder. After all, he's working for the real estate, and if we leave because of it, then the real estate will have to pay to move us into another house. They didn't tell us it was haunted. Isn't that illegal?"

"Well, I don't,"

"Gosh, Audrey, maybe the builder was being paid off to keep us there."

"No, I don't think,"

"You are so right. I'm glad that you brought this to my attention. My uncle is not going to be happy at all. If we have to move because of it,"

I shook my head, putting my hands on my hips.