Evan Farrington's Confession | ✔️

twenty

Just wanted to hop in at the start and put a little TW for this chapter. There's nothing graphic at all but there is the suggestion of SH here so if reading that is not going to be supportive for whatever journey you're on, feel free to skip this one or drop me a message for a (trigger free) recap.

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Evan took a bite of her sandwich. The street below looked still, almost like a picture. The darkness was sheer and deeply blue, the sky starless. Her own ghostly face faintly stared back at her. It would be nice to switch off her light and see clearly into the outside world. But the chills sweeping through her room demanded it be kept on.

They were coming.

Evan swallowed and took a deep breath, waiting for her heart to quicken but it remained stubbornly steady. She wasn't sure quite how she knew they were coming. But she knew. For the first time, Evan felt like she had warning. The coldness in her bedroom was more than a draft. It was icy, leaving her bones chilled to the marrow. She swallowed again.

"What do you want?" she asked. Loud enough to prove the evenness of her tone but not loud enough for her family to hear. She took another bite of sandwich, chewing for a long time. There was no answer... no answer... no answer. Evan pinched her lip for a brief second. Would they come if she asked?

(would you ask them to come?)

She shivered and the lights went out, so suddenly Evan didn't have time to jump. The sandwich dropped onto her plate, leaking blackberry jam.

"Hello?" she said, a little louder in attempt to fend off the tremor creeping into her pulse. No reply came. Evan's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. She didn't think she had ever been so aware of her breathing, the rasping, jumping inhale and poorly controlled exhale.

Then a shrieking laugh pierced her ears, squeezing a terrified squeak out of her throat. Her plate flew off the table and smashed on the wall. The laugh stopped.

Evan's goosebumps softened. Her eyes were wide and dry in the darkness. Was that it? Her eyes stung when she finally brought herself to close them. She stood, walked over to the door and switched the light on with a shaking hand. The light flooded into her brain, clearing the mist that had been hanging in her skull.

(what did he want to say?)

Evan pinched her lip with one hand, her other hand still resting on the light switch. She knew it was stupid to worry about it. There was no way to know. Unless she decided to call him again and ask. And lose her only friend by being a creep. Evan closed her eyes as the soft sound of slipper clad footfalls came up the stairs. Suzanne knocked on the door. It seemed extra loud in the hazy darkness behind her eyelids.

"Ev? Is everything okay?" (nope) "I heard a crash."

Evan rubbed her eyes before she opened them. "Yeah, I'm okay," she said. Her voice was weary. That was the only word Evan could think of to describe it. Weary. "I dropped my plate."

Her mother sighed and opened the door. "Honestly Evan, you'd think I had a toddler in the house. Do I need to get you some plastic plates?"

Evan sat on her bed and brought her legs up to her chest. Suzanne ignored her and walked to the wall to survey the damage. Evan craned over her shoulder, clutching her calves. It wasn't too bad. There were a few jam smudges and the paint had certainly looked better. Her plate was in shards on the carpet.

"Sorry Mum."

"Huh," tutted Suzanne. Evan turned her head back straight.

"I'll go and get the hoover for you, put the big bits in the bin."