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 NINE RUN
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Evangeline tapped her finger against her chin as she circled Tessa, her other hand propped on the side of her hip. They were in the very unused ballroom of the Institute, cleared of dust by Thomas and Sophie, though sheets still covered various chairs, as well as the large piano in the corner. Jem was slouched in the only plush chair that had been uncovered and cleaned; he was tuning and cleaning his violin with gentle hands. Will, in comparison, was sitting at Jem's feet, leaning his cheek against Jem's knee as he watched Evangeline and Tessa practice dancing. At this moment, Evangeline was correcting the other girl's posture. She had a knack for slouching, and as Camille Belcourt had said, the vampire did not slouch. Evangeline pressed gently against Tessa's shoulders from behind, and Tessa automatically straightened them, though she did sigh in slight annoyance. This was the third time Evangeline had reminded her to straighten her shoulders, though her back was fine.
"You are used to making yourself seem small," Evangeline murmured to her thoughtfully. "Perhaps from your time being held captive. But you must remember, dear Tessa, that no one can make you small unless you let them." Evangeline smiled then, a bright thing that Tessa blinked at the sight of. "And besides, Camille would not try to hide. She would hold her head high and look down her nose at absolutely everyone around her." Evangeline cocked her head to the side. "Perhaps you could practice as Camille?"
"No," Tessa said firmly, shaking herself. Her shoulders were still straight, and she raised her chin. Like she was practicing looking down her nose at Evangeline as she said, "I would like to spend as little time as possible as Camille, thank you."
"As you wish," Evangeline relented, an amused smile on her lips. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she glanced over at Will and snapped her fingers. He blinked at her slowly, much like a cat, and then started counting out the steps. Clearing her throat, Evangeline swept Tessa toward her again. Evangeline had been taking the lead, teaching her to dance, so she had been placing her hand on Tessa's hip. Her dresses weren't there yet, so she was wearing one of Evangeline's, a deep blue silk that brought out the gray of her eyes. The two of them corrected their posture, then started moving in time with Will's counts. Tessa was frowning in concentration as they moved, counting the numbers to herself. Evangeline bit back her laughter and just kept dancing, kept twirling and stepping until eventually Tessa's internal counting stopped, and she was dancing more smoothly without looking like she was reading something rather difficult.
"Do Shadowhunters take dancing lessons?" Tessa burst out suddenly, and thankfully, she didn't miss any steps when she looked up and caught Evangeline's eye. Evangeline smiled brightly at her. This time Tessa did stumble. She was blushing when she straightened, and Evangeline patted her shoulder comfortingly.
