Sterling Estate (discontinued for reconstruction)

Chapter 24: A Chip and a Crack

Dylan and Rae had almost forgotten a little quirk about Marianne. That being she seems to know what a person is thinking without having it verbalized. "We just remembered that we had something that needed to be attended to." Rae is trying to come up with as vague of an excuse as possible. Marianne knows the twins a little better than that, one of those things being not skipping out on a meal without a proper reason. Especially Dylan who never walks away when food is involved. "Okay then, what is this thing you both have to get into?" Seeing the twins hesitate she tries figuring it out looking to their eyes for an answers. However, they don't look at her, making it hard to guess.

"You know us Marianne, we're always up to something whether we ourselves know it or not." Dylan can hear Rae screaming in his thoughts asking him what absurd excuse was that. Feeling that it makes them look even more suspicious.

Marianne, unable to gauge their thoughts, looks over to Percy to see if he knows what's up with them. Him giving her a heck should I know, look and continue to eat his dinner. Seeing that she won't be getting any answers tonight decides to let them go.

"Okay then you both are excused. I'll bring your meals up for you shortly." Dylan and Re looked up at her ecstatic that they'll finally be able to ask Evealyn what happened. "When checking up on little lyn, just make sure not to bombard her with your bickering." They stiffen wondering if it was that obvious what they were about to do. "We won't." They said simultaneously before heading out the dining room.

"How much you're willing to bet they're gonna do what you told them not to?" Percy says, reading his newspaper off the table. "With you nothing, I know better than to make any bets with you." Marianne takes the plates off the table and heads into the kitchen.

Dylan and Re on the other hand had already made their way upstairs and down the hall to Evealyn's room. Walking in they see her sitting slumped against her bed, the green forestry patch in her eyes growing into an eerie fog... back to its usually clear forest then foggy again. Rae rushes over to her side trying to wake her out of whatever trance she's in. Dylan on the other hand has no idea what's happening, "Is that thing doing this? Why do her eyes look like that?" The fog rolling over her eyes makes him feel uneasy; feeling like it could drag him in and swallow him whole.

"No, this is just a Cheverian thing I think. Not sure if it's linked to her abilities or not though." Rae explains while trying her best to shake Evealyn awake or calling her name.

"Why don't you sound too sure? And how do you know that?" Dylan questions

Evealyn on the other hand felt her mind going in and out of consciousness. It's like she's living two different existences at the same time. Unable to figure out which one was pulling her more. Rae and Dylan's voices going in and out of her ears. Unable to focus on their murky conversations and calling her name, feeling another sliver of a crack running through her. She wants to fight what's happening to her yet at the same time, it seems to call her. "Just a chip, a crack, a break is all it takes for this to be over. Fall into pieces and find your life again." Evealyn doesn't understand what this sweet enticing voice is saying to her. However, it somehow makes her want to do whatever it wants.

Closing her eyes, she tries to feel the crack that's creeping through her. It stung a little, the pain paralyzes itself as it trails along. However, before it could grow any further the vision of the unsettling creature creeps back in her thoughts. Suddenly she could hardly breathe, gasping for air her heart races. She wanted to get away, get out, she struggled to scream grasping at nothing around her throat feeling a sharp sting in her neck. "You need to break, NOW, why won't you break?" Evealyn felt scared, finding herself unable to bear this she fights herself to wake up out of this. "NO!"

Evealyn's body goes limp for a moment scaring Dylan and Rae a little. She feels a tension within her body start to leave. Feeling a cool soft pressure against the side of her neck. Slowly opening her eyes, hazy silhouettes of Dylan and Rae now become a focused lens. Their faces filled with confusion and worry. They see that her eyes had mostly gone back to normal, with a thin remnant of the fog still in her eyes. Feeling like an ominous forest that one shouldn't dare to step foot in.

Rae slowly removes her hand that was checking her pulse. Seeing that Evealyn's neck had a thread of red marks around it, as if it had been threaded for a screw cap. The marks are so uniformed and smooth yet narrow. They worry as Evealyn doesn't say a word, nor show any signs of discomfort. " Ev, can you hear me?" Rae is trying to see if Evealyn is fully back to her senses.

"I can't stand this anymore." words course like grating nutmeg, staring at the wall dimly, the blue lights dancing off creating a ripple. Rae and Dylan didn't entirely know what she meant by this, seeing her suddenly get up walking over to the bay window lifting up one of the seats.

Her hands contained the Akrilis and the Psych book, but also another book they hadn't seen before. "We have to devise a plan tonight to find this mirror realm." Evealyn says with her voice still hoarse, her mind diverts to whether her grandmother might have some of that elixir she gave her last time. But has no time to dwell on it further.

"Let's wait till the morning, you're not entirely in the best shape right now." Rae finds that she seems to be swaying a bit. Positioning herself in case she might faint, "No, this can't wait. We need to get rid of this thing as soon as possible." Evealyn strains her voice, tired of all this she just wants all this quickly done and over with.

"Okay, even if we find a way to get to this mirror realm, it's not like we have any way of facing whatever that thing is." Dylan says "You have no control over your abilities and we have limitations on what we can do as spirits. We don't particularly have the best leverage over that thing." Dylan noting that her condition isn't well.

"That's why we need a plan, it will help us figure out where to go from there." Evealyn feels a bit light headed, trying to hold herself up. Marianne walks up to the door tray in hand. Carrying in some tea and ginger biscuits, "What's with the gathering in here? Are the twins bothering you?" Marianne looks over at Evealyn who slightly sways in her spot and her face looking heavy. "Little Lyn, you don't look very well hon. Why don't you sit down?"

Marianne wonders how she's been falling I'll so often since she's gotten here. Unable to gauge her thoughts on what's happening, something seems to block her from doing so. Though something about her eyes seem different, a little clouded, Marianne thinks she's seen this before. However can't remember where, or just wonders if it's a trick of the light.

Rae helps Evealyn over to her bed, still noticing the red marks on Evealyn's neck. It seemed Marianne had noticed something as well but doesn't seem to question it. "I know this Cheverian thing is new to you and you want to quickly figure things out. But it's not going to do you any good if you won't take care of yourself." Marianne says placing the tray in Evealyn's lap.

"Joyclyn doesn't expect you to throw yourself into being a Cheverian. If anything... nevermind. Just work at your own pace is all I'm saying." Marianne says turning to leave, Evealyn doesn't know what that last part was about.

Rae seems to agree with Marianne's sentiment, "she's right Ev, you haven't been doing so well since learning about all this. Maybe you should take some time to rest and we'll talk about this some other time." She can see the defiance in her expression, knowing that she just wants her peace again. But she also knows this isn't the way to go about things. "If anything I'll stay with you again tonight. We can just take our minds off this and everything for now."

"I'll stay too, if that helps. I kinda wanna meet these Aquafine's that you were talking about." Evealyn stayed silent contemplating for a moment. Somewhat feeling like they've got a bit of a point, feeling a little worked up with this. She hadn't really gotten the chance to have a proper moment without thinking about getting rid of her problems.

"Okay, but I'll have to warn you, they can be a bit feisty." Evealyn wonders if slowing down is really the best option. "Maybe just a moment won't hurt will it?" she ponders. 

A/N: Hello My Familiars, There seems to be something more to Evealyn's abilities that we don't know much about yet. Though it seems taking a step back might not be such a bad idea. Also who was that speaking to her? That will have to wait till the next Chapter laters~