Abandonment is one word to describe Evelyn Ward's childhood.
Known as an orphan freak and paranoid schizophrenic, she was dragged through years of therapy after admitting to hearing whispering voices and seeing creatures and living shadows.
...
Blinking my eyes open and stretching my sore muscles, I lay on my bed listening to the pounding of rain on the window. Exhaustion had overcome my anxiety in the wee hours of the morning, and sleep had overtaken me for a few hours. Yawning, I crawled out of my bed and darted between the hovering wraiths to grab my uniform and a change of clothes.
Anxious to get some space, I skipped eating breakfast and showered at super-speed. The brief heat from the water wasn't enough to warm the chill in my bones.
Making my way to work, walking slowly through the rain, I thought about what to say to Chelsea, knowing she was miffed about the way I had blown her off. She had always been the type of person who forgave easily, but still, upsetting her wasn't something I took lightly, and I wanted to apologize. Even if my words were lies, the apology would be sincere -- she was my only friend and I was lucky to have her.
The windows of the Shake Shack had been replaced, with no evidence of the accident remaining. The light in the break room had been fixed so it once again illuminated the small room and lockers.
Chelsea stood by hers, teasing her hair, and unbuttoning, then re-buttoning the top of her uniform.
"Hey Chelse, I'm sorry..."
She didn't stop preening for a moment to even so much as glance my way.
"I wasn't trying to ignore you -- I was sick. I spent all weekend in bed. I didn't really have the energy to look at my phone."
Both her eyebrows were upraised as she turned around to stare at me with pursed lips. "You were in bed all weekend? Without enough energy to text your BFF?"
My hung head and pleading eyes spoke for me, begging for her forgiveness.
"Were you really sick?" Her hands moved to her hips, showing me the magnitude of just how much trouble I was in.
I shrunk away, angry at myself for having disappointed her.
"Or did you run away with Mr. Mysterious-Hottie and spend all weekend in bed with him? Admit it, Evie, you were just too busy having mind-blowing sex to text your best friend."
My jaw dropped as her eyes glittered with amusement. Realizing she wasn't really mad, that she had just been playing with me, I stammered and forced a laugh.
"So, tell me, was he as good as I imagine? Or better?"
"Chelsea!" My ears heated as blood rushed to my face, turning me beet-red. "I didn't run away with him or have mind-blowing sex -- or any sex for that matter. What's wrong with you?"
"Everything's wrong with me, honey, didn't ya know that already?" Her giggles rang in my ears, drawing out my own laughter.
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Other than having Chelsea's forgiveness, my morning was crap. A steady stream of ungrateful, rude customers nagging at me, combined with the clouds of shadows that followed my every move, had me ready to curl up and cry.
Staring out the window, biding my time until I could go home, my heart caught as he walked past. He had been haunting my thoughts enough for me to recognize his loping gait and sensual body anywhere.
All rational thought abandoned me as a need for answers consumed me. He was different, like me. He had answers to my questions. Answers I craved more than my lungs needed air.
Racing out from behind the counter and out the door while Chelsea shouted after me, I bolted across the street and came to a screeching halt, nearly crashing into him.
In my desperation for answers, a boldness I'd never possessed before filled me. "You have some explaining to do." I poked him in the chest, propping my other hand on my hip, commanding his attention. "You left me with so many questions the other night in the park. I can't stop thinking about what happened, and you haven't told me anything. I don't even know your name."
His eyebrows furrowed at my harsh, demanding tone. "You made it pretty damn clear you wanted me to stay away from you. I've been doing just that until now when you just about tackled me. And even if I wasn't trying to stay away from you, where would I find you? I don't know where you live -- despite the fact you think I'm stalking you. And you haven't told me your name either, so I think we're pretty even."
I dropped my hands, realizing to which extent of crazy and obsessive I must've seemed to him. I had accused him of stalking me and told him to stay away from me, and then I was jumping all over him and screaming. Freakish wasn't a strong enough word to describe me.
"Evelyn," I whispered.
"But you're right." His voice let go of the defensive tone and his stance relaxed. "I haven't been truthful and you deserve answers -- if you think you can handle them."
The intensity glowing in my eyes was enough to convince him.
"Well, Evelyn, I'm Zev, and if you really want to know the truth, here it is: the shadows you see are Demons. That's what you saw fighting me at the park. I see them, because I'm a Faerie, and the Demons leave when I approach because I'm a Demon Hunter. It's my job to keep them away from the human realm. You're not crazy for seeing them -- you see them because you are also a Faerie."
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Ah, what can I say? Chelsea is an interesting friend... Anyway... So, our green-eyed mystery guy finally has a name. And that's one heck of a revelation he just threw out there, how would you react if someone told you that? How is Evelyn going to react?
Stay tuned to find out. I hope you all have an awesome weekend and a great New Year's Eve!
