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.
...
It was late in the morning by the time I woke up in my new room. Bathed in sunlight, the cream, silver, and blue color scheme was light and airy, and the room more spacious than my entire apartment.
A soft knock sounded at my door.
"Come in!" I called, my voice hoarse from sleep.
The door opened, and a petite girl around my age, or perhaps a bit younger stepped inside with a small smile on her pixie-like face. She cleared her throat. "Um, your Highness, --"
"Evelyn." I sat up, swinging my feet over the edge of the bed. "Evelyn's fine if you don't mind."
"Of course... Evelyn." She smiled, tucking a strand of her short, golden brown hair behind her ear. "I'm Nydea, I'm here if you need anything. Food, clothes, books, whatever you need just ask and I'll get it for you right away."
My stomach growled at the mention of food. My cheeks reddening in embarrassment, I coughed to clear my throat. "Uh, food would be great."
"Would you like me to bring you something, or do you wish for me to show you to the kitchen?" Her small brownish gray wings fluttered behind her.
"Take me to the kitchen, please, if that's okay."
"Of course Your Hi--Evelyn." She pointed across my room to a set of white sliding doors that blended into the wall. "That's your closet, go ahead and get dressed. I'll wait for you just outside your door if you need anything."
I hopped off the massive bed and headed toward the closet. "Thanks Nydea, I'll be out in just a sec."
She nodded and stepped out the door, easing it shut behind her.
My jaw hit the floor as I pushed open the closet door, revealing the walk-in closet almost as big as the bedroom itself. Holy cow.
Shelves lined the walls, stacked with such a range of colors and fabrics I didn't know the names of half of them. Shoes covered every inch of the massive display on the back wall, and dresses hung from hangers, dominating half the space.
Breathless, I walked through the closet, trailing my fingers along the stunning silk and satin gowns I could never imagine myself wearing.
Mercifully, a shelf at the back held an assortment of denim jeans, and I managed, after several minutes of searching, to find a plain, black cashmere sweater that resembled the clothes I usually wore.
After what seemed an eternity trapped in ClothesTopia I met up with Nydea who led me downstairs to a modern kitchen.
"We have cooks on staff, they usually only cook for events, but if you'd like I can call them down, but otherwise I can make anything you want."
"No, that's fine." I offered her a reassuring smile.
"What would you like?"
The endless row of cupboards and pantries seemed to stare back at me as my blue eyes danced around the room. It didn't really matter to me what I ate but Nydea's brown eyes shone with an eagerness to please, and I didn't want to be difficult. "Pancakes is good, I guess."
"Plain?"
"Just plain."
She bounced around the kitchen gathering the ingredients. I sat at the kitchen island wanting to help, but unsure of where anything was located. Nydea didn't seem to mind, humming to herself as she worked.
Two sets of footsteps echoed down the hall, and a moment later my mother entered the room with Elelas trailing behind her.
Nydea stopped mixing the batter to curtsy. "Your Grace." She beamed and nodded to Elelas.
"Good morning, Nydea." Aurora smiled at the girl and made her way over to me. "Good morning, Evelyn. Did you sleep well?"
"I did actually." More peacefully than I could ever recall. No dreams had haunted me, no demons had tormented me and kept me awake with their incessant whispers and icy touches. For once, I felt well rested.
"Wonderful. As soon as you've had breakfast and you're ready to go, Elelas will take you back to the human realm so you can see your friend."
I smiled, grateful she had remembered even though it had slipped my mind.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Whenever you're ready to come back home, just come back here. I'll be waiting to take you back." Sunlight glinted off of Elelas' perfect white teeth as he spoke.
"I might be a couple of days."
"I'll be here." He grinned.
Nodding, I set away from the Glade Arch in Central Park and headed south toward Chelsea's apartment off of Park Avenue.
Her door flung open on the first knock, and a sight I'd never thought to see greeted me: Chelsea with no makeup, dressed in sweatpants and a rumpled sweater.
Her hazel eyes widened into saucers and she threw her arms around my ribs, crushing me against her. She had more muscle than I had ever given her credit for, and my oxygen levels were in short supply.
"Chelse?" I wheezed. "You're crushing me to death."
She let go, moving her hands to her hips and fixing me with her Eyebrow of Doom and a stern frown. "Where in hell have you been?"
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
So life for Evelyn in Terradstrum seems pretty great. What do you think she will tell Chelsea? How do you think Chelsea might react? I'd love to hear your predictions!
