Evelyn

❇︎ Chapter Two ❇︎

- Kai -

  She was a redhead. Her hair reminded Kai of the burnt orange sunset over the French Kingdom. It was warm and it tumbled over her shoulders like rusty water. They were scorching and fiery locks that looked like they would burn you at a single touch.

  "Kai."

  Her eyes were green. The kind of green that pushed its way through the piles of gritty snow to remind you that spring was coming. The kind of green that budded on the prisoners of winter, bringing life back to their branches. That churning, passionate green that the ocean turns during a storm. That colour of the forest after it rains. 

"Yes, Harper?" Kai had spent the first eight years of his life growing up with this fierce girl whom he had always considered a best friend. A little girl who was clumsy but pure. Strong but gentle. Someone he would trust with his life. Harper eyed him with her shimmering, emerald eyes.

  "I'm bored," she groaned, her lips pulling into a frown, eyebrows crinkling as they began to knit together towards the bridge of her nose. Kai stifled a smile. It was always amusing to him whenever Harper became frustrated. Her nose crinkled and her head was tilted to the left, ever so slightly. It was a bemusing sight to see. A little girl, a face scrunched up in what could be described as pain, with a tilted head.

  "How about we play a game?" Kai offered, walking towards the large oak tree. The branches swirled above their heads, as though sheltering them from the gentle winds that allowed the boughs to blow in the breeze, leaves fighting the strength of the wind. Harper's grassy eyes seemed to lighten in shade as she heard the word 'game'. Her head bounced up and down rapidly, her magma locks mimicking her actions.

  "Please, please, please can we play Hide and Seek?" Harper begged. Her eyes were wide, revealing hopeful joy. Her eyes remind Kai of a child's water-colour painting, how in their haste to paint all the grass they add too much water to the green and it comes out that subdued shade. Hope was written in every crevice of Harper's eyes. Kai smiled, shaking his head affectionately.

  "Sure we can." Harper's eyes shone and she jumped up from her little spot beneath two large, winding, roots and encased Kai in her angular arms. 

  "Oh thank you! Oh thank you!" Kai shook his head, fighting back a grin. He lay his head on the top of her fiery strands, blowing his fringe out of his eyes. 

  "I'll count," he stated, promptly ending the hug. He knew Harper loved to hide. It was her natural preference and her natural defence. He had always been an attacker, someone who loved to run, no matter the consequences. He closed his eyes, his back resting against the oaken trunk. He heard the gentle rustle of leaves as Harper moved off into the forest, running to one of her many favourite hiding places. 

  34, 35, 36. Silence. 37, 38, 39. A faint rustle could be heard. Must be a squirrel Kai thought, his eyebrows creasing. 39, 40, 41. Another rustle. This time, a clattering rock. Odd. Squirrels usually aren't strong enough to make a rock clatter like that. Especially not a rock that size Kai's eyes snapped open and he prayed Harper would forgive him for 'cheating'. His back, straightened and he bent down, crouching beneath the strong, arching roots of the large oak tree. The wood was smooth and created dapples over Kai's brown, simple clothing. He forced his breathing to slow. Convincing his heartbeat to slow as well proved to a challenge. It thumped and twacked against his bones which were a strong cage that surrounded his heart. He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut so tightly that the skin around his eyes felt like rolls of skin as he crouched behind the wooden roots. His fingers shakily reached for the pocket knife in his boot. He had carved it himself last year. Harper had been five then. They had seen the King's Army march past their street in the annual parade. It had inspired Kai to become a solider. But of course, he couldn't afford to approach a Knight and offer his skills. He also needed skills to pave his pathway. But that'd be useless if he died out here, at the age of eight. His fingers were slippery against the rough handle of the dagger. They began to loosely unwrap as he began to panic. He forced it away, poking his eye through a hole to the left of him. 

  Time seemed to pause as he waited behind the root. His heart hadn't slowed and now there were beads of perspiration forming on his brows running down the sides of his face. The moonlight was a diffuse ocean above him, lessening the inky blackness of the night, but not so bright as to dull the stars that speckled and glittered in the heavens above. That was when he saw her.

  Her hair glowed like dark honey. It ran down in rivers of reds and browns as each rivulet shone deeply. Each individual strand was a soft feather falling. The hair was radiant with passion trying to bring eyes to look at the depths of the auburn like hair reminding all those of autumn and better times. The moon cast it's ashen light onto the top of her, creating the effect of a halo, lighting the ends of her mahogany hair. Kai sucked in a breath,  looking closer. Her eyes were blue. Not the ordinary sky blue, or the colour of the paint flaking off of the old shed in the back of the field, or even the little flowers that spring up by the side of the road. Her eyes were blue like the sea, crystal clear blue- shimmering and crashing and churning. Looking into her eyes Kai could hear the waves falling against the shore, see the foam flying into the air. Her eyes were blue like the sky right before the sun disappears- dark rich indigo, with specks of wild colours here and there. Her eyes were blue like that warm wool sweater that you put on when the air gets that chill- comfortable, warm, familiar. Her eyes were that kind of blue. Her skin seemed to glow in the moonlight but the sword - no, the Katana - in her petite hands were what grabbed his attention. 

  "You can come out now." Her voice was angelic. As her words had been crafted in heaven. There she was. There was something in those verdegris eyes that were so beautiful, so safe and warm. In just one look Kai was "home". Kai jammed his pocket knife into his pocket, and stood up. He cautiously let his feet guide him until he was a few feet away from the girl. Her scent of wildflowers filled his senses. He bathed in it. Her eyes were gentle. They glowed. He couldn't even begin to describe the palpitations his heart was creating within his chest. Her eyes softened and she lay her Katana on the floor in front of her. Brushing a lock of mahogany hair out of her elegant face, she curtsied, eyes never leaving Kai's. "My name is Evelyn. It's nice to meet you."

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Cinder here! Hope you guys all enjoyed this Chapter and are beginning to get a clue and maybe some emotional attachments to some of the characters!

There's plenty more to come, but I hope you all enjoy the chapters for the time being!