Scarred

Chapter 48

Eva's POV
"It's your birthday today, isn't it Flynn?" James asks as I rest my chin on the table. Flynn almost seems shocked when he mentions it, as if he wasn't expecting anyone but myself to remember.
"Well, yeah but I wasn't expecting you of all people to remember. It's been years since I've seen you after all," he replies.
"This one made sure I marked off your birthday on our calendar every year," he laughs, pointing at me. "Eventually I just remembered to do it myself and I guess it stuck, I marked off everyone's birthdays each year even after the fire."
"Well, seeing we're taking a break, it's time for presents. Of course, you're only getting one from yours truly plus your parents," I say, reaching into my bag to pull out the two wrapped gifts. "I don't mind who's present you open first."

He takes the gifts from my hands, feeling them as he tries to figure out what each is. Whilst I don't know what his parents got him, I of course know what I managed to throw together. I'm sure if our circumstances were normal, I'd manage to make his sixteenth birthday a little more eventful, but unfortunately they aren't normal.
"I'll open my parents' one first, see if yours can live up to the hype," he smirks, tearing away the wrapping paper.
"What is it?" Cas asks, poking his head up from my lap.
"A book?" He almost grimaces at the sight of it.
"Oh! Lemme see!" As he hands it to me, I feel something tug down at the corners of my lips. "Dumbass, it's not any old book. It's a diary, your parents want you to write, not read."
"What am I supposed to write in a diary?"
"One, you're acting like you didn't keep one as a kid - and don't try to deny it because I've read some. And two, we're literally travelling across the country right now, I'm sure you can't find something to write about."

Based on his response to this present, he's either in a grump or just really thought it was that bad. Which gives me both hope and worry for my one, if his parents managed to screw up then what about me? I've been away from him for years, almost eight years, and as much as I'd like to act as if I know him just as well as I used to, that's just not the case anymore. He's different now, two years off being an adult, yet before recently the last time I had seen him he was a rambunctious, filthy eight year old.

He moves onto mine, tearing the paper away maybe a little too violently. Biting down on my lip, I watch as his eyes widen slightly at the present, and I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

"Is this...?" He fades off as he looks down at it. "Where did you find this?"
"In Surrek, duh. I found her in a state on your old bedroom floor, so - with maybe too much effort and struggle - I stitched her back up for you. Sorry about the bad sewing, I'm shit at it anyway," I reply, calming down as I notice the smile on his face.
"What is it?" Hunter asks, glancing over Flynn's shoulder. "Looks grubby as hell."
"It's a toy I had when I was a kid, Lily, I think I named her. I lost it after the fire, didn't think it would have survived it but Eva's good at proving me wrong."

The light blue rabbit is much smaller than it felt like as a child. I remember thinking it was quite a large stuffed animal, but I guess I was wrong in the end. She's tiny, smaller than Cas' dragon form. But seeing Flynn look so happy to see it again somehow manages to make me feel better about all of this, even about the idea that soon I will have to see the hellhole of Syrin in person.

"I'm glad you like it, I was worried I was going to fuck it up or something," I say, forcing out a laugh.
"Language Eva," James smirks.
"You're one to talk," Mum replies. "Don't you think that you're to blame as to why my daughter swears so much? After all, her first word was based on something you said."
"Oh? Now I'm curious," Cassie says.
"I mentioned it earlier... but I swore quite a lot in front of Eva when she was a baby, and she picked up on it. I'm almost proud to say that her first word was "fuck." Alice however, she isn't as proud."
"You can say that again."

It feels almost natural to be with him again. I haven't even spent a whole day with him since the fire, and here we are talking and chatting like usual. And I suppose, because it feels so natural, it also feels weird. Part of me deep down begins to dread the idea of him and Maven seeing each other again; I just know that it won't be anywhere near as natural for the two of them. Apart from when Hunter briefly mentioned him earlier, James hasn't mentioned Maven at all. It's like he doesn't even know that he's going to be there with us.

Soon, some food arrives and we quickly scoff it down as the time until our next train begins to tick down. And not long later, we're on yet another train, but this time I actually have a way to entertain myself. Wanting to have some peace and quiet whilst reading, I decide to sit a little further down the carriage, Cas nestled on my lap.

"What's it about?" He asks as I skim over the blurb.
"You'll find out when we read it. To think, the last time I held this book, I must've been like six years old," I grin, holding it out in front of me.
"Six? Really? But it's such a big book."
"Are you really that surprised by that? I've been a bookworm since I learnt how to read."

We manage to get through a good amount of chapters before I find myself getting sleepy. As much as I love reading, if I'm already a little tired, it can send me asleep faster than almost anything else. I yawn my way through the last few words of the chapter before closing the book and placing it in my bag. As I begin to drift off, mum comes over to check up on us, laughing slightly as she realises that I'm almost asleep.

"Sleep whilst you can," she whispers, planting a kiss on my forehead. "You aren't going to like it in Syrin, I already know that. I've been there before... just rest whilst you have the chance."
"Already on it," I barely mumble, a slight grin forming on my face. Just before drifting off completely, I hear mum's gentle laugh as she sits down by us.

When I open my eyes, it's somewhat dark outside and Cas lays fast asleep in my arms. Glancing over at the rest of our group, I see that most of them are half asleep or completely asleep. Sammy and James are the main ones that are fully awake, quietly talking with each other in an attempt to stay awake so as to not miss our stop. Mum is also awake but still sat by Cas and I, keeping a close eye on us both.

"Already awake I see," she smiles. Yawning loudly, I climb off the seat and drop at her side, leaning into her warmth with Cas still held tightly in my arms. "Has everything been alright with your father? You just seem a little out of it, I want to make sure you're okay."
"It's all been fine, for the most part. I mean, there was the outburst and stuff, but that wasn't dad's fault," I reply as she wraps an arm around me.
"Anything else?"
"I... Lucky and I discovered something I'm not necessarily proud of. Each half blood is supposed to have a specialty, right? Well, we found out said specialty is to do with what your Pure family excels in. So mine... mine is curses."
"You're kidding..."
"I wish I was. Lucky worded it a bit more nicely, said it was magic to do with the soul, but either way it explains a lot. I can see my soul, I cursed myself, what else is there to expect." Sighing, she pulls me closer to her, and as she does, tears unexpectedly begin to fall down my cheeks.

What's going on? Why am I crying? I've already mostly come to terms with my specialty, I'm not stuck in the palace, I'm with my mother.

That's it. That's why, isn't it? I'm with mum, but only for a few days. Soon, I'll be ripped away from her again and even though I know it's for the best, I hate it. I don't want to return to that place, I don't want to be near any of those Pures.

"I don't want to leave you again," I breathe, my vision blurring with tears. "I don't want to go back, I just want to go home... I mean, I do love dad but I- I just can't go there again, being anywhere near the palace makes my head hurt and it makes me feel sick and-"
"Once this is all over, you'll never have to return. I know I said that before all this, and I was proven wrong, but even if someone tries to force you back, I'll be there to stop them. I wish you didn't have to be there, not only do I know how much you hate it, but the idea that you're so close to the queen terrifies me... but I know that it's the safest option we've got."

"Yeah... I just wish there was someone else who could fix all this for me. It's like I need my own fairy godmother," I chuckle as I wipe the tears away. "But either way, I'll get my happy ending. I refuse to let this all be for nothing."

"So do I."

Nova Note:
holy SHIT my head hurts
I'm
Asanfkshrkl
I'll go to sleep in a sec, just ignore me, alright?

Oh yeah, I may have mentioned it already but I'm rewriting Cursed and well... it's like 12 chapters long and already like 33,000 words long
:3
K bye