Scarred

Chapter 50

Maven's POV
"Eva and Cas..." Alice sighs, her eyes lighting up with the flames of the campfire. For the most part, everyone has gone to sleep, it's just us four now and there's undeniably some tension in the air. Alice, Sammy, James and I all used to be so close, we were inseparable, so why do things feel so strange now? I mean, I guess it's obvious; not only is there mine and James' situation, but Alice clearly can't help but be stressed by all this. Her daughter's life could be in danger, I think that's something weighing on us all. "Do you think they'll be okay? Maybe we shouldn't let them return, maybe..." Her voice trails off, the only audible noise being the crackling of the fire. Even Sammy and James - who were previously chatting by one of the tents - have gone completely silent.

"They'll be okay. They're strong, they both are... I promise you Alice, they'll make it out of this," I whisper, looking down at my hands. "To get her back only to lose her again so soon sounds horrible..."
"That's a big part of all my stress, I must admit. Every time she leaves, I wonder how long it'll be until she comes back. I don't know, I think it's just the fact that I've been absent from her life more than I've been in it," she mumbles. "Sorry, I'm gonna go rest now. Good luck with James." She smirks slightly as she walks away, heading over to the tent that was decided to be hers and Sammy's. After a moment, I use a quick spell to put out the fire, somewhat surprised when a light still lingers. Glancing over to the source, I realise a light still shines in Eva and Cas' tent, I suppose I should go turn it off for them.

As I poke my head into the tent, I find Eva and Cas curled up in the corner, both quietly snoring with a pile of blankets on top of them. The book Eva got so excited about earlier sits by them, the bookmark much further in than I recall it being before. It's hard to believe all they have been through, it feels like just the other day I encountered Alice with the little baby half blood in her arms. And of course, even more recently was the day Sammy told me she had found Eva, and a small little dragon too. So much has happened since that day, and yet both of them still manage to sleep and snore. I'm glad. The two of them need rest after all. Quietly, I sit down beside them, gradually taking in all the changes I hadn't quite noticed before. One of Eva's ears is pierced. It seems Cas' dragon form has grown a little as well, but it certainly isn't all too noticeable. I don't usually see Eva so quiet and still, she's usually fidgeting with something whilst ranting about who knows what, often forgetting what she herself was talking about. It certainly is nice to see her so calm and peaceful, after all I'm always worried she'll wear herself out.

As I sit, all the fond memories I have of the kids come flooding back. From things solely about Eva - like her first steps, the time I found her and James passed out together on the sofa and how her first word wasn't anything particularly sentimental, but rather the word "fuck" all
because she heard James say it several times - to things that occurred after Cas came into my life. Getting to design their bedrooms together, listening to them read to each other in the living room as I made dinner, getting to watch them grow up and become the best of friends.

If only things could be as simple as they were then. If only there were no concerns about palaces and rebellions, rather simple worries like how long was it going to take to clean up the mess in Eva's room.

"Room for another?"

As I nod, James comes and sits next to me, glancing down at the kids before letting out an exaggerated sigh.
"I thought you and Sammy were talking," I say, keeping my voice just quiet enough that Eva and Cas won't wake.
"She wanted to go to bed, guess I can't blame her, tomorrow's gonna be a busy day. So let's make the most out of tonight's rest," he replies, stretching his arms out. We stay silent for a moment before he lets out a slight laugh. "Has Eva told you the story of how I encountered her again?"
"No, she did a pretty good job of keeping quiet actually."