Reflection of Perfection | NaNoWriMo 2016 ( severe editing)

1 9 : b e t r a y a l s · a n d · r u n a w a y s

Now alone, as I rode on the stolen mare across the Harrah Desert, exhaustion began to nag at me. The blistering heat didn't help either, I thought as I took a long swig of water from a canteen I had also stolen from a traveler. All to see Ella's lover, all for a promise.

I had parted ways with Hades and my maids at the border city of Winter, Summer, and Fall. None had been happy to part ways- putting up a fight. But, I begged Hades to remember that he had a kingdom to oversee, and my maids could not survive blistering heat, and with great reluctance, they went on their own way. 

Now, in the middle of the Summer Realm, stuck in the seemingly never ending desert that just happened to be the biggest in world, I was not happy. 

When an oasis finally came in view (and it turned out it wasn't a mirage, thank the stars) I collapsed in under the shade of the palm tree, and allowed the mare to rest. Draining the canteen, I refilled all the empty ones and without shedding any clothing, I dove into the cool water. 

A content sigh escape my lips as the refreshing water washed out the sand that clung onto me, and my sweaty skin meeting the cold sent shivers of pleasure down my spine. 

I wanted to bob in the water forever but forced myself to swim to the edge of the oasis and climb out, retrieving the map that had also been stolen. 

I had covered more than half the distance of the desert and was less than a day away from the North Sea. The shade of the palm trees was comforting as a gentle breeze swept the oasis, making a surge of cold rush through me. I grabbed a can of soup I had swiped off some food vendor in the border city of Subosa, where I had parted ways with Hades, Lacey and Paige, and began drinking out of the can. 

The tomato soup was surprisingly great, and despite my urgency to reach the port city of Omia by tomorrow, my heavy eyes slid shut and I was pulled into a whirlwind of dreams. 

~ 

"Evelyn?" Amber's sharp voice cut through the mists like a knife. 

"Amber." 

Amber's form appeared- her long dark hair pushed up into a bun, eyes wide with urgency, and lips slightly parted, "Eve. Oh Stars, I was so worried that Rumpelstiltskin killed you or-"

"I ran away. He's after me." I interrupted, my lips unsmiling, "What are you doing here? You'd only look for me if you need something from me."

Amber's eyes flashed with hurt for a second, "Eve...I love you-" 

"But you'd always put yourself first, right? Just like that night we ran from the Fall-"

"Fine, you're right. I do need something. But please believe me when I say I do love you, and I was worried sick." Amber's eyes plead with me, so lonely and lost. 

I gestured for her to continue and she said, "We need to meet up and talk. Regarding Ella. Where are you right now?"

It was now or never. I couldn't let my sister's rage take out another innocent. I couldn't. 

"Amber, you should know something. Please don't take your anger out on Ella... It was me. I let her go to the ball." 

Amber was never the type to play with a poker face around me, and despite the devastation and hurt evident on her face, she asked calmly, "Why?" 

I closed my eyes, "I thought... I thought she could use a second chance. She's really not so bad after all-"

"How can you say this? Why didn't you tell me?"