stellify: (v.) to turn into or as if into a star; to place among the stars; to glorify.
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(previously titled iridescence)
☆ First story of the Stellify series ☆
I don't own Twilight nor do I own any of the characters other than Evangeline, her au...
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Drowsiness overcame Evangeline as her eyelids peeled open to the sound of downpour outside. The overcast sky shed its silent tears, hammering droplets onto the windowpanes. Songbirds hum in consolidatory despondence, while inside Evangeline stretched her tired muscles in preparation for the lengthy day ahead. But, she supposed, a day of freedom.
Clambering over the blankets scattered across the bed, she finds some comfy clothes to accompany her walk to the shower. Draping her small figure over the basin to glance in the mirror, Evangeline winces at her reflection. A girl once so full of naivety and joy nowhere to be found. Instead, an imposter stares back at her; bruises imposed on her neck and trailed across her body. Upon realisation that she cannot glare herself into change, she saunters to the shower, ready to christen herself in the hot water. Using a loofa sponge as if a weapon, she claws at her skin until it feels raw and pure. Once feeling satisfied with her religious scrubbing, Evangeline immerses her head in the stream emitting from the showerhead. Slowly, as if the water unscrambles her mind, the frail girl cleanses the rest of herself with pace ad purpose; today she was going to start her new discovery of herself.
After drying herself and carefully pulling on undergarments, a grey woollen jumper, and overly distressed dad jeans, Evangeline wanders downstairs to confront the looming conversation of her visit with Aunt Faye. Resonant tea steeped in two mugs, awaiting her arrival. Faye, a woman who claims to be impatient yet never bestows the quality onto others, waits with a warm smile on the loveseat. Patting the vacant seat, Eva collects the mugs and delicately moves down, as if not to damage any of the .
"So... how is your mother? Still kickin'?" Faye starts. It's safe to assume that Faye was never amicable with Evangeline's mother, after all it was her reason that she hasn't physically seen her niece since she was 10 years old.
"Mhm..." Accompanied with a small nod, Eva traced the rim of her cup as if it was the most incredible thing. "I- uh had to leave. Italy is... not welcoming to me anymore. Or her." Swallowing the rocks in her throat, ending up sinking in her stomach, she licked her chapped lips to evade the sensation.
Noticing the reluctance to disclose the full reasoning of an 'unwelcoming' atmosphere, Faye shuffled closer to the girl, enclosing her in a warm embrace. "Honey you are welcome here any time, in fact I'm glad I have company in this cranky old town for once! I must ask though; does she know you are with me?"
Shaking her head, Eva mutters, "she doesn't care. It's for the best anyway." Sighing in frustration, she looks up at her aunt through hooded eyes. "If I'm not imposing, may it be alright if I stay with you? I promise I will not invade your space at all-"
"Hush yourself! Of course, you can. You can even start school if you really wanted to? I notice your English hasn't gone rotten while you lived away. I'm sure it'll be nice to have a routine around here?"
Patting her aunt's back, Eva smiles the best she can in appreciation of the kindness shown to her. Unspoken words of the meaning behind her visit loomed above the women's heads, silently agreeing that a long-term visit was for the best. Grasping the two now empty mugs, Faye goes off to make some arrangements for her niece's academic life. Outside, the deluge seemed to call out for Evangeline, calming down to a slight drizzle. Good enough to have a meander in, she pondered. Traversing the room for a post-it note and pen, Eva neatly scribes that she is off to scope the woods around her, and that she would be back soon.
With worn out navy converse, as well as an old biker jacket, Evangeline strides out the front door with a newfound sense of motivation. Seeking refuge in the looming tree canopy, the girl breathes in the fresh, crisp air as though she had been drowning. Listening attentively to the crunch of the leaves beneath her feet, she tries to tread lightly in fear of decimating the fauna surrounding her shoes. Pulling her iPod out of her pocket, paired with her earphones, Eva plays the first album she finds. Walking to the rhythm of Hozier, the lonesome girl finds solace in the raindrops dappling her skin. Whilst making sure not to stumble into any protruding objects, she finds a route leading up to a clearing, just absorbing the view as if it would disappear if she blinked. Her fingers itched to fiddle with something, so she picked a long strand of grass nearby, twirling it around to ground her straying thoughts.
In the distance, Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale were trekking through the woods, apparently due to the former's urgency. A faint humming not too far ahead resounded in their ears, to which Alice rejoiced in. Jasper, much to concerned about his inability to cope with humankind, stood as still as possible. The former tugged his hand, ensuring him that they were only going to peep at this discovery Alice informed him of hours prior.
Reluctantly, moving silently a few metres forward, the pair witness a young woman alone in the woods, humming softly and her head lifted towards the treetops. Jasper, not one for feeling comfortable around people in general, hesitantly moves to look at this encapsulating girl. Somehow, he couldn't smell her blood, only enamouring him more in her presence. Alice knowingly gazed at this female, aware that her friend has been waiting for his mate since the moment she foresaw her.
Sensing movement in the woods around her, Evangeline tilts her head towards the direction the two vampires were lurking. As if the darkness was playing with her head, the young girl waved off her instincts to flee, Eva started to wander home. The Smiths blaring in her ears overpowering her instinctual need to feel on edge.
Jasper, ever the gentleman, ignored the potential snacks grazing the woodland floor as he flew treetop to treetop. He was making sure this girl - this unassuming girl that held so much importance to him – made it out safe. Considering himself as a stalker later did make him feel vile – he was looking for a way to self loathe, as usual. Somehow though, although he tried to villainise his actions, he couldn't. This girl made him feel alive; her presence calmed his mind of all the tangled self-hatred. How odd.
Evangeline, mind still confused as to why her legs thumped faster home, turned up to the porch when she realised that she had no keys to get inside. However, when trying the handle, it was open. I suppose people don't feel as threatened in a small town. Must be nice not to have to feel locked up and paranoid she thought.
The rest of the day Evangeline spent her time unpacking, finding any supplies she could use for schoolwork – much to her surprise after Faye announced her enrolment for the next day – and finally cosying into bed with a mug of chamomile tea. School, although seemingly daunting starting during the middle of the semester, seemed rather comforting to Evangeline. The word itself connotes to a system meant to fundamentally secure children, nurturing them into fully fledged adults, to be ready for the world. Eva felt as though she fledged the nest too abruptly, learning answers about the world she never wished to ask. Ask any teenager if they like school, they will laugh off the absurdity of it being a nice place. But, to Evangeline, this place of routine and presumed safety called to her, a way of living she has yearned for too long.
---Author's Notes---
What do we think? Hate it? I do but I also feel quite proud of this opening chapter. Whilst writing a lot and reading stuff of this genre I'm always wondering what kind of music would fit. I think this is giving Taylor Swift's 'Exile' a lil bit. AAAA!!! Sending hugs xx
