Claimed

Chapter 10 - A Chat

It was just the two of us, alone, left in this hallway as the others moved on.

Evie fidgeted uncomfortably as I stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to start talking.
She didn't, instead just refusing to meet my eyes like a child, caught doing something they knew they shouldn't have been.

I tried not to let my impatience get to me - truly, I did, but I'm not exactly the best at pressure-less confrontation, I knew this.
I was brought up on the Isle, after all. Where kids are raised to put constant pressure on their peers.

I think Evie could tell I was losing my patience; I was, after all, only just managing to restrain myself from tapping my foot, which I knew would have the opposite effect to that I wanted.

Eventually, she opened her mouth, and the breath caught in my throat.
Was she finally going to speak to me?
I hoped so. We never kept secrets from each other; the sudden difference made me feel a little sick.

"It..." She paused, "It's a long story."
I watched as a bead of sweat formed at her temple.
Why was she so desperate not to talk to me about it? I felt a pang in my heart, but ignored it.

I inclined my head, encouraging her to continue. I saw the bob in her throat as she swallowed.

"... He's my father, Mal.."

I froze.
What?

Her words left me still, staring dumbly at her as her eyes shifted, flicking to focus on anything other than me.

"-What?" finally I forced the word out.
"I heard Katelyn say the same, but you?"

She gave an uncomfortable shrug, still refusing to meet my eyes.
"... It's part of the reason why Katelyn and I are so close. We share a father.."

She paused again, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she shifted nervously.
I found myself frowning.
It must be bad.

"... But we might also share a mother.."

I don't think I could really be blamed for not knowing what to say to that.
I was struck completely silent, staring in shock at my best friend, who fidgeted under my gaze.
Evie was quite obviously made uncomfortable by my evident shock, but I couldn't bring myself to worry about that specifically, when something else was playing on my mind.

"How do you know?!"
Immediately, I noted the desperation in my tone. This had me worried, and it was obvious.

Evie seemed surprised at the seriousness in my voice, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she finally met my eyes.
"Well, he told me..." She began, and I frowned, opening my mouth to speak, before she whipped a finger up, telling me to hold.

"-I didn't believe him, until he gave me proof."
Vulnerability welled in her irises, as she reached into the pocket of her ratty jacket with tentative hands, bringing out something small and dainty, cupped gently in her palm.

She looked down at it, sighing softly, before holding it out for me to see.

It was a ring - small and corroded, but a ring all the same. Despite being obviously old and obviously unkempt, there was something about it that was undeniably Evie, whether that be the hints of blue, or the tiny, just about visible, carving of a crown in the metal.

I stared at it for a minute or two, before looking back up at the Princess, who was also staring down at the ring, a somewhat wistful expression upon her face.

"It was my mother's..." She began softly, her voice gentle. "She gave it to me when I was still a baby, back on the Isle. I wore it round my neck for years."
Her fingertips ghosted her collarbone as she spoke, as if remembering the weight of the small thing against her chest.
"-Until one morning: poof. Gone."