The drive back to Hollow Woods took two hours, but finally, within the city limits, Jade sighed and looked out the window of Evangeline’s Camaro at the many trees along the road. Frank's electric car was just a few feet ahead of them.
"You know? I have never seen Zeth so desperate for a girl's attention," Evangeline began, not taking her eyes off the road. "It's an inside joke but we always say he’s heartless."
"He's one of the most heartfelt people I've ever met," Jade replied, "I don't understand why you say that."
"Because Zeth is heartless, literally. He has an artificial heart in his chest. It's made of gold and it pumps blood throughout his body with magic."
"That explains the boner," Jade whispered.
"What did you just say?" Evangeline asked, and Jade shook her head to snap out of her erotic trance. The car seemed to slow down a bit, almost coming to a stop.
"Nothing!" Jade exclaimed. "Sorry about that. You were just saying how Zeth was heartless and all..."
"I was going to say that Zeth's heart of gold is both literal and metaphorical, and I'm amazed at how much it beats for you," Evangeline replied and continued driving in silence. They passed an abandoned building covered in vines and ivy, as well as an abandoned parking lot. "And we always say that Draco has a heart so big it doesn't fit in his chest, that’s why his pecs are so round and big..”
"He's adorable," Jade smiled.
"Of course he is, the poison that runs through his veins must be made of sugar," Evie laughed.
“But he's a vampire," Jade said, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't vampires supposed to have no blood flow?"
"And aren't you surprised that he doesn't burn in the sun? Please! Monsters are more X-Men than monsters," she replied. "The books that were inspired by them are nothing more than humans fearing the unknown, and a lot of pop culture nonsense in recent times."
"So Draco can have a..."
"A what?" Evangeline chuckled. "An erection? Yes, he can. And you know Zeth can too.” She wiggled her eyebrows and Jade turned red. So she did hear what she said a moment ago. “Everyone can, but I heard you with Alex and I will tell you that you ought to be careful with him. You don't want him and Draco to become rival species again, do you?”
"And why are you telling me this?" Jade frowned.
"Because it's obvious you're interfering," Evangeline looked at her out of the corner of her eye. "Anyone with half a brain can see that Draco and Alex love each other, and I heard that Zeth wants you to be everyone's girlfriend... That's a mistake." She glanced at her quickly, then back to the road again. “If you care about someone, you need to let them go."
"Let them go?" Jade asked. "How am I supposed to do that when they've been there around every corner and..." Her voice trailed off. "Oh Jesus Christ Redeemer! You love one of them!" Evangeline grunted, and Jade knew she was considering whether or not to tell her, so Jade spoke first. "No offense but you sound like the typical girl who is jealous of the protagonist in a love story."
"Love story? Is that what you think this is? Yes, you like them, of course, like their millions of fans," Evangeline rolled her eyes. "All you Mashers see are pretty faces, awesome voices, and abs of steel. But when you see real steel, you are all indifferent, right?"
"Real steel?" Jade gasped. "Wait! You like Frank! You're jealous of me!"
Evangeline stopped the car suddenly, making Jade lose her balance and fall against the console.
Jade's dad always scolded her for not wearing her seatbelt, and now she understood why.
“Ouch.”
"Listen carefully, Jade. You're just a novelty," Evangeline told her, narrowing her eyes. "Don't think you're special, okay? One night with them like those two girls who slept with everyone, except for Frank and Finn, and you'll walk out the front door!"
Jade frowned.
"Are you telling me that I'm not special?"
Evangeline rolled her eyes and drove forward again.
"I'm just saying your 'dreams' won't come true because of some boys. Just give up." She shifted her shoulders, "They're only interested in you because you haven't slept with them, simple as that. And you just want to be with them because that's how you fulfil your little 'Wattpad Fantasy’ but I bet you won't have a wedding nor a happy ending."
"Why should I give up?" Jade demanded. "Why would you say something like that?"
"It's the truth. You're too average to understand," Evangeline shrugged. "I'm barely twenty-seven years old and I've already lived many lives, I've seen many people die, I've been tortured, I've broken hearts and bones, and I've taken more lives than I can remember. Believe me when I tell you that the real world is not a Wattpad novel, Jade, and there is no Prince Charming. Your 'boyfriends' have a song with that title that even says it. I was trained to be a monster more dangerous than any monster since I was a child, long before I even knew how to read and write."
"What kind of bodyguard are you?" Jade asked through gritted teeth, "Aren't you supposed to protect celebrities?”
"I was trained to kill people like your friends. I was broken and rebuilt to be a killer in heels, and yes, I'm talking about another song by your boyfriends, 'Femme Fatale' in case you're wondering," Evangeline squeezed the steering wheel hard, until her knuckles turned white. "You're just a fan who wants to sleep with Frank... And the others." She left her words hanging between them for a few moments.
Jade wasn't sure if she believed everything she'd heard, even if it sounded crazy. It still hurt and scared her.
No, Evangeline didn't scare her. What terrified Jade was becoming another girl who would end up far away and without the love of the boys.
And it would make her life miserable if she ended up with boys who thought it was fun to break hearts and had no regard for her feelings.
But she knew, from what she had seen for the last three nights, that the boys were not as Evangeline had just described them.
"You're lying," Jade said, Evangeline chuckled, "You're telling me that to push me away, but I've seen what they're like. They are kind, they always try to help everyone, they support each other and..."
"And they write songs about sex with random girls quite often, don't you think? And in case you don't know, your precious Zeth wrote 'One Night-Stand Regret' and I guess it was after sleeping with a fan. " The black-haired girl had a point, "You only think you love them because you haven't seen what they really are."
"Yes but they also wrote a lot of songs for their fans, like 'Here for Life' you know? A love letter to all the Mashers around the world, a song that tells us that no matter what, they will always be there for us and we should not give up. Maybe the one who hasn't seen them as they really are is you," Jade was already getting very angry, "I've never met kinder people than them, but you admit to being a horrible person. Who would you trust if you were me?"
"I would trust the person who knows more about pain than love," the black-haired girl eyed Jade with annoyed eyes, "I've seen the worst in the world since I was a child, but what do you see? A fairytale? Because I only see a horror story."
"Maybe it's because you don't know anything about love," Jade pouted.
"And what do you know about love, Jade?" Evangeline laughed.
"More than you. Tell me. Why did you hurt Frank if you love him?" Jade asked.
"I had my orders, and I never wanted to hurt Frank," Evangeline replied. "I put a bomb in his backpack and followed him until he entered a building where the real target was... And I did it. I detonated the bomb and the whole building burst into flames." Evangeline’s voice trembled, and the car slowed to a halt on the side of the road to Lyonfort. "Frank got out alive. And it cost him his soul and body," she continued. "I didn't know it at the time, but Frank paid a visit to Draco and Zeth instead of my original target, as he had initially told me. He took off his backpack and put it at his feet... Draco and Zeth regenerated, but he did not."
"Sorry. I didn’t know," Jade whispered and Evangeline nodded, "You said you had your orders. Tell me whoever was responsible is in prison."
"Who ordered me to use Frank as a Trojan horse is dead. But I'm still alive," she replied, “Her name was Vanessa Helsee. After completing some necessary rehab in 2018, I infiltrated the Hunter Academy. I made my way through, watching a room full of controlled Hunters training before I met with Vanessa. I was determined to avenge Frank's death, but Vanessa only laughed, revealing that Frank was alive but in critical condition. That's when she told me that Frank had visited Draco and Zeth instead of my original target.”
“And then you killed her?” Jade asked.
“I pulled my gun out, but could not kill Vanessa when she made me feel guilty for what I did to Frank.” Evie pointed to the car in front of her, "He and I had kissed and confessed our love behind the bleachers a few hours before I blew him up and....”
“So, Frank loved you,” Jade whispered, “What happened next?”
“Vanessa Helsee summoned her Hunters, all of them ready to kill me. I held my own for a while, but they soon managed to overwhelm me, pinning me down and beating me up as Vanessa activated the self-destruct mode.” She made a pause, then clenched her hands around the steering wheel and went on, “The base began to explode. I managed to escape and rushed upstairs to the heliport. I saw Vanessa running towards a chopper. Acting quickly, I shot her, and then I prepared to die. The ground beneath me was splitting, and fire was coming out from between the cracks, but Blackfox somehow found out about my suicide mission and rescued me in a helicopter before the Hunter Academy crumbled, killing everyone inside, but there are still some jobless, vengeful hunters after my head. And apparently, you're on the radar now, too."
"Then I want you to teach me how to fight," Jade said, and Evangeline's eyes widened, turning to look at the girl. "If I'm in danger, and the boys too, I want to learn to defend myself and defend them!"
"You're not the typical Wattpad girl who thinks she is special, are you?" Evangeline giggled. "Very well then. We'll start in the morning."