Imagine
Chapter 9
In which Evangeline Leaves at Midnight
The words seemed to engrave themselves onto Evangeline's eyelids, the scarlet red paint prominent against the cloak of darkness of her lids, forcing her to look at the message at all times. She could feel the panic attack creeping up on her: Increase of heart beat, shallow breaths and the warm sensation behind her ear; an anxiety attack. The world seemed to slowly crumble around her, however, in reality, it was Evangeline's knees bucking and falling backwards.
In one swift movement, Caspar wrapped her in his arms, taking the impact of her body as she fell, landing on his coccis bone. There was a moment were neither of them spoke, instead he listened to her rapid breathing pattern. He could feel her body shaking against his.
He couldn't help but fix his eyes on the writing on the wall. The colour resembled the colour of blood whilst the handwriting looked like it belonged in a nineteenth century Gothic horror novel. The writing was fixating and was having the effect that Eclipse had desired. A girl close to breaking, a boy lost and a grinning man in the moonlight.
He knew he had to calm her down, before she passed out. Wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest, leaned in close, levelling his lips with her ear. “Shh, Evie,” He said awkwardly. It was several moments later that Caspar broke the silence again.
“Come, don't let him win,” Caspar's voice was hushed, his hot breath tickling the her ear as lose strands brushed against it. “I promise not to let him hurt you.” Forcing herself to focus on the words leaving his lips, she found herself believing them. Her breathing pattern returned to normal. The more her breaths stabilised, the more Caspar's grip loosened and the more Evangeline relaxed into him.
Although her hands were still shaking she lifted it up, leaving it slightly in front of her. Her hand curled into a loose fist whilst her pinky finger was extended. “Promise?” Her voice resembled a small child's who had just been to the dentist or the doctor and received a vaccine, truly terrified.
A small smile found its way onto Caspar's lips when he saw her make a gesture to 'pinky-promise'. Made the same gesture and rose his hand to meet hers. They locked and interlaced fingers, holding it their. Evangeline turned her head so that she could see his face, and more importantly his eyes. 'Promise.” And she knew he was telling the truth.
Silence consumed them. The majority silences between a teenage boy and a teenage girl are ever so awkward, however, this wasn't. It was comfortable for them. Evangeline relaxed, fitting her boy to his, which seemed to fit perfectly, connecting jigsaw pieces.
Evangeline was resting her back against Caspar's chest, her head on his shoulder, his head on the crown of her head. His legs next to hers. Caspar leant against the door, preventing anybody entering the room and ruining the moment of piece and comfort. His arms were around her waist, holding hr in place. Evangeline moved her head slightly, adjusting it so it was directly over his heart, wondering if his heart was doing the same thing hers was; beating erratically. Racing and missing beats. However, she heard nothing, nor did she feel his chest moving. It was as if he was hollow. Free from organs and unburdened with breathing.
Seconds slipped into minutes that slipped into an hour. And the hour that they sat there, passed in, what seemed like, a blink of an eye lid. It was Evangeline that broke the silence this time, it seemed to shatter like glass. As soon as she opened her mouth and the words and sounds came out she regretted it. “I should, I should remove that,” She gestured to the wall, with the writing on it, with a quick movement of her neck. “Before anybody sees it. God forbid my mother see it, she'll have a fit and then murder me.”
She began to pick herself up from the floor, but Caspar refused to let her go. He was enjoying a moment that wasn't filled with panic. His muscles tensed as his grip around her tightened. “Don't.” He buried his head in the crook of her neck, the word lost as a mumble. He quickly regained himself and removed his head. “Can't you just, you know, just imagine it away.”
A small giggle escaped from her lips, her stomach shaking. “Its not that simple. It might return when I'm not focused.” She told him, turning her head as far as she could to look at him. He pouted at her, which only made her laugh even more, before sighing and giving in. “Fine, but I'm telling you it will not work.”
Inhale, exhale. That was all Evangeline needed to clear her head, as the image of her bedroom – free from writing – appeared in her head. The paint began to dripping down the wall, resembling fresh blood, slowly turning invisible, irradiating every sign of its existence. “It won't work.” She told him, turning to him, losing concentration.
A smirk formed on his lips, one corner higher than the other, making it uneven. “Maybe you don't know anything, girl with the imagination.” Caspar tapped Evangeline's head twice. A smile formed on Evangeline's face, but quickly disappeared. Her head dropping, her hair falling in front her face, shadowing her eyes that were glazing over. Forming a glassy layer over them.
Placing a gentle finger under her chin, Caspar slowly raised her head. Levelling their eyes. Her silver eyes now speckled with the ash colour. His crystal clear blue eyes. Caspar opened his mouth ready to apologise, however, Evangeline beat him to it. “You know we have to leave. He'll come back here for me. Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, but he will come from me.”
“We can fight him off.”
“Maybe, but we can't fight him every night of everyday,” She sounded exhausted. Her head fell back against Caspar's chest, her eyes sliding shut. “We leave at midnight.” She mumbled as she fell asleep.
“I'll wake you up later. Sleep tight, Evie.” However, she was already asleep. Gently moving her, he propped her against the wall so that he could pick her up. His arm around her back and the other under her knees. Slowly walking over to the bed, he laid her down before returning to his seat on the floor.
*
Evangeline's dream was distorted, the world that she created, no longer existed. The air was full of dust and smoke, making it thick and heavy, hard to breath out, impossible to breath in. She stood in the rubble of her homes, furnishings poking out of the bricks. Things were still smouldering, clouds of grey smoke escaping between the small gaps.
Although her eyes stung, she couldn't break her gaze away from the house across from hers; Ember's house. The heat was immense, rolling off the house onto her her, turning her skin a pink colour.
Evangeline tried to suck in a breath, only to find her lungs to be filled with soot and the stench of decay, death and fear. A stench that you can never forget; Creatures of the night. The place was over run with them.
Moaning and groaning of the night creature, there bones creaking with every movement, making it obvious of there location. However, they weren't alone. Blood curdling screams of the victims, those suffering from them. Evangeline had never suffered an injury from the night-creatures apart from severe pain attacks. So, she had no idea of what they were capable of.
The groans became louder, coming closer and closer, until they stood in the shadows, cast by the flames. And then she realised, the scream was coming from her lips, attracting them to her. Buying time for people to run. Run and never look back.
*
“Evie, wake up.” Caspar shook her vigorously, in a desperate attempt to wake her up. Her body was shaking and drenched in soot, her skin the colour of midnight. Removing his hands from her shoulder, he found them covered as well. With a groan she eyes slowly opened, slowly trying to slip shut again. She mumbled something incomprehensible before rolling over. “Wake up. You need a shower. Your filthy and you stink of smoke.”
She sat up, her eyes adjusting to the light. In the moonlight that slipped through the window sat two back-packs, packed to the brim, close to spilling out there contents. A smile slipped onto her lips, grateful for what he had done.
"Sorry." Evangeline's cheeks turned red, although you couldn't tell due to all the soot, as she climbed off the bed. Caspar watched her walk away, smiling.
*
“Ready?” Caspar whispered to her, whilst her hand curled around his as she
peered over the window ledge. The drop was further than she thought, the idea of climbing out of the window made her knee's wobble and her vision to blur. She shook her head and slowly backed away. Never the less, Caspar wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side.
“I can't.” She whispered to him, her face centimetres away from his. There breathes intermingling. He moved his head to the side and levelled his lips with her ear. Taking a moment to think.
“I promise not to let you fall. I'll go first.” He whispered, his voice as silky smooth milk. Moving his head Caspar looked at her, their gazes connected, trapping each other.
“Promise?” She smiled weakly. Her hand slowly raised, did Caspar's as they connected pinky fingers. They both laughed, spluttering a promise in reply. They pulled apart and lowered a rope out of the window and tying the other end to the bed, allowing them to abseil down the wall. The bags landed on the pavement with a crash, the tin cans that he'd packed causing a commotion. Evangeline prayed that none of the neighbours had woken up due to the noise they were making.
Being a gentleman, Caspar climbed out first. His dissent was a lot quieter than the bags, but only by a few decibels. Evangeline watched him in the moonlight, his wild hair seeming even more wild, if that was possible. He was no longer dressed in the suit and dress shirt. When Evangeline woke up he was dressed differently. A pair of jeans that hung low on his hips, a black t-shirt hugged his torso, he wore a loose fitting dark green jacket – it looked as if it was severely grass stained – and a pair of converse. Evangeline had to admit, he looked incredible in his suit and tie, but he looked even better in casual.
Once both his feet were planted on the floor and he was stable, Evangeline untied the other end from the bed, tossing the rope out of the window. As she stood on the window ledge, she saw the world in doubles which only made her more nervous about jumping. She couldn't see Caspar clearly, he was in several places at once.
“Please, Lord, I know I should attend church more and you probably don't help the cursed. But please, please don't let me die.” She whispered a quick pleading pray before squeezing her eyes shut and jumping. She bit her lip as she fell from the second floor building. Her body collided with Caspar's, sending them both crashing down into the dirt, sending a cloud of dust hurdling into the air.
Evangeline's head hit Caspar's chest, which seemed to be made of titanium, the pain hitting directly behind her eyes. Her hands looked minuscule compared once placed on Caspar's chest, which didn't seem to move. The blue eyes searched Evangeline's face, travelling from her eyes to the small trickle of blood from her lip. "Your lip." His voice was a whisper, carried by the wind, barely audible.
Electrifying. That's how most people describe the flesh on flesh contact from the person they love, or that's how authors describe it in the romance books that she read. Which Evangeline found it most bizarre, who would enjoy being electrocuted every time there lover/crush made contact with them. But now she understood, as Caspar reached up his, finger tips lightly brushing against her lip, she experienced something similar to what the authors described.
However, she didn't believe 'electrifying' was the appropriate word to describe it. Her flesh beneath Caspar's finger-tips seemed to alive, tingling, similar to the feeling you receive before being shocked due to the increase of static. Her heart beats became erratic, as if she'd just run a marathon and was beginning to go into cardio arrest. She tried to think of the perfect word to describe the feeling, but there wasn't one.
Just as Caspar's finger made full contact wit her skin, his forefinger stained with her blood, she rolled off of him, squashing her mothers prize worthy tulips. In that moment the midnight sky looked truly picturesque. A cobalt blue sky studded with a thousand gold studs, the moon scarring the sky with the harsh light. "So where are we going?" A shadowed figure, cloaked by the night, blocked her view of the sky. She couldn't see him clearly, but Evangeline knew he was smiling, the one were the right side of his lip rose higher than the other.
Caspar stretched her arm out, offering a hand to help pull herself to her feet, but declined his help. There was the slight suspicion, in the back of Evangeline's head, that he saw her as weak, the damsel that constantly needed help. She was too proud to admit that she was, in a way, in desperate need of his help, and she needed to protect her ego. "I have no idea." Evangeline glanced at Caspar from the corner of her eye, only lasting a fraction of a second, but it was enough time to see the look on his face. Annoyance.
The voice in her head began to talk, the one that wasn't her voice, but Caspar's voice. "No idea. No idea!?" The voice grew louder with each syllable, as did the anger that laced it. " I just climbed out of a house for her to have no idea where we're going." His expression was now blank, his eyes boring into an empty space.
"I didn't ask you too," She snapped. Without thinking, she closed the gap between them; limb to limb, chest to chest. Instantly they were cloaked, invisible to the naked eye. "I... This is crazy. I don't know where Eclipse is, but it's like I can feel him. It's like a rope, fastened around me, one end tied to Eclipse, one end tied to you. I'm stuck in the middle." Caspar's dark brows knitted together in confusion, wrinkles appearing on his forehead. "The further away you are from me you are, the stronger the pull on 'the rope'." Her fingers made air-quotation-marks around the end of the sentence.
"And where is the rope pulling you?"
"West." And so they left. They headed west, holding hands, invisible.
*
The East side of the village was surrounded by woodland, climbed to be filled with mountain lions and bears. The West side of the village was a boreal forest, most of the trees were a dark green. Hardly anybody entered the Eastern forest. Nobody entered the Western forest. Knowing this, Evangeline wasn't sure if it made her more nervous and on edge, or made her relax.
She'd never stepped foot in this forest, and it was completely different from the East. The floor wasn't filled with lush grass that felt like a carpet on her bare feet, instead it was a mass of tangled roots that constantly entangled her foot and threatened to wrap around her throat when she fell. She was lucky that her companion had a quick reaction time. Every time Caspar heard here begin to fall, he catch her, his hand grasping onto the back of her coat.
"Thank you." She said sheepishly as Caspar grabbed a fistful of her jacket. He pulled her up, allowing her to stabilise before letting go off her and carrying on walking, only to catch her a few seconds later as her foot became trapped in the maze of roots. After the twenty-sixth time of falling Caspar let out a sigh of annoyance. When he dropped Evangeline's coat, he also dropped his backpack, letting it fall into the stiff glass that was glazed with a sprinkling of frost. "What are you doing?" She asked, annoyed and confused.
"I'm tired of watching you fall. It was amusing the first fifteen time but now it's getting old. Climb on." Caspar knelt down by his back pack. Evangeline hesitated for a moment before wondering over, careful not to fall. She felt like she was approaching a coaching tiger, not that Caspar would hurt her, but because the idea of being so close to him made her nervous. She stopped at his side and threw his pack over her shoulder, along side her own before climbing onto his back.
"Thank you." Her voice was tiny and was wobbly. A smirk appeared on his lips, knowing that he made her nervous was amusing. His strong arms wrapped underneath her, resting her bottom on his forearms, whilst her legs wrapped tightly around his abdomen and her arms clung around his neck, threatening to cut of the oxygen. Evangeline was worried that she'd choke him, but then remembered he didn't breath, he didn't require oxygen.
The idea of Caspar not breath, not having a beating heart seemed rather tragic to Evangeline. Although a heart may be a heavy burden, but it's truly wonderful. In Evangeline's opinion, the finest work of the creator - whether it be a gift from God or another curse from the devil - it is the finest piece of art. She could not imagine not feeling it race as adrenaline begins to pound through your veins. To not feel how delicate it is when it's broken. To not feel it fighting to keep you alive. To not feel it at all.
She closed her eyes and nestled her head into the crook of his neck, exhaustion taking over. Slowly listening to the beat of her heart, and seeing the imagine of a beating heart in her head. Her eyes slipped shut, allowing her to ignore the world around her disappear and focus on the art work she was imagining.
They walked in silence for another hour. One imagining a heart beating whilst the other felt something heavy invade his chest cavity.
"We should stop for a couple hours." Caspar whispered, not sure if she was asleep or not. She simply nodded her head once before feeling Caspar stop and slowly allow her climb off of him. Her legs couldn't take her weight for more than a moment. She allowed herself to lean against a tree and slowly slide down it. She watched as he unraveled two sleeping bags and gestured for her to climb in one.
"No, one of us should stay awake, just ... Just in case he describes to pay a visit." Caspar opened his mouth, ready to object when she cut him off. "I'll do it. You carried me and stopped me from falling over a lot. You must be tired. Get some sleep." Caspar knew that no matter what he did that Evangeline would be too stubborn and insisting that he should get some rest. So instead of arguing and wasting his words, he brought the sleeping bags closer to her. Laying his bag out at the side of her. Falling asleep in an instant.