"Why do you think she doesn't talk?"
"Did someone take her tongue?"
"Maybe her vocal cords?"
Sylvia listened as the kids talked about Evania. She assumed the woman who all but attacked her had started a rumor, and made Evania's condition the talk of the school. No one seemed to hate her for it, but they were still curious.
The questions only made Sylvia curious herself, but she knew asking Evania wouldn't get her answers just yet. She wondered if her mom would be more forthcoming with the important information. Sylvia didn't want anyone but Eva to tell her her troubles. But why she couldn't talk would make it easier.
If she couldn't talk then making jokes would irritate her. If she could talk and just chose not to then there were psychological issues that Sylvia could help her without pushing too hard.
"Maybe she's just doing it for attention?"
"Maybe she's had a traumatic experience that scarred her for life." Sylvia snapped, without even thinking about it.
The man who said it stared at her in shock like she was the last person he thought would speak up.
"Aren't you her roommate?" He asked curiously.
"I am yes. I don't mind you all wondering why she doesn't speak, but don't act like you know the kind of person she is."
"How does me thinking she wants attention mean I know the kind of person she is?"
"You don't know. She hates attention." Sylvia snapped. "I don't care if you wonder why she doesn't talk, but don't you dare assume it's because she wants something like attention."
"We're not bullying her, we're just wondering the kind of person she is."
"You are bullying her. Just not to her face." Sylvia retorted, her purple eyes glowing almost violently. "Am I right to assume anything about you?"
"Be my guest." The man motioned to himself.
Sylvia glanced him up and down once. "You're clothes are disheveled and messy, and so is your hair. You have dirt on your cheek and a tan line on your wrist for a sweat band. You're an athlete and you just finished a run or game so you're still working off the effort."
The man blinked with a smile and went to speak but Sylvia continued instead.
"You have a brand new notebook but only two pages have been used, yet we've been in school for a few weeks now, which also tells me that you don't care much for this class and don't have much of an interest in the lessons. You probably think you're the star player on your team and will get some kind of scolarship for your altheticism, but that's not how the real world works. If you're dumb as a rock they don't care how well you play in a high profile school."
"I'm not-" The man's expression went from amused shock to anger.
"How do you think Evania would feel about people making assumptions like that about her?"
The man waved her off with a grunt. "I get your point, damn. I'll leave Evania alone."
"Didn't know you cared so much about Evania." Another student asked.
"Eva's my friend, and I'll stand up for her every chance I get."
The girl behind Sylvia chuckled getting the succubus to turn and raise an eyebrow at her. "You really do, considering you gave Juliet a run for her money the other day."
"Juliet's her name? She didn't bother introducing herself when she grabbed Eva and started yelling at her because she wouldn't appologize."
"Juliet's as dense as her cake-faced makeup." The girl answered with a laugh. "The only thing she cares about is being the most popular girl. She thinks she can make everyone in this school bow to her perfection. Too bad for her most of us don't care for egotistical ass-hats."
"If you know her well, tell her if she ever touches Evania again, I'll pull the stick out of her ass and stab her with it." Sylvia warned.
Sylvia.
Sylvia raised her head and turned to the doorway to see Evania standing there glaring at her. Sylvia sighed deeply as Evania entered the classroom and sat at her desk while Sylvia turned back to look towards the front of the room.
"If I didn't know any better I'd think you two were dating." The girl added.
Sylvia stood up abruptly, letting her chair slam into the girl's desk behind her before grabbing her bag and leaving the classroom. Evania looked over at the girl behind her who was smiling like she won something.
"She really likes you Evania." The girl noted. "I've never seen Sylvie so mad before. It was like she was defending herself."
Evania glared at the woman, her golden eyes swirling with her anger. She couldn't quite tell if the anger was entirely her's or the succubi's since her blood was still in her system.
Why did you torment her like that? Evania asked.
"She made it pretty easy." The girl shrugged. Mates tend to do that.
Evania flinched at the thoughts that entered her head. You're a vampire? But... how? Your eyes don't glow.
On que, the woman's eyes flooded over with bronze as she smiled. With practice you can hide your eye color.
Evania sighed deeply before growling. Don't ever talk to Sylvia like that again.
Or else?
Or else. Evania answered. Her glare changed, and although her eyes didn't turn red, they swirled with a wild anger, one that this woman clearly knew all too well, because her bronze eyes changed from a confident glare, to one of fear.
"You were his turn..." She muttered.
You're right. I was. But now he's dead, and I'm not. Don't talk to Sylvia like that again, or you'll join him. She then turned back to the front of the class.
---
When Evania left the classroom, she made her way towards where she knew Sylvia would be. She could just sense where the succubus had run off to, and found her at the end of the hall by the door sitting up against the wall going through a notebook.
Evania didn't really know what she could say, as she was never used to trying to help people when they were upset, so without saying a word she just sat beside the succubus.
"Did I miss anything important at the lesson?" Sylvia asked without looking up from her notebook. Evania shook her head as an answer. "After I left I realized that a member of the student council probably shouldn't be skipping classes, but by then I was already so angry I thought going back in would just cause more trouble."
Why were you so mad at her? Evania asked.
"They were insulting you." Sylvia answered.
I can stand up for myself.
"I'm not saying you couldn't, but they were making fun of you because you don't speak." Sylvia lowered her notebook and leaned her head against the wall. "One of them said you just don't speak so people will give you attention and I just... I couldn't hold my tongue. I needed to yell at him. Then that stupid girl opened her stupid mouth and I just..." Sylvia let off a growl of her own that didn't sound anywhere near as animalistic as the one Eva made a earlier.
I wouldn't worry too much about them. Evania answered with a shrug. She realized I was one of his turns and shut up really quick. I guess most of his turns get a look of wild insanity when their irritated enough. She got the picture.
"I hate that she got to me so easily." Sylvia sighed. "I thought I'd be able to keep my cool around people but no. I just got so mad the second someone mentioned a little thing about you."
Is that also part of your nature?
"Not sure... I might just be stupidly overprotective. Which isn't really a good thing."
You don't know for sure?
"I've never been attached to someone before." Sylvia smiled softly. "Sure I've had relationships, but I've never had a mate."
True. Maybe you're just crazy.
"Must be."
Is there something you want to ask me?
"How can you tell?"
I can hear your thoughts.
"Why don't you talk?" Sylvia asked, turning her head to look at Evania. She didn't hold curiosity like Evania thought she would when she met her gaze. Instead it was concern. Not pity, but concern. "You don't have to tell me the exact details. You could just say, 'I got hurt' or 'I said something that got me in trouble'."
Evania stared down at her feet for a long while, and Sylvia waited patiently. Not moving or asking anything more.
If I wanted to, I could speak. Evania admitted finally. I haven't lost the ability to, or suffered any injury. But I guess... in some way, yes, I said something that got me into trouble.
"In some way?"
You know how Purebloods turned or born from Zia and Agora have a special ability?
"Of course."
When my father was turned, his power allowed him to bend people to his will, with just his voice. When he spoke, others were forced to obey. If their will was stronger than his they could resist it to some extent. Apparently, those who share blood also share their power. But mine was far stronger. Able to effect Agora himself effortlessly. If not for his son stopping me, I might have been able to kill Agora then and there. Afterwards, they cast me out, and burned the symbol off my hand so I could never be called a Daybreaker. Evania rubbed her hands together, gently tracing her fingertips over her right palm.
"I'm sure you never really wanted to be a Daybreaker in the first place." Sylvia noted.
At first I hated it. I hated that I was being used. But then I started to enjoy getting what I wanted just by asking. How people just broke for me when I opened my mouth. Then my dad tried to use his power on me when I didn't listen to him, and I realized what we both had become. I never wanted to become like him, so I used my power on Agora, got cast out, and brought home.
"So you don't speak, because your voice carries magic? Wouldn't you be able to practice controlling it?"
When I got back to my mother, she had me practice using my power on her to try and control it. Unfortunately, we've never had any success. And it's not like my father's power where their bodies are forced to obey his will. Your will is totally taken from you whenever I open my mouth. Whoever hears my voice feels everything I do, like their very souls are consumed by mine. They exist to be an extention of me, and there's nothing they can do about it.
"It'll just take practice. You can work on it." Sylvia noted.
Syl. Evania called, clenching her fists. It's not that easy. I don't ever want to become like them, so I won't use my voice unless I absolutely need to.
"Then only use it when you need to." Sylvia shrugged. "If you don't want to practice, I'm not going to force or push you into it. Even if I think it's a good idea. It's your pain, and your trauma. I don't know how you feel, I don't know what you went through. Though I can tell that you're not telling me the whole story..."
I'm not ready to relive it yet.
"And you're not close enough to me yet to want to spill your life story. I know how it is."
Do you really?
"Alright. Since you told me something about you, I'll tell you something about me. What would you like to know?"
Evania looked back up to Sylvia and seemed to think about her question.
Why did you learn Psychology?
"That's an easy one. I already told you my sister had anxieties and stuff like that. So I wanted to learn everything I could about them so I could help her."
And levitation?
"Floating is cool."