Drawing Battle Lines
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| xx | 𝙳𝙴𝙲𝙴𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁 𝟸𝟹, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺 | 𝙳𝚁𝙰𝚆𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙱𝙰𝚃𝚃𝙻𝙴 𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙴𝚂 |
𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙻𝚈𝙽𝙽 | 𝙰𝙳𝙴𝙻𝙰𝙸𝙳𝙴 |
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| xxx | 𝓖ravel crunched as wheels slowed to a stop. "All right." The emergency break zippering as it was pulled into place. "What's wrong?" For the grand majority of the trip from London to Windermere, fence posts and trees had zipped by in a blur, overcast eyes directed out the passenger window to the green fields beyond them, watching without really seeing as the countryside shifted and transformed. As they'd turned into their town, gradually winding their way towards their property, her gaze had remained outward as though still looking towards those distant views now obscured by an overgrown lawn and modest home. The car shifted as her mother turned her way, but Evelynn made no move to suggest she even registered that they'd parked. Obligatory greetings at King's Cross Station had been provided to her mother upon reception, but the delivery had been stiff and lacking. Questions were given monosyllabic responses, some comments ignored altogether. Try as she might, Evelynn couldn't shake the events of the day prior. Every time she closed her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of Winnie's crumpled, broken body at the base of the owlery tower. The train ride from Hogwarts to London had been spent in a shattered silence that enveloped her like a mourning veil. She'd tried to force a smile, tried to suppress the grief, but the wounds proved too fresh and her underlying frustrations with her mother too poignant. Unfortunately for Evelynn, Adelaide was none the wiser to her daughter's recent genealogical discoveries. "You can't stay quiet all holiday," she frowned, casting her daughter an appraising look. Evidently, she had decided that a four odd hour drive was sufficient time to allow the teen to wallow, and whatever this mood was, it was going to be untangled before they exited the vehicle. "I am fine..." Evelynn murmured as she finally shifted and reached to release her restraint, spurred into motion by the inquisition. The last thing she needed was for her mother to nose around into matters of near-death. Her mother moved faster, however, gently touching fingertips against the seatbelt's locking mechanism before Evelynn could escape. "You're not." Faint lines etched themselves upon her brow, concern evident in her features. Evelynn wasn't the only perceptive one in the family. That had been a learned skill. Adelaide canted her head, trying to catch her daughter's evasive gaze. The sixteen-year-old loosed a low, drawn out sigh, lips crimping as she resigned herself to the interrogation, gaze redirected towards the sparse tree-line in the distance. "Is it Peri? Are you two still fighting?" She wondered, referencing the turmoil she'd had to pry from Evelynn's iron-vault of a will during her brief excursion home during the November exeat weekend when she'd briefly returned home to write her English, Literature and Maths exams. "No," came the flat response. "So you're speaking again?" her mother pressed, hopeful. "No," Evelynn repeated in the same way. Adelaide frowned, withdrawing her hand, elbow lifting to drape from the steering wheel. "What happened with him, Eve? You were finally starting to seem happy again." "As it happens," she began, finally prying her gaze away from the foliage in the distance to direct a lidded, but no less piercing look at her mother, "sometimes people turn out to be not who you think they are." The comment had been meant as a projection of Pericles' discovery of who she, herself, had turned out to be, a revelation with which he couldn't bring himself to reconcile. But the barb had also flung itself directly at Adelaide as well, unspoken accusation for the lies with which Evelynn had been raised. It didn't go unnoticed. "You're...angry with me." It wasn't a question. A soft click sounded the release of the seatbelt, car shifting as Evelynn moved to open the door. "Eevee..." Her heart hammered in her chest, pulse pounding a reverberating rhythm in her ears. She didn't want to have this conversation. Didn't want to be here. Every mile placed between them and London was another mile between herself and Winnie where she lay in only God knew what state of recovery. "Evelynn. I'm talking to you." The witch heard, but she didn't listen, movement unbroken as she exited the vehicle, door closing with a rather sharp Thud behind her. She didn't even bother heading for the front door, knowing it would be locked. Instead she walked briskly through the gait, along the trail towards the barn. It may have been long-since empty, Cass still stabled inland at the Holmwood estate, but the comfort of the loft called for her. Overhead, a white avian flapped silently, briefly shadowing the setting sun. Janus would wait for her arrival. |
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