Warning: reference to sexual assault and forced protitution in the first part.
It was ironic really, how much she loathed them. The very sight of one made her gut twist and bile slide up her throat. It wasn't the mirror itself she hated, it was what it represented. She still remembers with startling clarity what her mother said about them, describing them with such vivity that the words are still entrenched in her mind. Mirrors are better than humans, as they are portals of candor. They will never lie or deceive, only reflect the truth back at you, regardless of your own desires. Evie used to see the appeal in that, but right now as she was staring at her makeup stained cheeks, she wishes that the mirror would show her a pretty little lie, not the evil-awful honest truth.
Letting out a humourless laugh, Evie began to dab at her cheeks, trying to get rid of the evidence of her imperfection. She couldn't scrub it off along with the emotions storming inside her like she wanted, as that would get rid of her painstakingly perfectly applied foundation, leaving her armourless. Instead, she took her time, dabbing off the blackness layer by layer. Internally she cursed her lack of foresight, wishing she had used the waterproof one instead. She should have known she would cry, Jay always had an innate ability to bring out her emotions. He was her security, her protector, and never judged her when she let her emotions out.
Even on the isle, when they became close, he never judged her. She still remembers the day he found out about the extracurriculars her mother made her practice. It was a stormy night, the wind flying with vengeance. Thick raindrops attacked the ground like bullets, drenching anything it could touch. She had been sheltering under a moth eaten tent, her body slick with rain when he found her, completely unconscious. He had panicked, scooped her up and taken her directly to their treehouse, where he was going anyway. He had tried to shelter her from the rain with his body, though she still got soaked.
When they got there, Carlos was there too, his expression sobering when he saw the state Evie was in. They both knew she couldn't stay in her wet leathers, so with the greatest care they undressed her, only to have her wake up shivering and shaking, her eyes startling clear with fright. It took the pair of them to calm her shrieks, and after they got her dressed, she confided in them. She told them about the way that Governor Ratcliff squeezed her until she bruised, about the way Clayton would smack her face when she didn't do what he wanted fast enough. She confided in them about the way the Stabbington twins would trace her jugular with their blade, bathing in her fear. They had held her until she fell asleep, keeping their own tears at bay. It was only when she was asleep that the two looked at each other, silently promising to always protect her. That's what she assumed that happened anyway, they never did tell her but their actions were telling enough.
Seeing that her face was clear, she quickly applied the makeup, internally smiling softly at Harry's thoughtfulness. He regrets never getting the chance to get to know him before now, because despite his clear mania, he was funny and very considerate. Sighing, she took the pencil away from her waterline before using it on her eyelashes, using it as a makeshift mascara. Deciding it was good enough she sighed, trying to not get lost in the image of the broken girl in the mirror.
"Der she is!" Harry called jubilantly when Evie sashayed back into the room. "I wis wonderin' where ye got ta, my little duckling," he said, a handsome grin stretched out on his face, with his arms spread wide.
"What is with you and calling people ducklings?" Jay asked incredulous, rolling his eyes at the other man.
"It ai'nt ma fault the lass is as cute as'a ducklin'" He replied, winking at Evie and getting a small smile for his efforts.
"Here you go Harry, thank you for lending it to me," she said, walking up and giving him back his pencil.
Harry grinned up at her, taking the pencil from her slender fingers. He suppressed the shiver that slipped down his spine, staring from where her fingers brushed against gave her his cheeky smile in return, relishing the smile she gave in return. "Annae time, princess," he said, winking.
She smiled and walked back to her seat, snuggling into it. She moved her legs so they were bent and she could wrap her arms around them, and rest her chin on the tops of her knees. Jay smiled at her, his concern glittering in his eyes. She smiled back at him and nodded, letting him know she was okay.
"Yer kno' Princess, we neva' finished ye ice-breaker, now did we?' Harry said, once the silence began to grate on his nerves.
"You guys all thought that was stupid," Evie relied rolling her perfectly lined eyes and trying to ignore the word failure that she felt was branded on her forehead after the events of the day.
"Nay, I mae no' hev loved it, but ye did, an it is a wa' tae pass teh time," Harry said, not wanting to lie to her but also not wanting to crush her spirits.
"I'll be fun Eves, though you may need to start," Jay said, scratching his neck as he tried to ignore his instincts to just shut this down, though when Evie's face positively lit up at their agreeance, he knew that even if he wanted to shut this down, he wouldn't, not if it kept her smiling.
"Of course! I'm happy too. Okay since I started with Harry last time, i'm going to start with Jay," she said, bouncing slightly in her seat like an over excited puppy. "Okay Jay, I admire how you just don't care what anyone thinks, and even if you feel unsure or insecure you hold true to who you are, and never let anyone make you feel ashamed for that," she said, smiling genuinely at Jay.
Jay was thankful for his dark skin, otherwise the flush would be obvious. He ignored the weird dance his heart was doing at the sincerity in her eyes and the smile on her red lips. "Thank you Eves," she said, smiling at her genuinely.
"Okay Hook," He said, turning away from Evie. "I am impressed by how skilled you are with a sword, it must have taken you years to perfect that level of skill," he said, choosing to not go mushy like Evie.
"I shuild hope I was good, I wuid hate those broken bones tae be for nothin'" she said, bitterness creeping into his tone.
Evie caught Jay;s eye before she unfurled herself from her seat and walked over to Harry, settling on her skins on the floor. He looked up at her and tried to smile, though it didn't come close to reaching his eyes. She hesitated for a moment before clasping his hands in her's and he only stiffened for a moment before relaxing into her.
"I'm assuming your dad hurt you until you got it perfect?" she asked gently, only getting a stiff nod in reply. "I will never ask you to go into detail, evil knows she will have our skeletons in our closest but I promise you Harry, it doesn tmake you weak or any less of a person, it makes you strong since you never let it break you," she whispered, recalling the words that Carlos had used on her once upon a time.
"Ye are wan of a kind, you ken that?" He said to her, disbelief in his tone but spark of admiration in his icy eyes.
"I know" she said, winking if only to make him feel a little better. He chuckled the sound deep and dangerous, yet it soothed her frayed nerves and made her feel safe.
"C'mere," he said, lifting her into his lap.
She stiffened, her mind racing. Images of Doug flooded her mind, along with the deep seated ache she felt in her bone marrow. She managed to relax slightly when he wrapped his arms around her frame, and buried his nose into the crock of her neck, "Thank ye," he whispered, his voice muffled by her hair.
"You are welcome," she whispered back, winding her arms around him and hugged him back. She couldn't stop herself from breathing in his salty leather scent, the resulting mixture heady. Acidic guilt ate through the haze of contentment she felt and she begrudgingly unwound herself from him, before standing up and stiffly walking back to her seat, lost in thought.
"Er, rightio then, Jay, I like that ye're protective over your loved ones. I am teh same, and I can see your care for all of yer mates," he said, ignoring the embarrassment he felt at giving the compliment.
"Thanks, Harry. Okay Evie, you have escaped the compliments for too long, now Imma fix it," he said, smirking at her when she stuck out her tongue childishly, seemingly coming out of her self-deprecating thoughts.
"I love how optimistic you are. You are like a ray of sunshine that can chase away any negativity, and never fail to make me, or anyone else feel better. You have such a big heart Eves, it's no wonder people adore you wherever you go," he said, smiling softly and deliberately avoiding the word love.
She looked at him, tears brimming in her eyes. She managed to blink them away as she launched herself at Jay, the boy's arms already open and waiting for her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He marvelled at how lithe her frame was, how tiny she was in his arms. She may have been tall, but there wasn't much to her, and it stirred evry protective instinct he had.
"Thank you, Jaybird," she whispered, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead and giggling slightly when she noticed the red mark she left.
"Oi, whereis ma kiss?" Harry teased, making Evie giggle at the adorable teasing pout he wore. She made to get up, but Jay just held her tighter, burrowing into her hair and making her giggle from how it tickled.
"Kiss your hook, Harry," Jay retorted, making Evie snort in an unladylike fashion at that image.
"Well I neva'" he said, bringing his unhooked hand to his chest in mock offence. "I guess I shuid do ma ice-breaker now ey," he said, drawing attention to himself, just how he liked it.
"Evie, darlin, Imma say teh obvious. Ye're bloodeh gorgeous," he said bluntly, making Evie flush and hide in Jay's chest, who just chuckled at her reaction.
"Dude isn't lying," he replied, a teasing lilt to his tone.
"More den tha', ye are so strong. Yer face everythin' wid teh heart of a warrior, but still sho' compassion. It makes ye even more beautiful in ma eyes," he finished, and Evie peaked out, uttery moved by his words.
Without another though she managed to wiggle out of Jay's cobra like grip and flung herself into Harry. The boy wasn't expecting it, not knowing her as well as Jay, but managed to catch her and held her close, wrapping his arms protectively around the girl. He breathed in her fruity smell, the scent making his mind fog. He caught Jay's expression over her shoulder, and the two, for once, agreed. They both agreed that Evie was incredible, and although she was strong, she was fragile and they would, collectively, try their hardest to stop her from crumbling anymore, and losing any more of her light.
"Who knew you were both such softies," she teased, looking up at Harry before looking at Jay, her eyes soft and free of judgement.
"Yer tell a soul, and Imma dennae it," Harry replied, his hand brushing past a ticklish part of her ribs making her squeal and wrangle her way out of his lap.
He raised an eyebrow in amusement but didn't say anything, storing that information away for later. "We shuid gettcha mirror," Harry said, and the group sobered, nodding.
"Also I have something else I should probably let you both know…" Evei said, suddenly finding the ground very interesting as she ground the font of her heel into the tile.
Jay and Harry looked at each other, both standing up and crossing their arms. Evie glanced up, but quickly removed her gaze when she saw their bulging muscles.
"Glam, please don't tell me this is more bad news," Jay groaned, his tone cautious.
"Well not really? I mean it depends on your point of view, I guess?" Evie replied, her words coming out as a question.
Harry groaned and rubbed his temples. He had a lot of time for this girl but he didn't like beating around the bush, especially now. "Princess just tell us straight up," He said, getting a nod from Jay.
Evie sighed and looked at them with her most contrite expression, immediately putting their guards up.
"Well I may sorta, kinda, maybe-"
"Evie!" They shouted at the same time, just wanting her to get to the point so they could fix it for her.
"Have magic…"
Sad start but oh my days that fluff, just yes. This throuple is one of my favourites and I cannot wait to write the boys' reactions to her revelation! I know there were no other characters really in here but I wanted them to bond. Mal and the others will come up next time, promise, but Evie is the central character in this story.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it and I'll update again soon!
TBP