Chapter IX - Family ain't who you're born with,

it's who you'd die for

Eve's POV

They darted among themselves as if they didn't know if they should reply or not. "I will question again. Who is Evelynn?" Crossing my arms as I thump my left foot impatiently, I glance from one to the other. "I'd rather not probe you one by one as it was a very tiring day. So...SPILL!"

Adam scratched his neck and stepped forward: "Geez, impatient as always. Heh, another thing we had in common. Fine, I'll tell you. You are Evelynn, my twin sister." My eyes shifted to my left side where my ghostly friend stood: "Is it true?"

Green damp eyes glimpsed at me and then at him. She nodded: "Yes. Even...even though I have never seen him before, I feel he speaks the truth. I...I need to compose myself." And then she flew through a wall in a hurry, not before glancing at the ravenette known as Alex and weeping harder.

"Who were you speaking to?"-asked Adam, trying to sense around his surroundings. Alex just appeared so lost, it seemed like it crushed him to look at me. "A friend. So you say I'm your sister? And now what?"

He took a step back and laid his hand on his chest: "What do you mean?" Step by step, I approached him dangerously: "Just because we share blood it does not mean we are family. Family is there for you when you shed said blood. It is not just a fanciful word to use when it suits you."

I knew every word hit him like it was a dagger. Good...I don't need anyone. He outreached his hand: "No...! I did not have that intention. We really are a family. You just don't-!"

Tension increased in the room as I heard him, the striped wallpaper started to chip. (He must be fucking kidding me.) Stomping towards him, I approached him and clasped him by his red tie: "THEN WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU?! Where were you when he threw me into a pit crammed with corpses?! When he sent me his rivals to extract information from them, till they were only an empty husk of themselves?!"

Both glanced at each other in pain: "Oh Evie, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I wish things could be different."-he removed my hold from his tie and patted my hand. "Oh really? If wishes were poppies we would all be wishing and I would wish that I wasn't brought back." I smacked his hand away and walked backward while clenching my fists.

Their eyes opened widely and as Adam was going to speak, Alex approached me and talked in what seemed to be the first time he spoke since he breached my room: "Please don't say that, Evie. You might feel like you being brought back was a mistake but believe me when I say this: I'm so happy that you are alive and I think that's what ginger over there tried to say, in a very uncoordinated manner which I might add. You do not need to suffer alone, you have us now."

(His eyes...they're full of something I don't see that frequently. Hope. He really is happy to see me. Who were you to me, Alex? You speak in a manner that almost cracks through my defenses.)

Adam was speechless but kept bobbing his head at what Alex had said. I couldn't look at either of them now. They were looking at me as if I were the most precious thing in the world. If only they knew... It's better if they just forget me.

"You...you need to leave. It's better for everyone, whoever I was to you died with my memories."-I was going to keep giving them reasons to avoid me when we all heard a stifled sob followed by a cry: "Wady? Where awe you? WADY!"

We quickly ran to near the bed where Charlotte had just woken up. She was on her knees as she kept rubbing her eyes to try to wipe her tears. I sat on the bed and as soon as she saw me, she jumped into my arms: "Wadyyyyy! I thought you wewe gone!"

I lifted her into my lap and caressed her back while placing soft kisses upon her brow as if to say I'm here. For a couple minutes, she stood there crying until she finally composed herself. Her round chubby face lifted and she looked into my eyes. She awed: "Wowwww, I knew you wewe a pweety wady!"

Blushing at her words, I shook my head: "Some things never change. Still humble as always."-I heard from behind me which made me remember I wasn't alone in my room. Turning around I see Everett glaring at Alex which had a fond smile on his face. (I...I don't know what to say without making a fool of myself.)

Charlotte peeked from behind my hair and looked at them: "Who awe you?" They approached us as I held her closer to me as if to protect her: "It's okay, Evie. We won't hurt her. I swear."-said Alex in a soft voice as he kneeled next to the bed. He reached his hand to Charlotte.

Something in his words told me that I could somehow trust them, my judge of character is rarely wrong, maybe just this time I can...No, no. I can't trust them. Charlotte parted my hair to peek from in between my locks and shook Alex's much bigger hand in hers: "I'm Chawlotte Bwidges!"

He smiled sweetly at her excitement: "Pleased to meet you, Miss Bridges! I hope we can be good friends in the future. Do you like tea?"She turned her head to the side cutely: "What's that?"

Being British as we were, we all gasped. I gasped for a different reason. (For the first time I'm glad that father killed her mother. The woman must have isolated her these 5 years. She seems a little underdeveloped for her age.)

"Well, we can't have that. Can we? I'll prepare you a cup myself. It's quite a cold day today and it'll warm you up."-He stood up and looked expectantly at me as if to ask for my permission. I nodded. Alex walked till he reached the door and pulled a large pocket watch with a large skull in the middle, from the pocket of his blue jacket.

Pressing the button on top and as the world turned black and white, my door returned to its whole old self. We all awed at what he had done, including Charlotte who jumped from my lap to approach him: "WOW, awe you a magician, mista?"

With a chuckle, he kneeled next to her and patted her head: "I guess you could say that. I'll be right back with tea." Smiling to us, he left through the same door he rebuilt. (I guess I'm not the only one able to do magic.)

Adam seemed a little unsure about Charlotte like he didn't know how to handle children. Yet, after Alex left she turned her attention to him: "And you? Why do you wook so much wike wady?"

He shook his hands nervously as he tried to step away from her but she kept following him until she held into his black trousers: "Answa meeeeee, mista!" I tried really hard to not laugh at their antics but his look of despair at not knowing how to act really killed me.

Looking at me, he shook his leg to try to release her hold on his leg but she always held tight into him. I pulled a black fan and laughed hard behind it, which didn't go unnoticed by him.

"Stop laughing! It's been a while since I talked with a young girl. Bloody hell, just help me out!" Closing my fan, I stood up and removed her from his leg, not without bringing her close to me: "Tch tch, scared of a little girl. She just wants to know who you are."

He crossed his arms and did as I asked: "Fine! My name is Everett Whitlock, your half-brother. The girl carrying you is my twin sister, Evelynn Whitlock."

She turned towards me and giggled: "You awe my big sister? YAY! Evewy...Evewyn" Poor thing couldn't say the name, but she was being so adorable!

Looking at my supposed brother, I call to his attention: "Tell her she can call me Evie or the poor girl will end up biting her tongue."

Everett nodded: "She's saying you can call her Evie instead. You can also call me Rhett. We have long names."

A deep focused look appeared on her face: "Ewie? Ewie! I said it! YAY!" (She is adorable! And Lizzie isn't here to see it. Guess I'll tell her later.)

I threw her a couple of times in the air to celebrate her saying my name when Everett finally asked: "How did you manage to get her before him?"

Wrapping my arms around her as if to protect her, I said: "I didn't. I took her while he was busy killing her mother. Which seemed to be quite negligent and abusive towards her so no losses there."

His hand scratched his auburn locks shakily: "Wow, the old man must have a type. Has he seen you?"

Biting my lip, I looked away: "I ran away from him and his minions by teleporting here. I'm not at top of my abilities so...appearing here was by mere chance. I just wanted to get her out of there."

I heard him clench his fists and then patted softly Charlotte's head: "You did well. Don't worry, I'll protect you now."

(And of course, he thinks I'm a damsel in distress. Gahhhh!)

"I do not need protection! Focus on her only. Are you by any chance calling me weak?"- I placed my hand on my right hip while frowning.

"Of course not! I just wish to protect my sisters. You need someone to take care of you."-He tried to explain in vain because, with each word, I kept getting angrier.

"You know nothing of what I need! You barely know me, you wanker!" -Charlotte just kept looking from me to Everett as we kept bickering, giggling as if this deeply amused her.

-Confused, Everett asked: "Evie, I never saw you this angry. What happened to you?" "You never saw me angry? What was I? A bloody DOORMAT? How can I not be angry when everything men say makes me want to slit someone's throat?"

And so we kept bickering while Charlotte observed us very entertained with what we were spewing back and forth. Someone knocked at the door: "Yes?!"-Everett asked.

"It's Alex with the tea." I nodded at Everett and he answered for me: "Come in. We were done anyways." Alex came in with a blue and white china tray. He placed it on top of a table I had on the corner of the room. Slender even knew that I prefer to have tea in the quietness of my room.

I lifted Charlotte and sat her in one of the chairs. "Evelynn, I-...!"-Everett tried to continue our argument. "Our conversation is over. Talk to me when you stop being a bigot."

Alex took some of the pillows from my bed and placed it under Charlotte to raise her to the table's height. "Did something happen between you two?"-he asked while he lifted Charlotte that patted him in the cheek as a way of saying thank you.

"No. Nothing worth talking about."-I answered as I sat next to Charlotte while Everett and Alex sat next to each other. Alex filled every cup with tea: "Let's have Charlie try it first."-he said.

As she tried to raise the teacup which was smaller in size as if to fit her tiny hands, I dipped my pinkie into the tea, to check for poison or anything prejudicial for her: "Oh my, peppermint!"

"Evie, I would never hurt a child, most especially one that it's so important to you. Yet, I understand why you would do so. You don't trust anyone. I'd like to win your trust back and I will do everything to be deserving of gaining it back."-he said with forlorn green eyes with a glimpse of determination.

I blushed hard and quickly unveiled my fan to hide my face: "It's impossible. I-I don't think I can." Peeking from behind the fan, I saw him grin and sit back: "Once you were the one to not give up on me, when everyone did. Now, it's my turn, Evie."

(Oh lord! Is it hot in here? I do not know what to say! Hell, where is Lizzie when I need her?!) Taking deep breaths to recompose myself, I signalled Charlotte behind the fan how she should drink.

She nodded excitedly and lifted the cup to her lips: "Uhh! Yummy! Thank you, mista Alex! Could I have mowe, pwease?"-she asked with a pout. He smiled, filled her cup and gave her a plate with small sandwiches and cookies, which she happily nibbled on: "Of course, milady. Here you go!"

Everett seemed to enjoy his tea also but tried very hard to hide it, making me draw a small smile. Looking at this scenery, it gave me something I din't know I could have anymore: Hope. Perhaps trusting won't be that hard after all. As long as I trust the right people...

Chapter IX-END