A/N: Hi guys. So so sorry it took me this long. But I did it! 2,282 words! The longest chapter by far! In the author's note last time I doubted myself, and I would like to thank chloemcg and Queeny aka SSG for making me see that my efforts weren't for nothing. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Questions & Comments:
chloemcg: Thanks :D , and he's in it, but he is a very minor character.
Queeny aka SSG: Thanks a lot. :D
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Where Loyalty Truly Lies- Chapter 4: Expectations
The next morning, Evangeline was preparing the restaurant for another slow day.
"Hmm, I wish my life wasn't so predictable."
There weren't many transformations anymore; probably only twice a week now. Each day of voodoo training with Mama Odie consisted of many lectures of self-control, as that was the key to controlling the transformations.
But it wasn't about self-control. It was about being depressing and somber all the time.
Other than that each day was the same: clean the restaurant, take a quick walk around the city, come back and serve customers, voodoo training with Mama Odie, clean the restaurant again, and last but not least, avoid Tiana and Naveen at all costs.
Today was special.
It was Ray's birthday and he was turning 12. The restaurant would close early today, and everyone in our extended family will come to celebrate. Granny Eudora, Louis, Charlotte LaBouff-Breaux, Mr. Breaux, Sarah, and Eli LaBouff will all come. Even Uncle Ralphie and her grandparents from Maldonia will be coming. Mama Odie and her entourage of animals however won't be able to come because all three of Evangeline's grandparents and Uncle Ralphie don't know all the details of how Tiana and Naveen got together.
In spite of this, Evangeline and Ray will have to make a trip to Mama Odie's to get his present before the festivities start.
The doors suddenly bust open then.
"Evie, I'm so excited for tonight."
Sarah LaBouff-Breaux was a twelve-year-old of short stature. She looked every bit like her mother, except her green eyes, which she inherited from her father. According to Tiana, she is a lot like her mother was at this age.
Sarah was obsessed with true love and royalty.
That being said she took a special interest in Uncle Ralphie.
She felt that if she made a good impression on him, he would introduce her to some of his royal friends. She was aspiring to marry a king, which was the sole difference of her mother, who wanted to marry a prince. She was also Evangeline's best human friend.
"Yeah, me too." Evangeline said quietly, her eyes downcast. Sarah watched her skeptically for a few minutes. She then pulled out the chair out of Evangeline's hands and put it on the floor.
"Tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing," Evangeline said as she set up the last chair.
Sarah sighed. "Look-"
Tiana walked into the room.
"Hey, Sarah. How are your mama and daddy?"
"They're doing fine and are excited for tonight."
"Great." Tiana turned to Evangeline. "Do you mind picking up your grandparents and uncle from the docks? Even though they know the way to the restaurant, they haven't seen you in months."
"Okay." Evangeline answered as Sarah looped her arm around Evangeline's.
"Come on, let's go!" Sarah said as they jogged out of the restaurant.
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Halfway to the docks, Sarah decided to talk about something other than her aspirations.
"So are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
"You have to ask?"
"What is with you the constant angst? I understand that you can't get too happy, sad, or anything, but that doesn't mean you can't smile every once and while."
Evangeline smiled with a bit of attitude.
"Hmph, that's not what I meant but thanks. You definitely need to meet a boy. That would take your mind off things."
"A boy? Yeah right." Evangeline looked down at the street as they continued walking. She heard Sarah's sharp intake of breath, and braced herself for the storm.
"You already met one?! I want to know everything! Now!" Sarah said.
"Evangeline!" An accented voice yelled.
Evangeline and Sarah turned to see Ralphie and Evangeline's grandparents muscling their way through the cameramen.
'This is not over.' Sarah mouthed to Evangeline as the Maldonians made their way to where the girls were.
"How are you?" Evangeline gave them all hugs.
While Sarah had somehow separated Ralphie from the rest of the group, Evangeline told her grandparents about how the restaurant was doing and how she and the rest of the family were doing minus the transformations and voodoo, of course.
"If the restaurant continues not to prosper, and the war eventually involves the United States, you can come live in Maldonia with us." Evangeline smiled.
They would always say that every time they visit. They even extended their offer to Eudora in hopes that Tiana would come as well.
"I don't think Mama or Daddy will readily leave the restaurant." Evangeline said.
"Well, they can at least send you kids. Maldonia is a neutral country and we intend to keep it that way, so you will be safe there." the queen said.
"But we're neutral." Evangeline argued.
"Okay well just keep your options open." the king said.
"Mm-hm." They walked into the restaurant.
"Mom, Dad, Ralphie! It's been a while! How is everything?" Naveen embraced all three and they proceeded to converse in Maldonian.
Evangeline watched her parents, grandparents, and uncle talk for a moment before Sarah came over to where she was standing.
"I'll be back tonight, and then you will tell me everything." Sarah turned on the heel of her foot and stalked out of the door.
By this time people began to filter in so everyone broke away to let Tiana and Naveen do their daily duties.
After a few hours of serving people, while she was putting dishes in the sink, someone pulled her arm so roughly it felt like it would rip off.
"Angie, can you hurry and take me to Mama Odie's? I want to see what my present is." Evangeline's obnoxious younger brother Ray said.
An easy way to describe Evangeline and Ray's relationship would be love-hate without the love. Ray was nothing but a spoiled baby, and he couldn't wait to rub it in Evangeline's face whenever he got something.
"Fine." Evangeline started walking towards the door.
Ray ran off to tell Tiana and Naveen that he was going to Mama Odie's and Evangeline walked out of the door.
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As Evangeline and Ray walked in the humid bayou, the tension around the two siblings was suffocating. Even though Evangeline and Ray spent 12 years together, as far as they knew, they never spoke a good word about each other, and the words they said to each other would usually end in an argument.
Unfortunately, it seemed to be like today would be no different.
Evangeline needed all the support she could get but if she couldn't get it from her own family, then no one else's would matter.
The night fell rapidly, but they didn't bother to pick up the pace. All of the animals in the bayou knew and trusted Evangeline, so they wouldn't knowingly hurt her or anyone with her.
Within no time, Evangeline and Ray made it to the tree that the voodoo queen of the bayou called home.
"Mama Odie! I'm here with Ray!"
"Hey Lil' Froggie." Evangeline bristled at the "term of endearment". It wasn't that she hated it, it was just that it reminded her of the situation she so desperately to forget.
"Alright, Tadpole #1," Ray frowned at his name while Evangeline stifled her laughter, "Here is yo' birthday present."
Mama Odie held out a branch from a tree. Ray raised an eyebrow at the present.
"What does it do?" Ray asked.
"Whatever you want it to. Why don't you go try it out?" Mama Odie said.
Ray tentatively took the stick and went outside.
Evangeline started laughing. "You know he'll back any minute demanding why it doesn't work."
It was funny. Mama Odie didn't try to hide the fact that she liked Evangeline and James more than she liked Ray, and Ray was so dim he didn't even notice. She would be more open towards Ray if he wasn't so "close-minded", as she called him.
"Well that was the only thing I had to give 'im. He kinda reminds of this student I had one time, except less dangerous."
"A past student? I thought I was your first."
Mama Odie chuckled. "Oh no, dear girl. I did have a life before you."
Evangeline looked down. "I didn't mean it like that."
Mama Odie got off of the chair and called to Juju. " 'Course you didn't. Juju, will you get his necklace?" The seeing-eye snake slithered off to another part of the tree, only to come back a moment later with something in his mouth. Mama Odie held the necklace tight in her hands a moment before speaking.
"You know I usually don't take male students. Not anymore."
"Why?"
"Well it started 25 years ago. I found two girls outside, and they looked to be lost. I let them inside, and they liked what they saw so they wanted to learn voodoo. I told them that it was dangerous, but they didn't care. Over the years, they became really good at it, and I was proud. One day, though, a boy found my tree. He said that he heard of me and he wanted to learn voodoo as well. I was happy to take another student but I was wary. The boy was so different than the girls, but he learned voodoo just as fast. For a time everything was fine. But then the girls grew up. In order to protect them I gave them each a necklace like this."
Mama Odie put the necklace in Evangeline's hands, and then continued her story.
"One of the girls, Mae, started to have feelings for the boy. They began to date and I noticed changes in Mae's and the boy's behavior. Some days only the other girl, Nellie, would come to training. Nellie would tell me all kinds of things about Mae and the boy. Eventually I found out that Mae and the boy were practicing black magic."
Evangeline gasped.
Mama Odie nodded and continued. "You can only imagine how furious I was. As soon as Mae and the boy came to training the next day, I confronted them. The boy readily admitted it and told me that black magic was way more fulfilling than my methods, and left. But not before throwing the necklace at me. Unfortunately, Mae thought it would be better to support him, so she left as well, and Nellie left with her best friend. Mae and Nellie were smart though and kept the necklaces. As soon as all three left, I felt so empty for some reason. I viewed them as my children, and I thought they would see me as a mother figure. But they must have had no place in their heart for me, because they wouldn't abandon someone they cared for like that. I have no doubt in my mind that the boy is dead, and I want to say that I'm glad, but I'm not. He didn't deserve to die like that." Mama Odie broke off and started to cry.
Evangeline leaned forward to hug her and she realized just how frail she was.
The 211-year-old woman put on a front like she was strong, but deep down she was sad.
'How could she be happy when she's seen the death of so many people that she's cared about?' Evangeline thought.
Mama Odie quickly composed herself, like she just realized what she was doing.
"It's okay, Mama Odie. It's okay to be sad, and it's okay to cry." Evangeline gestured around the tree to the animals she just noticed were there. "We won't judge you."
"It's okay, but not appropriate. Not now." Mama Odie tightened her hands around Evangeline's.
"Keep this necklace. I refuse to see another one of my 'children' dead."
Evangeline nodded. "Okay."
"Hey! This stupid stick doesn't even work. I'm telling Mama and Daddy you gave me a regular stick for my day. Come on Evangeline. I want to go home. Now."
"Okay. Bye, Mama Odie. See you tomorrow. And don't worry, I won't let you down."
"I have no doubts in my mind that you will. Good luck, Lil' Froggie. Happy birthday, Tadpole #1."
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Back at the restaurant, almost everyone was having a good time. Evangeline stood outside the restaurant like she did every night, just thinking.
She couldn't get what happened with Mama Odie out of her mind. She couldn't believe that people could turn their back on someone as nice as her.
She looked at the necklace. There was no way that she would ever do something like that to Mama Odie.
Evangeline hated to consider it, but she felt that Mama Odie was more of a parent to her than Tiana and Naveen put together. Whenever Evangeline did something wrong, she didn't get reprimanded for it like with Tiana and Naveen. Mama Odie understood that she learned her lesson, and after the promise to never do it again, Mama Odie never brought it up again.
Evangeline wondered about Mae and Nellie, Mama Odie's past students. Were they even still alive? She wondered if she could find them and tell them about Mama Odie's regrets.
"Evie, you still need to tell me about this mystery guy." Sarah walked out of the restaurant to stand next to her.
"Yeah, but there's not much to tell. I don't even know his name."
"Okay, just start with how you met him."
"Evangeline."
Evangeline and Sarah turned at the quiet, almost foreign voice.
But only almost.
It was the boy from last night. He probably heard her name last night when Naveen shouted it.
"Um, who are you?" Sarah asked snootily, and when he didn't answer she turned to Evangeline. "This is the guy you were talking about?"
"Sarah, not now."
Evangeline turned to the "mystery guy". "Yes?"
"I need your help."
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A/N: Ooo, cliffhanger! The next chapter doesn't pick up where this one left off. But it's going to be in Sam's POV, and it'll concurrent with this chapter, so you'll still see why he needs Angie. Also the next chapter will probably be out in September. I'm starting a new story, plus school starts at the end of this month (27th), so my attention will be split big time. But I will try to have the next chapter before school starts. Again, no guarantees. Please review, though. :D