The House Companion

Chapter 4: Lockley Evangeline

The Evangelines.

The last name of a hidden family dynasty that took control of the underground society dating all the way back in the early 1900's, producing prodigious offsprings that shocked the underworld to its core.

With identities hidden and locked away so tightly, the only way you'll know you're with one is if you're nearing your death, with them being the cause of it.

Contrary to what the name 'Evangeline' meant, the Evangeline line were far from the bringer of good news. They're known mostly known for being the harbinger of death, at most times, death itself.

My father is Lockley Evangeline Sr.

Being fourth to the throne among the long line of succesion in the ruling of the underworld, he wasted no time and left everyone behind, and tried his best to hide and shield us from his side of the family.

But not me.

You see, the Evangeline line never stopped producing prodigies. And having a few mistresses and lovers were never really illegal in our books, thus, causing an influx of half-blooded bastards and bitches to infiltrate our bloodline.

Instead of my dad having the control over the underworld and the whole dynasty, with his two brothers dying and only the third on his way to his death bed, it's only right that my father takes the throne.

If it weren't for my third uncle's bastard.

Third uncle's wife died in a car crash, such a typical thing for our family that we barely batted an eye, but he took it the hardest and chose to drink himself to near death.

I wish he had.

But instead, he copulated with an unknown woman, and that woman left him while he was passed out after their deed was done, never to be seen again.

Third uncle knew what he did. Yes, having mistresses and lovers weren't illegal for us, it was a sin. So if you are an Evangeline, and you have sex with unknown men or women (or both, no judgment here), best hope you do not get caught by anyone who knows you as such.

He tried to find this woman and tried to keep it under wraps, but the Patriarch found out about his situation and helped him in any way he can.

Their father was even willing to bend the rules for them.

And yet, the search bore no fruit. It was as if the woman disappeared from the face of the Earth, never to be seen again. We had high hopes that she wasn't pregnant, but they were all crushed when it was reported that she was pregnant and how she disappeared.

She was an Evangeline.

Not only did third uncle had a one-night stand, he had it with one of our own kind.

Keeping it in the family, I guess.

This meant that my uncle's offspring is a bastard, but also a full blooded Evangeline that has the strongest claim on the throne than anyone else.

Anyone else but me.

Because I'm a product of incest as well.

Difference is, my mom and dad knew that they were related to each other. They were so inseperable, even from the womb.

That's right.

My mom and dad are twins.

Incest wasn't frowned upon in the family. In fact, they allow it as much as they could. But due to how our society shapes the way people think today and more and more Evangeline's being born every era, it's normal for them to branch out but stay loyal with their partners until death.

At least, that's what my parents told me.

In both of my parents' eras, it was in the middle of a societal dispute on whether incestual spawns should be killed or to let them exist. Due to how incestuous relationships are prevalent and are birthing weaker and weaker babies, and having most of their mothers die at their birth, the Evangeline clan almost died off.

Sometimes I wish we did.

I was hidden, right from the start. My father hid us, married a nice woman who didn't deserve my father at all, and my mom? She's off somewhere doing God-knows-what to protect me.

I don't blame them, not one bit.

But I really wanted that throne though. I've got nothing better to do. Playing dumb at school when I already graduated college years ago theough a special program my dad put me through, hiding in this wretched house and playing house...

I just wanted to be acknowledged.

I am an Evangeline.

And it's about time for me to start acting like one.

Starting with this research I'm focusing on right now that my school graciously allowed me to conduct in exchange for my brain if I die. I guess having 276 IQ isn't useless after all. After I'm done with this, I will get recognized, and there is no way that the clan will turn us away, not now, not ever.

We could come back.

It is only by sheer luck or some dumb thing I did in my past life that third uncle's spawn is in my vicinity right now, and she goes by the name Amara Henderson, who I coincidentally hired to be my house companion.

Her being the main subject of my research called:

"Paranoia: An effective way of suggestive reasoning, mind reading, and hypnosis."