(2) The Space Between (Evie/ (Fem) You)

-Chapter 7: The Note-

I toss the keys to the boys and they leave first. Mal hugs me briefly, whispering into my ear. "I'm sorry I left you." She whispers. I nod, hugging her back. "It's alright. But from here on out, we're in it together, okay?" I ask. She nods, hugging Evie too before leaving for the rooftops. I glance at the girl, smiling as I watch her go to her side of the base, picking up her old purse. "God, I missed this." She says, putting it on. I laugh, walking to my own side and bending down to pick up something I dropped in the midst of packing.

What I didn't notice is that the note I had written when I wanted to leave slipped out of my pocket, skidding to the middle of the room as the crown I had fell out too, landing on the floor with a loud clang. "What's that?" Evie asks, looking at the crown. I blush, looking at it and picking it up hastily. "N-nothing. A gift." I say. I feel my pockets for the note, only to see Evie picking it up and opening it. "E, wai-"

"Dear Evie,

I'm sorry to leave you like this, but the pressures of Auradon is too much for me.

I wish you the best and hope you continue enjoying your time in Auradon. You're made for the place, and it is amazing to see you thrive there.

Mal and I have decided to leave. We weren't and still aren't made for that place.

It hurts to go, but I just wanted you to know that you will always be in my heart.

This crown is to show you that you will always be the queen to my heart. The blue to my purple-blue.

Please don't come after us. I know you hate it here, so just stay put. I'll be fine.

I love you.

Y/N."

She reads out loud, as if her brain needed to physically hear it to understand it. The silence that follows is deafening as she processes it. "Evie...I-"

"You were going to leave?" She asks, her voice quiet as if it physically hurts to speak louder. I fidget, looking to the ground as Evie stays in her place. I can tell she's facing me now, but I don't look up. Instead, I hear the hurt in her voice. "Y/N. Tell me. Is this true?" She asks, holding up the paper. "No...?" I say, looking up. She meets my eyes and she glares. She can tell I'm lying. "Yes." I mumble, frowning. Evie sucks in a breath, staring at the paper as if it burned her skin, but was glued on.

"I don't understand, Y/N." She mutters. "I didn't know you felt this way." She adds. "I didn't want to tell you." I say. "Why?" She asks. Before I could answer, I hear someone at the door. Mal appears. "You're still here? I came back to grab somethi..." She trails when she spots the paper in Evie's hands and our upset looks. "Thing....Uh, I think we're, uh, running out of time. Better go." She says, trying to help me get out of the situation. Evie nods, stuffing the paper in her pocket. "Fine. We'll go first." She says, looking at me for a second before walking out of the base, not waiting for me to follow.

The walk to the shop was silent. Filled with clanging, screaming or just wind from the alleys we walk through. As we arrive, Evie opens the door, holding it open for me. She avoids my gaze, clearly in thought as I step in and walk up the stairs to where the main part of the shop is. As we walk in, I see Dizzy at a table, fiddling with objects. Evie finally looks at me, putting a finger to her lips. I nod, watching as she approaches her sister.

Evie creeps beside her, making the girl turn her head slowly, noticing the blue haired princess. "Evie?" She asks, unsure if it was real before her brain processes it. "Evie! You came back!" The little girl shouts, wrapping her arms around the princess. "Hi!" She says happily. I walk in, chuckling as she looks at me. "Y/N too?" She says, hugging me. I smile, rubbing my hand on her back as I meet Evie's gaze. "I'm back." I say.

"Is it all just like we imagined? Do they really have closets you can walk into? Have you been to a real swimming pool? What does Ice Cream taste like?" Dizzy showers Evie with questions. Evie crouches to her level, grinning. "It's cold and it's sweet, and if you eat it too fast, it gives you a headache." She says. "Really?" Dizzy asks, excitedly.

"I saved your sketchbook for you!" Dizzy says, bouncing away and retrieving said book. They begin pouring over the book as I smile from behind. "I made this dress out of an old curtain and safety pins..." Evie says, smiling. I put my arms on her shoulders from behind and she glances at me, offering a small smile before looking at the book. "It reminds me of the dress you made for Mal when she met Jasmine." Dizzy commented. I laugh, shaking my head. "She spilled curry all over that." I say, making Evie nod. "She did." She says.

Evie and Dizzy had their moment as I stood up, walking over to begin getting things we needed. Evie knows. She knows I tried to leave. She knows I didn't tell her....but she's not mad. She never is. Evie is too calm and level headed, seeing the good in people... but I made her disappointed, and I think it hurts me to know that I did.

If only there was anything good to see in me.

I walk over to the chemicals, turning my head to the girls. "Uh, Diz? We actually came here to make a few....Smoke Bombs." I say awkwardly. The girl looks at us, nodding. "Yeah! That's fine!" She says, standing and rushing to me. "I recommend using darker colours for more blinding, and lighter colours for more of a surprise effect." She says as if she'd done it before. "Uh, Diz? Have you done this before?" Evie asks, as if reading my mind. "Maybe. For fun." She says as Evie stands to help me. Dizzy goes back to her arts as Evie and I work on the bombs. We're mainly silent, focused hard. "Careful." Evie mumbles. I take it from her, tying it. "Got it." I say. She nods, reaching for the next one.

"Perfect. That makes five smoke bombs." She says. "I think that's enough...right?" I ask, looking at the girl who now had her attention on the little girl. "Yeah." She mumbles. She spots something, picks it up and smirks. "Y/N, how amazing would this look with my shredded tee and my heart purse?" She asks, holding a jewelled headpiece to her head. "You'd look absolutely gorgeous." I compliment, earning a blush. I step forward, hoping she doesn't step back.

She doesn't. And instead, steps towards me. "I'm sorry." I mumble into her ear. She nods lightly, looking in my eyes as I lean in to kiss her cheek. "Hold on one second!" Dizzy says from somewhere beside us. I pull back as we glance to see her looking at us, mouth agape. "Are you two together?" She asks. I blush, hiding my face as Evie laughs. "Yes, Diz. We are. I didn't need to find a prince. I had my own villain to lock in my heart." She says, making me blush even more. "Awwww!" Dizzy says, smirking at me. "See? I told you you'd get her someday." She says to me. My eyes widen as Evie looks at me. "What now?" She asks, grinning. "I..UH, may have told Diz a while ago that I liked you?" I say.

Evie laughs as Dizzy notices the objects in her hands. "Take it." She says. "What?" I ask. "Take a bunch." She says, grabbing more objects and pieces and putting it into Evie's bag. "Thank you." Evie says, holding the girl's face now. "It would make me so happy to know that you were wearing something of mine in Auradon." Dizzy says, hugging the girl. "Almost like being there myself." She adds. I sigh, resting a hand on Evie's shoulder. 'I really wish I could take you with me." Evie mumbles. Dizzy shugs. "At least one of us had her dream come true, right?"

The guilt I felt in the pit of my stomach worsened as I thought about how much Dizzy would give to have a chance. A chance that we got. A chance that I almost threw away. "E, we gotta go." I say. Evie looks at me, nodding. "Okay." She says, waving to the little girl who retreats to her table. I take her hand, holding it gently as she gazes at the girl. "She's gonna be okay." I say. Evie nods. "Yeah, but she could be so much more."

Once Evie was ready, she smiled at me and I swung our hands together as we left the shop. Leaving the safety of familiarity and heading into the unknown.

Word Count: 1554