d.
we're all now sat around a fire and all i know is it's some time at night. i still can't find my phone.
"it's time to tap into the power around us and manifest our intentions" cricket says.
i look through the fire to see eva say opposite me, staring directly at me with a soft smile. there's something about her face that's so comforting yet scary.
audrey starts banging a drum. "let's close our eyes" cricket says.
i close my eyes with them but open them once i hear what sounds like a woman humming from behind me.
it sounds distant but close enough to hear.
i turn around and see nothing but darkness in the woods behind me.
"what- what sound is that?" i ask nervously.
they all open their eyes and audrey stops banging the drum. the humming continues.
"i don't hear anything" cricket says.
everyone looks around, trying to hear what i hear.
"janine, do you hear anything?" she asks, "no" janine replies.
"dre, we don't hear anything" cricket says. what? how- no fucking way.
i shoot my head over in eva's direction.
"oh you- you told her. you told her my name?!" i yell.
"what- what day is it?!" i begin to panic.
"please.. dre, sit down" cricket says.
"no no no" i say to myself.
they all talk amongst themselves, none of them knowing the day. except eva, she continues to sit in her position with the same smirk.
"you're all fucking liars!" i scream and run off into the house. "dre!" eva yells. i ignore her and run to my room.
i frantically pack all of my things and run downstairs towards my car.
i bump into someone running around the corner and long behold, it's fucking eva. great.
"dre, where are you going?" she asks, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
"i cant miss ni'jah" i say and barge past her. "what about the ceremony?!" she yells and runs after me.
i jump into my car but eva pops right at my window.
"why are you leaving?" she asks.
"give me my phone" i say in a stern tone.
"it's a 40 minute drive to the festival, by the time you get there-" she says but i cut her off.
"you took my phone while i was asleep and i want it" i say again. "give me, my fucking phone" i tell her.
"why are you running away. you know you're free to go? all of us are free to do whatever we want" she tells me as she crosses her arms against my car.
"but i need you to know... if you leave, we know everything about you" eva continues.
"we. know. everything. we had an agreement when you gave us your bond. your phone is accountability" eva says, glaring her eyes at me.
"give me my phone" i repeat. "that's what you want?" she asks. she goes into her pocket and hands me my phone and i snatch it out her hand.
"ni'jah isn't your real friend. those people on the internet aren't your real friends! i am" she says, getting angry.
"day one. since day, one i knew that. you're with your family now" she says.
"come on dre, let's go inside" she says.
i sit in silence, eva staring at me. how could i say no to her?
i sigh and get out the car, "good girl" she praises me. oh my god.
she puts her arm around my waist and walks inside with me.
///
she snaps her fingers. "name"
"dre"
"very good" she says.
"why were you trying to leave?" she calmly asks.
"because y'all are all crazy. you told me i wouldn't miss ni'jah. now i don't even know if i've missed the festival or not!" i say getting angry again.
eva places her hand on my thigh and grabs my hand with her other to calm me down.
"who cares about that stuff? the festival is tomorrow, you haven't missed it" she tells me.
she snaps her fingers. "name"
"dre"
"why did you bite ni'jah" she asks me.
"no. now- now how you know that?" i ask with a worried tone.
"you told me" she says.
"no i never. i never said that. stop with this gaslighting shit. how do you know?!" i yell.
"i was there, a friend of ours is friends with ni'jah and we were all invited" she tells me.
the session continues.
"thank you for opening up and being so truthful. you're our family now. you belong here" eva smiles.
"you're really pretty dre, you know that?" she says, looking into my eyes with that look.
"thank you" i respond.
"can i kiss you?" she whispers. i look down at her lips and nod my head. she grabs the back of my neck and kisses me.
a long kiss, her lips are soft and plump. they're perfect. "let's go to bed yeah?" she asks. "mhm" i nod.
we both leave out the counselling room and head downstairs to my bedroom. "night dre" she says and leaves out my room.
maybe i should stay here.
e.
"yes, i calmed her down and she's staying" i tell cricket. "shes just having a hard time accepting the truth" i say.
we continue to talk for a little before cricket decides to go to bed.
i sneak into dre's room and get comfortable into a bed next to her, just so she won't try run away again.
she's facing me, fast asleep. she's really really pretty.
(a/n): eva didn't get run over period.
wtf is up w eva's gaslighting shit too btw?!
- leila
