A Rift in Time

3. They said it was easy

---Evelyn's POV---

"You're a charger." Elwin confirmed as he rubbed a salve onto her burns. He had come because after the accident, Evelyn, Grady and Edaline had leaped to Everglen. Fitz had decided Elwin was the person to call. Fitz had said that he trusted Elwin, because he was a level two at Foxfire and had been treated by him a few times.

"I don't care! I want Jolie back." Evelyn cried. Elwin's eyes watered.

"I know. So do we. Do you have any idea what caused the fire?" Evelyn shook her head and recounted the story again. How she had seen Brant there, and assumed it started as a result of something they did or made.

"The last thing she said to me...she said she hated me." Evelyn turned over and cried into the pillow of the bed in one of Everglen's many guest rooms. Edaline stroked her hair and kissed her head.

"Darling, she didn't...she didn't mean it. She told me she loved me just a day ago. Maybe you should go and talk to your friends. Me and Grady need to talk to the grown-ups, okay?" She ushered her only daughter out of the room.

Fitz and Biana crushed her with a hug as she trudged down the empty hallway.

"Evelyn! We heard about Jolie. We're- we're so, so sorry." Fitz said quietly. Biana nodded.

"It was my fault. I made her run away. I was trying to talk her out of marrying Brant." Evelyn rubbed her cheek, where tears had started snaking down again.

"Don't. It wasn't your fault. You can't feel guilty, you mind will break." Fitz warned. Biana folded her arms.

"I still can't believe you manifested before me. You're younger than me! I think you manifested younger than Fitz, too. And it's a really rare ability." Evelyn offered a small smile. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all...

---Evelyn's POV---

---A year later when starting Foxfire---

Evelyn grabbed her satchel and swung it over her shoulder. It had her initials, E.R., engraved onto the front of it. It was her, Biana, Dex, and Marella's first day of school. As she ran to the leapmaster, she bumped into her parents.

"Off to school? Good luck sweetie." Said Grady.

"And remember, darling, we're so, so proud of you." Edaline added, planting a kiss onto her forehead. Evelyn smiled and shouted Foxfire, before stepping into the light.

---Marella's POV---

Marella saw her best friend, Evelyn Ruewen, stepping out of the leapmaster tower, fiddling with her nexus, and rushed over to hug her. Evelyn was fiddling with the black cape on her level one Foxfire uniform.

"Hey bestie!" She exclaimed. Evelyn grinned and hugged her back. Biana, Fitz, Keefe and Dex appeared behind her.

"Excited for level one?" Asked Fitz, flashing a smile at Evelyn. She blushed. She'd had a crush on Fitz ever since She was nine years old. Before Jolie...

"Aww, the little kiddie winkles are starting level one!" Keefe ruffled Marella's hair. Both he and Fitz were dressed in their amber level three uniforms, and they ran off to meet their friends. All of a sudden, a gaggle of girls and boys surrounded them.

"Biana, can you sign my foot?"

"Evelyn, can you get crush cuffs with me?"

"Can I join your friend group?"

Evelyn grabbed her friends' hands and slipped away from the crowd, mouthing sorry to Biana as she stood, stranded in the middle of the crowd. Biana didn't mind; she loved attention.

"At least making friends will be easy." Marella stated. She felt jealousy bubble up but she pushed it back down. Evelyn and Biana couldn't help being popular, they had family names to uphold. The three of them headed to their lockers, which thankfully were all next to each other. As Evelyn slammed her locker shut, a tall, beanpole of a girl with shoulder length curly hair leant against the locker separating hers and Biana's. Biana had yet to escape the whole crowd of people, so Evelyn was all alone. Dex and Marella were talking to Jensi down the hall, so they couldn't be of any help...

"Are you even listening to me?" The girl said. Evelyn studied her family crest pin. She recognised it. And that family only had one child, which meant...

"No, I wasn't listening, Stina." Stina was speechless for a moment, then she looked at Evelyn's Ruewen pin.

"So you're the little Ruewen sister. Sorry, the only Ruewen sister." Stina sniggered, then turned and strutted of. Evelyn pushed her feelings aside and focused on her timetable instead.

Wow, Foxfire is going to be harder than I thought...