Masquerade¹ → Tom Riddle ✓

chapter twenty-three

Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief as she stormed through the castle: she had managed to deceive Tom for the second time, he thought he had her wrapped around his finger, but she was slowly beginning to wrap him around hers. She didn't plan on playing by anybody's rules; she made her own.

After her encounter with Riddle, he called her too far fewer meetings and Evelyn threw herself into revision for her OWLS, barely stopping to breathe. She revised for hours on end, missing several hours of prefect duties and neglecting her friends, who didn't believe in studying as much as she did. Although they were thought to be one of the most challenging exams they would ever do, revision was deemed pointless by Sara and Lily, who instead passed their time gossiping or playing Quidditch together.

Evelyn had recently lost her interest in Quidditch; instead, all of her efforts had been focused on Tom and her OWLS. Despite still attending matches and games, she was only ever at practice to show her face and then vanish away again for revision.

As the week of Evelyn's OWLS approached, her stress levels were at their highest. The stress spread through her mind like a forest fire on paper as she took her seat in the Great Hall for her final exam. She had finished all her most simple OWLS yet it was time for Ancient Runes; the one exam Evelyn was not prepared for. As much as she studied the subject, her mind could simply not piece together the runes.

She took in a deep, ragged breath before placing her hands, enclosed together, onto the table. She picked up the raven quill and the ideas began flooding her mind faster than she could write. Her mind quickly took control of the quill and soon her page began filling up.

The exam ended far too quickly for Evelyn's liking, she had strangely enjoyed every second of it and there had been so much more she had wanted to write about. She felt a small smile growing on her face as she exited the Great Hall yet her happiness was quickly snatched away as a tense hand pulled her to the side. Evelyn fought to pull her arm away, letting out a small sigh of relief upon the realisation that it was only Tom.

"Evelyn," Tom stated, releasing his grip on her arm.

Evelyn instantly found her eyes rolling as she caught sight of him, "What do you want Tom?"

"It's not a case of want, it's a case of need," He began smoothly.

"Oh and what exactly is it that you need?"

"I need you to accompany me over the holidays," He stated.

"And where exactly would we be headed?" Evelyn, placed a hand on her hip, tapping the sole of her shoe against the cobbled floor along to the beat of her heart.

"Little Hangleton. You will get off the Hogwarts Express at Yorkshire and accompany me to the Gaunt Shack." He turned hot on his heels and took off, quickly disappearing from Evelyn's eyesight.

"It's always a mystery with him," Evelyn muttered to herself as the took off towards the Ravenclaw common room. She entered the common room to find Lily and Sara sat impatiently on the cerulean sofa and watched them quickly stand at the sight of her.

"Everything alright?" She asked, strolling past the sofa and towards her dorm.

"We need to talk to you, Evelyn." Lily began, walking towards her and placing a warm hand on her shoulder.

"We're worried about you, you've been" Sara paused, looking for the right word, "distant. Evelyn, you've changed"

The three girls took a seat on the sofa, Lily and Sara sandwiching Evelyn tightly in the middle of them. "I don't know what you mean. I've been the same as I was before." Evelyn retorted with a sharp tongue.

"Before what exactly, before Tom?" Lily was tired of the pretence she had been witnessing for the past few months.

"No! Before you started interrogating me whenever my personality shifts! People change, I'm not going to be the same weak little girl I was last year, even last month. Weak girls get hurt and I am not getting hurt. I am stronger than you two could even imagine and I've done things you wouldn't want to even let cross your minds. Change isn't always a bad thing, sometimes change helps you realise who you really are and who really matters. If you can't appreciate me for who I am now, then don't." Evelyn quickly got out of her seat and headed straight for her dorm, wiping away the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand: they weren't worth the tears.

Evelyn wanted to cry, she wanted to release the pressure that had been bubbling inside of her but she felt weak. She had a volcano inside her waiting to be unleashed but she didn't know how to control it. Evelyn didn't know if she was even in control anymore, if she was in control then perhaps she didn't even know who she was. Amongst the storm that was becoming her life, her path had become blurred by the storm clouds and she was slowly fading into the background.

She closed her eyes and let her mind take control. She let it lead her wherever she wanted. Evelyn's dreams took her to a rain-forest. In the soft light and humid air, she would tune into the noises like they were an auditory jigsaw puzzle. On each conjuring of her sacred place, she felt a frisson of joy, the same kind as she felt when her owl greeted her after a long day, only many times more intense. The leaves would feel wet and tougher than they appeared, the aroma went right to her brain, intoxicating, rich. Then with a steady gaze, she'd pick one small place and stare until she had unmasked the camouflage of the creatures hidden in plain sight.

Evelyn's dream was cut short like a thin stream of light shone through her window awakening her, her vision was groggy as she opened her hazel eyes and glanced around the room before collapsing onto the comfort of her pillow. As much as she didn't want to wake up, today was the last day of her fifth year at Hogwarts. Today, the chapter was coming to a close.