Embrace The Shadows

Chapter 1

6 years later

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Evelyn's POV

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"Alright, go get ready for dinner, and get the other kids!" I told Qu'arni, giving him a small smile.

He grinned up at me, his yellow eyes shining brightly and nodded before he turned and ran out of the room, his bright red hair bouncing as he ran. I let out a tired sigh as I sat down on a chair, running my hands through my hair. I got lost in my thoughts, I had been feeling a darkness looming nearby recently. Something bad was going to happen, I just knew it.

A few minutes later, the children filed in excitedly. Most of their parents had been in the Resistance when they were killed. They were between the ages of 4 and 14. None of them caused trouble very much, and I enjoyed being around them. The older kids were always helpful, offering to clean up or watch the other children so Kamie and I could have a few moments to ourselves.

I was thankful, we did not always have enough to eat, but now we were doing okay. We had enough so that everyone could have a 1/4 to a 1/2 portion, depending on how hungry they were. We made sure that no food went uneaten. They helped set the table, and once we had all finished eating, they helped Kamie and I clean up the dishes.

Kamie looked at me, "Why don't you go outside and wait for me, while I finish up in here?" She started walking over to the children.

"Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes, "I smiled.

"Alright, everyone! Time to get ready for bed!" Kamie called to the children. Before I walked out, one of the younger ones ran over to me, grabbing my leg and hugging it tightly. She looked quite a bit like Nilah, and often when I looked at her, I felt a stab of sorrow deep in my chest. I missed her so much.

"Night, night Evie!" Briella called. She could not pronounce Evelyn, but I did not mind. I scooped her up, giving her a big hug. She wrapped her small arms around my neck, and I sighed deeply. Then I kissed her nose, making her giggle before I set her down gently. "Have sweet dreams, Briella." I ruffled her hair and smiled at her. She bounded away from me, catching up to the other children.

I walked out, taking a deep breath of the cool night air. It was a beautiful night. The sky reminded her of a freckled face and there were only a few clouds, not enough to hide the moons. I smiled, ever since I moved here, I have always loved looking up at the sky at nighttime. It was one of my main past times, and I did it almost as often as I trained. Sometimes I would even take breaks from training to look at it for a while. I especially loved training in the moonlight, it gave everything such a beautiful glow. Especially my lightsaber, the purple blade looked almost ethereal in the glow. I reached down and grasped it gently, it had been so long since I had used it. I could not deny, I missed cutting through the flesh of my foes with it. It had been so long since I had been in a proper fight.

I was playing with my necklace when Kamie stepped out. I looked up at her, she was looking up at the sky. "It's especially beautiful tonight." She smiled at me and I nodded in agreement. We spent a short time sitting in silence, just staring at the sky together. The village was quiet, only a few villagers milling around. Most were in their houses, getting ready to turn in for the night. The two of us stood up after a little while, wiping the dirt from our pants we began to walk around the village, making small talk.

"Any word from the Resistance?" I asked once we got back to the orphanage, my voice low despite there being no one in sight. The last of the villagers had finally gone in their homes.

I knew what the answer was before she opened her mouth, "No, nothing." She sighed, knowing how much it bothered me. I liked the children at the orphanage, and I was happy that they were not walking around begging for food, but I hated not being able to fight with the Resistance. I did not feel completely useless, but I needed to do more.