Estyr

Chapter Two

Jack stepped out of the house ready to head off to school. He, however, came to a stop when he found the girl he’d met a week before leaning against her car which was parked on the street just outside their house on their side of the road rather than on Mr. Phillips'. She was clearly waiting for someone and from the way her eyes almost immediately locked on him, it was clear who that ‘someone’ was. Even now, he was still enamored by her beauty. So much so that, despite the fact that he was smiling normally at her, he felt like a grinning idiot. “It only now occurs to me that I never did get your name,” he said trying to hide the nervousness that he felt in his casual nonchalant voice.

After their meeting a week ago, Jack hadn’t seen or heard from her again. He’d just assumed that she had gone back to live with her mom, Mr. Phillips’ sister, but clearly she hadn’t. Again there was something about her that Jack couldn’t quite put his finger on. An aura of some kind that surrounded her. It marked everything that she came into contact with almost like a print.

She smiled back, and for a moment, Jack was sure his insides would melt. “Call me Eva,” she replied.

“Jack,” he replied.

“It’s a pleasure Jack,” Was it just him, or did her smile make everything seem brighter? “Today’s going to be my first day at school,” she said. “I feel like I’d stick out much less if I had someone I was familiar with by me,” she tentatively offered with somewhat of an imploring look that seemed designed to take all the strength from his knees.

Jack wanted to say that, going to school with him would be the exact thing that made her stick out. Most especially with Laura, but somehow couldn’t get himself to turn her down. Much as he would have wanted to say that he just wanted to help her or that he didn’t want to see her alone on her first day, the truth was that he was smitten by her. He was painfully aware of this fact mostly because he’d never felt the same about any other girl in his life, ever.

“How could I say no to such a beautiful face,” It was a cheesy line, he was painfully aware of this even as he said it. Yet, what else was he supposed to say? The strange feelings she excited in him drove out any intelligence he might have laid claim to otherwise. Still, much to his delight, a smile crossed her lips as she looked away. Was it just him or did a light blush just brighten her cheeks?

“Thanks,” came the happy reply barely above a whisper, the girl seemingly unable to meet his gaze as she turned and walked around to the driver’s side of the car. Unable to wipe the smile from his face, Jack got in the passenger side of the car.

*******

It had been a tough week for her. Commander Izora was not one to trust easily. She had spent the whole week interrogating her trying to find out every little detail about her. Even more daunting was the fact that she remembered it all. If she gave two contradictory answers even if it was days apart and about some obscure detail, commander Izora would pick up on it and press on it till she straightened out the incongruent detail. It was quite clear that the brief interaction she’d had with the son of King Reigad and Queen Elysia would be the first and last she ever did have if she didn’t succeed in winning her confidence.

Commander Izora hadn’t resorted to torture, but she could see it in her eyes that she had considered it, on more than one occasion. The woman wasn’t trusting at all, that much was clear. She hadn’t dared to try and lie to her. Not because she was an honest person by character or that she was inclined to divulge the reason for which she’d come so far. Her candor came more from the fact that it was clear that the commander would take any excuse to end her life. Wherever contradictions arose in her story, her hand not so subtly reached for the closest blade that she could find. Her eyes would narrow at her in a way that communicated that she had about ten seconds to straighten out her story.