She Comes in the Storm

It was the storm. Entire swimming pools of rain were falling from the sky and harsh flashes of lightning lit up the otherwise dark town. Evalynn had watched from a cliff top as the lights in the valley below her shut off. She smiled a strange one that lit up her eyes. She couldn’t have planned this any better herself. The elements were on her side tonight and Evalynn felt like it was a good sign. Lightning flashed once more before Evalynn left the view and climbed onto her motorbike that was parked in the shelter of a coffee shack. She started the engine and headed down the side of the steep hill into the darkened town below her.

The rain pounding the earth and the thunder overhead were enough to drown out the sound of Evalynn’s approach. The rain slid off her sodden leather jacket as she rode through the town square and across a stone bridge to the far side of the town. There was a small cluster of houses, and Evalynn slowed down a little. She cut the engine another minute or so down the road, and removed her helmet.

The house Evalynn had stopped at might have looked nice in the summer, even quaint. It was a low building, not very large, and it was surrounded by a garden. In the summer, it was likely well-kept, filled with a variety of flowers and plants. But now, in a thunderstorm that could only grace the end of spring, the house looked dreary and unremarkable. Evalynn thought, as she climbed off her bike, that the house even looked a bit depressed. Another bolt of lightning flashed overhead as Evalynn pushed the gate open. It had a coat of paint that was only a few weeks old, she guessed. She walked slowly up the path, looking through the windows to see candlelight flickering inside the building.

Evalynn herself was nearly impossible to see in the darkness and the camouflage of the torrential rain. Lightly, she placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted.

Locked.

Evalynn shook her head, thinking that people in small towns like this were meant to trust each other. She placed her fingertips on the lock and closed her eyes. After a few moments, a soft click came from the lock. Evalynn’s lips curled into a smile as she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The heat from inside the building washed over Evalynn as she closed the door behind herself. She shuddered a little before she moved further into the home. Water dripped in a small river behind Evalynn as she went into what she assumed to be the living room. The wall on the left was lined with bookshelves, while the right wall was covered in photographs. Evalynn wandered through the various pieces of furniture, some of which seemed to just move out of her way, to look at the photographs on the wall. There were lots of different people in the photographs, but Evalynn could trace some of them through the years, photos of them as children and growing up into adults.

The one constant throughout all of the photographs was a woman in her mid-thirties, with blonde hair and piercing green eyes. Just looked at her made Evalynn’s blood boil. It had been twenty years, but felt like only a few months. The pain had turned to anger and now Evalynn was settled on revenge. She had travelled half-way across the world over a span of several years, until Evalynn found her treasure in this little cottage hidden in the English countryside.

But it wasn’t hidden enough.

Evalynn had had a lot of practice with her tracking skills long before the event that led to her revenge had even occurred. She was used to ending anyone who had wronged her, and over the years there had been plenty of those. But this time, it was personal on a level that astounded her. Evalynn had dropped everything to carry out this personal mission It was far beyond the point of forgiveness. She was out for blood.

Evalynn scoffed as she turned away from the pictures. Her black hair flicked over her shoulder in long, soaked strands as she spun on her heels and left the room. She went back out to the hall, looking at the doors that led into various rooms. One of the doors was closed and Evalynn pushed it open without even touching it. The door opened to a kitchen that looked both ancient and cared for. There were drawings done in crayon that were stuck to the fridge. In the middle of the kitchen was a long, dark oak table. At the head of the table, facing the doorway that Evalynn was standing in, was the woman she had spent all this time looking for.

“Mary,” Evalynn’s voice seemed to carry harsh vibrations through the air that made the flames flicker in the candles that stood on the table.

Mary’s hands were folded neatly on the table in front of her, the picture of complete composure. She gave Evalynn a sickly sweet smile, “Eva, dear, please do come in. I made cookies.”

She seemed to take Evalynm’s silence as confusion, “I knew you were coming. I could taste it in the air. The elements always did do what you wanted.”

Evalynn tried to contain the pure rage that was bubbling up inside her as she sat down at the table, opposite Mary. She glanced around the room before looking back at Mary, “You seem very comfortable here.”

Mary laughed. It was a beautiful sound that made Evalynn’s heart jump. That only made her more angry and she grit her teeth as she listened to her old friend.

“Yes, I look after children now. You remember how much I always wanted children? It's mostly emergency fostering but many come back to visit me.”

“I saw the pictures. How far back do they go? Ten years? Twenty? What happens when they question why you don’t age? You know the rules; always keep moving, don’t get attached to humans.”

“The rules,” Mary scoffed, “The rules never did anything to help us.”

Evalynn slammed her hands on the table and threw herself to her feet, “The rules protect us! Or have you forgotten 1705?”

The table trembled under Evalynn’s hands and Mary stood up, “That was centuries ago, Eva. The world has changed. I’ve had to change with it.”

“Is that why you murdered your own people? Why you left me?” Evalynn’s voice was quieter now, fragile. Her eyes were glued to the table, afraid that a look at Mary would break her resolve for revenge. She heard Mary sigh before speaking.

“I’m sorry, Eva. It was the only way. They wouldn’t let me leave. I was stifled, I was suffocated. But why don’t you stay with me? I never wanted to leave you. I didn’t think you’d understand.”

At this, Evalynn finally looked at Mary. Her eyes seemed to burn a blue fury, “Stay with you? Why would I want to stay with a selfish traitor?”

There was hurt clouding Mary's face and Evalynn couldn’t help the twinge of sadness that she felt. They had nearly nine centuries of history together and Evanylnn had loved Mary with all of her heart. And she knew Mary had loved her too. But that was all over now, and she knew it was time to do what she came here to do. Mary must have sensed the change in Evalynn and she held her hands up a little, “Eva, come on, think about it. We can live here together, we can be happy. We can make a difference to children’s lives. I’ve never loved anyone like I loved you. I still love you.”

Evalynn clenched her fists at her sides, her voice a low growl, “You may not have moved on. But I have.”

Evalynn began to twist her right fist clockwise, her face set like stone. Mary clutched her chest in agony. Pain laced her voice as she spoke, “Moved on? With who? That weasel, Ben?”

Mary spat the man’s name. She knew she was going to die now, and she wanted to hurt Evalynn as much as she could before she did, “I hope you enjoy spending centuries with a coward who could never match up to me!”

Her words seemed to throw Evalynn off, and Mary was able to gather enough strength to send a chair crashing into Evalynn. Evalynn stumbled backwards to the wall, losing her grip on Mary. Mary bent over, coughing harshly as she was released. She didn’t have time to recover before Evalynn thrust out her hand. Mary felt all the air leave her lungs and she couldn’t suck in another breath. Evalynn took a few steps towards Mary, watching the light leave her eyes.

“You see, Ben taught me a few new things. He’s been better for me than you have ever been.”

After a few moments, Mary slumped to the floor, her eyes empty and lifeless. Evalynn released her grip on Mary and watched as a blue mist left Mary’s lips. She was dead.

Evalynn wiped the back of her hand across her eyes. She stood there for a few minutes before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t need to ask who it was. The comfort and warmth that washed over her was enough for her to know.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you where I had gone.”

She felt Ben press a soft kiss to her hair, “I would've helped if you’d asked.”

Evalynn shook her head, “I needed to do this alone. She betrayed me.”

Ben took her hand and gently led her outside. The rain had stopped, the clouds had cleared and the sun was shining down. After a moment of thinking, Ben asked the one question on his mind.

“What did you have in your heart?”

Evalynn smiled up at him, “You.”