“He’s not dead?” Eva’s voice was reduced to tears about to burst out.
“No,” Amelie shook her head, “but, he is very weak. He is recovering. That is why he isn’t able to be here right now.”
“Oh my God…”
Eva covered her mouth with her fingers. She didn’t feel the pain of her cracked lip anymore. No physical pain could even come close to the relief she felt right now, finding out about something that would again, change her life.
“Here.”
Amelie reached into her pocket again, and extracted a small, neatly folded piece of paper. It had the letter E on it. She offered it to Eva, who grabbed it immediately, sensing what it was.
“Is this…?” she asked, softly.
“Yes. It’s from him. He told me to give it to you when the time was right. I thought we could wait a little longer, until he was feeling better to give it to you himself but I see we can’t wait anymore.”
“Why” Eva asked. “What is happening?”
“Things are escalating,” Amelie replied mysteriously. “You are not safe here, and ironically, this is the safest place you can be right now.”
“That makes no sense,” Eva frowned.
“I know but you have to believe me for now. I can’t say anything more.”
At that moment, the bell sounded and they knew that in seconds, the school grounds would be flooded with other students. Their time was up.
“You have to go now,” Amelie urged her.
Then, she grabbed her firmly by the elbow and pulled her close.
“Whatever you do, don’t let anyone bite you, you hear?”
“Uh-huh…”
Eva was so scared, that she only managed to nod, before Amelie let go of her hand and rushed back to tend to her flowerbed.
Chapter 14
Once in the comfort and safety of her own room, Eva sat on the bed, clutching at the message she had just received. She felt her entire body twitching, like a surge of electricity, shocking her to her very core. It was both unpleasant, but surprisingly felt like it fit the situation. Her fingers shook as she unfolded the little piece of paper.
She wished Bella was here. The silence felt oppressive, almost like an enemy. Bella’s chattering would make it all feel less frightening and her soothing voice would offer comfort in this difficult time.
Finally, she opened the piece of paper. Her heart ached at the sight of familiar handwriting. Gently, she went over the letters with the tips of her fingers.
He wrote this.
She had to breath deeply to calm herself down. She quickly folded the paper. Her eyes were filled with tears, making her unable to see anything. She pressed her eyelids together hard, hoping all the tears would flow out in one go. She wiped her eyes recklessly, with the sleeve of her shirt. Then, with her palm, too. She swallowed heavily again, then unfolded the paper.
Evie pie,
I know these past few weeks must have been hell for you and my heart breaks that I couldn’t be there. Please, believe me when I tell you that all this was done in order to keep you safe. Our car crash was no accident. I couldn’t save your mother. I woke up, and saw her pressed between the car seat and the door. Her life force was leaving her body, I could see it on her face. But, she was my savior. She always had been and, in her last, dying breath, she offered her blood to me. It saved me. It gave me strength to find Amelie and Sorwyce, who are taking care of me now.
I am becoming stronger with each passing day and, in the meantime, you must remain strong, too, my little pie. They are all around you. Watching you. Lurking. Waiting. You must stay strong and keep yourself safe. You are surrounded by protective magic but that will only hold them off for a little while longer. Then, it won’t protect you anymore. I hope to be by your side before that happens.
Until then, you must keep yourself safe. Don’t trust anyone. Don’t let anyone spill your blood. It is much too precious. And, no matter what, don’t let anyone bite you!
My mind tires and my fingers can barely keep the pen up. I need to regain strength.
Stay safe, pie. Daddy’s coming.