Heroes of Veridia: Evelyn's Journey

Orange skies illuminated the city as Evelyn watched her father's car drive away. The cold breeze posed no threat to her cropped sweater.

Evelyn walked down the road with her two soldiers behind her, armed with assault rifles. Refusing to be a potential target by traveling in her father's obvious vehicle, Evelyn was hoping to meet Elena and Number One on the way. However, walking outside with a couple of armed men wasn't a good decision. Hopefully, something better would be brought to her.

The street was filled with people rushing to get to work, some were doing their morning exercises while others were strolling. A few heroes were seen patrolling the neighborhood.

Evelyn noticed someone taking a photo of her. Despite being known by most Veridians, Evelyn was rarely seen walking outside. She smiled warmly at him. The boy's face heated up as he met Evelyn's gaze.

A black Mercedes Benz pulled up like a shadow gliding over the pavement. The warm, orange sky painted the sleek black Mercedes in gold and amber. The orange glow reflected off its polished surface, accentuating its sharp lines and curves. The light danced on the chrome accents, making the car appear as if part of the sunrise itself, gliding through the quiet morning.

Elena rolled down the tinted window, releasing the crisp scent of an unused vehicle into the morning air. She called out to Evelyn. Number One sat in the driver's seat; eyes focused on the road as if driving.

"Meet me at the salon," Evelyn said to Number Two and Number Three before sliding into the back seat.

"There's space in the car," Elena turned to Evelyn.

"Don't worry about them," Evelyn assured Elena, "They have more energy than you could ever imagine. Now, I would appreciate it if you start driving." She took in a deep breath, letting the fresh, clean scent of the car fill her nostrils. Evelyn sank into the soft leather seats while requesting her phone and card from Elena.

Number One pulled away, the vehicle humming with a calm, rhythmic sound. Elena closed the windows, concealing themselves in the car.

"An assassin attempted to kill you in your sleep this morning," Elena told Evelyn.

As if she didn't care, Evelyn asked nonchalantly, "What happened to him?"

"I sent a message," Elena answered. She turned to face Evelyn. "If you don't do something, they will keep coming after you."

"Have anything in mind?" Evelyn questioned. She shifted to the edge of the seat, getting close to Elena in the front.

"There is a small land, a few distance from Veridia. To most Veridians, that island is uninhabited. Some heroes were saying the island is now filled with criminals," Number One informed them.

Evelyn's lips parted in an upward curve, eyes widening with an unguarded spark of delight, "A hero for a day and you have acquired the information to knock Damian Frost off the top spot."

"He heard it from other heroes," Elena told Evelyn.

The corners of Evelyn's mouth curved upward as she told Elena that no sane person would go into an enemy's territory alone. She then told her that it is either the hero organization is keeping it a secret, or there's someone they fear on that island.

"There are sea beasts around the island," Number One pulled up to the salon.

It was still early hence the salon was now opening. Evelyn and Elena exited the car. After greeting a woman who was sweeping in front of the salon, they entered. Another woman welcomed them.

"Who is this one? I've never seen you before," the woman gestured to Elena.

"Call me Sentinel," Elena replied.

The emotions of the people in the salon were calm. Evelyn told the woman her purpose for coming to the salon. Elena sat behind Evelyn as the woman prepared to take care of her needs.

The woman suggested Evelyn took off her shades but she refused without giving a reason.

An hour through Evelyn's hair color change, the thoughts and emotions of someone flooded into her head and it wasn't pleasant. The thoughts revealed to her that the person was familiar, however, Evelyn couldn't figure it out yet.

Her grip on the armrest tightened each time the person's thoughts got into her head, her jaw tensing as the noise seemed to echo inside her skull. She winced imperceptibly when the stylist's hands pressed too firmly against her scalp, masking it with a quick nod. A bead of sweat traced its way down her temple, but she didn't move to wipe it, her fingers fidgeting instead with the hem of her sleeve. Her forced smile faltered for just a heartbeat before she steadied it again.

From her seat in the corner, Elena straightened slightly, her gaze sharpening as she watched Evelyn's reflection in the mirror. Evelyn's fingers, usually still, tapped a restless rhythm against the armrest, and the faint tension in her shoulders didn't escape Elena's notice. Her eyes narrowed when she blinked too long at the overhead lights, her smile slipping before she caught it. Quietly, she rose, her hand brushing the hilt of her blade—a habit more than a threat—as she approached with a low murmur, "You're in pain. What's wrong?" Seeing as Evelyn did not want to talk about it, Elena returned to her seat.

"I'm fine," Evelyn said, voice steady but a fraction too measured, her grip tightening on the armrest. The unpleasant emotions still flowed into her head. Evelyn had no idea how to stop it.

"It's all my fault. I should have been the victim, not Leah," the person's thoughts revealed to Evelyn.

Evelyn's lips curved upward upon realizing who the person was. She let out an almost silent sigh and calmed down even though the person's thoughts were still clawing at her brain.

"If I don't do something about this, my head is going to pop off," she muttered.

Two familiar faces walked into the salon.

One of them called out to a hairdresser. Evelyn recognized the person's voice and looked at them through the mirror.

Vanessa frowned when she met Evelyn's gaze through the mirror. She immediately looked away and began talking to the hairdresser. The salon opened an hour ago and Evelyn was the only customer in there, hence there were multiple free seats and Vanessa decided to sit in the chair beside her.

Evelyn's P.O.V…

Sweat dripped down my forehead as I tried to ignore the pain in my head. Vanessa is blaming herself for Leah's death and I'm the one suffering. Funny. My head ached with every pulse of my blood.

Through the mirror, a hairdresser was tending to Vanessa. It looks like she's here to get a new hairstyle. Clara is sitting beside Elena. Those two never leave each other.

"I'm sorry for what I said at the academy," I muttered loud enough for her to hear me.

"Don't wanna talk about it," she replied.

I don't care if you want to talk about it or not. I'm the one suffering here. I felt my face tighten as a throb pounded behind my eyes. No matter how much I tried to relax, the headache refused to calm down.

"I am the reason she was attacked. I'm the one supposed to be feeling guilty," my eyes met hers. My lips turned upwards into a smile as I took in her expression. She did not know how to feel about my words. "It's not your fault," I told her.

A small smile appeared on her face as tears began to flow. She covered her face with her hand and cried silently.

"She sounds like a good friend of yours. What happened to her?" the woman tending to Vanessa asked.

I turned to her and said, "She was attacked by a greedy snake."

The woman apologized and gave her condolences to Vanessa before resuming her work on her.

"Back at the academy, I said some things I shouldn't have. As an apology, I will hunt down those who attacked her for you," I assured her.

She wiped her face with both hands and smiled at me. "I'm coming with you," she voiced out, "that's the least I can do for her."

"I will also help," Clara stood up, her soft voice resonating within the salon.

Vanessa looked at her, surprised. "You can't. We are going against the East. You know how dangerous and unpredictable they are," she hissed.

"They will go after her if they find out you are working with us. It's better to stick together," Elena spoke. "You will be safe that way."

The hairdresser informed us about a friend of hers who could help us get to East Veridia without trouble. When Elena asked her if she wasn't afraid to help us go against a powerful group of people in Veridia, she told her she was safe here in her salon. After all this town is teeming with heroes.

A few minutes into the color change, I asked the hairdresser if she could speed things up.

"Using my gift requires more money," she told me.

"Do it. We have a snake to deal with."