Young Writers Society

Evaline was beginning to piece things together. That was the last time James saw Larrel: after the farm was destroyed. After the goblin raid. After his father died. He seemed to be in a rush on his horse to meet someone named Carter, and she didn't know what the circumstances of that was about, but because he didn't return, she figured it was a significant moment in his life.

"No," she said, shaking her head and feeling guilty again. "Don't apologize. I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm used to reliving sad moments for other people, so it doesn't bother me anymore."

Well, that was an exaggerated lie, but she deemed it necessary to comfort him.

"I should have warned you ahead of time." She paused, looking down and drumming her fingers along the hole on her pants next to the stain of blood. "We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to."

James sniffed one last time and looked behind him, out into the storm. The rain was still pouring, but it seemed the thunder and lightning had subsided, and the worst of it was over.

"It would be good to get some food," he said. "While we've got the fire going."

He got up and walked back over to Elliot, where he put his journal away and pulled out a small pot instead.

"Thank you, again, though," he said, as he started pulling stuff out of his bag to make a simple soup. Some dried vegetables.

"I um - I wouldn't mind hearing more about your home if you wanted to keep sharing. Does everyone have abilities like yours? Or are they different?"

"I'm glad to help," she said again to his second thank you, watching him take out supplies to cook. There wasn't a real reason to think this, but she had a feeling his cooking wasn't going to be anything amazing.

James then asked her a question and she couldn't help but let out a little smirk. It felt strange to be thought of the baseline of other powers, but also oddly satisfying.

Evaline had been doing a decent job at picking up on things so far, and she was starting to realize that it was because James knew she was lying from the beginning, so he dumbed down explanations and patiently explained concepts that should have been common knowledge. It was going to be difficult, but she owed it to him to give him the same treatment.

"Everyone does have abilities, yes," she said, shifting her position so she could lean back on the cave's wall. "We call them powers, but it's really like a sixth sense. They're also genetic, so you could have the same power as someone else, but your parents would have to have the same power."

She paused, briefly remembering her parents. They liked to brag about being "pure blooded" without ever mixing powers, but she never knew why that was something to brag about. Evaline had an inkling now, but she never did get to find out.

She swatted the thought away.

"My power is kind of boring in comparison, though," she admitted. "I look pretty ordinary, but others don't. They can manipulate, erm..." She tried to think of things that he might understand since she had a feeling he wasn't exactly caught up with the sciences. "They can manipulate things like fire, or air, or electricity. Some can heal, some can be persuasive. It just depends."

As Evaline spoke, James had set the pot over the fire, letting water boil before he started adding vegetables - carrots, corn, peas, onions. Nothing spectacular, but it was what he had. It was edible.

"That sounds kind of like magic, in my world," James said. "Here, I mean. Some people are born with different types of magic and the ability to manipulate different elements, and it's genetic too. We just call it a different thing." He paused, stirring in more vegetables.

"We don't have any kind of memory magic, though. That's new to me."

He looked up from the pot and up at Evaline. "It sounds like your ability is pretty unique. I wouldn't say it's boring just because it's not as combative as someone who can throw fireballs at you. Just because something's flashy doesn't mean it's better."

"Oh... Thanks," Evaline responded when James told her that her ability was unique, not sure how to handle this unexpected compliment. She wasn't expecting confirmation from him, but it felt nice to receive, even though she no longer considered herself to be ordinary or insecure about it. She wondered how he'd react if he found out that she had another, much more useful ability, but he'd never be able to understand it the same way she did.

"So, magic, huh?" she said, shifting the conversation back. "And here I thought we were back in the caveman era." She cracked a grin at her own joke, but then realized James might not even know what a caveman was. Suddenly she was glad that she wasn't in an actual caveman or archaic period on Earth, because that would be a very awkward future to explain.

Evaline lightly cleared her throat as if also clearing the bad joke. "Only kids call powers magic," she said. "It implies that you don't know where it comes from, but we can explain our abilities with science." She glanced at the soup, trying to decide if she wanted to go down this extensive conversation of the difference between magic and powers.

"But, for the sake of being in Nye, I guess you can say I have magic."

Science. James had a feeling in that area, maybe Evaline's world was more advanced.

He sprinkled some salt and pepper into the now-bubbling soup.

"I mean, you don't have to change the words you use for me. It would probably be better that you don't mention you have magic or powers at all, if we run into anyone else. Unfortunately, magic is outlawed in all human civilizations, with the punishment of death."

Not exactly good news, but it was necessary for her to know.

"But I don't have any issue with it. So don't worry about me."

Evaline raised an eyebrow. "Outlawed?" she repeated. "Why? Death seems... extreme."

But she had a feeling she already knew. She thought back to her history classes: the rise of genetic technology, advancements never thought to be possible, and the first powers, discovered by complete accident. Wars broke out, but obviously only one side won.

"People without magic are afraid of those who do have magic," she said out loud. "Is that right?"

James nodded, looking over at her. "That's right."

"Hmm," she hummed, leaning back on the wall and looking up at the dripping ceiling.

She decided to not tell him that non-powered humans have went extinct on Earth. It seemed unlikely that this would affect his trust towards her, especially since she came from another world and she didn't exactly have an offensive power. Still, the similarities of the situation was a bit uncanny, and she didn't want to affect his decision on it.

"Do you have magic, then?" she asked, turning back towards him. "Is that why you're always on the run?"

James let out a small laugh and shook his head.

"Oh, no, I don't have any magic," he said. "I'm the boring one between us."

Evaline let out a small chuckle. "It appears so," she said through a smile. "So, hah, why are you on the run then?"

James took in a breath and it hitched in his throat for a moment. He held it there, just for a second, with his mouth slightly open, before he sighed.

He looked over at Evaline with half-lidded eyes, slow-blinking.

For all that he let her get away with not-saying, she sure was determined to mine as much information as she could out of him.

"I committed treason," he said.

There was an awfully long pause before James said anything, and Evaline's concerned smile faded to a tense expression. And then, finally—

Treason.

She held her breath for a moment as the tenseness in the room escaped her face and hung in the air.

"Yeah," she said softly. "I did too."

James's eyebrows raised a little, and he nodded.

"Huh. Seems we have more in common than I thought," he said quietly, looking back at the pot of soup, stirring it a little more.

"What did you do?"

"It appears so," she quietly said back, fidgeting her hands. Words seem to be slipping out her mouth again. It was this cursed cave.

"And I'm not telling you," she said matter-of-factly, scrunching her eyes. "At least, not until you go first."