Young Writers Society

Evaline finished clean prep first so that the only thing she'd have to do is wash, and then she sat down across from James and watched him eat for a few moments.

"I hope it's up to your standards," she said with a half-smile before taking a bite.

James suppressed a scoff with his mouth full.

“Far surpasses them,” he said through a chew. “As I’m sure you already know.”

"Right," Evaline said with mild amusement, the smile fading as they ate in silence for a little bit. She swallowed and chewed before speaking up again.

"Your food wasn't that bad," she said. "I was grateful for it."

She paused as she realized she was grateful for him taking her in general. She wasn't sure if she'd have easily trusted someone else. Yes, their history pained her, but not all of it was bad. In fact, if she didn't go to Nye, she wasn't even sure if she'd be alive right now. For that, she was grateful.

"And I didn't really get to thank you," she added. "For taking me in all those years ago even though you didn't have to. So... thank you."

James didn’t know if he was awake enough to appreciate whatever Evaline was trying to. He couldn’t tell what prompted her thanks. Was it the lingering silence between them? Was it because she was finally feeling the tension? Was it because she was just trying to make him feel better? He didn’t want her pity thanks. And he thought she didn’t want to talk about anything from their past anyway.

But he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. At least — as much as he could manage.

“You’re welcome,” he said after finishing chewing.

He would do it again. Maybe not in the same way... but he’d do it again.

Evaline's mind wandered to her first few days in Nye and comparing it with James's first few days on Earth. If her experience in Nye was anything like his, she would have... well, she didn't know what she would have done back then.

She was angry and terrified of the world back then, and she'd probably project that to her own experiences if Nye. She could understand why James reacted the way he did when she first saw him.

"I'm sorry our paths here didn't cross again right away," she said.

Although, she'd had no idea what she'd have done if she randomly came across James. She wouldn't know how to explain him to herself or to anyone, or how to hide him without abandoning him.

"But hopefully it hasn't been too stressful for you. Or, at the very least, it has been comparable to..." Evaline trailed off, not finishing her sentence as she realized she wasn't exactly saying consoling words since his first few days were probably abysmal compared to hers.

"I'm just saying -- we saw each other late, but it's a good thing I saw you when I did," she commented instead before spooning another bite.

James kept eating as she talked, and he took his time to swallow before responding. Evaline seemed to be trying to be careful with her words - which was never a bad thing, necessarily, but he wondered if now she felt like she was walking on eggshells too.

At least it was mutual.

"I'm just glad you were able to validate my poorly put-together cover story," James said, poking at his food. "If you hadn't been at that meeting and they'd asked me to prove my powers, I don't want to imagine how that would've played out."

Evaline nodded, not responding right away since she was chewing, but it also bought her time to think.

Right. James's cover story. She did him a favor by telling everyone that he had weak control of his time power, so therefore he wouldn't be able to control a lot of it. Still, people were bound to ask him questions.

But only other time powered people would really bother asking questions.

And it wasn't going to be her, because she already knew the truth.

Suddenly she started to feel a little more anxious knowing that James wasn't as prepared as she'd like him to be.

"You'd only be able to prove it by retelling events and by having other people with time powers verify it," she said. "It depends on the person what they feel. For me, it feels like strong deja vu when someone in my vicinity went back. You can say something similar if asked."

"People wouldn't be suspicious?" he asked. "If my powers were so similar to yours?"

Evaline shook her head. "It wouldn't be suspicious," she said. "Your fake power is still a lot different than mine."

She paused, thinking.

You have it backwards, she wanted to say. Your power is too similar to Oliver's, and it's him who would be suspicious of you.

"I don't have any visions," she said instead. "But you do."

Or at least... did.

This wasn't just a fake story. James did dream of them. It happened before.

"I don't know if you'd have them like you did in Nye, but..." She loosely set her fork on the container and tried to meet his eyes. "Would you tell me if you have any?"

James looked back up at her, holding eye contact.

"If I had any while I was here?" he asked.

"Here, yes," Evaline quickly corrected. "From here on out."

James held her gaze for a little longer, considering the possible implications and outcomes. If he did dream again of times that were undone, would it only be ones Evaline undid? Or could it apply to any time mage? He had no idea. He barely understood how actual powers worked on Earth, never mind whatever it was that he had - if it could even be called a power.

If Evaline undid something, though, it would have to be for good reason. She didn't seem like she'd be as eager to use that power unless necessary. And he didn't know if she felt it was necessary, anymore. To keep him safe. Especially since she seemed convinced that he was safe on Earth, for the time being.

"If it was relevant," he said. "And I knew that's what it was, then yes."

Satisfied with his answer, Evaline tore her gaze away and began to eat again, trying to think this through. A part of her doubted that he even had these powers to begin with. She didn't know unless he told her, unless she...

Went back in time.

And she hadn't the last couple of days. Not when he was around.

The idea bounced in her head a few times before she decided it was the most strategic option, considering it was their last day and she didn't know if anyone would question him before she could see him again.

"I'm going to try something," she suddenly announced after a long pause, setting her half-eaten food aside. "I want to know if you still have that power, or magic, or whatever you want to call it."

She looked up to meet his eyes again to show that she was serious. "So I'm going to go back. And if you dream of it, can you let me know?"

James froze as she met his eyes again.

"What?"

He stared at her. She was serious.

"You can't just -- that's not necessary. I don't want you going back just for an experiment."

He knew she wasn't going to do it several times, and he knew she didn't plan on overdoing it or overexerting herself, but there was something unsettling about how she wanted to just do it on command. Five years ago, she couldn't do it on command. Emotions triggered it.

He remembered her haunting last words - or at least, what he'd thought were her last words. The last ones from the Eve he knew, before she went back over, and over, and over, and became a shell of herself...

When he'd dreamed of it, he'd wished he'd dreamt it sooner. Or later. He couldn't decide at the time, but now, it didn't really matter.

Evaline really did become a different person. Not entirely... but she was very different.

He'd thought he'd come to terms with that, but apparently, there were still things that could surprise him.

He broke eye contact with her, looking down at his food.

"I don't want to lose--" he started, before hijacking his sentence halfway through. "I don't want to dream. Again. Like that. If it's not -- if I don't have to."

Evaline wasn't going to let it go that easily. She could feel James's apprehension, but it occurred to her that it was because he was still under the same impression that her powers worked the same way it did five years ago. She could hear the reluctance in his voice, and she knew she shouldn't push him too much, but she didn't think he was being logical with this since he didn't know all the facts yet.

"It's not just an experiment," she said. "It's to get your story straight, because someone is bound to ask you to prove it again. I just don't know how without knowing if you can even do it."

She rubbed the edge of her container in thought.

She could just do it anyways without telling him. It wasn't like she was going to do anything drastic.

He deserved to know the changes first, though.

"I've had a lot of time to figure out how to maximize my power," she said. "I don't really experience the same effects anymore. At least, not until twenty tries -- but it could be higher, I don't know. And I can go back in command, with some limitations."

She skimmed over a lot of the details, but it sufficed for now.

Evaline tried again to show her sincerity and seriousness as she looked up at him. "It's okay. Nothing bad would come out of it. I just want to see if you'd remember it. That's all."