Evaline stared at James for a little bit as his words sunk in, and then she finally let out a whimsical laugh. "I never thought about it that way," she said through an amused smile. "I guess you're right."
Evaline shifted her attention to the sand her hand was sitting on.
"Not particularly," she said as she picked up a little bit of sand and watched as it ran through her fingers. "I suppose you can say... we respect each other."
She sighed and looked back up at James. "As for what they were like... My mom is strict and tough, but she always does what's right. My dad is more charismatic and gentle, but I think he's the reason why they skip my classes a lot. A big believer of my freedom, I guess."
She gazed down at the fire.
"They both have time powers. My mom's is triggered by strong negative emotions, and my dad's is triggered by strong positive emotions. And of course, there's me, inheriting both."
She sighed and paused. "Jack of all trades, master of none," she said in a low voice.
Evaline shot him a small appreciative smile. "Thanks," she said quietly, but it still sounded like a hollow expression of gratitude.
She sighed and leaned back again, tilting her head to look up at the sky. "What's funny is that I told Raya that I didn't want to stay at the camp because my time mage parents told me to escape to a secret time mage settlement in Lettera. I almost wish it were true."
James nodded slightly. A secret camp just for time mages seemed too good to be true. He was surprised Raya believed it, but then again, Raya seemed far more willing to believe anything that came from Evaline's mouth than his.
He watched Evaline for a moment, wondering what prompted that thought. Wishing for a safe place to flee too made sense, when she didn't think she'd be living for much longer, and it wasn't like she had any place to return to.
"I know when you mentioned the library," he said softly. "You said you thought your parents had been part of the rebellion, or something like that."
Evaline turned back to face James when he mentioned that her parents had been part of the rebellion.
"They were not part of the rebellion," she said quickly. "They only had ties to me, but I never attempted to contact them."
She paused, and her voice softened to mimic James's own concerned voice. "But I don't know if that's believable to the public eye. I know they escaped somewhere, but... I don't know where."
Guilt crept in, and although she did her best to hide it, it crept into her face and voice.
She never even said goodbye to them. She was just so... bitter. And to this day, she wasn't ready to forgive them for what they did. But it wasn't their fault that they had an uncontrollable daughter, especially one who decided to lead a war to go against the very thing they stood for. It wasn't anyone's fault that word spread that she was involved, and that it came back to hurt them. No one deserved to leave a home for things beyond their control, and as much as Evaline resented her parents, she couldn't help but feel guilty for ruining their life.
But maybe it was fitting. Revenge—even if accidental—was bittersweet.
So, that answered the question, then. She hadn't seen them since she left. He still didn't know the terms that she left on, but he knew she'd gone off to start a rebellion, so it couldn't have been a peaceful parting. He knew well enough not to travel into those waters just yet.
"But enough about my parents," she said, deciding now was a good time as any to switch topics. "Can you tell me about yours? I know you were close to your family."
She hesitated. "That is, if you're comfortable talking about them. I understand if it's too hard to talk about."
James offered Eve a nod of his head a small, gracious smile. He brought his hands into his lap, holding one in the other.
"No, that's - that's fine," he said. "I think... well, with my dad, it's been over ten years since I lost him. Most days, the memory feels like it's worlds away... but I do try to remember him as much as I can."
He paused, looking down into his lap.
"If I had to describe him... he was gentle. Soft-spoken. He had this way of being painfully honest and painfully kind. It made it difficult to be mad at him a lot of the time. I still don't know how he did it. But he was a very good, kind-hearted man, and a very good father."
His eyes flicked up to Evaline, then back to his lap. He started rubbing one thumb over the other.
"I don't doubt that I've romanticized many of my memories of him, but I don't think I mind it. I'd rather remember the good things about him, even if it's a little exaggerated. I think he deserves that much."
Evaline was surprised James talked about his dad first. It was hard to talk about those who passed, especially if they were someone close. But maybe he truly did romanticize his death and memories to the point that it hurt less to talk about.
"He sounded like a good man," she said gently. "I can see traits of him being passed on to you. I think he would have been proud."
Evaline leaned forward, propping her elbows on her crossed thighs.
"You do look like him," she said, remembering the memory he showed her of the sunset gleaming over the hills.
She drew his dad after seeing the memory, and although that was prompted because she figured he would like to have a visual of his passed dad, she also wanted to highlight the similarities and differences of the two of them side-by-side. He did look like him, but she saw the small differences. She wondered if she'd be able to detect the differences from his mom.
James looked down at his hands in his lap, keeping his unfocused gaze locked downwards.
This question shouldn’t have felt so difficult to answer, but he almost felt like he couldn’t. His mind didn’t want him to.
“She’s...” he started, only to realize he couldn’t even answer honestly. He didn’t know what she was like now. She’d probably changed.
“Well, when I was a kid, she was very relaxed. More reserved than my father, I think. He was always more social. A hard worker. She taught me almost everything I know about animals and animal handling. She loves horses as much as I do.” He paused, and shifted his shoulders forward, turning his head a little to the side.
“After my father died she grew pretty quiet. She used to love telling my sister and I stories with my father when we were young, but I think when my father died, something died with her, and she was just never the same.”
He looked out into the forest, blankly.
“But she cared about Larrel and I. I always knew that. It was just a difficult time for all of us. Larrel was only five, I think. I was eleven. We lost everything, and we always struggled to make ends meet.”
Evaline didn't really know what she expected. With his dad passing away, of course this was going to be a sad story. What was she supposed to say now?
Before she even began to reach for possible words of comfort, her mind raced to put the pieces together.
There was a goblin raid on his farm, and his dad died. Knowing what his father was like, he likely died trying to save his family and provide enough time for them to escape. It wouldn't surprise her if this happened, considering that James would do the same now.
After that, James, Larrel, and his mom sought refuge somewhere else. Another farm? The memory James showed her their first day together kept resurfacing, but the details were starting to fade. Was that memory before or after the farm pillage? It must have been after. James just told her that they struggled to meet ends meet together, meaning he didn't run away. Not yet.
They must have struggled to meet ends meet for quite some time, and maybe that was what prompted James to leave home. What was going through his mind during that memory, again? Something about a kingdom? The Moonlight Kingdom? Did he run away to help his family by enrolling in military school? How was that supposed to help?
She did remember one thought he had during that memory, though. A name. A name he hadn't mentioned yet. Carter.
She also remembered Brooks telling her a rumor that a mysterious benefactor helped him enlist in military school. She wondered if this was Carter. But at the same time, she didn't know how true that statement was; Brooks did say that James was an orphan, after all.
But... she remembered James admitting from the truth and lie game that his family didn't know he was alive.
Her head was starting to hurt.
Too much time had passed, and Evaline quickly grabbed the first comforting words that came through her mind.
"I'm sorry that happened," she said softly. "That sounded like a really difficult time."
They were weak words, really. But she knew now was not the right time to ask what happened after that.
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