Chapter Two — Don’t Go
960 Words
Evelyn’s POV
Ravenport always felt quieter in the mornings.
Not peaceful. Just still. As though the city was holding its breath before the day began.
I stood in the middle of my room, staring at the open suitcase on my bed.
Packing should have been easy.
A few outfits. A charger. A toothbrush.
Simple.
Yet the longer I looked at the suitcase, the heavier my chest felt.
It was ridiculous.
I was only leaving for a few days.
So why did it feel like I was leaving something behind?
“Evelyn! You’re going to miss the ride!”
One of my friends shouted from downstairs.
I blinked and looked away from the suitcase.
“I’m coming!”
Forcing myself to move, I folded the last shirt and zipped the bag shut.
Everything was supposed to be normal.
Just a friend’s trip.
A few days away from Ravenport.
A few days in Lumenvale.
That was all.
At least, that was the story everyone else believed.
My phone buzzed on the bed.
A smile appeared on my face before I even looked at the screen.
It was him.
The real reason I was going.
Can’t wait.
Just two words.
Yet they were enough to make my stomach flutter.
I bit back a grin and unlocked my phone, searching for the perfect reply.
Maybe a teasing emoji.
Maybe something sweet.
Maybe—
I froze.
Someone was standing in front of me.
I quickly locked the screen.
“Violet.”
My little sister hadn’t made a sound.
She just stood there, watching me.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Instead of answering, she glanced toward the phone before looking back at me.
Then she stepped closer.
“Evelyn…”
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Can you not go?”
I frowned.
“What?”
“Don’t go.”
The seriousness in her expression caught me off guard.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
“Why?” I finally asked. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
Her fingers tightened around the sleeves of her sweater.
“I just feel worried.”
Something twisted inside me.
Because if I was being honest…
I felt it too.
A strange uneasiness.
A feeling I couldn’t explain.
But I had spent weeks planning this trip.
Weeks counting down the days.
I wasn’t about to let nerves stop me now.
So I smiled.
“Okay, are you my younger sister or my mother?”
A small laugh escaped me.
Violet didn’t laugh back.
“Relax,” I said gently, taking her hand. “I’ll be fine. It’s only a few days.”
She looked unconvinced.
I couldn’t blame her.
Lately, things between us had changed.
Not because I loved her any less.
I didn’t.
Violet was still my favorite person in the world.
But some things were harder to explain now.
Some secrets felt safer kept to myself.
“I’ll call you the moment we arrive,” I promised.
Finally, she nodded.
“Okay.”
The word sounded reluctant.
Like she wanted to argue but didn’t know how.
A horn blared outside.
“Evelyn!”
I groaned.
“Seriously, give me one minute!”
That earned a tiny smile from Violet.
I pulled her into a quick hug.
For some reason, she hugged me back harder than usual.
Tighter.
As if she was afraid to let go.
The thought made me laugh.
Then I grabbed my suitcase and hurried downstairs.
Music blasted from the car outside.
My friends were already gathered around it, laughing and talking over one another.
The moment they saw me, someone threw their hands in the air dramatically.
“Finally!”
“Sorry!” I called.
“She’s alive!” another joked.
I rolled my eyes and tossed my bag into the trunk.
The laughter continued.
Normal.
Loud.
Carefree.
I smiled and climbed into the car.
Yet as we pulled away from the curb, I couldn’t stop myself from looking back.
Violet was still standing outside the house.
Watching.
Even after the car turned the corner.
The drive began exactly how every road trip should.
Music.
Snacks.
Terrible singing.
Endless conversations.
For a while, I almost forgot the strange feeling from earlier.
Almost.
My phone vibrated again.
Without thinking, I looked down.
A new message.
My smile returned instantly.
“What are you smiling at?”
I nearly jumped.
Zoe was leaning over from the seat beside me.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” she repeated suspiciously.
“Who are you texting?”
I locked my phone.
Too fast.
Too obvious.
Her eyes narrowed.
“You’re hiding something.”
My heart skipped.
No one knew about him.
Not yet.
Not until I was ready.
“It’s Violet,” I lied. “She’s checking if I’m okay.”
Zoe stared at me.
Then she snorted.
“We left forty minutes ago.”
I laughed nervously.
“You know how she is.”
“Fair.”
From the driver’s seat, Yaz glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
“Evelyn.”
“Hm?”
“You’re acting weird.”
I looked away.
“Just tired.”
Another lie.
Hours later, Ravenport had disappeared behind us.
The roads grew longer.
Quieter.
Unfamiliar.
Lumenvale was getting closer.
And somehow, the closer we got, the harder it became to ignore the feeling in my chest.
Like something had shifted.
Like a page had turned without me noticing.
I stared out the window at the endless road ahead.
Everything looked normal.
It should have been enough to reassure me.
Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had already begun.
Something I couldn’t stop.
So I put my phone away.
I ignored the unease.
And that was my mistake.
- Writer
