Eve giggled, placing a hand to her mouth. But the sound was much shriller than she was used to. The scene before her quickly diverted her attention once again before she could ponder more. Laying her head back against the soft black fur of the wolf she beamed, watching her mother grind the medicine with the pestle she usually kept hidden in the barn for good reasons.
As she bent over the big animal's chest and peered into its almost healed wound, she looked like a woman who knew exactly what she was doing. A sadness weighed over her chest as Eve watched her mother work, polluting the pride that she felt for the women in front of her. She didn't know why. But she found herself content where she was. She was warm against the wolf and her mother was right next to her.
Meredith sighed, turning to her with her brows knitted together, trying her best to conceal her smile and failing at it. "Stop staring, will you?" She asked, extending the bowl towards her. "Here, why don't you try putting the medicine for him?"
Eve shook her head. "No mommy. It's a she." She said, again in that suspiciously squeaky little voice. Turning back to the creature, she found herself smiling as a strange feeling tugged at her heart. "I will call her Blanchette."
Her mother's laughter echoed the shabby barn. Suddenly, the creature opened its eyes, waking up from its slumber. Eyes as bright as the sun burned gold in the darkness of the room, the faint flicker of the kerosene lamp dying out with the wind. Eve gasped, her breath getting caught midway in her chest at the sight.
In the blink of an eye, the beast disappeared, and in its place stood a man. Tall and towering above her, he looked down at her with his golden eyes sparkling like a flicker of the sun against a wave, soft and warm, calling to her like a siren's song. The darkness of the night concealed his features, making it impossible to concentrate on anything other than his beautiful eyes that made her want to drown in it.
"No." Eve shook her head, taking a step back in fear as the realization hit her. "You can't be. It's not possible."
Beasts don't transform into people in real life. Those were only stories- stories no one believed even when her mother... Wait, her mother! Where was she? Eve thought, looking around for Meredith frantically. Panic gripped her heart. But it was too dark to see. She wanted to call out to her mother, but no sound came out of her mouth.
Suddenly, she was pulled back, her back hitting a hard surface, her eyes widening in surprise.
"You smell," A familiar voice whispered in her ear. "Disgusting."
Eve screamed, thrashing hard against the grip on her shoulders. The darkness ceded out of her vision, blinding light blaring right onto her face. She blinked, turning towards the sight to avoid it. As her senses slowly cleared, the humid afternoon breeze whirled past her, making her jolt up in surprise.
Tall trees and thickets of bushes flanked her from all sides. The steady stream of sunlight from the swaying canopy fell on the wet ground surrounding her. She quickly got up from the forest floor, brushing the dirt off of her skirt. Her hand paused as she noticed something different about her clothes.
Eve gasped, the shock of the realization hitting her hard. Someone had clearly changed her clothes. Instead of her torn dress that was stained with mud and blood was a soft muslin dress, its skirt layered with fine cotton underneath. Though her cloak was gone, the small money bag that she had kept tied around her waist clinked inside what seemed like pockets of the skirt.
How had she ended up here? She wondered. And who the hell had dared to change her clothes?! The last thing she remembered was....The corners of her lips dragged down into a frown as she tried hard to remember the events of the previous night. As the cold wind rustled past her once again, she shivered, looking around anxiously.
She looked up, shielding her eyes with a raised hand. The sun peaked through the canopy as it swayed in the soft breeze, displaying a clear sky above her. Eve's frown deepened. Judging by the position of the sun, it didn't look like there was much time till sundown. How had she managed to sleep that long? She was such a light sleeper.
Questions plagued her mind- those to which she had no answers. But it was a good thing that she had grown up wild and free. For her eyes found a cleared path as quickly as she thought of getting out of the place. Lifting the flowy skirt of her new dress, she turned and walked along the path, her mind working hard to recollect whatever it could.
Slowly but steadily, it came back to her. Eve remembered being accused a murderer. She remembered the look on Tarleton's face as he pushed into the young lord's behind. She had run long and hard in the rain, feeling betrayed, and anxious about something or someone watching her from afar. And then she had stopped at an inn. Or was it a lodge? She wondered, pausing to close her eyes for a moment.
"Emilya's lodge." She whispered, pulling the hazy memory out of her mind.
"Emilya..." Eve trailed off, a pair of sparkling bright purple eyes flashing in her mind.
'Who are you?' A sweet voice drifted in her mind.
'Are you Emilya?' She heard herself ask as she stared at the breathtakingly beautiful woman in front of her.
'And how do you know that?' The woman asked, her tone suddenly losing all of its humor.
Eve shrugged, pointing to the mast above her head. 'The board.' She replied innocently.
The woman's eyes widened. And for a moment, Eve saw the purple in her eyes flicker bright. She had dismissed the notion then, thinking that it was a play of light.