"So that's all you got?" Leia asked the next day at lunch in the S.O.M's cafeteria. "Vision and future?"
Evelyn nodded.
"Okay, so we have to think. What's connected to 'vision' and 'future'?"
The group fell silent as they thought.
"Do you think….. somebody got a vision of your future and told Zak or something?" Asher finally asked.
"That's actually reasonable." Leia said, squinting her eyes as if she were in ultra-deep thought.
"Um…. how does somebody get a vision of my future?" Evelyn had to ask.
Suddenly, Camila slammed a hand of the table, causing a few heads to turn their way, so she smiled sheepishly and sat back down. She leaned closer to Evelyn and whispered, "Okay, I'm not sure about this, but it's possible. Do you think…. A time user got a vision of your future?"
Leia's eyes widened. "Camila, you're a genius! That really makes sense."
Camila gave a smug smirk and flipped her hair, examining her perfectly polished shiny and pink nails. "For the genius part, I know. You don't have to remind me."
Leia rolled her eyes. "But I thought visions from a time user are not to be told unless…."
"Wait, before you continue on can I ask a question? What exactly is a 'time user'?" Evelyn interrupted.
Amelia answered her question. "A time user is a magic user that can control time. Time users can stop, fast-forward and slow down time. Really powerful time users can have random visions of someone's future while they sleep or can see the future. Unfortunately, time users are incredibly rare and now there are only three time users, and two are currently missing for a reason. And the only time user we know is mentally unstable."
"Why?"
"Well, time users are very useful as well. Sometimes when they sleep, they can have bad visions of someone's future, which means sometimes they can see if someone's in trouble during the future, so the only time user we know, Master Wyatt Egar, is locked up in a room and he's monitored very closely for the visions he has. And he's been forced to be kept in a room while they monitor him and he's been locked up for a three millennial already, so as you can imagine, 15 millennial worth's of being kept inside a room by oneself can really do some serious damage to a person, so that's why he's mentally unstable. And-oh."
Amelia stopped and went pale.
Evelyn followed her stare and found herself staring at Leia, who had also gone pale.
Asher voiced the question that was floating in Evelyn's mind. "What happened?"
"Should we…. tell them?" Amelia asked, her voice a little shaky.
Leia bit her lip. "I think we should." She turned to Evelyn. "This won't be good but do you want to hear it?"
Evelyn nodded eagerly.
"Okay, so as I was saying just now, visions from a time user are not to be told unless it's important or…" she paused, biting on her lip harder.
"Or?"
"Are you sure you want to know this? It's pretty…. terrifying." Leia asked, looking so nervous she looked like she was about to lose her lunch.
Evelyn nodded. "I need to know."
Leia nodded and continued. "Or… if something bad's going to happen in someone's future and they have to alert the person about it."
Evelyn felt all the color drain from her face and she could hear someone gasp but didn't know who, because the cafeteria was spinning and her brain couldn't quite accept what Leia had said. Eventually, she managed to put together a sentence. "So you're saying that…. something Brad's going to happen in my future?"
Leia winced. "I mean, we don't know for sure. It's only a possibility."
"But… didn't you say visions from a time user are not to be told unless it's important or something bad's going to happen in the future and you have to alert the person about it?" the cafeteria started spinning even faster and Evelyn clutched her head.
"Yeah, but… still. We don't know if it's true." Leia's voice practically shouted worried and nervousness. "Should I not have told you?"
Evelyn looked up and took a deep breath to stop the room from spinning. "No, you should have. And thanks for telling me too."
Leia was biting her lip so hard at this point that it looked like it was going to leave permanent teeth dents. "Will you be okay? Knowing all this?"
Evelyn squared her shoulders and nodded. "I think I'll be fine. I mean, Atler is adding security."
Leia gave a relieved sigh. "Okay."
"Wait….how did Zak know the news, then? Aren't Atler or Ellete know about it first?" Apparently, Brooke was the only one who could think straight now.
Evelyn shrugged. "I'll make sure to ask him about that after school."
The bell rang at that very moment, but before Evelyn could dump her tray at the tray cart and head off to her next class, Leia ran up to her.
"Hey, Evelyn?" she whispered. "If you need any help, please feel free to look for me. I feel really, really bad about telling you about… you know what."
Evelyn nodded. "Thanks for the help. I appreciate it. And please don't feel bad- I would like to know rather to walk around, oblivious that something bad is going to happen it my future. Or was going to happen, not anymore because Atler has added security and I'll be more cautious with my surroundings too."
Leia nodded. "See you when school ends?"
Evelyn nodded.
After saying goodbye to her friends, Evelyn pulled out her teleball but didn't whisper for her home. Instead, she muttered for Zak's home then threw the ball up.
After the usual flash of light, she was in Zak's hallway. "Zak?" she called out.
Unlike the last time, there was an answer. Zak's voice echoed through the house. "Right here!"
Evelyn followed his voice to the living room and found him seated comfortably on the couch in front of the fireplace. There was a thick book on his lap which read '100 ways to prank'.
When he saw Evelyn, he jumped to his feet and offered her a seat on the couch. "Hey, kid. What'cha doin here? If you're here for more answers about yesterday's you-know-what, I told ya, I can't give you anything more than 'vision' and 'future'."
Evelyn took a seat on the couch and watched him pace in a funny way across the room.
"You don't need to- I already know what's happening. You just need to confirm it. Oh, and I also have one more question."
Zak went pale. "You know?"
Evelyn nodded.
"What do you know?"
Evelyn shifted her weight on the couch. "Well, something bad's going to happen to me in my future because it was in one of Master Wyatt Egar's, the time user's visions. And judging by your look, I suspect it's true?"
Zak was even paler and he looked like he was about to throw up all over the floor. "Did Atler or Ellete tell you about that?"
Evelyn shook her head. "We figured it out."
Zak stopped pacing and squinted at her. "And who is this 'we'?"
"My friends and I. But it doesn't matter- you're trying to change subject, aren't you?" Evelyn asked, eyeing him carefully. "You just need to confirm it. Although your terrified look probably gave it away, I still need you to confirm it."
She sighed when Zak stayed silent. "Please? It's my future! Just shake your head if it isn't true and nod if it is."
She hoped he would shake his head. She hoped for that so badly.
Eventually, he nodded and Evelyn leaned back.
It was officially confirmed and she sucked in a breath as the walls seemed to close in. It was all so very real. It wasn't a possibility anymore- it was real.
"What will happen to me?" Evelyn had to ask.
"I..don't know. Wyatt only saw you on the floor and there was a dagger in your stomach and blood everywhere." Zak hung his head.
Evelyn went pale. "But it won't happen, right? I mean, Atler's added security and now that I know, I'll be more aware of my surroundings."
"I'm not sure if it'll still happen or not. Wyatt hasn't had any more visions of you."
Evelyn suddenly remembered the question she had to ask. "How do you know that Master Wyatt had a vision of me?"
"Wyatt is super useful and highly important so he has guards and I know one of the guards who guard him and he told me- and it's good that he did. Now we have some days earlier to prepare. The people in charge of Wyatt will probably alert Atler or Ellete about this by sending a letter here but it takes at least five days before they find who you are, your guardians and where you live."
Evelyn leaned back more, wishing she could sink into the couch and maybe hide there for the rest of eternity.
"Look, kid, ya look pretty worn out so I think maybe it's time for you to go home. You also don't want to make Atler and Ellete worried, do you?" Zak asked.
"I should get going," Evelyn mumbled in agreement and pulled out her teleball. She threw it into the air and mumbled for her home but appeared in the neighbourhood's center, like she did the previous day.
She stumbled home and stopped in front of the door squeezed between the fences and called for Atler. When she saw him, she though about asking more questions of her future and ask why didn't they want to tell her about but decided not to at the last moment- she wasn't sure she was ready for another conversation about her future about the tough last one.
She shuffled through the door and stumbled all the way to her room. When she tumbled through the door she locked herself in and decided to take a nice, long, soothing and cold shower.
When she was done showering she dove under her beds' covers and hid there for the rest of the day, ignoring Ellete's calls for dinner.
She was in the middle of replaying the conversation she and Zak had endured this morning when there was a knock on the door. "Evelyn?" Ellete's voice asked.
Evelyn wrapped the covers around her tighter, trying her best to ignore Ellete.
This time, Atler's voice asked: "Are you okay? Why did you skip dinner and why are you locking yourself in your room?"
Evelyn thought about mumbling back a lousy excuse but when she opened her mouth to answer her voice seemed to have abandoned her.
"Can you let us in?" Ellete asked.
There was a long silence, like Atler and Ellete was waiting for a reply or for her to open the door to let them in.
"We don't mean to be nosy and if you don't want to let us in, I understand," Ellete eventually said. "Also, dinner is just outside your door if you're hungry."
Evelyn heard the sound of a plate being placed on the floor and decided to be polite, so she dragged her voice back to where it belonged in her throat and managed to mumble a "Thanks,".
"We'll be downstairs if you need us," Atler added and Evelyn heard the sound of footsteps walking away.
She curled up tighter in the covers but her stomach grumbled.
She was hungry, so she waited for five minutes to make sure Ellete and Atler weren't there and tiptoed across the room to her door. She gently opened it, no wanting to cause any sound and quickly snatched the plate of food in.
She knocked on the wall twice to turn the light on and started devouring the food. The food consisted of pasta and mushroom soup. It was savoury and delicious.
After she was done, she washed the plate in her bathroom sink, not wanting to put it in the kitchen downstairs because she might collide with Ellete and Atler.
Since she was in the bathroom, she also showered and brushed her teeth, changing into a pair of soft and comfy pyjamas afterwards and after she turned off the lights, she dove into the covers once again.
Evelyn couldn't sleep, so she lay in the darkness, replaying the conversations she had with her friends and Zak.
She knew she should probably stop freaking out, but.....her life was in danger, was it not? And what was worse was Ellete and Atler knew this would be happening to her and refused to tell her. What if because they never told her, the 'bad thing' that is-or was-going to happen to her really happened?
She tossed and turned all night, her thoughts crushing her.
Evelyn let out a groan when her alarm clock beeped. She hadn't even shut her eyes once during the painful night. How was she supposed to go to school carrying a sleepless night?
Actually, maybe that was good. Maybe school would take all these horrifying thoughts out of her mind.
She pulled apart the covers and did a little stretching before heading to the bathroom to clean up. When she was done, she changed into her school uniform and smoothed the wrinkles on her green-blue patterned skirt. A smooth blue jacket completed the fit.
She grabbed her timeteller, teleball and holopod and stuffed them in her shirt pocket and the two pockets sewn into the jacket's underside, then stumbled downstairs.
"Good morning!" Ellete chirped to Evelyn with a smile.
Evelyn had never been so disgusted. How could she still act so cheerful, even after knowing Evelyn was going to be hurt in the future?
Still, Evelyn didn't want to be rude and mumbled a "Good morning". She walked past Ellete and into the hallway to retrieve her sneakers from the shoe rack and slipped them on. She was about to throw the holopod into the air when Ellete came.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"School." Evelyn had to try her best to not roll her eyes. She was in her school uniform. Was it not obvious that she was going to school?
"But you haven't eaten breakfast."
"I'm not hungry." Evelyn mumbled, throwing the holopod up and muttering for the S.O.M before Ellete could have a chance to speak.
She knew acting like this was silly, but....she was potentially in danger in the future and they didn't tell her.
She had her rights to be angry.
When she appeared in front of the prestigious School Of Magic, she shook the thoughts off. The whole point of coming to school today was so she would stop thinking about this.
She took a deep breath and walked into the S.O.M.
She walked to her locker and pressed her palm against the cold, smooth scanner. The locker clicked and swung open. She grabbed her alchemy book-her first class of the day and headed to the alchemy classroom.
Alchemy was one of the classes the entire fourth grade- the grade Evelyn was in- had together. She entered the humongous alchemy room and took a seat with her friends, who were already sitting at table 28 and 29, their usual alchemy tables.
The tables were on stair-like platforms and the platforms got taller and taller. There were a hundred and nine tables, and table 109 and 108 were on the tallest platforms, which were very tall but luckily, the ceiling was taller.
Asher, Brooke and Camila sat on table number 109 while Leia and Amelia sat on table number 108. Evelyn walked up the stairs leading to table number 108 to sit with Leia and Amelia.
"Hi," Leia said when Evelyn reached table number 108 and plonked her books on the table.
"Hi," Evelyn replied back and took a seat on the stool provided.
Leia flipped open her textbook and leaned closer to Evelyn. "So what did Zak tell you? About how he found out about your future?"
Evelyn signalled for Camila, Asher, Brooke and Amelia to share Zak's story. When all of them were so close their heads almost touched, she started with how Zak confirmed their theory and how he knew of it.
Everyone went pale when Evelyn was done talking.
"I'm sorry," Leia eventually whispered. In sync, the rest of her friends added "I'm sorry too,".
"Please don't be- it's neither of you guys' faults." Evelyn assured them. Before she could say anything else, Mr. Glorpose, their almond brown-haired and lab-coat wearing alchemy teacher, cleared his throat-very loudly-into the microphone he was holding.
"All right, class. I'm sorry about how my microphone broke down last week and I know you students in the back couldn't hear me, but I bought a new one. Can you guys in the back hear me clearly now?" he asked, then tapped on the microphone.
A few students in the back gave thumbs-up while the rest nodded.
Mr. Glorpose continued. "Good. Alright, students. Today we're going to be attempting to make velcronomanic. Everyone say velcronomanic, please."
Everyone in the room repeated the name and a boy student raised his hand. He was at the back, so he had to shout. "Mr. Glorpose, what is velcronomanic?"
Mr. Glorpose snapped his fingers. "I knew you would say that! Well, students, velcronomanic is a substance that can become any shape with the right ingredients. For example," he stopped speaking and went over to his desk and from his bag, he removed a glass square cube with a smaller black cube inside. He then took out a megapod-a holopod that could project a much bigger screen-and showed them a much bigger picture of the glass square cube and the black cube in it.
The black cube looked like it had veins and moved slightly.
"This is a square velcronomanic. I added metropolisien-a substance that makes an object turn into a random shape-into it to make it into a square velcronomanic." Mr. Glorpose explained and stopped sharing the picture. "Today, we will be making what I just showed you- a square velcronomanic. If you succeed in making it, come to the front to collect a glass square cube to put it in from me."
He placed the cube containing the square velcronomanic on his desk. "You may all begin now. All the ingredients you'll need are in your drawers. Good luck!"
Evelyn opened her table's drawer and found a bowl, a few ingredients, a glove, a manual on how to make velcronomanic and a spoon.
"You guys better put on your gloves first- velcronomanic is a very sticky substance. I had to learn it the hard way." Amelia leaned in and told them as she put on her gloves.
"You've made velcronomanic before?" Evelyn asked, removing all the ingredients from the drawer and moving them onto her table.
Amelia nodded. "I did an experiment last year because I was curious of how velcronomanic worked. I didn't wear gloves and wasn't cautious enough so I got it stuck in my hair and on my hands. Took me three hours to get the velcronomanic off."
"Ouch," Leia said, putting on her gloves.
Evelyn did the same and got to work. The ingredients were in jars and bottles and it wasn't that hard because the bottles and jars had names on them.
After pouring in laterixise,-one of the main ingredients in alchemy-venom from blucobalts,-venom from venomous, blue-cobalt snakes-excisterize,-the substance you get when you melt electricity-lopezerin-water from lopezorin, a pond housing thousands of crystals and crushed ironyroses-roses that are made out of pure gems-into the bowl, she starting stirring to mix the ingredients together.
She mixed the ingredients until they formed a faded-gray dough-like blob and starting kneading it. She kneaded it until it somehow became ink-black and poured more lopezorin in. Then she started stirring it again until it became watery.
"How's it going?" Leia asked, leaning over to get a closer look at her work. "Wow- you're at step five already? I'm only on step three."
"Please. I'm sure Amelia's already done." Evelyn felt her cheeks flush slightly at the praise.
Leia leaned over to the left, where Amelia was sitting, then returned back at her side a moment later. "You're right. She's checking the square velcronomanic she made through, but you're still pretty fast."
"Thanks," Evelyn said, adding the metropolisien into the bowl. In an instance, the watery substance pulled itself together and formed a square.
"Woah," Leia breathed. "It's like it's alive or something and it looks like it has veins."
Leia was right. The square velcronomanic did look like it had veins- and a lot. Evelyn picked it up to examine it. It wasn't sticky anymore but it became heavier.
Amelia stood up and started walking down the stairs to Mr. Glorpose's desk. Evelyn stood up too and tagged along.
Amelia had her square velcronomanic in her bowl while Evelyn held out hers. "Doesn't it look like it has veins?" Amelia asked, pointing to the square's tiny veins. "It's odd, isn't it? I never managed to figure out why it has veins, or whatever these things are."
Evelyn poked hers. "It is odd. I've never seen an object with veins before."
Amelia agreed and they soon reached Mr. Glorpose's desk. When he saw them, he smiled. "Good job, girls. Now, here are your glass cubes. You can take it home with you."
He handed Amelia and Evelyn each a glass cube and the duo placed their square velcronomanics in the glass cube and returned to their table.
When the bell rang an hour later, Mr. Glorpose got up from where he was sitting at his desk and clapped his hands. "Good job today, students! 314 students out of 327 students have successfully made square velcronomanics! You students have done excellent today. Now, for the thirteen students who have not been able to finish making their square velcronomanics, please hand it in tomorrow. Now you may all be excused."
The students filed out of the room quickly, rushing to their next classes. Before Evelyn could head off to her next class, her friends stopped her.
"Hey, Evelyn, keep us updated about your future thing, kay?" Asher spoke for the rest of the group.
Evelyn nodded and they exchanged waves and "See you during lunch" before they went their separate ways to their classes.
All too soon, school was over and Evelyn let out a small sigh as she dug out her teleball to teleport home-or in the middle of the neighborhood, to be exact. During lunch, she had promised her friends to ask Atler and Ellete about why they refused to tell her about being in danger in her future immediately after school.
It was going to be a very pleasant conversation. Not.