Evelyn’s hands guide the second leaf into the water. The water numbed her fingertips as it flowed around the leaf and calmed the water below it. It may as well be a river. Grace slipped immediately as she let go, and she watched it float downstream out of sight. If Mother gave her a second chance, she could…The door to the stairs clicked open and began to move. Evelyn turned quickly. Her eyes fixated on the gap as it widened.“Mother, you came back. I ca- “Her words died on her lips. That woman isn’t Mother. She isn’t even a sister.Elder Tessa descended the stairs, one step at a time. Her steps were assured, and her placid face revealed nothing of the woman she used to be before she joined the Elders. Her dark brown eyes didn’t shine like they once did. The burden of responsibility must have her jaded.Evelyn stood and turned to face her fully. What’s she doing here? Evelyn quickly wiped her eyes and cleared her throat before speaking.“Ahem. Elder Tessa, are you going to lead me back to my quarters? Is that why you came or…” Her voice died off as the elder approached her.“Not quite.” Tessa pulled a letter from her pocket and unfolded it. She handed it to Evelyn to read. “There are no elders interested in stepping down for you. We are removing your status as an Initiate. Instead of helping randomly, you will need to specialize for the good of the village. We have already spoken with the mentors willing to take you on as an apprentice. The list is here.”Evelyn read the short list as her stomach dropped. Please, no. The list contained names and descriptors of her potential new role. Don’t do this! They would let her work in the kitchens, provisions, or the library. Staring at the page, she read the list from top to bottom. By the third read, Elder Tessa sighed impatiently.“It’s late. Just pick something.” “Right. Um. Sorry.” Just choose, huh? Sure thing. She was supposed to join the Elders. Make the decisions for the village and help it grow. Just. Pick. Something. No big deal. What should she do for the rest of her life? Brother Guile is patient, and she would get to see Emily at least three times a day. Sister Rivka is rough around the edges, but she could learn to trade with the outsiders. She smiled. Learn. Sister Nima. The library. She will learn about the burned book. Wait... How did they… oh… they knew, this was a trial to test me.And they planned… they expected I would fail.Her breath shuddered as she tightened her grip on the note. She couldn’t be a cook, and trading with outsiders is even less appealing. They are dead ends. If she worked in the library, she could learn more, even trading and cooking from there. She could learn to control Grace, and then one of the Elders would have to step down.“Library.” She finally replied. She looked up into Tessa’s bored expression.“I’ll work under Sister Nima.”Elder Tessa confirmed her choice by snatching the page back. She ripped the library option and tucked it away. Crumpling the remaining parts of the torn page, she handed it back to Evelyn before she turned and headed upstairs. Left holding the leftovers, she lowered her arm and went to follow, stopping at the plant with a severed, rotten head. It’s to keep the plant alive… sacrifices.Evelyn left Mother’s Hearth. The waning moon had reached its zenith and provided adequate light as she walked to her quarters. Opening the door, there was a lump outline in the dark room, lying in Emily’s bed. She tiptoed inside, closing the door behind her, then lay down for the night. Tomorrow. She’d work hand in hand with Nima.A shake to the shoulder roused Evelyn from sleep. She pulled the blanket tighter and rolled over.“nnnnmmmm”“Eve, get up, lazy bones! It’s already time for the midday repast.”Eyes flying open, she threw the covers off. She tumbled out of bed, falling to the floor in a heap as she became tangled in the sheets. Her face nearly kissed the wood as she caught herself. Why didn’t anyone wake her up? She needed to be at Nima- the library first thing in the morning. Emily sat down and smirked as she got dressed in a frenzy. What’s with that look? Sliding into her shoes, she dashed out the door. Emily’s footsteps echoed behind her.“You should grab some food before you do whatever you are late for.”Emily’s right, per usual. She’d need a bite of something. How could she sleep until midday? She stepped into the dining hall. Empty, perfect. She can get in and out. Reaching the counter that separated the dining room from the kitchen, she spoke in a rush.“I need a bit of bread and meat. Quickly, if you can.” A wide-eyed David looked back at her before he replied.“What’s the rush? We haven’t even finished the eggs.”Emily’s giggles reached her ears as she processed the initiate’s words. She turned, seeing her sister’s face flushed, doubled over at a table. Her hazel eyes were full of mirth. She turned her ire on the giggly fool.If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.“Midday repast, huh?”David interjected.“Actually, the sun just came up.”Evelyn lost all the tension as the panic left her system. She grabbed a glass and stepped back outside, filling it with water. She returned to see her sis in a fit of giggles still. Em… that’s just evil. She walked over to the prankster girl and sat down across from her. She lay her head down to cover up her embarrassed blush. Settling down after the sudden scare. She looked back up at David.“Forget what I asked for. I’ll wait to break the fast with Em, sorry for the trouble.”She watched as David went back to work. Evelyn dipped her finger into the water and flicked it at Emily. She received only a smile in return. How annoying.“You think this is funny? You frightened me half to death.”Evelyn just wiped the water from her face and leaned onto the table with her elbows. Her chin rested in her palm as she yawned.“I wanted to have a meal with you, Eve. You missed dinner last night. Where’d you go?”Evelyn sipped the water as she planned her half-truth. How many people know the truth of her failure?“I was up late helping Mother with something. She said you asked about the plants in her basement. They were strange-looking, right?”
As Em began talking about the plants Mother showed her, explaining the names of the ones that stuck out. David brought a couple of breakfast plates over to us. She should tell her sister, but she looks so happy. Both girls smiled up at him as he laid down the plates.“Thanks, David.” Emily beat her to the punch, flashing her teeth at the boy.“Yeah, thanks.” She tried to smile, but she couldn’t muster the effort to make it believable. Instead, she turned to Em as he walked away and asked.“So, my evil little sister… how’s the candidacy? Does Mother keep you busy?”Emily began to dig into her plate, crunching on toast and tossing bits of egg back. She flashed her nails in Eve’s direction, brimming with a smile. “Quite the opposite, we do a lot of talking and self-care. My nails will be as pretty as hers before long, and I’ll have cute braids to match.”Evelyn furrowed her brow. Self-care. That’s the big benefit for Candidacy? She brought toast to her mouth with a crunch. Taking the moment to phrase the question.“She give you any Grace lessons?”Emily nodded and prepared to speak, but before she could, Evelyn watched a man approach their table. His eyes, in turn, looked down his nose at her. The gold circle pin immediately marked him as an Elder. He moved without hesitation as he laid a hand on Emily’s shoulder.
“Emily. You don’t have time for conversations with… Sisters.”His emphasis on Sisters stung worse than Evelyn would like to admit. Just yesterday, she was an Initiate. But now? Yeah, questioning village leaders is frowned upon, and like it or not, the mother candidate falls under that umbrella.Grabbing the man’s hand and shoving it off her shoulder, Emily’s voice gained an edge that Evelyn had only heard when speaking to rude outsiders.“I’ll talk to who I want to, Darius. Eve is more than just a sister. My time with Mother can wait. You can wait for me to finish my breakfast or leave without me. I know the way to her Hearth, it’s hard to miss.”The Elder took the rejection in stride, nodding at the girl so much younger than him.“I’ll be just outside the dining hall then. Seek me out when you are done.”He turned and walked out of the room, presumably to wait. Evelyn reached across the table and moved Em’s cup of water away from her. “Whoa, hot head much? Careful, or you’ll boil something. What was that all about?”Em sighed, picking at her food as her head drooped. The mood soured. “Elders are bossy, and Mother said I can ignore them. She told me that the only one I need to listen to is her. I should probably get going soon anyway, though. I don’t care what he thinks, but I shouldn’t keep Mother waiting.”Evelyn looked at the window, seeing more light pouring in.“I understand, I have somewhere to be, too. If you leave your plate, I’ll take it back. Run along now… and be safe.”She watched as Emily stood and left, nodding to Elder Darius and following him out of sight. Em was nodding. Mother is teaching her lessons in Grace. Maybe Em can show her later in private.Gathering the two plates, she disposed of the extra and went into the kitchen, washed the plates and cups, putting them away before nodding to David as she went to leave.“Thanks for breakfast, David. Tell Guile that Em and I liked it, would ya? Maybe he will show you how to make a pie… I could really go for a LightFruit custard or something.”She stepped out of the dining hall and set her sights on the Library.