ＯＵＴ ＯＦ ＬＵＸ discussion

Evelyn's Log




Ideas

- Meeting Albert
-Conversation with parents
- Breakup with Albert
- Becoming councilor
- Meeting Ezekiel
- Wedding
- Stepping down from the council
- Secret correspondences with her sister

Evelyn clutched the newspaper in her hands, gritting her teeth. A shattered window at the Lantas View Diner? August Hayden a manipulator? What the heck was Draven thinking? She didn’t know August that well, but even she knew that he wasn’t a manipulator. She wanted to scream in frustration, but she refrained herself. Ever since she married Ezekiel, Evelyn had tried so hard to be the perfect wife and maintain the image of the Delacroix family. But now, Draven, her nephew, did something so unbelievably stupid and reckless that he risked damaging their reputation. Esmeralda would surely be furious, though. She probably already confronted Draven about the whole situation.

But she supposed Draven wasn’t entirely to blame. The Seaveys weren’t angels, either. They manipulated it to blame poor August. In a way, she actually felt sorry for him. He definitely wasn’t a manipulator, that much was true. Still, that didn’t excuse Draven’s behavior at the Diner. The Seaveys were always bound to get stories on the other nobles families, she just hoped that there wouldn’t be a negative story about her family in the papers. Now there was. And Evelyn’s fear had come true. Even though he literally shattered a window with a gust of wind, at least it could’ve been worse.

The Seaveys always found a way to get their hands on a story, and Evelyn was always surprised by some of the stories they published. How they managed to get some of the information she just couldn’t wrap her head around. And sometimes this resulted in the wrath of the Seaveys and public. And she was afraid this was one of those cases. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. And in her mind, that was exactly what Draven had done.

Evelyn stood up from her seat, pacing around the room with the paper still in her hand. She decided to send a brief message to Esmeralda about the story. Transmutation wasn’t her strong suit, but she managed to send the message:

Esmeralda,

I read today’s paper, and I trust that you have, too. I was shocked to say the least. I can’t believe that Draven, your son and heir of all people, would do something so reckless. Because of him, we risk ire from the public. But I wouldn’t be surprised if that already happened. Though, of course the Seaveys lied to cause drama as usual. No surprise there. August Hayden is not a manipulator, nor has he ever manipulated anyone before as far as I know. I assume that you have spoken to Draven and gave him a punishment. Let’s just hope that he learned his lesson and never does anything like that again.

Signed,
Evelyn

She sent the message, walking back over to the small table and sitting down again. She glanced at the paper one last time before placing it on her table, running her hands through her hair. Well, this was an unfortunate start to her morning.

Meeting Albert
Cogworks
Age 15

Evelyn entered the classroom, clutching her books tightly. She had been the first one to arrive to class, the room completely empty. Honestly, it felt weird being in the room in total silence. But at least she had some time to herself before class started, she supposed. She glanced over at the clock. Ten minutes. She decided to pass the time by working on art homework that was due tomorrow, the class she was currently in.

Admittedly, art was probably Evelyn’s least favorite subject. Maybe it was because she wasn’t the most creative person. Maybe it’s because she simply wasn’t interested in it. Regardless, she always dreaded going to art class everyday. And today was no exception. She just wanted to get through class and go to the next one without any worries.

As she worked on her homework, Evelyn could hear the footsteps of another person entering the classroom. She looked over her shoulder, seeing that it was a boy around her age. She had to admit, he was quite handsome; fair skin, relatively tall, black hair, and bright blue eyes. He glanced over at her and smiled. “Hi.”

Evelyn blinked, startled for a moment. “Are you talking to me?” What a stupid question. Of course he’s talking to you. You’re the only other person in here. She cleared her throat. “Sorry. Hi.”

The boy laughed. “No, don’t worry about it. You’re fine.”

Well, at least he was nice about it. But was he only pretending? Or was he genuinely being nice? Evelyn wasn’t exactly sure, but she decided to brush it off and ignored the thought.

The bell rang for class to start, and the teacher and more students started to enter one by one. Evelyn put her things away, preparing to pay attention to the teacher. The teacher walked to the front of the classroom, eyeing the other students as they sat at their desks. “Good morning class. Let’s get started.” His voice was loud and booming, as if he wanted to make sure that everyone was paying attention to him.

While the teacher was talking, Evelyn suddenly received a note in front of her. It was brief, but she read it; What’s your name?

She looked around the room, wondering who sent her the note. It didn’t take her long to spot the one responsible, though. The same boy from earlier. She made eye contact with him and he waved at her. She smiled at him and waved.

But before she could respond, the teacher’s voice caught her off guard. “Miss Devoe, I hope that you’re not passing notes around during my class.” Evelyn clutched her necklace tightly, swallowing before she spoke. “Sorry, Sir. It won’t happen again. I promise.” The teacher gave her a skeptical look. “Make sure that it doesn’t.” He continued the lecture as if nothing had happened.

Evelyn could hear the giggles of some of her classmates after the teacher spoke. She slowly slumped down in her chair, as if she was trying to hide from everyone else. How embarrassing.

Right now, she just wanted to get out of the room and bolt as fast as she could. She just hoped that he wouldn’t tell her parents about it. Oh gosh, her parents. They would probably be furious if they found out. She was a noble, and a Devoe at that. They certainly wouldn't tolerate that. Growing up, they always had high expectations for Evelyn and her siblings. This would certainly not only put a stain on herself, but her family as well. A noble passing notes in class? How childish.

Evelyn sighed with relief as the bell rang and that class was over. “Have a good rest of your day, students” the teacher said. She stood up from her desk and pushed the chair in, exiting the classroom. What a great way to start the day. She wanted to go home and read a good book in her room. She would rather be there now than at school.


As Evelyn was walking to her next class, she felt a tap on her shoulder. “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?” She turned around, seeing the same boy again from class.. “Oh, hi again. Sure.”

The boy frowned, as if he felt guilty about what happened. “Sorry about the note. I wasn’t trying to get you into trouble, I swear.”

Evelyn gave him a reassuring smile. “No, it’s alright. It wasn’t your fault. I know you didn’t mean it. I don’t want my parents to find out, though.”

The boy was relieved, happy that Evelyn wasn’t angry at him. “My lips are sealed. I won’t tell anyone else about. Hopefully our teacher does the same.” He raised an eyebrow when she mentioned her parents. “Your parents, huh? That reminds me. He said that your last name is Devoe, didn’t he? So that means you’re a noble, correct?”

Evelyn chuckled at the boy’s words.”Good. It will be our secret.” She nodded her head. “Yes, I am. Though I guess that’s not surprising considering my last name. My family is pretty wealthy. We run the banks and store other people’s valuables. The Calicos are one of our biggest clients.” She knew the Calicos relatively well because of this; Eadric, Esmeralda, who was the same age as her, and Aarlyn. Then of course their parents. Adrian and Abigail. She didn’t really interact with the Calico children much besides some brief conversations at school, though, so she wasn’t really sure what to think of them.

The boy laughed along with Evelyn, listening with interest as she spoke. “The Calicos? Well, they do have control over jewels, so that would make sense. I’m guessing that you know them, then?” While Evelyn’s family was wealthy, the Calicos were the elite of the elite, being one of the wealthiest families in Voxthain. And it was no wonder they had such power and influence. He took note of that fact when she explained.

“I suppose you’re right” Evelyn said with a smile. She nodded her head as he asked the question. “I do, but I don’t really talk to them that much.”

“I see.” The boy dismissed the thought and changed the subject. “By the way, you never told me your name.”

“Oh, right. It’s Evelyn. My name’s Evelyn. What’s your name?”

“Evelyn.” The name rolled off his tongue nicely, he decided. “I like it. It’s a nice name. My name’s Albert. Albert Russo.”

Evelyn’s face turned slightly red as he complimented her name. “Thank you. I like your name, too.”

Albert chuckled lightly at Evelyn’s words. “Thank you as well. It’s nice to meet you, Evelyn.”


“It’s nice to meet you too, Albert.”

“You know, I like you, Evelyn. I want to get to know you better. As friends. What do you say we got to Cogbucks Cafe after school?”

“Sure, I would love to.”

“Perfect. See you later, Miss Devoe” Albert said in a joking voice.

Evelyn laughed. “See you later, Mr. Russo.”

Albert walked down the hallway towards his next class. Evelyn did the same thing, a grin spreading across her face as she walked. She had made a new friend. And she was looking forward to after school and getting to know him more.

Conversation With Parents
Devoe Estate
Age 18

School was particularly stressful today, and Evelyn was looking forward to going home. She had a lot of assignments due and figured that she should go straight to her room and get to work. She had too much work to worry about and not enough time for anything else at the moment. Oh well. She would just have to deal with it as quickly as possible and maybe read a book afterwards.

Evelyn had recently turned eighteen, meaning that this was her final year at Cogworks and that she would be graduating soon. Something that she hadn’t fully processed until recently. She couldn’t believe that she was already eighteen years old. Time was going by so fast, like she blinked and the day of her graduation was already here.

She thought back on her moments at Cogworks; from her first day there to learning her first spells, and, of course, Albert. Albert. Evelyn couldn’t help but smile every time she thought about him.

Though obviously she had no intentions of falling in love with him, she did. There was one problem, though; he was a commoner. Evelyn knew that her parents would never approve of the relationship, which was why she never told them. And she intended to keep it that way. In a way, Evelyn felt guilty about not telling them the truth. But she knew that they would be furious and make a big deal out of it. Honestly, she couldn’t understand it.

They had always expected Evelyn and her siblings to marry into other noble families. To keep their bloodline pure, she supposed. She couldn’t understand why they cared so much about that though. Her family may have been nobility and wealthy, but they weren’t the Calicos, Delacroixs, or Seaveys. Even the Thornes and Haydens were more well-known then the Devoes were. The Calicos had all of the wealth and jewels they could ask for. The Delacroixs had their masonry. The Seaveys had their precious newspaper. The Thornes had their healing magic and hospitals. And of course the Haydens had the Militia. And her family had the vaults. As she thought about it more, maybe that was why her parents were insistent on her and her siblings marrying other nobles. They would have connections to some of the most well-known noble families if they did. Honestly, Evelyn was surprised that her parents didn’t try to arrange for her or one of her siblings to marry into the Calico family since they were their biggest clients and closest allies. Not that she really cared anyway. Oh well.

Today was a cold day, and Evelyn took the time to dress appropriately; a dark green dress with black tights underneath, a long, black trench-style coat, and heels. Maybe the heels weren’t appropriate for the weather, but she didn’t worry about that. There was snow on the ground, making a crunching sound underneath her heels as she walked. Just a few more steps and she would be home.

As Evelyn made her way to the estate, she decided to head for the garden first. She wanted to pick a flower for Albert and give it to him at school tomorrow. She spotted a red rose. Perfect for Albert. It was covered with snow, but she quickly picked it up and brushed off the snow, placing it in her coat pocket and headed back to the front entrance.

When Evelyn opened the door, she was surprised to be greeted by her parents. She looked at their faces and could tell that they were mad. About what though she didn’t know. She cleared her throat before speaking. “Hello Mother and Father. What’s going on?”

Her mother took a few steps toward her, making direct eye contact. “Evelyn, we need to talk. In the kitchen. Now.” Without saying anything else, she grabbed Evelyn’s arm and made her way to the kitchen with her father following behind. They reached the kitchen, her mother letting go of her arm. “Sit down” she said in a firm voice.

Evelyn did as she instructed, sitting down in the chair closest to her mother. “What’s going on?”

Her father chimed in. “We would like to know the same thing. What were you thinking, child?”

“What are you talking about?”

Her mother slammed her hand on the table, clearly angry. “Don’t play dumb, Evelyn. We know everything. About your relationship with Albert.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “Albert? Wait, how did you -”

“We found this in your room.” Her father interrupted her, pulling out a piece of paper with writing on it. “This is from Albert, is it not?”

Evelyn grabbed the paper from her father and examined it. It looked familiar to her. As she read the paper, it hit her. It was a poem Albert had written for her when they first started dating. He signed his name at the bottom. “I’m sorry, Mother and Father. I didn’t mean for this to happen. If you would just let me explain -”

“There’s no need for an explanation” her mother said. “Our family has had a pure noble bloodline for generations, Evelyn. And now suddenly you meet this commoner and begin dating him? Do you realize what would happen if the other noble families find out and you even possibly marry him?”

“I know, Mother.” Oh no. Evelyn didn’t even think of that. The Seaveys would surely write about it if that actually did happen. And she didn’t even want to think of the possibility of that right now.

Her father sat down in the chair next to Evelyn. “How long have you been dating him?”

Evelyn fidgeted with her fingers, a rush of nervousness flowing through her. “Three years” she replied

Her father raised an eyebrow. “Three years? Evelyn, why didn’t you tell us this sooner?”

A twinge of guilt came through as her father spoke. She knew that she had disappointed her parents. And that was the worst feeling of all. “Because I knew that you would react like this. I knew that you would never approve of him since he’s a commoner.”

Her mother rubbed her temples with her hands. “ This is not good, Evelyn. You’re just like your sister.”

Evelyn arched an eyebrow. “My sister? What happened?”

“Charlotte has been dating a commoner as well. She refused to break up with him, so your father and I decided that she will be disowned once she turns eighteen.” Her father paused before continuing. “If she wants to stay with him, that’s her choice.”

All Evelyn could feel was shock and anger at her father’s words. “Charlotte has been cut off?” She couldn’t believe this was happening. If they were going to disown her younger sister, then surely they would disown her as well if she didn’t break up with Albert. Oh, Charlotte. Why did you have to be like me and date a commoner? She wanted to cry. No. Not in front of her parents. That would just make her look weak and pathetic.

Her mother nodded her head. “Yes. And if you don’t want that to happen to you, then I suggest you break up with Albert. It’s your choice, though.”

Her father spoke up again. “Look at us, Evelyn. What are you going to do?”

Evelyn made eye contact with her parents, silent for a few moments. She knew how difficult her choice would be. She truly did love her parents and wanted to make them proud. But she also loved Albert. What was she to do? No. Family and honor come first.

Finally, she spoke. “If you really want me to, I’ll break up with Albert. I’ll tell him at school tomorrow.”

Her father nodded approvingly. “Good” he said simply.

Her mother flashed a grin. “You may go to your room now.”


Evelyn stood up from her chair and went to her room, her head spinning. The moment she entered her room, she went to her bed and looked up at the ceiling. She grabbed the poem and the rose from her pocket and examined them again, clutching the piece of paper tightly against her chest. I’m sorry, Albert. Please forgive me tomorrow. She knew it would break her heart to split with him. But it would break her heart even more if she didn’t and disappointed her parents. But she couldn’t deny that she already had. And she would’ve been like her poor sister as well.