Friday Treat

 Happy Friday, everyone. A few people have been asking for snippets or alternate POVS and since this is a holiday weekend for my section of the world, what better time to share. 

Unfortunately, Eva 2's draft is in a state of flux so instead of the first chapter I'd originally planned, I'm sharing a scene that is in my cut pile at the moment. If I remember right, I replaced this with an alternate version, but now reading this again, I'm wondering if there is a place for it after all. :-p The joys of being a writer.

Cut Scene -- At least for now...

A low pitched drone surrounded Eva. 

“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” a young girl said as Eva wavered at the edge of the mist wall.

There was a call coming from inside it. One that reverberated in her head, making her forget who she was.

A girl stood beside her, her face arranged in a serious frown as she looked out at the mist.

Her appearance was far younger than her voice would suggest. That of a girl around seven or eight.  She looked older than the first time Eva met her, but children that age always seemed to grow as fast as weeds. 

If you blinked, you’d miss it. 

“Mist in front of the mist. How appropriate.”

“Yes, I sometimes wonder whether my parents had some inkling of my future and whose daughter I’d end up being.” 

Eva couldn’t help but agree. There was a certain poetry about a pathfinder who had a talent for navigating the mysterious and sometimes deadly mist, ending up adopting a girl with the  same name. 

It almost enough to make one believe in fate.

“Why are you here?” Eva asked, leaving the questions of Mist's name behind.

This wasn’t the first time Mist had wandered into one of Eva’s dreams. 

A myien like Eva, Mist had the ability to travel in other people’s dreams. It allowed her to communicate over great distances. Eva suspected there were other purposes around her ability but had been careful not to ask.

Some secrets weren't meant to be shared.

One thing was clear, the Mist in her dreams was far different than the one in real life. Here, she was wise beyond her years. With a knowledge that eclipsed Eva's. She understood things. Saw things in a way most wouldn't understand.  

It made Mist mysterious. Something Eva was content to ignore since it didn’t seem like Mist meant her any harm. The opposite in fact.

“Things are changing,” Mist said. 

“Is that why you’re here?” 

Mist didn’t answer, staring into the haze as if she could see into the other side. 

Eva knelt at her side, reaching out and taking her hand. “Mist?”

Mist finally looked at Eva. Emotion moved behind her eyes. 

She was scared, Eva realized. Fear in every line of her face.

“War has come.”

Eva drew back slightly.

“He has made his move. You must top him.”

“Mist, who is he. What does that mean?” Eva asked as dread stole through her.

“The caller will either unite us or watch us fall. She will be our salvation or our doom. Trust wisely, Speaker. Not all who call you have your best interests at hand.” Mist’s expression was distant, her eyes unseeing.

Eva shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

Mist suddenly focused on her, the full weight of her gaze bearing down on Eva. “You don’t have time to be lost. We need you.”