Ch. 13
Evan’s Saturday had been stolen away, but he was determined to keep his Sunday all to himself. He was going to ignore all incoming calls, texts, and emails, and all day would be dedicated to bingeing his shows like never before. The only flaw in his grand plan was the lacking supply of snacks in his room. What’s a movie marathon without delicious treats? So, Evan amended his plan to include one trip to the outside world to procure provisions from the convenience store on campus.
It was a beautiful sunny day. Due to it being the weekend, there weren’t many other souls wandering the campus, which Evan was thankful for. The fewer chance encounters he had, the fewer opportunities fate would have to ruin his lazy plans. The path he walked to the convenience store was a new one for him, so he took some time to take in the sights along the way. There was a pond filled with ducks and geese and a park complete with fun equipment for children to play on. But what caught Evan’s attention the most was the heavy concentration of pink Sakura trees as he got closer to the store.
Petals fell with the wind, covering the path with a pink hue. Whatever magic had been applied to these trees to keep them in perpetual bloom was not wasted in Evan’s view. Each tree was like a work of art, and it inspired dreams of creating something equally as beautiful some day when he mastered his power. Each tree was worthy of admiration, but as he continued down the path, Evan came across one tree that stood out grander than all the rest.
This tree was far bigger than any others he had seen. It stood alone on top of a hill surrounded by a clearing as if highlighting the tree’s importance. Its trunk was thick and strong, and it had countless branches reaching high into the sky full of pink petals. Evan found himself stepping off the path and up the hill, drawn in by the tree’s beauty.
“Amazing,” Evan said as he stood before the tree.
It was so huge up close. Did these types of trees usually grow so large? Maybe there really was something special about this one. Evan reached out his hand to touch the trunk, but before he could make contact, a woman yelled loudly from nearby.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing!? Get away from there right now!”
Startled, Evan stumbled backwards quickly with his hands raised up in surrender.
“What’s wrong?” he said as he turned to face the woman who had called out.
The woman glowering at him as she marched up the hill was an older Asian lady Evan had never met before. She wore a wide brim hat, and her long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was also wearing overalls and gardening gloves. Was this one of the groundskeepers?
“Don’t give me that!” she said pointing a finger in his face. “I know what you were up to! You kids, always wanting to carve your names into the trees. Not on my watch!”
“I wasn’t going to do that,” Evan said. “I was just going to touch it.”
“You can’t do that either!” she said shooing him down the hill.
“I can’t touch a tree!?”
“No! You’ll infect it!”
“That’s ridiculous,” Evan said. “Am I going to give it a cold or something?”
“Who knows what nasty dark spirits you have in your body,” the woman said. “Just stay away, and don’t touch the trees!”
“You’re crazy,” Evan said returning to the walking path with a shake of his head.
Evan continued to grumble about the crazy old lady as he finished his trip to the convenience store. Once there, he quickly turned his mind to more important things, such as which snacks and drinks were most critical to the success of his movie and anime binge. He spent half an hour shopping before finally making his selections. He then left the store with several bags in each hand feeling content with his haul. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
“Evan Matthews!”
For the second time in less than an hour, a woman ran up to him yelling. He initially thought it was tree lady again, but when he saw who was approaching, he discovered someone much younger. This woman had long curly dark brown hair, and she was dressed much more casually. She was holding her phone out in front of her like a microphone as she approached.
“Evan,” she said catching her breath after running to his side. “My name is Leticia Lopez. I work for the Tourmaline Times. I was hoping I could have a moment of your time for a quick interview.”
Evan had heard about the local newspaper and even visited their website. From what he had gathered during his first week, it was the best place to get the low down on any gossip sweeping through the city. He wasn’t surprised they were interested in him.
“Uhh, I don’t think I want to right now,” he said, indicating his sacks of food. “Maybe another time.”
Evan walked away and back towards the dorm, but Leticia followed closely, unwilling to be pushed aside so easily.
“Just a few questions,” she said. “What’s it like coming to Tourmaline from the outside? Has it been difficult adjusting to life here?”
Evan shrugged his shoulders and walked faster. Of course, the young reporter followed suit.
“What’s it feel like knowing you’re the only hope for so many species to avoid extinction?”
“…”
“Have any families contacted you about--”
“That’s enough.”
A firm hand gripped Leticia’s shoulder and forced her to stop. Evan’s faithful guardian had appeared.
“You did well slipping past us,” Robin said. “But the fun’s over now.”
“Hehe,” Leticia said looking away in shame.
“Leave or I’ll be forced to charge you with harassment.”
“No, no. I’m leaving,” Leticia said, waving her hands while backing away. “Get in touch if you feel like telling your story later Evan! Bye!”
So, just as suddenly as she appeared, she was gone.
“Thanks,” Evan said. “She was getting annoying.”
“I apologize,” Robin said. “We’ve been keeping the reporters from badgering you, but she must have been hiding near the convenience store just for the small chance that you would show up.” Read the latest chapters at novelping.com.
“It’s ok,” Evan said. “It’s not like she was going to hurt me or anything.”
“Please allow me to escort you back to the dorm in case there are more of them around,” she said.
“Ok, sure.”
Evan made some small talk as they got on their way down the walking path. He had just finished offering Robin some candy when they came up to the hill with the big Sakura tree. The tree lady from before was still standing at the top of the hill, and she glared at Evan the entire time they were passing by. It was like she expected him to whip out an ax and start chopping down the tree at any second.
“Jeez, what’s that lady’s problem?” Evan said, indicating the old lady with his thumb. “She totally hates me just cause I was going to touch that tree. She was even talking about dark spirits and stuff. Crazy, right?”
“Ah, yes, she’s very sensitive about that,” Robin said with a small nod.
“About the tree?”
“About dark spirits.”
“That’s a real thing?” Evan said.
“Yes,” Robin said. “And some can be passed between living things like viruses, which is why she scares people away from that tree.”
“Huh,” Evan said. “Do I really have dark spirits on me, or in me, or whatever?”
“No, you don’t,” she said. “While they exist, dark spirits are rare. They wouldn’t show up in Tourmaline so easily.”
“So… is a dark spirit like a ghost?”
“Not exactly,” Robin said. “Spirits are sentient masses of magic. They form naturally under the right conditions, and the oldest ones can develop intelligence similar to humans. Dark spirits are those formed by negative energy, often under the influence of black magic. They…typically do not have good will towards living creatures.”
“What do they look like?”
“They have no shared shape or form,” Robin said. “And their abilities vary greatly as well. The only thing they have in common is their love of chaos and destruction.”
“Wow,” Evan said trying to imagine what she described. “Have you seen one before?”
“No.”
“Well, I learn something new every day,” Evan said. “I still think that old lady is crazy, though.”
It didn’t take them long to reach the dormitory after that, and Robin allowed Evan to return to his room alone. He spent a few minutes putting away all his new snacks and drinks before he fell into his chair with a satisfied sigh. Evan spent the rest of the day just as he wished, bingeing junk food and shows. It was a perfect way to recharge before another week of school.