Ancestry Revived: Ch 7

Instructions

{[ 7 ]} Still running, Ava turns a corner at a cluster of trees, still trying to lose Costanza. Gripping the scissors tightly in her palm, bag swaying against her side, Ava's heart pounding- despite Costanza starting to run out of breath, they still run. At some point, Costanza punches a code into her c00lgui, summoning a glitchy rope to catch Ava by the ankle and trip her, making her fall to the ground. Putting her c00lgui away, she tackles her sister, keeping her on the ground. "Get OFF me!" Ava screams, trying to flip her older sister off and over. Coz keeps her pinned down, "Not until you explain what you're doing with those scissors!" Ava kicks and struggles, her hands randomly starting to get hotter and hotter. "I said... GET OFF ME!" Grabbing onto Costanza's suspenders tightly, they suddenly ignite into flames. Both sisters cry out in surprise, Costanza rolling off of Ava so as not to burn her either. Ava simply watches in horrified silence as she witnesses Coz scream in pain while simultaneously ripping her suspenders off, leaving her in smoldering shirt and leggings underneath. Both watch in horror as the flames lick up Costanza's treasured piece of clothing, turning them to ashes and melting her collectable pins. Coz trembles in fear as traumatic memories rise up into her head. The fire... how the building had burnt to the ground... it was all her fault, and she had done it out of such jealously and spite. Attention-grabber... and yet she had still never told Elliot it was her. She drops to her knees, silently hugging herself. Ava, though she knows it's wrong, takes the opportunity to stand up and flee, running with the scorching hot scissors in her hand. Approaching a clearing, Ava instantly sets down the bag that had been bouncing at her hip with her every movement and grabs a clump of her hair. She knows what to do. Cutting her long hair down to shoulder-length and adopting a less feminine look, 'she' is no longer 'Ava'. 'He' is 'Ashten'. Finally feeling confident in his own body- that is, until he hears the agitated yell of his sister, "AVA, WHERE ARE YOU?! YOU'LL PAY FOR RUINING MY COLLECTABLES!" He jumps, muttering to himself, "Oh boy..." Instantly dropping everything, he doesn't notice the literal red-hot scissors he left behind as he goes blindly running through the forest again. Continuing his fast sprint through the foliage, Ashten glances back to make sure Costanza isn't following him. Mistake. He instantly crashes into somebody, sending both of them flying to the ground. Unbeknownst to him, the utter surprise causes his hands to cool themselves down. Ashten instantly stands up, getting off of whoever he had crashed into. "I-I'm so sorry! I..." He pauses, eyes analyzing exactly who it was that he had bumped into. Instantly, he reaches his hand out to help them up. Evie looked up at him, taking his hand. "Oh, that's alright. You probably just weren't looking where you were going, I don't blame you." After pulling herself up, Evie realized she'd never met this person before. He tilts his head, still holding onto Ashten's hand. "I.. don't believe we've met before." Ashten nods, nervously laughing, "Uhm, yeah. I'm..." He wasn't sure how to answer her. If he told her she was Ashten, would she tell everyone else? But then again, he didn't want to say he was Ava. He rephrased his sentence instead, "Er, who are you-?" She slightly laughs, the sound of her light, free laughter making Ashten's heart pound for some reason. She answered, "I'm Evie. It's alright if you won't tell me your name yet. I understand." Evie looks Ashten up and down before concluding, "I'll call you 'Goldie' for now." She gestured to his short cut, golden-blonde hair. Ashten smiles, finally letting go of her hand. "Ah, yeah... I think that makes me feel a little better... hah..." Evie smiles back, and just at the sight, Ashten's face briefly turns red. 'What is HAPPENING?!' He thought, bewildered by the effect that Evie was seeming to have on him. Evie offered a friendly, lopsided smile. "So, Goldie, what're you doing all the way out here?" They talked for a while, Evie's normal fears drifting away, and Ashten's worry about the sudden fire and Costanza fading off. It seemed they had quite the compatibility. Neither one wanted to budge from their spot. Ashten only prayed that if he ever decided to tell her his true name, she wouldn't judge.