YP – B2: UtGoaFN – Chapter 30 (Chapter 76)

210 Days Until Emergency And the Uncertain End

It was early in the morning, far before the sun had risen and the world was still in dreamless slumber, that Evester’s mother awoke Evester from his nest of friends. Her eyes were dark, blood shot, cool, and warning him that something had gone dangerously wrong. Evester peeled himself from Kim’s grasp and away from Phil’s body, to follow his mother out the door, knowing that his friends had not remained asleep with her barging in.

“What?” He asked the moment that they were out the door and far enough down the hall that her screams would not wake the others, should they have remained asleep.

“Where is he?” Her fury seemed to seep through her skin like a volcano ready to explode.

“Zeydar? You know where he is.” Evester did not understand. She knew where Zeydar was. Had Zeydar been lost? The words warranted a slap from his mother, stunning Evester. Touching his cheek, he looked back at his mother who’s eyes did not change. Evester scoured his thoughts for what this could possibly mean.

“Remember that pain.” She shook her hand and continued her tirade. “In less than an hour the Stars will be upon us, questioning and trying to scrutinize us. We do not have time for you to slip up in this act. If you want to keep him, then we must protect our own.”

“What?” Evester’s hand dropped as the information stunned him. “They are coming here?”

“State of Emergency was called late last night by the Star and I only got word now. They are coming here first.” His mother sighed, rubbing her temples. She had gotten little sleep. Evester did not need to ask to know they were on their way because the Stars knew Zeydar had been interacting with them. 

“Heia’s family?” Evester thought of what needed to happen in order to keep their cover, and everyone safe. There was no time for panic.

“Endwin is creating the way to get them out of the house as we speak now.” His mother answered, confirming that Evester was the last one she’d talked to.

“Europa?” His sister would always be the first, after all, she was to take over the family.

“Calling our trusted staff.” His mother moved her hand to examine Evester’s face. “Connections are being called. Staff is getting prepped for the onslaught. We will be ready.”

When his mother’s hand dropped, her eyes glazed over in fury again. Evester knew his job, then. Dropping his eyes, his guard rose and only when he was ready did he return a glare to his mother.

“Where is he?” She demanded.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” Evester let the words come across as an accusation as if he were the victim as if she were the one in the wrong.

“How did you get this?” She roughly examined his face without all of the motherly tenderness that had been there before.

“Kim hit me while she was sleeping.” The lie came all too easily.

“Do you often sleep in the same room as Kim?” She asked a question that made Evester reevaluate what he had just said. He could not give them too much information. For he was not Evester. He had to be Aether.

“I got it by accident. I ran into a door as Endwin opened it.” Evester, as Aether, retried.

“Better.” His mother dropped his chin, and placed her hand on his shoulder. “You are not Evester anymore. Get changed.”

“Yes.” He would also have to get the others up. An hour was not enough time to pull this off, but they had no other choice. Evester left his mother’s side and returned to his bedroom.

“What happened?” Kim asked the moment he stepped in. She laid on the floor keeping his space to return to, a place he wanted to go but could not.

“Everyone get up.” Evester turned on the lights. Screams and curses sounded at the flicker of the brightness. “National Emergency has been called. Uly contact Rayda and Onyx they need to stay with Zeydar. Lynx, Crass, you need to go with Heiphillia’s family to make them disappear. We need to make them all disappear, or most of them. We can not let the Stars question too much.”

His words seemed hollow in the room until the movement began and Kim was tugging Evester into his disguise. Uly’s voice was lower than normal, giving his comands to Rayda before issuing radio silence until further notice. Lynx and Crass hopped into their clothes as Phil worked to clear the room of all signs of Evester. They needed to pretend he wasn’t himself.

They did not have much time to work out the kinks in the plan, and Evester couldn’t watch and guide them as they raced to make Heiphillia’s family disappear. Evester had to trust them, that was all he had that was acceptable in the moment. If he could not accept them disappearing her family…

EverDanger always trusted each other. There was no space for doubt or worry. Letting Kim disguise him was the foremost thought he could have, other than the lies that had to become truth. He ran over his backstory until he wasn’t sure it was fake and then he readied himself. They had to ensure that this surprise did not destroy them completely. 

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