Into the Eververse: 1-13

By Alice Evelynn

The world that you live in works in mysterious ways, but what if you were told that your world was just one of many? In an alternate dimension, a young girl with extraordinary abilities is destined for greatness. Alice Evelynn is on a journey of a lifetime to stop the apocalypse from destroying the world as we know it. On the way, she will meet friends, allies and, of course, dastardly enemies. The only problem that Alice has is that she has no idea whatsoever that any of this is going to happen. So, like her, you shall be given a warning before you read this book.
The things that happen in Alice’s life are not for the light-hearted. It is blood, guts and gore galore full of murders. Beheadings, rotting corpses and some of the most colourful language that you may ever read. So, as you read the book in your hands, don’t say that we didn’t warn you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Apr 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781528992091

Alice Evelynn

Author of Into the Eververse: 1-13, Alice studies writing and publishing at the University of Derby. An avid reader and content creator herself, she hopes to inspire others to write, to read, or to do whatever makes one happy and hopeful.

Book preview

you…

Chapter 1

The Harshest Winter

I was once told that sometimes the hardest task in life is the one where you have to be brave, where you have to know there is going to be pain but you try to complete the task anyway. The mind is one of the most powerful things in the world, you just have to know how to wield it, like how a blacksmith knows how to craft the most powerful of weapons. I remember something that was whispered to me once. This person was strong and was one of the most important and influential beings I would ever know. He told me that ‘the mark of maturity is known when you try to understand a situation instead of trying to battle it’. In youth, I never quite understood what he meant but now, now that I am older, I do…if only I had done a long time ago.

I was such a fool.

I wanted to write down in words everything that had happened to me in my life so that one day you’d understand, wherever you will be.

I had a problem though when I first put ink to paper. I didn’t have the foggiest clue on how to begin this woeful tale but then I knew. All I had to do was write the truest sentence I knew that would set you off on the journey of my life. Some believe that the best place to start is the beginning.

I, however, don’t.

I suppose I should start on the day that everything began to collapse, when everything began to crumble underneath me. It was a very long time ago I must confess but it was a day I don’t think that I would ever forget.

Snow.

There was an abundance of snow that day, it fell from the heavens, falling to the ground, turning it white. I remember that it was one of the coldest days in history but that did not stop my brother and I venturing out into the freshly fallen snow, leaving our footprints in the blanket, like words on a piece of parchment.

You know, the strangest thing about winter is that there are so many connotations and meanings that come with that particular season. Some people see beauty whilst others see death. A child would see the wonder in the white whereas adults would see the blistering cold that could cause people to perish. We were children at this current time so it was the wonder that we saw.

My brother was my twin. He was my best friend. I loved that we could spend every waking minute with each other and not become bored. I would’ve spent longer with him if I had known what was going to happen that day but because I didn’t know what was going to unfold that day, I could do nothing more than what was the norm.

I believe the year was 1839. We were six years old and it was the month of January. A rather cold January that year, I may add. The morning started like any other; our nanny, Ursula, would wake us up by sauntering into our bedroom and opening the curtains. The brightness of the boiling sun would blind us and we would always complain about the pain that welled in our eyes but we would get out of bed and dress. Adam would always wear his coloured shirts and trousers that matched in shades. That day he wore blue. I, on the other hand, would always wear a dress and an apron over the top of it, my hair in plats, falling down the sides of my face. My favourite dress to wear was green and the apron on that day was white – it usually was. My mother liked me to wear those clothes and I never wanted to disobey her wishes, for in fear of…

Ursula would then herd us out of bedroom and we would go downstairs into the dining room where our parents and older sister would already be sitting. My sister, Crystal, was much older than we and had blonde hair that she would always have up and out of the way of her sky-blue eyes. Crystal wasn’t a person who would mess around or smile all that much, even as a child. I never knew if it was who she was or what our parents wanted her to be. Father was always hard on her, and Mother never had the courage to disagree. During my days now, wherever I was at the time I wrote this, I would often think of her and wish that I had tried to have more of a connection with her. Family…it never is easy.

I would never get in her way as she would complain and shout, then proceed to walk out of the room I was in. I don’t know why. It was as though she knew some dark secret that I was unaware of. Even if she would talk to me, I highly doubt she would spill her secrets that she kept so very close to her chest, she was stubborn like that.

My mother and father were also sitting at the table. My mother’s face was soft and full of love, compassion and happiness. In contrast, Father was very similar to my sister. In my childhood, it was a rare occasion to see my father smile or even let loose a single syllable of laughter. I never would have known he loved my mother if he didn’t put a kiss on her cheek every so often but sometimes I felt as though he was obligated to kiss her. Seraphina was a loving mother and would read my brother and I a story or sing us to sleep on some nights. Her hair was the same colour as mine, black like a raven’s wing, our eyes were different. Mine were like emeralds and hers were blue, a beautiful blue that captivated her own beauty.

As we entered the room, Mother welcomed Adam and I to the table to eat our breakfast which was prepared by the house chef and other servants. Since our family was so wealthy, we could always afford the most delicious ingredients, even the exotic kind, to use. We sat down on the chairs next to each other and I could feel Crystal’s icy glare creep up on me, as usual. Father was reading the morning newspaper and hardly looked up from it for the entire duration of the meal. He hardly talked to us in the morning anyway. I didn’t notice as much when I was younger but as an adult, Mother would always remark on how her husband would only show any ounce of delight when he was close to leaving for another one of his voyages.

Charles Evelynn was a businessman, and a harsh one at that, and one thing that his heart loved more than anything was money and wealth. He wore an ugly sneer on his face, and he wore it well. He looked disgusted so often that I couldn’t tell what his true face was. The Evelynn family had always been rich, we never had to worry, we had the wealth of money and finery but it seemed that it was never enough for my father. He always wanted more. Pure greed and nothing more.

Mother was always different though, all she wanted was love and family and sometimes at night I would see her cry. She always tried to hide her tears, it hurt me deeply that she felt like she had to hide, I believe that it was in fear of my father. Seraphina would only cry when she was alone. Why did she think that she had to look strong in front of us? I knew she cried more after this day, and so did I and like her, I knew how to hide my pain, and sometimes I wasn’t even aware of it.

I took the last mouthful of my breakfast and placed the cutlery beside my plate. I waited for Adam to finish before I spoke up. I played with my apron, twiddling the cotton through my fingertips. I could feel a disapproving glare aimed at me.

Mother?

Mother looked up from her plate and batted her eyes. Yes, Alice?

Please may we go outside and play?

Mother looked to Father and waited for his approval, he poked his head up from behind the newspaper. Have you any lessons today?

No, Father. It’s Saturday today.

He paused, and I gulped. He always did frighten me with his silence. I could hear him grunt under his breath.

Very well.

I looked to the side and saw a smile raise on Adam’s face.

You two are excused, Mother’s gentle voice reassured us.

We hopped down from our seats and both of us thanked Ursula as we left the dining hall but before we completely left the room, we heard Mother’s voice pipe up.

Make sure you two wrap up otherwise you’ll catch your death!

We will! we shouted back in unison unaware that her words would become ironic after that day.

As we walked through the long and windy corridor, we saw our great grandmother, Allison, wander down with her walking stick by her side. She was frail on the outside but inside, Allison was a wise woman and had a very strong personality that would come out of her in the form of a thick Scottish accent. Her wispy hair was down as always, trailing down her back. The orbs for her eyes sparkled blue with a certain, untameable wisdom that could not be taught. You were either born with it or not.

She moved from a small island outside of Scotland to Sussex when she was a young woman with her husband, Solomon, and her new-born baby daughter, Celeste, my great aunt. Solomon often stayed in his bedroom or study during the winter as he detested the cold and Celeste lived in Glasgow but would sometimes visit us in the warmer seasons. Allison didn’t notice us and went into one of the many drawing rooms. I shrugged and looked to Adam. We continued down the corridor until we reached the cloakroom.

I went inside the room and was almost lost in the many, many coats, hats and scarves inside the room. Our items were in the far corner and I was swarmed in them as I brought them back outside into the corridor. We put on the coats which were thick and blanketed us in its warmth. Our ears were protected in the hats, our little fingers in the gloves and our necks in the embrace of the scarves and then we opened the door to enter the wonderland of snow that was awaiting us.

*

My future lay before me in the form of a blanket of snow. I had to be careful how I tread because this was the path that would define me and my life but I had no clue at the time. If I had any idea what would happen that day, I would have stayed inside the comfort of my home and be snuggled beside Adam in front of the fire. We would be listening to my mother’s gentle voice as she read us a story of adventure. There were always happy endings in the books that she would read but unfortunately life is not full of happy endings and in my life there were very few.

As I’ve said though, I didn’t know what would happen so I ran outside to play in the snow without a care or worry in the world. Snowflakes fell onto my rosy cheeks and melted into the skin, lightly freezing me. I watched the scene in front of me. The many trees and bushes in the garden were covered in white blankets and the shades of green were vibrant against the snow.

The garden of our house was huge and stretched over the surrounding lands, full of life and nature. In the middle of the garden laid a fountain crafted of marble with a dragon in the centre with an orb in its mouth, it had a silver shade to it but I never paid much mind to it. Small creatures would make their homes in the trees, bushes and other shrubbery. In the spring, it was easy to spot the rabbits hiding in the leaves. The perimeter of the garden stopped just before the woods, Mother warned us to not go in.

We never did.

We never reached that far anyway. On that day, though, the wind was stronger than usual. It pulled us away from the flowerbeds that lay dormant beside the conservatory, past the frozen fountain that was in the centre of the garden, and the wind stopped next to the family cemetery.

Our family has endured many years of life on this earth and when Allison moved away from her home on the island, she had designed the family’s resting place, whilst Solomon built the house. I always thought it was odd that the graveyard was created before the house but Allison was a slightly strange woman which seemed to be a common feature of the Evelynn women. My great aunt Bethany, great uncle Elliot and great uncle Kai were buried in there. I once asked how they did die and after the answer that Allison gave, I didn’t ask again. She was distraught. I didn’t know how she felt about them otherwise I would have never brought it up but I was a child then and children don’t know any better. To this day, I never found out what happened to them, I doubted that I would ever find out.

Solomon was buried there too and Allison had already placed her grave there even though she was still very much alive, and would most likely be on this earth for several more years. Allison would often tell us stories about her husband and how she longed to be reunited with him again but the gods would not let her depart from this life. Even at the age of 90, Allison had more life in her than most. For some reason, which I do not know the answer to, my family did not believe in the same gods as other people did in Sussex. We were not Christian, we did not follow the normal traditions of our neighbours, not like we had any either. Our home was in the middle of nowhere after all. I believe that we had norse heritage but Allison would talk about a land known as Enternalore but according to my father, there was no such place as that. It was just the ravings of an old woman. I loved those stories, though, they just seemed so magical. Oh, how I wished they were real…

Out in the garden, Adam and I played in the snow. The frost touched our noses and the cold flittered at our skin as though it was asking us to play some more and so we did. If only I had turned around. If only had I noticed that we were too close to the wood then maybe…he’d still be here.

Laughing and running around, I wished that the day continued as such but wishes don’t come true…do they? The snow was no longer the shade of white that day. I wished that someone told us not to go outside.

Oh why? Why did I ask?

*

Today I hate the silence. Silence is deafening. To be trapped in silence is to be trapped with one’s own thoughts. Sometimes, though, you need the silence around you so the mind and the body can be reconnected. Sometimes we need the silence so that we can explain what the heart is feeling but the silence, for me, is the most powerful scream that can be conjured from your soul.

That day was so long ago but it’s one of those days that you can’t forget. I won’t. I lost him that day and it took me so long to find him again but he wasn’t the same person as the one I lost. I just – Gods, I just want him back.

I remember as we played, the world around us had grown quiet. It was far too quiet. I could hear us breathe. At the time, of course, I thought nothing of it. The world around us was usually quiet. Then as I finished building the snow fort we were creating, Adam wandered off to find some sticks and stones. I was building for a long time and when I finished, I knew something wasn’t quite right. Adam had been gone for a very long time and he still wasn’t back. I dropped the snow I was holding, hearing it crunch as it hit the fall, and walked away from the fort. I looked around the garden and I saw nothing. There was no trail in the snow that led back to the house so he must’ve gone the other way but the other way was in the direction of the woods. I wasn’t supposed to go that way. Now, right then, I could’ve easily walked back into the house and asked for help but my father would’ve yelled at both of us so I went to look for Adam on my own. A foolish mistake, indeed, as I eventually came to learn.

I had never been that close to the woods before, I didn’t really know why. Father informed us that it was dangerous and that children should never go in there alone, that no one should go alone if not at all. Mother reassured us though that there was nothing in there that could even remotely harm us. How wrong she was…As I got closer to the woods, the darker the sky became. My eyes darted around the world and I saw no glimpse of my brother. I should’ve turned back then but I didn’t. I was such a fool. A young childish fool who should’ve known better.

*

You left me alone and so did everyone else. I cannot breathe as I’m suffocating from loneliness. I hurt inside because I had no one left. You left me first and they must have followed you. You were always the leader…and I was the sheep that could no longer follow.

*

I shouted his name until I couldn’t shout any more. I didn’t know how much time had passed but I know it had been an eternity. I wasn’t going to give up. He was alive. He had to be…

I wandered through the snow with determination. I had to try and find him even if it took me all night. I reached the edge of the garden and stood by the wall that was the barrier between my garden and the wood. I let out a sigh and climbed over the stones and landed on the other side with a thump. Dazed, I shook my head to get the snow off my face. I rose to my feet and looked around. I had never been inside of the woods before but they were beautiful. You could hear the birds sing and the small woodland creatures scurry around on the earthy ground. It was almost peaceful. Yet, I had a task so the peacefulness would have to wait.

I wandered through the woods for a while but there was no sign of Adam then I heard the most awful sound of shrieking I had ever heard. The sounds still haunt my dreams to this day. I picked up my speed and ran in its direction. I couldn’t find anything. I paused when the shrieking stopped. I waited. Then it happened again. This time the sounds were louder. It was the sound of someone screaming. I ran again. I ran faster and faster until it stopped again. The birds were screeching loudly and the flutter of their wings were as loud as the beating of my heart inside of my chest, itching to break free though my skin.

I could hear my breathing increase in volume and the anxiety was making it harder to concentrate and the breathing began to come out in ragged pants. I stopped beside a nearby tree to catch my breath and to compose myself. I crept out from behind the trunk and silently stepped through the snow. I wondered if I was quieter I would be able to find Adam easier. It didn’t make it easier. I could see the fog come out from my mouth. It was freezing and I could see the faint sight of ice growing on my gloves and sleeves.

As I walked further into the woods, I began to see a trail of footprints. They were similar to my own. I gasped, coming to a realisation I knew that Adam has the same size feet as me! They must’ve been his so I started to follow them. I followed them for a long time but something dawned on me. I had walked past the same tree nearly three times. I had been going in circles. I was lost. How was I supposed to find him now? Another horrid thought bloomed in my mind. How was I supposed to get home? I was going to be in so much trouble after this…if I ever managed to get home…

Then, after I thought I lost all hope I saw something in the snow. I crept closer to the sight. I didn’t know what it was but I saw something that was an image that had never left me…even as an adult I still saw the red when I closed my eyes to go to sleep. I moved closer…and closer…I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. My mouth as agape in shock and terror. There was blood stained on the snow. The red was so vibrant against the snow. I – I didn’t know what to do.

My knees gave out and I landed in the snow next to the patches of blood. I wasn’t completely sure whose blood it was but all of the clues were there. Adam. It must’ve been Adam’s blood. Everyone else was inside. Oh no. Everyone else was inside…and we weren’t. Who was going to know that I was out here. Father said that children should not be alone in the woods and I was. I clambered to my feet and backed away fearfully from the scene but before I could turn around I felt something sharp rip through the cloth of my coat and dig into my back. Out of shock, I did not scream albeit I gasped in pain. I fiercely snapped around and the sight that was in front of me frightened me to my core. I felt myself shaking, trembling in absolute fear but I hadn’t the foggiest clue on what to do. I couldn’t move from my spot but I had to find the will inside to run. The wind picked up at that moment. To me it seemed as though the wind was trying to warn me of danger yet I did not know where I was. My head shot up and I tried to see where I was but the storm around me made it impossible to see. I was blinded by the hundreds of snowflakes that were soaring through the sky. Although everything around me was white, I could see the blood. I prayed it wasn’t his and that it was mine instead but I could not think of that at that precise moment. I had to run.

Where should I run? I couldn’t run further forward as the claws would just chase me but I couldn’t run home otherwise my family would be in grave danger. It was a conundrum. My ebony locks slapped me in the face as I ran away and I knew I shouldn’t have looked back. I was always such a curious being. Even in the face of danger, I would search for more. Arguably, that day defined me as a person. On that day, I really became the girl I was meant to be but I did not know it then. All I wanted was to forget that day but I was constantly reminded of what I lost.

A mangled limb was dragging me down. The claws had attacked me one again but they sliced into my leg leaving multiple gashes against my pale skin. So much blood was splattered against me and the snow. A horrible sight indeed but in the distance I could see the outline of the wall I had climbed over. Panting, I raced over through the snow. It was a difficult task and I was so very close. Just as I placed my hand on one of its cracked stones I felt the claws wrap around my wounded leg. Screaming, I was pulled down onto the ground, my chin grinded against the wall leaving a graze. I cried out in pain as I was dragged violently through the snow…

Just then when I thought all hope was lost, I heard a familiar shout climbing over the wall. Their feet landed into the battered snow, looking up I couldn’t quite see who it was but through my blackening vision I saw the figure fight the creature that had attacked me. I could’ve cried out in relief but my energy was failing me. I felt my head loll against the snow and everything turned black.

The pain that comes with loss is not one to take lightly.

Pain comes in beats, gradually becoming more damaging until you learn to let go.

Darkness

That was the last thing I remember. I felt the cold spread across my face and I trembled, the world around me was bleak and painfully quiet. I couldn’t hold back the tears that were welling in my eyes but they never fell when I landed on the cracked ground. I felt arms pull me and I was lifted up and placed against a familiar chest. I would’ve given my gratitude but I was already passed out.

The thing about the darkness that had always piqued my curiosity was the way it pulls you into its hold and brings you down, suffocating you until you can’t open your eyes. For weeks after that day I would not be able to sleep unless there was some amount of light in my room, even if there was just a fragment.

When I woke up again, I knew there was something terribly wrong and out of place. I was in my room and Adam wasn’t there. A dark and daunting truth unveiled itself when I saw the lily on his bed. I closed my eyes and pulled my legs to my chest. I huddled into a ball and let loose a few stray tears onto my knees. I had learnt a long time ago how to master the art of crying silently. ‘Evelynns don’t cry,’ my father would often remark. My eyes widened at the thought of Father. What would he do when I walked out of my room? He would never believe the truth if I told him. I couldn’t move.

Maybe if I stayed in my bed, he wouldn’t ask me. He didn’t come into our room an awful lot. When he was home, he worked. When he was away on his trips, he worked. It was only work that sufficed his heart. I lifted my head up when I heard the door creek open. Fearing the worst, I forced my head back down onto my knees. If I couldn’t see who it was, they couldn’t either. I felt something plop onto my bed and snuggle against my leg. I slowly pulled my head up and saw that it was my cat.

I unravelled myself and patted my leg for my cat to come closer. Chess was her name. I was given her after winning my first chess game with my uncle, Tsva. Tsva was my mother’s older brother. He didn’t visit an awful lot but it was always a pleasure to see him. He lived with his wife, Mariette, and three children. The two sons, Edmund and Percival, were Crystal’s age which is fourteen and Inga was a couple of months younger than Adam and I. Edmund and Percival did not always see eye to eye with me on many subjects. Just because they’re older than me doesn’t necessarily mean they’re right, Inga, on the other hand, was much easier to get along with. She wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed but she had spirit. Inga always liked to play with me and she would tell stories of her home. The Lunarhill residence wasn’t as large as Everwood and did not have as much land either but it was situated by a town in the mountains where the most beautiful silk was sold. Aunt Mariette would often wear such material when she visited and would give some of her purchases to us. Although she was extremely beautiful, she was not the kind to be narcissistic about herself, unlike my Aunt Petal. Petal was the oldest of the Lunarhill siblings and it was clear to me that she wasn’t the most polite person in the world. Mother would often say that Crystal was very much like Petal when she was that age but I don’t think it was a compliment.

I sat on my bed, my eyes red and puffy from crying, stroking Chess and softly smiling as she purred. I sighed. I did not know what to do. I could step out into the corridor and be frightened by Father or I could stay in my room and be frightened by the fact I would have to eventually leave. I shook my head in annoyance and jumped off my bed. Looking down, I saw that I was in my nightgown and that the cuts that we over my body were faded away, as if they were never there to begin with. Fascinating. However, I was confused. How long had it been? Did it even happen? Where was Adam? I had so many thoughts rushing through my head that I was getting a migraine. I placed a hand to my temple, my eyes scrunched together in bewilderment. I walked around the marble floor of my room until I reached the door. I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath to compose myself. My shaking hand fitted itself against the doorknob and I gently turned it. Creeking, the door opened and I stepped out. A frozen wind bloomed through the corridor and I shuddered and the sudden descent in temperature. I pulled my arms to my chest as my small feet tapped against the carpeted floor. I couldn’t hear many voices except for the maids conversing with one another, a few dipped their heads as I walked past them. Their eyes were solemn and were glistening with sympathy. I ignored them and continued to walk.

I reached the stairway and I held onto the rail as though my life depended on it. Taking a step at a time, I wandered down the stairs. My leg twinged slightly when I put pressure on it but it would never hurt as much as it had down when those fiendish claws sliced into my tender skin. Grimacing at the memory, I pushed those thoughts aside and carried on descending down the stairs. As I reached the bottom, I heard voices coming from the main drawing room. I heard my mother’s soft voice talking to my sister and someone else. I sneaked around to the door and peeked through the thin gap that was in the middle of the door and the wall. I don’t think anyone could see me so I stood there with an eye watching the scene in front of me.

My mother’s face was low and pale, it looked as though she had not had a good night’s sleep in a long time. By my father’s absence, I could tell that she had been struggling over the duration. I still had no idea how long I had been asleep for and I knew I wouldn’t get any answers if I remained hidden behind a door. I waited a