Had someone told Naomi that she would be joining her rude acquaintance for sugar cookies and tea at her cobblestoned patio, she would have thought they were mad. Yet here she was, sitting across from her at a small table outside in Evania’s backyard, doing exactly that.
Evania had been a reliable pain in the neck ever since Naomi and her family had moved into Fairland. From gossiping behind her back, to making a few insults to her face, she had never failed to annoy her in some way.
But ever since Evania had been forced to go to The School, her behavior had somewhat improved, and she had apologized for everything. Now, she was a different kind of pain in the neck, because no matter how many times Naomi had told her she forgave her and all that good stuff, Evania never stopped trying to make it up to her.
Every single day, Evania had insisted she do something for her, like clean up her family’s house or help with their garden and, most recently, she had asked her to come over for tea, which, after several weeks of nagging, she felt she had no choice but to accept.
So here she was, eating the best sugar cookie she had ever had with her former oppressor turned wannabe friend, wondering why the sugar didn’t overwhelm her taste buds like most other cookies did, and wondering why her gut kept telling her to glance back at the edge of the woods where large bushes stood watch.
Evania sipped her tea and smiled. “You know, I used to hate you extremely, but now that we’re on good terms, I feel like we’ve been friends for ages.”
Naomi smiled, but she shifted in her seat, her bitten cookie still in hand. “Gee, that’s…something.”
“It means a lot you know, since I’ve never had real friends.”
“I wonder why,” she muttered.
“Since we’re friends, can I tell you a secret?”
I never said we were friends, Naomi thought. “I guess.”
Evania sat her cup of tea down on the table. “I know something that you don’t.”
Naomi blinked. “So…the secret is that you have a secret?”
Evania thought for a moment. “In a way, yes. But no. The secret is that I know a secret.”
Naomi plopped the rest of her cookie into her mouth. “Okay…”
“I suppose I should be more specific.” Evania leaned in closer. “I know your secret.”
Naomi swallowed hard. “Alright. Humor me.” She picked up another sugar cookie. “What secret am I keeping?” She took a huge bite out of it.
Evania smiled. “You really like those cookies, huh?”
Naomi looked at her incredulously. “Yes. They’re pretty good. Very sweet.” She finished it off. Maybe Evania was bluffing, and she didn’t really know anything.
“That’s strange, considering I didn’t put much sugar in them. In fact, I didn’t even put a cup of sugar in the dough.”
Naomi stared at her. “What?”
“I only added a tablespoon. Just the right amount…for a native Anathoth.”
Naomi wanted to breath a sigh of relief. If that’s the worst she knows, then that’s nothing. Instead she glared at her and crossed her arms. She had to let her think she won. “So, I have super sensitive taste buds since I’m from Anathoth. Congratulations, you found me out. I didn’t want people to think I was a weakling by complaining about how their stuff was too sweet or salty for me, but hey, at least I won’t have to put on an act anymore.”
“I agree. There’s no need to put on an act now. Despite everything, I'm glad my lowly cookies satisfy one of high status, Princess Naomi of Anathoth.”
Naomi stared at her. She laughed. “Good one, Evania! I never took you for a comedic person.” She wiped the tears from her eyes.
Evania looked puzzled for a moment. She furrowed her brow. “Of course you’d deny it. You’ve been hiding it for months now.”
“Oh come on, Eva, use your head. Just because I’m from Anathoth doesn’t mean I’m the princess. She’s probably dead along with the rest of her family for all we know.”
“And it’s just a coincidence that you have a medicine kit with herbs I’ve never seen before, and a burn mark on your face, just like she did?”
“Well, duh. She wasn’t the only doctor who experimented with herbs. And she wasn’t the only burn victim either.” Naomi rose from her chair and adjusted the strap of her medicine bag. “Thanks for the lovely interrogation tea party, but I think I’ll—”
The bushes at the edge if the woods rustled. Naomi pulled out two vials of green and purple medicine from her bag as several armed men with spears came out of hiding.
Naomi glared at Evania and looked at all the soldiers. “You said you didn’t have any friends, and yet here they are.”
“Drop the vials and the bag, Mage, slowly,” one soldier said, holding up his spear. “If you come peacefully, we won’t hurt you. But if not—”
“Then what? You’ll kill me? Do you honestly think I fear death?”
The other soldiers looked at each other uneasily, as if they realized they’re job wasn’t going to be as easy as they’d hoped.
“Last warning,” the soldier said. “Drop the vials.”
Evania took a few steps backward closer to her house, and further away from the action.
“Don’t you want to see the spectacular drama you created?” Naomi asked her, keeping her eyes on the armed opponents before her.
“I’d do what they say if I were you,” Evania said.
The wind picked up and blew against her back. Naomi smirked. “Fine.” She raised the vials higher, and her hands and the liquid inside the vials gave a faint glow. “You want me to drop the bottles, then…”
The soldiers eyes widened. “Don’t!”
She let the vials fall to the ground, and they smashed into smithereens. Purple and green liquid sizzled on the cobblestones and became smoke, which the wind carried over to the soldiers.
The soldier threw his spear at her, but as it passed through the purple and green smoke, it disintegrated into ashes. He gasped. “Fall back! Fall—”
But it was too little too late. The smoke engulfed them all.
As Naomi rushed back towards Evania, tackled her, and pinned her to the ground, the guards shouted in pain and fell on the ground convulsing and then…they were as still as stones.
That’s what happened when two unmixable medicines collided. They did anything but heal.
Evania spat out dirt and gravel. “Please, don’t kill me! I had no choice, don’t you see, I—”
“Shut it,” Naomi pinned her head to the ground. “Are there more?”
Evania started hyperventilating. “At your house. They’re after the rest of them. Please, let me go! Let me—”
“Fine.” Still sitting atop Evania, Naomi pulled out a small bottle of red juice from her medicine bag, opened it, and forced it down Evania’s throat. Within seconds, Evania was out and her body went limp.
She got up, ran around Evania’s house, and went down the dirt road, taking some vials out of her medicine bag just in case. As much as she would have loved to pour cyanide down Evania’s throat, now wasn’t the time for revenge. She had to save everyone. She had to save her family.
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