Lean On Me

Ev fidgeted, weight shifting from one foot, then to the other. Golden brown eyes swept the area for what must have been the dozenth time, but there was still no sign of the boy for whom she waited. Where was he? Maybe it was still too early, or perhaps he had forgotten, or maybe something had happened to him, too, and she didn't even have a friend anymore.

Her thoughts continued in this manner until the boy finally came into view.

"AXEL!" she shouted, tone a mixture of happiness and relief. The blonde started towards him, soon breaking into a run to meet him halfway. She threw her arms around him. She'd just hug him for a moment, then they could talk a bit and catch up, and then she could tell him-

The whole rational order of things was abruptly forgotten as tears sprang to her eyes and a sob forced its way from her throat. Squeezing the boy tightly, Ev started to cry, clinging to him like a lifeline.

"They're gone!" she sobbed. "Me parents are gone!"

The boy walked across the edge of the large frozen lake, his dad getting smaller and smaller in the distance. He knew that the man was proud of him for making such a close friend so quickly, especially after everything he'd been through, but he also knew that he'd keep a respectful distance. That's what he'd asked him to do, after all. He knew that Eve wanted to tell him something, so they should probably be alone when she did, in case it was important.

Axel grinned as his eyes landed on his friend. He walked toward her, shock registering on his face as she clobbered him with a hug. He gave a small laugh, "Hi Eve."

He heard a sob, and felt hot tears land on his shoulder. Then her friendly embrace turned into something much more desperate and suffocating. Something in his brain clicked, and he knew that something was very, very wrong.

Axel remained silent for several long moments. Gone... He knew what that meant only too well. Loss seemed to follow him like a personal plague. It wasn't supposed to happen this much, was it? Certainly not to someone like Eve, who was so cheerful, and so pure. He couldn't see her be hurt like he was.

"You're gonna be okay, Eve. I promise." He hugged her back, putting as much meaning into the motion as he did into his words, "You'll be okay. It's okay."

Ev continued to cling to her friend, for a few minutes unable to contain her grief. So, she just continued to cry for a bit, allowing the boy to soothe her. When she had managed to calm a little, she sniffled rather loudly.

"I - I miss them," she whimpered. "An-and that isn't even all of it. The Minister's me birth mum! E-everyone's gonna find out, and then they'll be talkin' about it and I don't want everyone to be talkin' 'bout me."

Axel frowned, "The Minister?" He took a step away from the girl as, without a warning, he was hit with a sharp pang of jealousy. Eve didn't just have a mom. She had the Minister of Magic. The boy sent a glance towards the shadowy figure standing far away on the edge of the lake.

That man- his father- was all he could ever ask for. But he was, well, insane. And Eve... she was getting everything he had fantasized about in those lonely years of his life. He had always pictured his father as being the hero. But how could that be true if he had taken the life of the one person who cared about him for five years of his life? How could the hero he imagined be the one to kill Jace?

He looked back at Evelina's wide, teary eyes, and felt a sense of deep, crushing guilt. This was a girl who had just lost her parents- and here he was brooding over his own personal dilemmas. He took in a deep breath, "Well- She's the minister, right? I bet she can find a way to... keep the news quiet or something."

"I mean, at least you have someone to go to- who loves you and can take care of you. And... and you have me, too. I'll always be here. No matter what, I promise." He gave her a small smile, "After all, we're best friends."

Ev blinked at the boy a bit. Wasn't he acting a bit... odd? She must be imagining it. That made more sense. Everything feels different when a person was said.

She rubbed the back of her hand across both cheeks, giving another sniffle. "I guess you're right," she agreed dubiously. "But people still write stuff about the minister, don't they?

"She didn't want me," Ev reminded. "She doesn't know me. How can she love me?"

The girl gave a watery smile of her own. "Thank you, Axel. I knew I could count on you." She gave him another hug.

Axel bit his lip, "Yeah, I guess so... But who knows? My father was a headmaster, and no one knows a thing about me. Maybe people will just forget."

The boy shook his head. She just didn't get it, how special it was that she had a mom. Axel would give anything for his mom to come back, even if she didn't even want him. "I bet she just wanted the best for you. If she really didn't want you, then why would she take you back?" He gave her another small smile, "Anyone who wouldn't want someone as fantastic as you is crazy."

He hugged her back. This time, he didn't need to say anything.