A/N: Wow. Thank you guys so much for your continued support for Eva's Story! Every single review, follow, and favourite means heaps to me. They give me inspiration and help me write faster. SO THANK YOU!

Coming Soon: I have a When All Hell Breaks Loose chapter on its way. I'm also working on a new project called "At the Crossroad" that'll hopefully be up soon. So keep an eye out! :)

So now, treat yourself with a new Eva's Story. And as always: enjoy!

6 July 1740

9:00

A long and heavy sigh escaped Eva's lips. Curled up in a knitted green quilt, Eva lay wordlessly in her bedroom. She had been still and inanimate as if desperately needing sleep. The moment she returned home last night, Eva felt tired and lacked the exuberance she normally had. Not even the surprisingly pleasant welcomes of Eva's return from her mother could break Eva of her misery. Forcing a smile and a slight nod, Eva merely climbed up into her room, wrapped herself in bed, and stared at the ceiling, remaining there since.

What Eva had seen had frightened her. The crystals had pulled her into something similar to the full moon's effects. And like being under the full moon, she had no control and could not escape. Yet, the feeling of being trapped forever, stuck eternally as a captive, with nowhere to run left her cold. There was one other thing that differed from full moon; it was the worst of all.

She could remember.

Visions so real they flickered by like a memory. Whatever she had touched, she could remember the feeling on the tips of her fingers. The sounds of both bubbling and rushing water, energy surging, and her hyperventilated breaths rang constantly in her ears. A figure of water, so welcoming and familiar, gazed into her as if she were an old friend. A bright light crashing into the dark sky, colliding with it as the ground shakes. Suddenly dark stone walls were closing in on her, rendering the feeling of being crushed, trapped in something she could not comprehend.

And then a chilling nothing.

They kept replaying in her mind, sometimes the same and sometimes not. Staring blankly at the wall with tear-streaked cheeks, Eva shivered with the fear of the unknown. In truth, she could not decide whether to be curious, perplexed, or paralyzed. Perhaps all three would have to suffice for the time being.

Either way, Eva remained rather reluctant to tell Jameson. Despite having all of her faith in him, Eva was not yet willing to open up. Those things she had seen—something she had yet to form into words— could not have been real. Then she shivered, remembering dark walls closing in on her. Trying to block the memory, Eva closed her eyes and wrapped herself in the quilt tighter.

Then she abruptly kicked it off. What really was the point of being afraid? It would get her nowhere in finding answers. And the July heat only made her feel worse about everything. Sulking, Eva slowly got out of bed, knowing if she didn't soon, she would be melting with the heat. Walking towards the door to get out, she knew a bit of air—and greater isolation in the ocean—would do her good.

It was a slow morning in the Scattery village square, due to the summer heat. The men were passing through for work and engaging in conversations with other villagers; though, most went back and forth to the pub in hopes for a refreshing drink. The women, on the contrary, mainly stayed under the shade of trees but sometimes walked out to reprimand their children playing in the square. Such boiling heat was rarely seen within Scattery even in the midst of the Irish summer. And the sluggish attitudes of the villagers had proven it.

Except perhaps Jameson. Carrying two large bales of hay across the back of his shoulders, sweat dripped down his face, his toned muscles flexed and pulsing with the weight of the load. Not that it slowed him down at all. He greeted people along the streets and simply nodded at the women who were giggling with delight when they saw him.

"Nice of ya to be workin' for once, Jameson O'Connor!" Fergus O'Dowd shouted at him, stopping his cart.

Hearing this, Jameson stopped as well, dropping the hay to the ground. "What it be to ya, old man?" The two men stared at each other for a while and then burst into friendly laughter. They shook hands and embraced, slapping each other on the back. "You always be joking, Fergus."

Fergus gave a hearty laugh. "'Tis what I be known for. And me potatoes of course." He smiled. "But it be good to see ya. Ya been busy lately."

"Work ne'er ends for me, you know that. Even in this wondrous heat."

"Aye! You be tellin' me. I be perishin' in this heat. The whole of Scattery as well. At long last the potato rounds be done for the day. Where you be headin'?"

"Off to Murphy's farms," he smiled, "but he can wait."

"Your lass be comin' too?" Fergus' thick eyebrow raised in asking the question. Jameson exhaled slowly, knowing he was talking about Eva. After all, it was no surprise to anyone in Scattery that he and Eva were close companions.

Yet he could not help but repeat the words in his head. Your lass. The thought of it made him want to beam in delight. But he simply managed a small laugh and said "No." He felt his cheeks warm.

Laughing, Fergus slapped him on the back. "Perhaps I shoulda said that differently." He quickly wiped his face and hands on a cloth. "You surely need to work on that." He then lowered his voice. "So what ya thinkin' of the Dempsey betrothal?"

Dempsey betrothal. Jameson froze. Fergus now had his full attention. "B—Betrothal?"

Sighing heavily, Fergus fixed his hat. "Oh, lad, do you not know?" He sighed again. "Most of Scattery is talkin' of it. Lochlann be spreadin' the word and—"

"Where? Here?" His voice was anxious, sounding more desperate than he would have liked.

"Perhaps." Then he whispered, "think I heard he be lookin' in nearby villages too." He stared at Jameson for a response, who did not give on for a long while.

Much was going through Jameson's mind. Mostly emotions—anger, fright, panic—raced through him. The news had hit him hard. There was no way Eva would agree to that, forced or not. She could not go and marry some other man. She simply could not.

And there was no way Jameson was ready to let Eva walk out of his life.

"Time be runnin' out for ya, lad." Fergus said quietly.

Jameson sighed longingly. "I know. Yet this merely complicates things." He paused. "I—I simply could not. 'Tis been decided, Fergus."

Looking over in the Inn, he saw Eva opening the door. He could not help but smile. Just one step out of the door made the sun reflect from her, giving her a vibrant look. Full of life and energy. More magical than she already is.

"Ya cannot let a lass like that go." Fergus said truthfully. "Not a lass like Eva."

He shook his head, trying to get the idea out of his head. But when he saw her, Jameson could not help but smile. She began to walk down the center of the square with an unnecessary hurry. With her head down, she averted her gaze and sped up her gait without a word.

"Eva?" He called after her, worried that she still may not be talking to him. Granted, it had only been a single night, yet the way she isolated herself scared him. He knew everything to know about Eva and her secret. What was keeping her from telling him, however, greatly perplexed him.

"What did ya do now?" Fergus mumbled while shaking his head.

"'Tis nothing." Jameson replied bitterly. Grabbing the two bales of hay and placing them onto his shoulders, he headed off with a gruff farewell and turned the opposite way.

Her secrecy bothered Jameson immensely, but there was unfortunately nothing left for him to do. The hay for the farm could not wait any longer and was already late. As for figuring out Eva, that would have to wait sometime longer.

Heading near the cliffs, Eva looked back at the distant Scattery behind her. It looked quaint and ordinary, nothing special from the nearby villages. It was her home—the place where she lived on land anyway. And still looking back at Scattery, Eva felt take a long sigh. It looked safe.

Safe from the things flashing in her head.

But now looking around the cliffs, something made her head flood with memories. Eva held the top of her head, crumpling her red mane with her hands. She did not want to feel unsafe in this place she called home. It was more to her than that; it was where she felt like she belonged. But the visions she had remembered were anything but welcoming.

Taking small steps in the long grass, she felt it rustle against her dress. The smooth sounds of the breeze in the air and waves crashing below gave her some reassurance. Perhaps Eva merely needed a swim to calm herself and feel the water and sun around her. She closed her eyes, trying to envision herself in that state of happiness.

A vision reappears. Flashes of bright light sweep across darkness in her memory, nearly rendering her blind in fright. A strange tower of water confronts her and rushes around. Green light engulfs her and the cold darkness reappears.

Her green eyes reopened, chills running through her body.

Through all the fear, something in Eva sparked a strange amount of comfort—and the desperate feeling of wanting to know more.

There was no need to be afraid quite yet. Not until she visited the Sea Caves.

Lying on her back in the moonpool, Eva was floating around deep in thought. The visions were still racing in her mind, flashes of light, water, and then perfect darkness. It scared her more than she would have liked.

Replaying everything, she tried to exactly replicate what she had seen, but nothing new came to mind. The only thing she had remembered was Jameson and her placing their necklaces together, the series of visions, and then Jameson embracing her. It seemed as if there was some sort of time gap between these events.

Then Eva asked herself the question of whether or not the visions were just her imagination. Shivering, she knew they felt real, recalling the sights and sounds she had witnessed. Eva scoffed at herself in shame. Surely she must sound crazy.

A memory of herself as a child came into her mind. It was the day she transformed, walking down the sea cliffs and falling into the cave. Would she have continued her journey if she had known about these nightmares, unknown visions?

Perhaps it was too early to tell.

But Eva was not one to give up so easily, frightened or not. It was daunting, the visions coming and vanishing as quickly as they came, and hiding in her room earlier had seemed like a better option. Yet she needed to know what happened and why. How, though, remained a mystery to Eva.

And whatever she planned to do, Eva wanted to determine that by herself.

"EVA!" Jameson called, his voice echoing with the sound of footsteps coming closer. He brought his voice down. "We must have a word."

Not even reacting to his arrival, Eva remained in place without saying a word. "I shall help ya." He coaxed as she scoffed at his comment, giving a low laugh.

Jameson smiled as he came into the Sea Caves, but his expression dropped when he saw Eva avoiding him. Deciding to play her game, he sat down next to the moonpool and remained there in silence.

After some time, Eva knew he would not leave until he received a response. "May I help you?" Her question oozed with bitter sarcasm.

"I could ask ya the same question." He mocked her tone.

"I do not wish to be helped." She replied, turning away.

Before she turned, Jameson locked his eyes into hers. Instantly he knew Eva was lying to him. There was truly something wrong and bothering her. Sighing to himself, he knew it had to be news of her betrothal. The word made him burn with anger inside. Perhaps that is what Eva had been hiding all along. He desperately wanted to help her and ease her mind. "I shall make you a deal." He said simply, knowing what he had to do. "I shall tell ya something that be on my mind and you tell me what be on yours."

She turned back around, facing him once more. Her stiffened expression seemed to ease. "Promise?"

Replying truthfully, he smiled when he said, "With all my heart."

Closing her eyes in memory, she shuttered. "I saw something."

"Something?"

"I cannot describe myself." Taking a long sigh, she hesitantly continued. "Perhaps it was a vision. I—I cannot be sure myself. 'Twas real—alive even."

Her eyes then shut and a vision reappeared in her mind. It started with the same bright light and water, nothing unusual. This time, however, the Sea Caves walls shimmered and zapped and surged with a powerful energy. It soon ended with the cold, being embraced by nothingness.

Jameson watched in horror, seeing her body shake and fear spreading across her face. Something was truly wrong. "Eva? Eva please!" He feared what would happen if he tried to wake her. "Eva… please…."

Her green eyes opened and absently looked into his grey ones. Suddenly, she seemed to awaken and it had clicked in her mind. "Somethin' be happenin' in these Sea Caves." She looked around determined. "I can feel it."