"Gideon!" a sharp call startled the grinning young boy, whose imaginary fur bristled up from being caught red-handed at his mischief.
Evelyn merely lay on the grassy floor, enjoying the ticklish feel that came with it. It wasn't too bad, actually — the soft brush of grass against her arms almost made her forget how ridiculous everything was. The blonde girl, which she had come to know as Rosanna, or more popularly, Young Miss, soon arrived.
"What did you do to Verity?" The exaggerated fury on her doll-like face nearly drove Evelyn to laughter. What an adorable child.
"I… I… It's her fault," Gideon stammered, his voice breaking, "When she first arrived, she was just some babbling foolish girl, and all of a sudden, she's mute. I'm telling you, sister, she's looking down on us. That's what this is!"
The young boy pointed accusatively at her, not failing to glare at her in between every intonation. Evelyn simply stared, expression flat and that was it.
Pah! Without giving him more chance to speak, a loud slap hit his face, and he himself fell right next to the sitting Evelyn.
She turned her head slightly, shifting her sight to the boy, whose cheek bore an extremely clear red mark, his eyes already watering from the sting. She groaned softly, and just as anticipated his loud bawl came.
"Hmph!" Rosanna spat furiously. "Let's go, Verity."
She was soon helped up and had the young miss bustling around her, flicking off the grass on her gown while rambling in complaint.
"Lucian has at least learned not to disturb you anymore. Gideon, however, that child is as stubborn as he is stupid."
Ignoring the fact that the stubborn and stupid child was right behind them, the more pressing fact to Evelyn was the one who called the other a child was actually the youngest.
" Verity," Rosanna placed both hands on her shoulders, bringing Evelyn eye to eye with her.
Verity was also older than the young miss by a year, yet somehow more petite than her. Perhaps due to her origin.
"You don't need to do anything you don't want to. Just stay by my side, and I'll deal with anyone who troubles you. Do you not desire to speak? Then don't. Is that okay?"
Looking at the supposedly fragile miss, whose eyes held a fierceness unlike her age, Evelyn nodded. Oh, what an annoying situation the universe had gotten her roped into.
Just then, a panicked maid came dashing towards them, calling out to Rosanna. She soon sighted the still crying Gideon and let out a helpless yelp.
"Oh, young miss, can't you go easier on your brothers?"
Rosanna grunted. "A fool must be hit to be corrected, or they remain as foolish as they are."
With one last glare at the now sniffling boy who shrank under her gaze, she grasped Evelyn's hand and pulling up her long gown with one hand, strutted away with a fierceness much unlike her cute look.
The maid panicked slightly, then ran to help the crying Gideon, as the two young girls, one mute and gloomy, the other adorable yet fiesty, stepped away hand in hand.
***
Evelyn realized finally that she had actually transmigrated and this wasn't some dying sight of hers. It took her days to realize this, despite the reflection in the mirror being a complete 180 from her real look.
It wasn't just about being turned to a child, it was about having a complete overhaul of identity— race, color, and looks, even voice.
As a light-skinned British black woman with the coilest hair type ever, which she had painstakingly managed to grow out to back length, never would she have imagined to transmigrate as a pale, brown-eyed child of European descent with short straight hair and squeaky voice, which she heavily hoped wouldn't grow with her through adolescence.
The only comforting thing about it all was the idea that she now had another chance with height. This time she hoped for a bit more height than her last life and by a bit she meant a lot.
The uncanny valley effect that came with such change was immense, and some days she simply lay in bed even more depressed than she already was, especially when it fully dawned on her that the very last traces that she had of her parents were completely gone.
Nothing really changed after she learned that she had transmigrated, especially since her mind couldn't think of which story, if this even was one, out of the multitude she gourged on, that she was in.
So she merely spent her days being awoken by the young miss, eating with the family as her adopted parents and brothers' gazes filled with disdain, hit her from all angles; dragged along with the young miss who couldn't stop complaining and apologizing about her family and then having a tea party. At least the pastries were really good.
One day, while the young miss was busy fiddling with her hair, Evelyn looked up to the heavens and smiled a broken smile. Really, what kind of bullshit was the world on to have her of all people thrown in here?
Ah, life, it really, really got a high on fucking her over. Oh well, no one but herself is to blame, if only she had the courage, but she never did and perhaps because of her cowardice, life still refused to let her go, even after she was lucky enough to get a shortcut.
"Verity," the young miss panicked. "Are you crying?" Evelyn shook her head with a pained smile, while the compassionate child pulled her into her embrace.
"Oh, Verity..."
Rosanna's eyes were cold as ice as she hugged the crying girl. Something about all of this had to stop.