Rushing Roulette

***"How is everything I've heard... real?"***
This piece of *Evie and Mya* literature is outdated and is scheduled to be rewritten or tweaked in the future. Please note that some events currently depicted will be heavily altered or removed when said content is updated. Read at your own risk of discombobulating the series canon in your head!
And spare yourself from Av's old writing, please.

## Rushing Roulette

### Director

Potato Flakin

***Rushing Roulette*** is the fifth episode of *The Adventures of Evie and Mya* in Season 2, and the fifthteenth overall.

## Synopsis

When Mya goes missing, Evie's blind desire to save her leads her into a dangerous game - and now she plays with her life to save those she loves.

## Content Warning

*This episode contains gun violence and some distressing scenes which could unsettle viewers.*

## Transcript

*It is a beautiful, sunny morning in Pineshadow. Cut to Evie's house.*

Evie yawned, stretching. She felt the sun reflecting on her face. *Good morning, and a good day to go out.*

She knew what she immediately wanted to do - see Mya.

Quickly putting on some jeans, shoes, and her signature dark gray sweater, she polished her glasses, then grabbed her bucket list of things to do.

Evie then sighed. Lately, she and Mya hadn't gotten much time to hang out, dealing with Shetani's uprising and Winter's sudden romance with Amira.

She hoped that this day would be fun-filled.

She grabbed her satchel, then exited her room, preparing to head to the door, but her parents stopped her.

"Ev, honey, where are you going?" Her mom called.

"I'm seeing Mya. We're gonna do some fun stuff. Why are you asking?" She responded.

Her father approached her. "The Heartleys don't want you to come over today."

Evie froze. Why would the Heartley family not want her to see Mya? That's been the norm since they met a few years ago.

"W-Why? What have I done?"

Sudennly, the door was hit by a fist. *Mya! You're not holding me back.* "Alright, let's get this show on the road!"

Evie ran forward, expecting to embrace Mya. Instead, she barreled into...

*Winter*.

"Winter, what in the name of-"

"Evie! I need your help, and now. Mya's *gone*."

*Cut to the intro.*

**SEASON 2, EPISODE 5 - RUSHING ROULETTE**

*Cut back to the Ly residence.*

"**What**?" Evie screeched. "Mya's missing?"

"Yes, she is," Winter pointedly said. "Yesterday evening, after dinner, she accompanied me to Pinelake Park, and went home before I did. After me and Amira parted ways, I returned home, and she was nowhere to be found."

Evie thought as if her heart became an unmoving floe of ice. "Have you... Have you found any leads? Is she okay?"

"Ev, I don't know! I don't know anything other than the fact she's gone!"

Evie whirled around, facing her parents. "Why didn't you *tell me*? Mya's my *girlfriend*."

Her mom glanced at her father, then faced her again. "We know Mya's a strong girl, honey. We figured she could come back on her own."

*Strong on her own? Excuse me?*

"No she's not! Mya is very sensitive and doesn't usually want to be by herself unless she was in a fit of rage! She wouldn't have left on purpose!"

"Okay, Ev, calm down-"

Evie stopped her father mid-sentence. "**I'm not going to calm down**! You tried hiding the fact that Mya was missing from me! My *own girlfriend*! This is trouble, and I'm investigating it."

"Evie Ly, have some manners!"

Evie didn't care what her mom or father said at this point. She was searching for Mya, and no one was going to stop her.

"I'm doing this myself. Mya's in danger, and I'm not going to let her get hurt. I don't care if you don't like the way I'm acting, but I'm getting my lover back."

As she began to walk out the door, Winter touched her on the shoulder. "Evie. Let me come with you. Mya's my sister, and I-"

"Come on, Win, no time to waste," Evie said, a concerned tone in her voice. "I wouldn't turn you away. You're my best friend. I may have an attitude, but it's not going to stop me from finding my girlfriend."

*Cut to Pinelake Park.*

"Mya? Mya? It's us!" Winter called nervously at the park playground. They still had little to no leads on where Mya was. They'd tried looking around the Heartley residence, but they found nothing, not even a trace of blood.

"You might as well give it up, Win. It's not like she's gonna hear us."

"Ev, don't be so despondent. We're going to find her, I promise. Don't blame yourself."

"I'm *not* blaming myself, Winter! I'll go to the ends of the earth for Mya. We have to find her! I can't lose her."

Winter looked at her friend in confusion. Her voice was shaky, and she was uncharacteristically hasty and unstable.

If she was screwed with the wrong way, she would snap.

Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching nearby. Seeing the two girls, she smiled, and began to creep toward them.

"Ev, I think we should sit down by the step and think about searching somewhere else," Winter suggested. "You're troubled, and you need to discuss and think."

"I guess we can," Evie mumbled, walking over to the step and sitting down. "But Winter... What if Shetani took her? What if Daniela came back and took her? What if-"

"Whoa, chill, don't assume those things," Winter said. "You're a smart thinker, Evie. You would start by being logical and eliminating theories. Don't moan about it, think!"

Evie realized that Winter was right. She tried to think. "Alright, we can rule out Daniela, she's obviously still in prison. And I don't see Shetani having a motive against anyone other than Amira, so we can rule her out. Now we have... No leads. Dang it!"

"This has to be someone we haven't dealt with before," Winter concluded. "Now we're on to something!"

The figure finally crept up behind them. It said, "Boo!"

Evie whipped around in anger, immediately striking the prankster on the cheek. "Don't do that, you idiot! We're in the middle of something serious here!"

Immediately, she felt herself being hit on the face in return.

By Winter.

"Winter, what was that for? I was defending us!"

"*You weren't*, Evie. You aren't thinking straight at all. You just hit Cassandra!"

Evie gasped, adjusted her glasses, and concentrated on the startled figure of Cassandra on the ground. She clamped her hand over her mouth, taking a step back in fear.

"Cassie! Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!"

Although she couldn't hear what Evie was saying, Cassandra assumed that Evie was apologizing. She got up. "It's okay, Evie... Hi, Winter. I'm looking for a bracelet I keep in my room."

Using her phone, Winter typed and sent her the message, *We're looking for Mya, she's missing.*

"Missing? Oh gracious! I wish I could help, but I'm just going to the Piney Woods to look for the bracelet..."

*The Piney Woods!* Evie lit up, and nudged Winter, who typed, *We'll come with you. After all, you're deaf and could use some company.*

"Thank you! Let's search together," Cassandra said. She glanced at Evie. "And hey, it's gonna be okay. Stay hopeful, we're gonna find her."

For the first time since early morning, Evie smiled.

The three of them headed into the thickly-wooded Piney Woods. While it was a small area of pine trees, it seemed way bigger on foot.

Cassandra remained quiet as Evie and Winter walked on the dirt, covered in dull pine needles.

"Mya has to be in here! I just know it. We have to look everywhere!" Evie exclaimed. She began to pick up the pace.

"Ev, slow down! Yes, we need to find Mya. But don't let this mystery go right to your head. You're not acting like yourself. Remain calm!"

"Winter, I'm ***not remaining calm***! Mya is in danger, and we're going to find her. I'm not resting at all, and you're not stopping me!"

Evie ran ahead, determined. If Winter wasn't going to be with her, she was going to do things herself.

She saw a building ahead of her. *That must be Winter's old cabin!* The cabin was the place Winter called home for most of her young teenage life until she was adopted.

She heard people approaching behind her. Cassandra and Winter.

Winter had an unamused expression on her face.

"Evie, seriously! Don't run off like that! Anyways, if you're calmer now that we're here, let's investigate."

Winter easily ascended up the steps of her former home. She noticed a string, colored in blue and purple beads, hanging on the door knob. *Cassandra's bracelet!*

She took it down and gave it back to the deaf teenager. "Thank you, Winter. I'm going to head home now. Nice seeing you!" She headed back in the direction opposite to the Piney Woods.

"Come on, Winter. Open the door. We're going to rescue Mya!"

Winter looked irritated. "Yes, Ev, I know. But if she's not in here, please act like yourself again. I don't want an earful from you!"

She opened the door, and looked inside. On the side which contained her box, she saw something, and jumped back in fear.

"Mya!" Her sister sat in the corner, with restraints on her hands and legs preventing her from escape.

"Win! Ev! I'm so happy to see you. But you need to figure out another way! This is a trap!"

"This isn't a trap, My!" Evie said. She could see nothing other than the restraints. "I'm going to get you out right now, I promise."

"Evie, you need to consider what I'm saying! This *is* a trap. I'm being used as bait for you!"

"If there's any trap here, it's not being stopped by my desire to rescue you. Hang on!"

Wihtout warning, the door slammed shut. Evie rammed herself against the wall.

Realization dawned on her. *Mya and Winter were right. I shouldn't have rushed into this! Now we're trapped!*

Evie huddled close to Mya. The room was shadowy, and she began to get scared.

"Mya, I'm sorry. What I did was stupid. I should have thought things through before rescuing you!"

"No time to dwell on that, we need to find a way out!" Mya exclaimed.

Evie began to think. She began to develop a plan.

Suddenly, a hand flew over her mouth, and she was dragged back.

The next thing she knew, she was thrown into a chair, and a guy with lightly-tanned hands had chained her to a table.

Guilt began to prick Evie like cactus needles. *This is my fault that I'm here. I should have thought things out!*

She felt herself sweat. Her gray sweater felt like a coat. She also had fear pulsing through her veins.

The figure who captured her sat down in a chair across from her. He was a tall man, his eyes orange. He had small hairs on his chin.

"Who... Who are you? Why are you holding us here?" Evie questioned fearfully.

"You three girls are merely pawns in the game I'm looking to play. The perfect targets," he responded in a snake-like voice. "And Little Miss over there was the perfect bait for the both of you." Mya gulped in terror, and her eyes were bulging with trepidation.

Evie gasped in shock. Mya really was right.

"Let us go!" She commanded. "I'm not playing what you want to play. Go play by yourself!"

"Your choice," he snickered. "But if you try to leave... *They die*."

In horror, Evie noticed that Winter and Mya were now bound together in the corner of the cabin, eyes glazed over. They were giving her a pleading look.

Evie retreated inside to think. Her mind was now clearer, and she was taking her time.

She got them into this situation, and now it was her time to return the favor. She didn't know how the man would kill her girlfriend and best friend, but she was going to stop him.

After a nerve-wracking while, she picked the path she wanted to choose. Evie took a deep, deep breath, and took her sentence slowly.

"Alright. I'm happy to play your game. What's it called?" Evie nervously asked. She prepared for the worst. She was shaking.

"***Russian roulette***."

"**No**!" Mya screamed.

"Evie, don't play this!" Winter yelped.

Evie shrunk back in her chair, panic in her dark green eyes. Her heart felt like it was bleeding.

Russian roulette was a dangerous game in which you put a gun to your head, fiddle with its bullets and features, and pull the trigger three times.

The person would win if the gun didn't fire - and if you didn't die.

Evie gulped. She was so tempted to refuse and get out herself, but she knew she had to risk this for those she loved.

"Okay," she said. *If I bleed out and die, I'll know I did it saving those I love.*

"Good girl," the man replied in an overly sweet voice. In a flash, a revolver was in his hand. He played with the gray trigger for a while.

Then, he sat up, and placed a phone on the table. He tapped something, and a song from the 80s began playing.

He moved toward Evie, crouched down, and pressed the muzzle against her forehead. She moved back, trying to resist the feel of his revolver.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. If you end up dying... You won't feel a thing," the man creepily reassured.

He placed his finger on the trigger, then placed another hand over Evie's mouth so she wouldn't scream or cry for help.

Her eyes were lit up with terror.

"One. Two. Three..."

The man pulled it back. A single *click* was heard.

Mya and Winter sighed in relief. Evie was spared on the first round.

The song began to pick up in pace. Evie only heard the sound of a guitar in the background.

Despite her situation, she began to relax.

*I still feel terrified, but I'm not going anywhere. For you, Mya and Winter.*

The man began to fiddle around with the revolver more.

"Go on, what are you waiting for? Fire it already. I want to play this game."

Mya and Winter were shocked.

"What is she doing?" Winter questioned.

"She's egging him on! If she does this, she'll die!"

Mya burrowed her face into Winter's neck. She didn't want to see what she was expecting to see.

The man, using a rag, polished off the muzzle of the revolver. He pushed it against Evie's head.

"Here's a tip for you, darling. Just take some breaths. It helps those lucky and unlucky. And why don't you close those precious little eyes of yours? It would help you block out the faces in the corner."

Evie nodded, and breathed in deeply. She heard the trigger slowly go back, and shut her eyes.

Throughout her, trepidation run wild. She was sweating profusely.

Winter protectively held Mya close to her, quivering. *Don't die. Don't die.*

"One. Two. Three..."

*Click.*

Evie had lived through round two. But there was one more round to go.

The man took the revolver away, tossing it up in the air.

Evie shuddered. The revolver hadn't gone off for two rounds, but this was the final round. If the gun was correctly loaded, she would bleed out with a bullet in her head.

She was scared to death.

But she wasn't leaving until Mya and Winter were safe.

"Evie, don't do this!" Mya yelped.

"Mya, I was selfish, and didn't think. I'm in this situation with you because of myself. If I don't play - you and Winter die. And if I die, take this as an apology on my part. I may not live to see another day. It's too late to think about the value of my life now. I have to pass this test."

Winter shielded Mya's face as the man pressed the muzzle of the revolver against Evie's head.

This was it. This was the final part of the test.

*I might not live for another day after this.*

Evie felt her heart beat the fastest it ever felt. She was ready.

"Pull the trigger. Now. I want to play this game," she commanded.

The man chuckled. "Patience," he said. "The wait is all part of some roulette."

Winter prepared for the absolute worst. *Evie, please live.* She tightly hugged Mya, refusing to let her go. She felt the sleeves of her Gonzaga University shirt.

This might be the final time her best friend, and Mya's girlfriend, would ever be alive with them. This was the last adventure they'd ever have together.

"You might want to pray, sweetie," the man said gently.

With that, Evie realized a disturbing truth.

The man had never lost a game of Russian roulette. This was normal to him.

*What I'm about to say is my final goodbye. If he's never lost, he's going to kill me now.*

The revolver was configured and set up properly. In less than a split second, he would fire, and Evie's life would be taken.

"Mya!" She called. "I love you, and I'll still love you. This is it. I've saving you at the cost of my own life. Thank you for everything!"

Mya was in hysterics now. She looked up. "Evie, no! **Don't go**! Please!"

Winter protectively shielded her face from the scene with her shirt. She then wrapped her arms around Mya's ears so she wouldn't hear the fatal, life-taking gunshot.

Evie turned to the man. "Pull the trigger," she asked again. A faint tear fell down the side of her left eye, and it landed on her chest.

He didn't respond. He crouched down, covering her mouth. She instinctively shut her eyes and breathed.

This was it. It would all be over in a few seconds.

*I love you, Mya, and Winter, you were such a good friend to me. This is the only way I'll protect you guys.*

*Tạm biệt.*

Smiling, the man beside her placed the revolver by her forehead. He pulled the trigger back.

*Click.*

A blinding flash of light suddenly lit up the cabin, and Winter yelped. She heard a groan - Evie - and a bullet dropping onto the ground.

The man released Evie from his grasp. She looked dreamy. Her hair was singed, and smoke plumed around her.

At once, she slumped forward, hitting the table with a thud.

Mya broke free of her sister's grasp, sitting up in her restraints.

"**Evie, no**!" She began to cry into Winter's sleeves. Winter cried along with her.

Mya had just lost the person she loved the most.

The music had stopped. The man blew off the smoke from the muzzle of the revolver before hiding it in his pocket again.

"She played a good game of Russian roulette... It was a shame she didn't have my skill," the man snickered. He faced his two hostages.

"Since your friend lost... You'll be let go. There's no point keeping you two here when it's a *win-win*."

In fear, Mya watched as he unbound her and Winter. Then, he left the cabin, and didn't return.

"Evie! Evie!" Mya screamed. She still hadn't moved after being shot.

"Ev, wake up! It's me, Winter!"

She still didn't move.

Mya cried harder, hugging her girlfriend.

"I accept your apology! You did a brave thing for me, and I'll always love you for it!"

Winter, using her knife, split open the restraints keeping Evie to the table.

"Evie. You weren't thinking well when we came here. But you proved you could fix this by sacrificing yourself for us. In the end, it paid off. Thank you for all you've done for me and Mya."

She paused briefly, then added, "You put on quite a fantastic show."

"So why don't you take a bow for me, then?"

Both girls gasped, jumping back. They were stunned to see Evie looking at them with expressive green eyes, singed hair, and a smug demeanor on her face.

"Ev! You faked your own death!" Mya yelped, happiness in her voice. "But how? He shot you! That bullet should be in your head!"

"Ah. The bullet never went through my head - he fired through the tips of my hair. It's singed, but he missed me. I faked dying so he'd think he'd won."

"Evie... You did it! You finally thought straight! And in the end - you won!" Winter exclaimed.

"Thank you, thank you. But I want to go home. Gee, I surely wish *someone* wasn't tugging at me and tripping me up all day!"

"I agree. That is *definitely* the only time I want to watch someone play roulette!" Mya muttered.

*Cut back to the Ly residence.*

Evie had just explained to her parents what she had went through rescuing Mya, and how she'd nearly paid for it with her life.

"Evie Ly! You nearly got yourself killed! You played with a *gun*! I cannot express my disappointment in you. And you were so careless! I, for one, did *not* raise you to act like that," Mrs. Ly scolded.

"Mom, I had to play Russian roulette! Mya and Winter would have died! I was forced to do it *against* my will!"

"She's honestly right, Opal. You shouldn't be-"

Opal glared at Anderson with rage. He immediately shut up.

She glared at Evie again. "You, young lady, are grounded for two weeks! I hope this will teach you to not stumble around looking for trouble!"

Evie sighed. Her mother couldn't understand how important Mya and Winter were to her. *They're my family and friend. I couldn't let them die.*

"Mom... I know you acted tough around me when I came out to you as a lesbian... But you accepted my relationship with Mya. You push me to the highest standards as a tiger parent, and I always satisfy you! I push myself to the brink to please you! And now you're grounding me **for saving those I love**? I don't get what's gotten into you!"

"Evie, don't make me-"

Suddenly, the entire door of the house flung open, and Evie feared for the worst.

"***Just what do you think you're doing punishing her***?"

There, in the doorway, was the unmistakable figure of Mya Heartley.

Mrs. Ly backed up, startled by the young girl's fire. "Mya, I can explain..."

"I don't need an explanation. I pay a visit to my girlfriend, and here you are punishing her for nearly sacrificing herself **for me**. She wanted to rescue me by any means possible. And you're doing this?"

"Young lady, you're aware that I have-"

"Yeah, *Opal*. I heard you're a tiger parent. But what you're doing - is seriously wrong. She sacrificed herself for me! You should honor Evie for doing something so risky. I can't believe how pathetic this display is!"

"Mya... I..." Opal started.

"*You look so dumb right now*."

*Whoa.* The Ly family left the room. Mya was mad, and dealing with her was going to end up becoming messy.

"Mya! You didn't have to do that..."

"Outside. Now. With me."

Evie gulped nervously. What did Mya want from her?

She followed her outside, sitting down on the porch.

"So... What is it?" Evie finally asked. Anxiety brimmed in her.

"I've decided to handle you myself. Your parents were doing it wrong."

*What? No, no no, please do not...* Evie panicked. Mya clearly wasn't happy with her, and wanted to punish her herself when the time was right.

"My! You don't need to. I'll take the blame for getting myself in the place I got in, and for nearly dying. But I did it for you! I would do anything for you! Please, I'm sorry for being an idiot, I'm sorry for-"

Without warning, Mya pulled Evie's face right up into hers, and bit down onto her lip. Evie instantly returned the favor, and they beautifully made out.

"That's your punishment. You get my love."

Evie looked at her dead in the eyes. "So you're not mad at me?"

"I was never mad. You were just blinded by the desire to save me. You may have been selfish, but hey, you saved me by playing roulette. We're way more mature than others our age."

Evie sighed warmly, laying her head on Mya's shoulder. "You're right about that, Mya. Thank you."

Mya warmly smiled at her. *What an adorable little dork she is when she's not herself.*

## Cast

* **Peyton Elizabeth Lee** as Evie
* **Lauren Tom** as Opal
* **John Hodgman** as Anderson
* **Mae Whitman** as Winter
* **Treshelle Edmond** as Cassandra
* **Dakota Fanning** as Mya
* **Angus Cloud** as the man

## Trivia

* This episode is named after Russian roulette, the dangerous game of chance. The scene of the game was inspired by the Rihanna song *Russian Roulette*.
	+ Furthermore, Evie nearly quotes the *Russian Roulette* line "But it's too late to think about the value of my life."
* It is revealed that Opal is a tiger parent and has strict standards set for Evie. She also didn't entirely support Evie's relationship with Mya at first, mostly because of Vietnam's anti-LGBTQ+ disposition.
* The song that the man plays is *Money* by Pink Floyd.
* There are three references to the Rihanna song *Take a Bow*:
	+ When Winter says goodbye to Evie for the final time, she says that she put up quite a fantastic show.
	+ Moments later, Evie reveals that she didn't die by asking why she and Mya aren't taking a bow for her.
	+ Soon after leaving the cabin, Mya enters the Ly residence and is shocked to find Evie being punished for nearly sacrificing her life to save her friends. Opal tries to justify her actions, but Mya quotes the first line of *Take a Bow*, "You look so dumb right now."
* The episode was originally titled *Slave* and had a different plot involving Amira. It was then changed to *Rushing Roulette* and given a plot that had Evie and Mya being pitted against each other. Unhappy with the way it came out, Av rewrote the episode, having been inspired by other sources.
* Evie saying that she isn't going to calm down is a reference to Jade West stating the same thing in *Victorious*.
* This is the first episode to be released in March 2021.
* "Tạm biệt" means "Goodbye" in Vietnamese.