Tragic accident takes two lives Early Saturday morning on the 405. A Honda Civic traveling east crossed over the center divider at 80 mph. The Civic merged into oncoming traffic hitting a Ford Focus. The two passengers of the Ford Focus were killed on impact. Sources say that the Honda was weaving erratically before hurling across and onto the other side.
I looked back into the box and saw a program for a funeral. I read: In loving memory of Dan and Irene Larsen. Eve’s parents! I put the program and the folded newspaper back into the box just as I found them.
So Eve’s parents aren’t alive. That explained her signing her own note to the office. Now I was getting somewhere, but I couldn’t understand why the office would change her class schedule if they knew her parents were dead. That part didn’t make sense. I crouched down and moved the box to the side to see if there was anything else under the bed. I found two big photo albums. I reached under the bed and grabbed them, flipping open the tan one first. It definitely looked like the oldest one of the two, worn and scratched. The first pages were of family, starting with Eve as a baby and gradually getting older. I recognized an older man and woman that I had seen hanging on the walls downstairs and guessed they were Eve’s grandparents. I took one of the photos out and flipped it over. Grandma and Grandpa Fox- 1995.
She must live with her grandparents. I closed the book and picked up the gray, newer one. Inside were photos of her, older. I would guess high school, since they looked more recent, freshman year, maybe even sophomore. But what stood out to me was how normal she looked. Her hair was brown instead of black and she seemed happy in the pictures, like a completely different person. She looked like someone I would be friends with. Her friends in the photos looked the same, like every other average teenager.
I turned the page and saw pictures of Eve in a dance class. She looked like a typical ballerina. Her hair was pulled tight into a bun and she was dressed in a leotard, tutu and point shoes. It didn’t fit at all! Shocked, I turned another page and saw a program for the Nutcracker. She was the lead. I sat there, dazed and extremely confused. I was astonished that she could actually be a part of something ordinary and normal, and apparently be so good at it.
I looked once more under the bed and grabbed an oversized shoebox. This one mimicked her personality now. The entire top was covered with magazine clippings of weird, out-of-the-ordinary people and dark, disturbing objects. Some made sense and I recognized what they were. There was a picture of the shootings at Columbine and the nine-eleven terrorist tragedy in New York City, but the rest were strange. One had a girl with dark hair wearing dark makeup. Her hands pulled down her face, making her mascara streak down her cheeks. And that name, Lapsus, was written all over the box in red ink.
My fingers fearfully lingered around the edge of the box. I was really apprehensive about opening it, but this is what I had come for. The already thick air was choking me. I felt like I could barely breathe, but I took a deep breath and lifted the lid. The cardboard fell from my fingers, hitting the carpet with a dull thud. Chills covered my entire body. The box was filled with pictures of…me.
What! My mouth dropped wide open as I stared into the box of photographs of me. I was silently screaming inside and terrified.
What the hell was all of this? How long had she been spying on me? What else had she done? I picked up the handful of photos and sifted through each one. Carefully looking at the background as I tried to remember where I was and what I was doing in each. There were at least three or four dozen, maybe more. And each was dated. In some I was alone, but most were of me and my friends, Austin and Becka, Stephanie and Josh. There were even a couple of me and Katie, which I found odd because we hadn’t been friends for a long time.
I found a torn-out section of the phone book with my phone number and address circled in red ink twice. I grabbed my backpack and shoved everything into it, and continued furiously searching. My emotions were running wild. I was angry and felt violated. I was also afraid. I pulled out an old red leather journal, slightly burned on the corners. I opened it up gingerly to the first page. All the pages were slightly browned on the edges, as if it had been scorched by fire, but ultimately saved from total destruction. There was that name again! It was scribbled everywhere in different fonts, Lapsus, Lapsus, Lapsus. What did it mean?
I started to read and all the fear and anger I felt a moment ago multiplied by a thousand. The entire book was about me! I flipped shakily through the pages, reading about what I had done on a particular day ― who I was with, what I had said. At the very bottom she had written notes to herself like: ‘Note: Didn’t succeed today. Tomorrow we focus on Josh.’ One notation that stood out to me said: ‘Note: Was unsuccessful at stopping Breanna at the airport. The Andersons didn’t get on the plane.’
I sat there stunned, my mouth hanging open. I was right about my suspicions and Eve’s motive to stop me at the airport. How could this be happening! The pages crinkled under my hands, my heart was flat lining. The mixture of venomous hate, vengeance and total despair made me want to throw up.
How could she have known about the Andersons? My head was spinning. I felt like I knew nothing anymore. There were a few things I was now certain of. One - Eve, for whatever reason, was out to get me; I was convinced she was evil, with no good intentions. Even though she attempted to bring Josh and I back together, that was probably a set up. Two - somehow she knew my secret, about my visions…but how? Three - for some unforeseen reason, she was trying to stop me from doing what I needed to do, saving these people.
Now it was clear. Eve was out to thwart me in whatever way she could. But how far would she go? What wouldn’t she do to accomplish her sick goals? How far would she go to stop me from accomplishing mine? A cold chill ran straight down my spine.
I slammed the box shut and shoved everything back under the bed, except for the journal that I slid into my backpack. I couldn’t be here one more second. Every minute took me closer to being discovered. As I started to get up, the reality of that fear materialized when I heard the front door open. Footsteps echoed beneath where I stood. I felt the vibrations through my entire body. I started to freeze but forced my panic to initiate movement. I frantically began looking for a way out. There was no time for experimental exits so I thought about the same way I came in, through the bathroom window. My mind was still reeling as I considered alternative escape routes. I glanced outside to see if I could possibly jump from Eve’s bedroom window, but it was a straight drop to the ground. I’d probably injure myself, and it wouldn’t be quiet.
I crept to the door and peeked into the hallway. It was empty, but I heard the rustling of keys not far below my feet, somewhere in the living room or perhaps the kitchen. Maybe I could sneak down the steps and straight out the front door without being noticed.
I stretched one foot out when I heard footsteps coming up the stairway. I closed the door swiftly and sunk into the back corner behind the door, listening carefully as the steps came closer and closer. My heart was in my throat. What was she doing home? Did she notice I wasn’t in class this morning and came looking for me?
I braced myself for the door to open and see Eve standing in front of me. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I just listened, waited and prayed.
When the door didn’t open, I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t hear anything, and didn’t know where she was in the house. I slowly crept back to the doorknob and wrapped my fingers around it, opening the door ever so slowly. I looked out to the hallway again. At the top of the staircase, the first door was now open. It was closed when I came in, all of them were. So I knew Eve, or whoever was in the house, was in that room. I slinked out into the hall and followed the wall down on the same side the door was on. I paused when I heard a toilet flush and my nerves cracked in two. I ran past the door and flew down the steps. I was almost to the front door when I heard a voice from the top of the stairs.
“Hello?” I couldn’t tell if it was Eve or not, but I wasn’t
about to stay to find out.
I heard footfalls on the steps. If I went out the front door, whoever it was would see me, so I ran to the back sliding glass door and frantically pried it open as quietly as I could. I stepped outside and closed it just enough so no one would suspect it was open unless they were right there.
I ran to the edge of the house where I had a good vantage point. I wasn’t sure if she’d check outside. I didn’t hear anything, but saw a couple of lights go on and off in the house. She was looking for an intruder.
After a few minutes of waiting, no one came outside. I bolted past the house and as I crossed the side coming into the front of the yard, I almost ran right into an older woman.
“Oh!” she screamed, grabbing her chest.
We both had our breath taken away.
“What are you doing here?” she gasped “Who are you and what do you want?”
It was Eve’s grandma. I recognized her from the pictures.
“Ummm…” My brain was dead.
Luckily, she got me off the hook. “Are you one of Eve’s friends?” She wasn’t smiling, probably still too shaken up.
“Y-yes,” I stammered.
“Well dear, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in school?”
“Yes, but I thought…um, Eve told me to meet her here at her house.”
She looked down at her watch on her wrist and shook her head.
“Honey, it’s past ten.”
“Oh,” I half-chuckled in a non-humorous way, “I’d better get to class then. I didn’t realize it was so late. Sorry to have bothered you.”
I turned and started walking away, praying she wouldn’t ask any more questions.
“Excuse me,” she continued. Closing my eyes and opening them, I turned around. “What is your name dear?”
I should’ve known she’d ask that. I said the first name that came to my mind, “Katie.” But I regretted it instantly. I could only imagine what Eve would do after everything I found out this morning. Eve’s grandmother would tell Eve that some girl named Katie stopped by. Eve would go to Katie and ask why she was at her house yesterday and somehow she’d find out it was me.
“Well Katie, I’m Vivian. I hope you come by again. I’ve never met any of Eve’s friends before. I’m glad to know she has some. You seem like a very nice young lady.” She smiled and I could tell she meant it.
“Thank you,” I said. There was no way I was ever coming back here. I thought of one more thing that I had to ask. “I haven’t seen you here before either.” I’d only been here once, but I remembered Eve saying her family was often away on vacations. “Have you been gone?”
“Oh well…my husband and I travel a lot. We’re rarely home. We just got back from a long vacation in Palm Springs.” I could tell it was a little difficult for her to say, but didn’t know why. It seemed like before she answered the question, her mind was somewhere else, then she continued. “It’s hard for us to be home these days.” her eyes widened, realizing what she had just said.
“What do you mean?” I questioned.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Forget I just said that.”
But I didn’t stop. I had to know what she meant. “Is it because of Eve’s parents and their death?”
Shocked, she frowned. “How do you know about that? Did she tell you?”
“You mean she hasn’t told anyone?”
“No…not that I know of.”
“Well, if it’s not because of that, then what is it?”
I got the feeling she wanted to ask me something, but was struggling with whether she should. She wrung her hands and cast a fidgety glance around the yard.
Just when I thought she had changed her mind, she surprised me. “Katie, have you…I know this might sound awkward, but has anything out of the ordinary happened when you’ve been around here?” Her voice was soft but direct.
I took a second. “Yes.”
We searched each other’s eyes and I saw terror in hers. It was unmistakable. I could tell as much as she wanted to lie or hide her feelings, her eyes were giving her away.
“Oh Katie, I’m not a terrible grandmother. I promise, but my husband and I can’t stay here any longer. It’s too terrifying and we’re too old. We’ve tried to get her to move back in with her aunt and uncle, but she refuses. I love Eve with all my heart, but when she came to us she was very bitter and never wanted to go anywhere or do anything. She just secluded herself in her room until we forced her to go to school. We suggested she make some friends, but she always said nobody understood what she was going through, that she just needed to be alone. I cried for months, not knowing how I could help her or what I should do. Should I send her back to her aunt and uncle or keep her here. She never listened to any of our recommendations.
“Then, one day she told us she had made a friend. I tell you Katie, my husband and I were so happy that she was finally getting on with her life and making friends. We wanted to meet her new friend, but she would never have him over. That’s when all the strange things started happening…” She stopped talking.
“What? What strange things?” I didn’t want to push her, but I was desperate. I had to know more.
“I can’t believe I’m telling you all of this. Forgive me.” She put her hand to her forehead.
“No, please, I want to know,” I coaxed her.
“No…no.” She shook her head and began to walk back up the front steps to the house.
“Please Vivian, please, you don’t understand. I need to know this.”
But it was too late. She had closed the door behind her.
I was never so happy to see the ‘Welcome to Rogue River’ sign until now. The town hadn’t changed, but somehow it was more vivid, more comforting, and definitely felt like a safety zone. I exhaled as I pulled into the school parking lot. Some of the tension drained from my arms and my pulse was returning to normal.
The school was buzzing with freshman and sophomores. It was their lunchtime and I had thirty-three minutes to kill before I could call Rebecca and have her meet me at my car. To be honest, I needed that time to just sit and absorb everything. There was so much to piece together, so much to make sense of. The one thing that I was certain of was that I had to confront Eve. I didn’t know how I would do it, but I needed some answers and I needed them now. As I sat thinking about what to say, I felt the tension return and fear clench around my chest.
Those thirty minutes passed, the bell rang, and Becka was now sitting in my passenger seat waiting for me to speak. “Well? You gonna tell me or just sit there and stare out that window all day?”
“Calm down, you just got here.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been worried about you all morning. I couldn’t focus in any of my classes because you had to go off and do this completely insane thing…” She paused for a half a second, “Well, are you going to tell me if you even got into the house or not?”
“Yes, I did,” I muttered. “And…”
“And?” she interjected.
“And…I found a lot.” I bit the inside of my cheek.
“Really, what?”
“I’ll show you.” I reached into my backpack and took out a handful of photos and the journal. “There was more, but I didn’t think it was my place to take it.” I thought about the newspaper clippings of the accident and the funeral program.
She frowned not understanding as she sifted through the pictures.
Watching her, I began to regret taking anything. I hadn’t really thought it through when I was shoving them in my backpack. I couldn’t imagine what Eve would do when she discovered the pictures and journal missing. Actually, I did know. She’d come looking for me, because who else would sneak into her house, rifle through and steal her things? I would be the first person, the only person, she would suspect. Right now I didn’t care. I had to figure this all out and I couldn’t do it without knowing what she was up to. I’d focus on that and worry about the rest later.
“Oh my gosh!” Rebecc
a gasped, bringing my attention back. I watched her face in horror as she came across several specific pictures. “Wait, that’s me!”
The photo had both of us in it. We were in the school hallway and looked deep in conversation. I wondered what we were talking about. I don’t know why she would take the picture in the first place. It only added to all the unanswered questions.
“What the hell?” she snapped. “Why am I in all these?”
I shook my head. “You got me. I have no idea.”
“What does this mean?” She was pointing to the back of one of the pictures. At the top right hand corner of each one was a number. After sorting them and putting them in order, I couldn’t find any logic behind it. Maybe there was a group of pictures from the same day and that could possibly help me remember what I was doing, but there wasn’t.
Beck lifted the pages of the journal. A few times she said, “What?” or “Um, okay?”
“Did you read this?” she asked staring at a passage.
“A little…I just wanted to get out of there.”
“Well here, let’s start at the beginning.” She flipped to the very first page and began to read.
Today was hard, I’m not going to lie. Nothing compared to the obvious, but still one of the hardest days ever. They tell me they want what’s best for me, but what they’re really saying is, ‘I can’t deal with you anymore so I’m shipping you off,’ like I’m one of their dogs they don’t want anymore. ‘Another family member has taken pity on you so let’s let them try it out for awhile and see how it goes.’
It figures I would end up here. After living with all three sets of my aunts and uncles, none of who ever really cared for me anyways, grandma and grandpa were the next in line. There was no way I was living in Texas with my crazy second cousin, Lucas, who did time in prison. And I’d run away before I ever moved in with my prissy, I’m - so - into - myself - and - I - don’t - have - time - for - anything - or - anyone - else - but - me, sister Melissa. She hated me since the day I was born. So, here I am stuck in this nothing-to-do town of Wimer. It has been years since I’ve visited and I tell you NOTHING has changed. Oh my Grandma puts on a, ‘I’m happy you’re here, face,’ but Grandpa, on the other hand, barely talks to me. I’m so tired of hearing, ‘how are you doing today?’ Or ‘It will pass.’ Nobody knows what I’m going through. They think I just need to get over it and move on. I’ll never get over it. Never.
Awaken (Awaken Series Book 1) Page 30