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Sunday
Chapter One
Eve could feel the light pulling her up out of the dark well that was her mind. With relief she realized that she had survived another night. Slowly she watched the blackness behind her lids change from the dark emptiness of a void to the blackness caused solely by the absence of light, knowing that in a few moments she would be able to open her eyes and see sunlight streaming in the windows of her bedroom. The muscles in her back were cramped and she stretched with long, languid movements, making her body an X across her bed. Yawning, she opened her eyes.
Darkness.
Her heart slammed in her chest. For one perilous instant Eve thought she had slipped over the edge. She thought she’s gotten herself stuck in the dark void that was her mind. She had known this day would come eventually, ever since she was a little girl, but she wasn’t ready. Heck, she’d never be ready. Then a flutter off to her right caused her eyes to roll with fear. There was another flutter and then a glimpse of stars. Air exploded from Eve’s lungs in a strangled gasp. She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath. It was only nighttime, she reassured herself. She shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs from her sleep-saturated mind. Turning her head, she looked at the red glowing lights of her alarm clock. 12 p.m. Jeez, she’d just gotten into bed an hour ago.
Her skin was damp with perspiration. Slowly, she threw back her coverlet, swung her legs over the edge of her queen size bed and stood up. She quickly strode over to the bathroom door and felt inside for the lights. Flipping them on, she stepped onto the cold linoleum, then onto the rug in front of the sink as shivers chased one another up her spine. She looked at herself in the mirror.
Her reflection stared back at her. Slowly she studied herself. Her hair was black and hung down her back like spread silk. It was the only sign of her Japanese heritage that she possessed. Her eyes moved to her skin. It was soft and smooth, but ghostly pale. Her nose was turned up just a bit at the end. Her mouth was too wide for her face and her eyebrows weren’t as arched as she would have liked. Then she looked into her own eyes. People had told her that they were beautiful. Dark blue, with hints of purple, they were definitely unusual, but all Eve saw was the darkness. How could anyone not see it right away? It lurked there in the color of her eyes; the portals to her mind.
“Eve, honey, are you alright?” Eve’s grandmother called up the stairs.
“Uh, yeah, I’m fine…I just…forgot to…brush my teeth!” Eve snapped out of her reverie. She leaned over, turned the cold water on, and splashed her face. Grabbing a hand towel, she straightened back up as she patted her face dry. Dropping the towel on the counter next to the sink, she looked herself in the eyes again. Portals to her mind, what a load of crap. “Watch it, Eve. You’re starting to lose it,” she muttered under her breath as she left the room and walked back to her bed.
Sliding under the covers, she shivered. Most people checked their rooms for imaginary monsters when they woke from a nightmare, but not her. In her nightmare, the danger was always in her mind. In the inky blackness that tried to tempt her to let go of her mind and dive in. Just like her mother. She closed her eyes at that thought. Focus on something good, she told herself. Then she imagined she was safe. That there was someone hovering next to her in the bed, protecting her even from herself. Her protector looked a lot like Alex, she realized. As she drifted into sleep she sighed and pushed that thought out of her mind. Alex was gone.
Monday--Chapter Two
Eve walked down the steps of her grandmother’s house at 5 o’clock the next morning. She could hear her grandmother humming in the kitchen and smell bacon on the stove. Her stomach growled and she quirked a half-smile as she follow it into the kitchen. Her grandmother was petite and slim, but had been known to stand up to men twice her size and come out on top. When she heard Eve walk in, she glanced up with a big smile on her face. It was hard to keep the smile from slipping away as she took in the dark smudges below her granddaughter’s eyes and the slackness around her mouth.
“Good morning,” she said as Eve walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup.
“’Morning,” Eve replied while folding herself into a chair at the table.
“You hungry?”
“Yes,” she admitted “but I have to be at work by 6, so I can’t stay long.”
“Slow down, child. Work will wait.” her grandmother replied.
“Not mine, Nana.”
“Oh, yes, I’m getting forgetful in my old age, killers don’t take days off, do they?,” Nana shot back, her voice laced with disapproval. “When are you going to settle down? I know it’s too soon after, well, Alex and all that, but you should at least be out there. Laura called yesterday. She said you haven’t been out with her and Tammy in forever. She’s worried about you, honey.”
“I’ve been busy Nana.”
“But honey-
“I don’t want to talk about this right now. I’m late for work” she said as she grabbed a bagel and headed for the door. She hated to blow Nana off like that, but she really was late. Conveniently.
Sighing, Eve slipped into her car and started the engine. The black Mercedes purred to life. It was one of the few luxuries Eve allowed herself, but it always made her feel better to drive it. Putting the car into reverse she backed out of the driveway and onto the street. She put the car in drive and glanced in the rearview mirror. A pair of disturbing green eyes stared back at her. Eve’s heart lodged in her throat. Strong hands came up to clamp right below it, as the man behind her leaned forward, never breaking eye contact. Suddenly her survival instincts kicked into high gear and she clawed desperately at the hands around her throat. Kicking her feet, she hit the gas pedal and the car shot forward, throwing her attacker backwards. As he fell, his hands tightened and panic surged through Eve anew. The car sped straight into the mailbox with a loud crunch. Still kicking she managed to hit the horn with her knee as his hands squeezed tighter, blocking off her air supply. As angry red dots invaded her vision, she prayed Nana wouldn’t come out of the house to see what all the commotion was. If Nana was hurt, well, she wasn’t going to think about that. Huh, she thought, as black dots danced before her eyes, not exactly my life flashing before my eyes is it? Then the blackness swallowed her.
Chapter One
Eve could feel the light pulling her up out of the dark well that was her mind. With relief she realized that she had survived another night. Slowly she watched the blackness behind her lids change from the dark emptiness of a void to the blackness caused solely by the absence of light, knowing that in a few moments she would be able to open her eyes and see sunlight streaming in the windows of her bedroom. The muscles in her back were cramped and she stretched with long, languid movements, making her body an X across her bed. Yawning, she opened her eyes.
Darkness.
Her heart slammed in her chest. For one perilous instant Eve thought she had slipped over the edge. She thought she’s gotten herself stuck in the dark void that was her mind. She had known this day would come eventually, ever since she was a little girl, but she wasn’t ready. Heck, she’d never be ready. Then a flutter off to her right caused her eyes to roll with fear. There was another flutter and then a glimpse of stars. Air exploded from Eve’s lungs in a strangled gasp. She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath. It was only nighttime, she reassured herself. She shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs from her sleep-saturated mind. Turning her head, she looked at the red glowing lights of her alarm clock. 12 p.m. Jeez, she’d just gotten into bed an hour ago.
Her skin was damp with perspiration. Slowly, she threw back her coverlet, swung her legs over the edge of her queen size bed and stood up. She quickly strode over to the bathroom door and felt inside for the lights. Flipping them on, she stepped onto the cold linoleum, then onto the rug in front of the sink as shivers chased one another up her spine. She looked at herself in the mirror.
Her reflection stared back at her. Slowly she studied herself. Her hair was black and hung down her back like spread silk. It was the only sign of her Japanese heritage that she possessed. Her eyes moved to her skin. It was soft and smooth, but ghostly pale. Her nose was turned up just a bit at the end. Her mouth was too wide for her face and her eyebrows weren’t as arched as she would have liked. Then she looked into her own eyes. People had told her that they were beautiful. Dark blue, with hints of purple, they were definitely unusual, but all Eve saw was the darkness. How could anyone not see it right away? It lurked there in the color of her eyes; the portals to her mind.
“Eve, honey, are you alright?” Eve’s grandmother called up the stairs.
“Uh, yeah, I’m fine…I just…forgot to…brush my teeth!” Eve snapped out of her reverie. She leaned over, turned the cold water on, and splashed her face. Grabbing a hand towel, she straightened back up as she patted her face dry. Dropping the towel on the counter next to the sink, she looked herself in the eyes again. Portals to her mind, what a load of crap. “Watch it, Eve. You’re starting to lose it,” she muttered under her breath as she left the room and walked back to her bed.
Sliding under the covers, she shivered. Most people checked their rooms for imaginary monsters when they woke from a nightmare, but not her. In her nightmare, the danger was always in her mind. In the inky blackness that tried to tempt her to let go of her mind and dive in. Just like her mother. She closed her eyes at that thought. Focus on something good, she told herself. Then she imagined she was safe. That there was someone hovering next to her in the bed, protecting her even from herself. Her protector looked a lot like Alex, she realized. As she drifted into sleep she sighed and pushed that thought out of her mind. Alex was gone.
Monday--Chapter Two
Eve walked down the steps of her grandmother’s house at 5 o’clock the next morning. She could hear her grandmother humming in the kitchen and smell bacon on the stove. Her stomach growled and she quirked a half-smile as she follow it into the kitchen. Her grandmother was petite and slim, but had been known to stand up to men twice her size and come out on top. When she heard Eve walk in, she glanced up with a big smile on her face. It was hard to keep the smile from slipping away as she took in the dark smudges below her granddaughter’s eyes and the slackness around her mouth.
“Good morning,” she said as Eve walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup.
“’Morning,” Eve replied while folding herself into a chair at the table.
“You hungry?”
“Yes,” she admitted “but I have to be at work by 6, so I can’t stay long.”
“Slow down, child. Work will wait.” her grandmother replied.
“Not mine, Nana.”
“Oh, yes, I’m getting forgetful in my old age, killers don’t take days off, do they?,” Nana shot back, her voice laced with disapproval. “When are you going to settle down? I know it’s too soon after, well, Alex and all that, but you should at least be out there. Laura called yesterday. She said you haven’t been out with her and Tammy in forever. She’s worried about you, honey.”
“I’ve been busy Nana.”
“But honey-
“I don’t want to talk about this right now. I’m late for work” she said as she grabbed a bagel and headed for the door. She hated to blow Nana off like that, but she really was late. Conveniently.
Sighing, Eve slipped into her car and started the engine. The black Mercedes purred to life. It was one of the few luxuries Eve allowed herself, but it always made her feel better to drive it. Putting the car into reverse she backed out of the driveway and onto the street. She put the car in drive and glanced in the rearview mirror. A pair of disturbing green eyes stared back at her. Eve’s heart lodged in her throat. Strong hands came up to clamp right below it, as the man behind her leaned forward, never breaking eye contact. Suddenly her survival instincts kicked into high gear and she clawed desperately at the hands around her throat. Kicking her feet, she hit the gas pedal and the car shot forward, throwing her attacker backwards. As he fell, his hands tightened and panic surged through Eve anew. The car sped straight into the mailbox with a loud crunch. Still kicking she managed to hit the horn with her knee as his hands squeezed tighter, blocking off her air supply. As angry red dots invaded her vision, she prayed Nana wouldn’t come out of the house to see what all the commotion was. If Nana was hurt, well, she wasn’t going to think about that. Huh, she thought, as black dots danced before her eyes, not exactly my life flashing before my eyes is it? Then the blackness swallowed her.
posted by Kate at 4:31 PM
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