Evie's Pov
I ran back home, my feet slapping against the dusty pavement, my breath hitching with every hurried step. By the time I reached the front of our tiny house, I was completely out of breath, wheezing and holding my chest like it would calm the wild thumping of my heart. The flashing red and orange lights of the police car parked next to our house made my stomach drop. I knew that glow all too well-it meant my mother had panicked again.
I placed a hand over my chest, trying to catch my breath, gasping like a fish out of water. My mother was outside, standing stiffly next to a tall police officer. She was mid-conversation, her face tight with nerves, but the moment she saw me approaching, her whole expression changed in an instant. Her eyes widened in shock, and then her brows furrowed with rage.
"It's okay, Officer. I think I was a bit hysterical," she said quickly, her tone shifting from distressed to embarrassed. "She seems to be fine now."
I slowed my pace as I neared them, my chest still heaving. The officer let out a long sigh when he saw me-he looked exhausted, not just from the day, but from me, or rather, from my mother calling him way too often. I recognized his face. I had seen it more times than I could count.
"Madam," he said tiredly, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "please stop calling us on a monthly basis, especially when you're not completely sure that she's actually been kidnapped. We can't keep doing this."
His voice was firm, but I could tell he was trying to remain polite, probably out of sympathy. My mother nodded, clearly ashamed, then turned to me and grabbed my hand tightly. She forced me to apologize to the officer.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled quietly, still panting.
After a bit of back-and-forth, the policemen finally left, shaking their heads as they drove off. The moment the police car disappeared down the street and we stepped back inside the house, I could feel the energy shift.
As soon as the front door closed behind us, I knew it was over for me. My social life was already dangling by a thread-and this just cut it.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS, EVIE?!" she shouted the moment the door clicked shut, her voice bouncing off the walls.
I instinctively put my hands behind my back and lowered my gaze to the floor, guilt creeping in.
"I'm sorry, Mommy," I said in a small voice, trying to appear as innocent as possible. "I lost track of time bargaining for fish. But on the bright side," I added with a small, hopeful smile, "I got the best price."
She didn't buy it. Not for a second.
She placed both her hands on her waist, her body tense with frustration. "The market closed hours ago, Evie," she said, her voice flat with disbelief.
I looked down, pretending to be confused. "It did?"
"And why don't you even have the fish with you?" she added, her tone switching from angry to suspicious.
My eyes widened in realization. The fish. I had completely forgotten the fish in the middle of the forest. Just sitting there like an idiot. Ugh, why am I like this? Why am I always this dumb?
"I..." I began, fumbling for an excuse.
Then, like a lightbulb flicking on, I knew exactly what to do.
"Ah," I gasped, crouching down slightly and placing my hand over my chest. My face scrunched in fake pain.
My mom's angry eyes immediately softened. Her rage dropped from 100 to 0 in a matter of seconds. She knelt down next to me, her expression full of worry.
"Are you okay? You should go get some rest," she said gently, already helping me up.
I nodded weakly, limping toward the bedroom like a wounded puppy. As soon as I closed the door, I exhaled a deep breath of relief. Thank goodness. If there was one advantage to having heart problems, it was that it could get me out of trouble-especially with my mom. All I had to do was show the slightest hint of pain, and she would forget everything she was mad about. My mom was honestly too kind for her own good.
Seriously, I don't understand how her sister-that witch, Daphne-could hate her so much. I mean, who could hate my mom? She's practically a walking ball of love. Yet Daphne went out of her way to ruin her life. I just didn't get it.
I shook the thoughts from my head and got ready for bed. School was tomorrow, and it was already late.
The next morning, I felt a warm hand gently shaking my shoulder.
"Wake up, Eve. You'll be late for school," my mother said softly.
I groaned and slowly opened my eyes, blinking away the fuzziness of sleep. The first thing I saw was her beautiful, gentle face, looking at me with love and urgency. I gave her a sleepy smile and stretched out my arms lazily.
"Hurry up," she said, standing up. "The water is going to turn off soon."
That instantly snapped me awake.
I jumped out of bed like a rabbit, bolting to the bathroom as if my life depended on it. Yesterday's situation could not repeat itself. Not on a school day. Not again.
I turned on the faucet and immediately shivered. The water was freezing cold-again. But I was used to it by now. I'd heard somewhere that cold showers were good for blood circulation, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
I showered as fast as I could, dried off, and got dressed. My school uniform was still the same hideous khaki brown oversized dress. My mom insisted I would eventually grow into it, but I was in my final year of high school and still swimming in it. You should have seen it when I first started high school-it reached all the way to my ankles. I looked like I was drowning in fabric.
I pulled my hair into a neat bun, clipped my phone-watch onto my wrist-it was fully charged, thank heavens-and got ready to leave.
"Eve, you're getting late!" my mother called from the kitchen.
"I know, I'm coming!" I shouted back as I slipped on my shoes, grabbed my bag, and rushed into the kitchen.
My mom handed me my lunch bag and a steamed bun. I quickly stuffed the lunch into my backpack and began eating the bun-dry and plain, but filling.
Then she handed me a glass of water and my daily pills: a green one, a pink one, and a white one. I popped all three in my mouth and swallowed them with the water, then opened my mouth wide so she could see I didn't spit them out. She nodded approvingly.
"You can go now."
I handed her the empty glass, slung my bag over my shoulder, and headed toward the door.
"Eve, don't run!" she yelled behind me.
"So I'll speed-walk!" I called back cheekily, trying to move fast without technically running.
It looked weird-I knew it-but I didn't care. Some of the other kids at the bus stop gave me funny looks, probably wondering why I was walking like I had a stick tied to my back. But whatever. I just wanted to get to school on time.
After a bumpy thirty-minute bus ride full of potholes, sharp turns, and multiple stops, I finally arrived at school.
Dale High School.
It was the only semi-decent school in the whole country. If something international ever happened, the government would shove Dale High to the front of the spotlight like a trophy. "Look what we've done with the donations!" they'd say, mostly referring to the money Daphne donated.
The outside of the building was gorgeous-clean paint, flowers along the fence, a shiny plaque near the gate. But inside? A total mess. Half the classrooms didn't even have functioning lights. Some chairs were broken. And don't even get me started on the bathrooms.
Still, this was the school every parent dreamed of sending their child to. I had only made it in on a full scholarship. Without it, I wouldn't have even made it past the front gate.
The school day dragged by. Classes were boring, the teachers were tired, and the students were louder than usual. When the final bell rang, most kids rushed home or headed off to their sports clubs.
I didn't do sports. But I still went to the swimming pool room. It was the only decent part of the school-clean, quiet, and the air didn't reek of mildew.