Dawn of Eve, MJ Howson [lightweight ebook reader TXT] 📗

Eve around and looked into the doll’s shimmering eyes. “What happened? What happened next?”

Dawn grabbed hold of Eve and stood up, allowing the diary to fall to the floor. She held the doll out in front of her and began to shake her. Eve’s eyes clicked and clacked as they opened and closed repeatedly.

“What was behind the door?” Dawn’s heart began to pound in her chest. “What happened to you and the other children?” She shook Eve again. “Tell me!” Dawn shook the doll more violently. She stared into Eve’s eyes and watched as they slowly closed. Dawn abruptly stopped shaking Eve. “I’m sorry.”

Tears fell across Dawn’s cheeks. The rainbow of nebulas drifted across the walls and ceilings, spiraling around her and Eve. Dawn hugged Eve and went to the crib beneath the chandelier, gently placing the doll inside. She twisted Eve’s arms, hands, legs, and feet so the doll could lay flat. Dawn stroked Eve’s matted hair and kissed her stained cheek. Dawn spent a bit of time wrapping the blanket around Eve. A few more rhinestones from the doll’s dress fell off during the process.

“I . . . I need to know what happened, Eve. I need to know.”

Dawn stared at Eve and waited.

“Why won’t you tell me?” Dawn asked. Her heart raced, escalating as each second of silence passed. “Please, Eve. I have to know.”

Eve’s eyes clicked open.

“Yes?” Dawn asked.

“Ask the store owner,” Eve said.

Thirty Four

Fate

Dawn’s knees trembled as she stood atop the seven stone steps outside Zuni Store of Wonders. The late afternoon sun caused shadows to engulf the shop’s entrance. The darkness hiding behind the store’s glass front gave Dawn pause. She removed her sunglasses and cautiously descended the stairs as the wind whipped at her coat. Dawn’s heart seemed to stop when she noticed the Closed sign hanging inside the door.

“No!” Dawn cried. She approached the door and cupped her hands to her face as she stared into the blackness inside. Dawn began to slap the glass with the palm of her hand, each impact gaining in speed and pressure. “Hello? Hello?”

Leo appeared from behind the main counter at the back of the store. The cat slowly approached the door. He sat on the opposite side, staring up at Dawn. His eyes showed nothing but disinterest. Dawn stopped banging on the door. She squatted down low to get closer to Leo.

“Can you go get her?” Dawn asked, her warm breath creating moments of fog against the glass. She tapped the door with her fingernails. “Go find Janet.”

The cat sat there, unfazed by the distraction. Leo slowly spread out on the floor, rolled over, and looked away.

Dawn sighed and sat down on the bottom step. She reached into her pocket and pulled out Eve’s diary. The wind swirled around her, biting at her pink-tinged cheeks. Dawn began flipping through the pages until she got to the last entry. She reread the final sentence out loud. “I don’t trust anyone.”

Suddenly the door opened, startling Dawn. She looked up to see Janet standing in the doorway. Her black and gray drab outfit blended with the dimly lit store. Leo scurried away, jumping up onto the glass counter.

“Dawn?” Janet asked, her eyes fixated on the diary in Dawn’s hands. “Are you okay?”

“You’re here!” Dawn said, her voice suddenly filled with hope.

Dawn stood up and entered the shop, clutching Eve’s diary close to her chest. She walked over to the main counter, allowing her eyes to settle on the collection of jewelry and other trinkets inside the glass case. Dawn approached Leo and attempted to pet him, but he jumped to the floor and ran into the back room.

Janet joined Dawn at the counter. She tugged at her frizzy black locks as she inspected Dawn’s long black and white hair. She asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Well, no.” Dawn opened the diary and began to flip through the pages. “It’s Eve’s diary. I . . . I reached the end. There are pages missing. Everywhere.”

“I’m sorry. I should have told you the diary was incomplete. But what remains is–”

“What happened to Eve? And the other children? Did . . . did they finally connect?”

“Connect?” Janet took the diary from Dawn, lowered her glasses to her face, and ran her fingertips across the worn leather cover. She opened the book to the beginning and let her eyes settle on the first entry, covering Annabelle’s birthday. Janet smiled as she allowed her fingers to caress the words covering the page. She sighed and said, “No.”

“Then what happened? The door! That black door. Eve worried about what was on the other side. She feared the worst.” Dawn shook her head and looked at the section of the counter where Eve once sat. “They all died, didn’t they?”

“Why would you think that?” Janet sighed as she closed the book and gave it back to Dawn. “Eve went through a ceremony.”

“A ceremony? What kind?”

“A beautiful one.” Janet flipped her glasses to the top of her head and walked back behind the counter. When she got there, Leo emerged from the back room. Janet bent down and scooped the cat into her arms. “She was saved. All the children went to camp to be saved.”

“Saved?” Dawn felt her panic and despair become replaced by total confusion. She looked at the diary and then at Janet. “And, um, where is Eve now?”

“Why, she’s . . . with you.”

“Me?” Dawn suddenly felt lost. She’d come here seeking answers but found herself with more questions. “I . . . I don’t understand.”

“I thought you’d learn about Eve by reading about each child’s last day at camp–from Eve’s perspective. Didn’t you learn about her?”

“I . . . I guess.” A smile slowly spread across Dawn’s face as she recalled the stories from the diary. “I learned that she’s tough. A fighter.”

“Exactly.” Janet kissed Leo and placed him on the counter. The cat walked a few feet away and stopped to sit and stare at Dawn.