Part Of The Pack

First Day Jitters

Eve woke up in a panic, drenched in sweat. She could feel herself choking on a scream that was caught in her throat. Her heart was beating wildly and she tried to remind herself that it was all just a dream and that none of it was real. But it had felt real. The running, the sound of footsteps behind her, the dizzying fall, the sound of the sirens, the blinding lights, and the overwhelming smell of the hospital. She ran a hand through her untamed hair and tried to slow her breathing. It was just a memory she reminded herself. Nothing more. Memories couldn't hurt her.

Eve picked up her phone to look at the time and groaned. 3 AM. She still had three more hours until she had to get up. She put her phone down and curled up again, trying to fall back asleep. But sleep did not come easy. She tossed and turned trying to get comfortable but the images wouldn't stop flashing across her mind. She grumbled in frustration and threw a pillow over her head as if the pillow would shield her from the awful images.

Just when she felt herself finally dozing off her alarm went off. Eve groaned in defeat and sat up to silence her alarm. She stretched before grabbing her phone and heading over to her bathroom. The bright lights hurt her eyes and she had to blink a few times before she was able to get used to it. Eve placed her phone on the counter and turned on the shower. She waited for a moment for it to heat up and stripped out of her clothes. As she did she caught sight of herself in the mirror and her gaze fell to the long pale pink scar on her right leg. The scar started at the top of her hip and traveled down before coming to a stop just before her ankle bone. She studied it for a moment and gently traced her fingertips along it. She hated it. It was a gruesome reminder of what had happened on that awful night. One that she could never get rid of. She was stuck with it for the rest of her life.

Eve sighed before shaking herself from her thoughts and climbing into the shower. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, and enjoyed feeling the hot water rushing over her as if it was trying to wash away all of her worries. She didn't linger in the comfort of the warm shower for too long, she still had to get ready for school. Eve quickly climbed out and wrapped a towel around herself, dreading the day already. She didn't feel like doing anything fancy and she wasn't trying to impress anyone, so she used the blow dryer on her long golden hair and decided to put it up in a quick ponytail. After she was finished she went over to her closet and tried to pick out something to wear. She didn't want anything that would show off her scar so shorts were out of the question. She settled on a pair of tan leggings, with a baggy burgundy crop top, and white sneakers. She studied herself in the mirror for a moment before grabbing her backpack and her schedule and running down the stairs. She could hear her mom calling to her from the kitchen.

"Evangeline! How many times have I told you not to run on the stairs!"

Eve rounded the corner and saw her mother already fully dressed in a smart-looking pantsuit. She was bustling around the kitchen packing lunch for work.

"Did you want me to make you anything sweetie? I still have time before I have to be at my new office."

Her mother was a lawyer, and a brilliant one at that two. She had never lost a single case in her entire career and her cunningness and sharp wits had made a rather large name for herself.

Eve sat down at the counter and rested her head in her hands, "No I'll just grab something at school. Do you really have to go in today?"

"Honey we talked about this. The Beacon Hills law firm has a huge case going on right now. They needed me to come in as soon as possible."

"I know..."

Her mom gave her a sympathetic smile, "Hey, I know I'm going to be coming home a little late tonight, but how about I pick up some Chinese or something on the way home, and then we can watch scary movies like we used to. How does that sound?"