The Disappearing Act

Prologue

She woke up drowsy, tired, and overall... bad. Her mother and father were out, most likely at one of her brother's basketball games. They hadn't bothered to tell her of course. How was it she could live in such a big family, yet still be alone? Evelyn Shultz often wondered that. She was just a little girl after all. Not quite seven, but getting there. Her parents hadn't expected her. After her brother, Nate, was born her parents didn't want anymore children. In her locked up mind, Evelyn considered herself a burden.
It's not that her parents didn't love her. They loved her very much. And they often wished that she could see that. But, she didn't. All she saw was how they ignored her, and left her out. As if they had formed all their inside jokes before she was even around to laugh.
You may wonder just how such a child could be so alone. Well, the simple answer was her intelligence. Evelyn prided herself on the one thing she had for certain. Intellect.
Though at times, her thoughts were clouded, Evelyn knew what she needed. A friend. Someone to count on through tough times. Someone to understand.
Little chance of that happening. Evelyn stood up from bed, rubbed her blue eyes, and stood up. The yellow rug that she'd known for so long tickled her feet as she walked to the bathroom. First, she looked in the mirror. Her slightly dark blonde hair looked like a rats nest. She brushed it out, leaving curled strands on the floor.
The other thing Evelyn prided herself on was her hair. Despite its rat's nest tendencies, it looked curled without ever applying heat.
Even though her parents disappearance was off putting, Evelyn was not surprised. And she intended to make the most of her Saturday. Any day off of the strains of second grade was a good day. She could ride her bike, or read her books, but decided against it.
Instead she looked out of her window into the street. The sun was up, spring flowers were sprouting outside her second story window, and it was beautiful. It was the glory of Maine.
Her father had always loved it, yet her mother hated the place. She said it depressed her. Personally, Evelyn couldn't fathom why. Everything just seemed so perfect.
But something was different today. The air seemed clearer than ever, and Evelyn felt a funny sort of happiness rise in her stomach. Then she noticed a moving van down the street. She watched as a family got out. A mom, a dad, two twins in a twin sized stroller, and a little girl. She looked about four or five, and carried a little teddy bear with her.
Evelyn got dressed as quickly as possible, and ran downstairs to meet them. She had a good feeling that she would become friends with the girl.
A few minutes later, Evelyn walked up the driveway to the new family's home. She introduced herself to the man and the woman, a happy young couple. Then she came face to face with the little girl. She had straight blonde hair, and light blue eyes. She looked like the child models you see sometimes in magazines.
"Hi," Evelyn said slowly, "My name is Evelyn. Evelyn Shultz."