Haeven

Chapter 1

"One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three...."

I looked up as Evan and his friends darted away then turned back to my book. It was getting dark while I sat on the deck reading. My mother came out to tell me dinner was almost ready and that we needed to come in.

"Yeah, Mom," I shrugged, "as soon as Evan's done his game."

She looked disappointed but didn't bother to argue with me. "Make sure he takes his shoes off and leaves them on the deck. It's very muddy back there," she said as her gaze swept the length of our yard.

I rolled my eyes, "Yep, shoes..." I mumbled and buried my face back in my book.

I had just turned 16 and was about 5 years older than Evan. Because of our difference in ages my mother made it my responsibility to keep him out of trouble whenever she wasn't around. He almost never listened to me though and more often than not refused to do whatever I asked. He rarely got punished for anything either yet I would be held accountable whenever he did something wrong under my pseudo-supervision. Evan and I lived in a perpetual state of resentment. In my mind he was the favorite child, praised and pampered, while I was always being reminded of my short-comings.

Several minutes and a handful of pages passed before my mother came to the deck again. With a voice full of impatience she stated that dinner was getting cold and asked me where Evan was.

"I don't know," I snapped my book closed. I hadn't seen where he or any of the others had run off to. After pushing myself from my chair I turned to head inside.

"Uh, uh," my mom shook her head at me, "find your brother first."

She reached for my book with one hand and spun me around with the other pointing me toward the stairs that led down to the backyard.

It filled me with defiance and rather than hurrying down I tossed her a resentful glare and called out, "Evan! Dinnertime! Mom wants you inside!"

Satisfied that I had done my duty, I took a stride towards the open doorway. My dad stepped into my path before I could pass through, though.

"What's all the yelling?"

"I asked Emily to run down and find Evan. She seemed to think shouting was a good enough alternative," my mother rolled her eyes at me.

"Emily, we have neighbors," my father's voice was full of disapproval. "It's not polite for you to be calling across the yard like that when you might just as easily have done what your mother asked."

His expression made me feel guilty and I hated disappointing him. I groaned and grumbled, "Fine," then stomped down the deck stairs and began the search for my elusive brother.

"Evan," I called as I walked along the lawn. "Evan...it's time to come in, dinner's ready."

I stopped and listened several times but I didn't hear him or any of his friends either. I checked all his favorite hiding places only to turn up nothing. As I rounded the corner of the house I tried picturing where else he might have run off to. It had gotten almost too dark to see and I took a fateful step that soaked my foot up to my ankle in mud.

"This is stupid!" I growled and tried to shake it from my shoe. "Evan! Inside! Now!" As I turned full of anger and frustration I glanced down. I noticed that someone had removed a screen to the crawlspace and I imagined I knew who. I bent down and ducked my head inside, "Evan, I know you're in there. Come on out now. It's time to eat."

Something seemed to move off to my right.

"Evan?" my voice came out in a whisper. "Evan?"

He didn't answer. It was eerily still and quiet.