Evelyn

Evelyn - Chapter Eight

'I'm sorry, I am so so sorry. I have been dragged in way too deep, and I am drowning in grief and sadness. Why should I be living when my mother is up there, frozen.

Jonah, I am sorry, I know you hated me smoking, I'm partly the reason you started, I know. You are my little brother and I love you. Thank you so much, for all you have done for me.

Chloe, thank you for your help, you get that A+, and kick all their asses.

Mitch, ah Mitch, thank you for showing me good times, thank you for introducing me to life. I love you and don't forget it.

Dad, fy.

Mum, see you soon.

Charlie...... Mansfield pee.

I mean, how can I live when I'm trapped in a trance of a memory that is the only thing keeping me alive?

Don't look for my body, don't, even give me a second thought, please. Just get on with your life. Don't go to the police, don't show anyone this letter, this note. (Apart from the people in it)

Yours Truly,

Ev x'

We both stared at the letter for a while, silent, until Jonah spoke. "It's, 'er note, ain't it?"

I swallowed loudly. "Yeah, it is."

"Ya know she always went on about how 'er mothers death was 'er fault. But it wasn't, even she couldn't o' known that the car was gonna crash. IT WASN'T HER FAULT!!!" he screamed the last bit. He fell to the floor, cross legged and cried into his hands. I slumped to the floor and sat opposite him, resting my chin in my hands.

"We uh, should show the others." I offered, Jonah ignored me and continued to sob.

"What the hell even is Mansfield pee?! Is it a place? I've heard of Mansfield but pee? Maybe that's where she is?"

This time I was the one who ignored Jonah. I stared blankly at the wall ahead of me as it sunk in. She was gone.

"We can't just sit 'ere Charlie! We 'av to find 'er body!" He shouted.

"But she said not to, if that's what she wants then-"

"Oh for goodness sake Charlie, can't ya see? Ya can't always do what other people want! Sometimes ya 'av to think of your god damned self. You wanna find 'er, I know ya do." He continued, tears still streaming down his now sodden face.

I nodded in response. "Yeah, I guess so." I got up and strode to the computer, landing on the chair with a thud.

"What are ya doin'?" he asked, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve and sitting on the bed.

"Well if we wanna find her we have to figure out where she is right? Can't give her a proper funeral if we don't have a body, right?"

"Um yeah I guess so." he picked up the crumpled note and headed towards the door. "I'm gonna go see Chloe and uh Mitch. Show 'em the note." he left through the door and I was engulfed in my own solitude.

I typed in the search bar 'Mansfield pee'. And with the schools slow Internet connection lagging again, slowly, search results appear before my eyes.

'Houses in Mansfield'

'Hotels in Mansfield'

'Mansfield College'

Mansfield - Wikipedia'

'Mansfield District'

"Not, what I'm looking for" I whispered to myself. I proceeded to search for 'Mansfield pee' and saw many Facebook profiles popup, including various websites about urine. "Come on, Come on, COME ON!!"

A timid knock came from the entrance of the room along with a sniffling noise. I opened the door to reveal a crying Chloe. As soon as the door was opened wide enough she wrapped her thin arms around my neck and forced me into a hug.

"Oh my god Charlie, it's so horrible." she cried, hot tears dampening her cheeks and my shoulders.

"Yeah-"

"I can't believe it, maybe the prank was her goodbye. I don't know, she didn't even explain anything." she interrupted. I broke her embrace and gave her a sympathetic look.

"Is their anything you wanted?" I asked, probably seeming a little harsh considering the events which had recently occurred. "It's just, I'm trying to figure something out, about the note?" She cringed at the word 'note', it still probably raw in her head.

"No, no, I just want you to know I'm here if you need someone to talk too." she replied sincerely. "See you later Charlie!"

I silently waved goodbye and returned back to the note. I took a short break and lost myself in my thoughts. Reminding myself of only weeks before as my eye caught sight of the small tattoo on my left wrist.

"Come on Charlie, your parents won't know." She pleaded. "It'll be fun and I've always wanted one!"

I mumbled in denial as she grabbed my left wrist, immediately deciding where I was getting my tattoo. The parlour was small and reeked of sweaty bikers. Lots of designs filled the walls, ranging from dragons to buttercups, vampires to mermaids, and cars to music and quotes. Whilst I took in my surroundings I heard Evelyn talking to the guy behind a counter. He was at least 6ft and wore a dark leather jacket, his brown greasy hair glued to his large forehead whilst a red bandana occupied his crown. Soon enough the petit girl threw herself on a chair and pulled down one of her straps on her grey vest. The guy started working on her collarbone and was soon done after inking her olive skin. The sweaty man handed her a cloth, in which she held against the fresh pigment on her skin.

"Come on Charlie, your turn." She squeeled.

At first I was apprehensive about getting a tattoo. I remembered that my parents always said that once you had inked your skin, it would always be there. And how ugly they would look when you aged and your skin wrinkled, disfiguring whatever had been written or drawn there. I hesitantly sat down in the black leather chair, obviously fake, and pondered what I should get. At first I told the man, "I'd like it on my left wrist please" and he nodded in agreement. I then told him how I would like 'Forever Lyn' written, obviously pronounced 'For Evelyn'. I scanned the wall of fonts, finally selecting number '17' titled '1000 years'. I admired his work after he had finished and I smiled, I was very pleased with the way the ink swirled around the letters, following font '17s' pattern.

"Nice, it's cute Charles." Evelyn exclaimed once we left the tattoo parlour and we had both removed the cloths from ourselves.

I had examined her tattoo but couldn't quite fathom the meaning. 'wnjbnuV' was scrawled along her dainty, almost porcelain collarbone in what looked like an Arabic style font. "What does it mean?" I asked.

She paused for a moment but continued walking to her car. "It's a clue." She replied.

"Yeah, but a clue for what?"

"You'll understand soon enough." She unlocked her small black Ford Focus and landed with a 'thud' on the seat.

"A clue!!" I repeated aloud. I finally understood what she meant. "Oh, you're clever Ev." She had been planning this for months. "Now we just have to find you!"