Abandonment is one word to describe Evelyn Ward's childhood.
Known as an orphan freak and paranoid schizophrenic, she was dragged through years of therapy after admitting to hearing whispering voices and seeing creatures and living shadows.
...
Disclaimer: *This chapter contains mention of self-harm and suicide. Viewer discretion is advised.*
I checked my phone for the millionth time. I had texted Jorden an hour ago, and he still had yet to reply. I usually wouldn't be too concerned about his lack of response -- I get it, he has things to do and I can't always expect to be a priority -- but I needed a ride home and Jorden was always my go-to driver.
Chelsea had already sprinted off to get ready for some 'hot date' she had scheduled, and I was out of cab funds, so I was left with either waiting for Jorden, or walking.
I decided to walk. If I cut through Central Park, I'd be home in twenty minutes, whereas it could be hours before Jorden could pick me up.
Now don't get me wrong, I knew perfectly well the dangers of a woman walking alone at night in New York City, but the way I looked at it, I was more likely to die of boredom while waiting for Jorden than to get kidnapped. Besides, you don't get raised in foster care and picked on for being a freak without learning how to defend yourself.
So, I swung my backpack over my shoulder, pocketed my cellphone, and exited the Shake Shack.
The brisk October air chilled my skin, and without the sun to warm me, I wished I had a sweater to put on. But I didn't, and wishing had never gotten me anything.
Even at night, the brightly lit streets were packed with people bustling from one place to another, but the park was a different matter. The higher traffic areas were more populated, but the small pathways I chose were dark with only a few scattered passers-by. Maybe I should have taken the road more traveled -- that would've been the smart thing to do -- but I wanted to take the shortest route possible, not the smartest.
When the temperature dropped ten degrees and every nerve in my body fired in reaction to the unearthly presence surrounding me, panic seized me. The shadows had been gone all afternoon, but now they returned with an intensity that stunned me. My heart raced faster than my feet on the pavement, and when heavy footsteps echoed behind mine, I realized the mistake I had made.
The darkness closed in, choking me as thoroughly as the fear constricting my throat. What scared me more than being alone in the dark with the wraiths and footsteps following me, was that I knew from past experiences what happened when the wraiths gathered like this.
The memory of the last occurrence flashed in front of my eyes. Though the event had taken place years ago, the night still swam clear in my mind.
*
I had been sixteen, in one of the many foster homes of my youth; the only place I ever made any friends at all -- well, just one. Lizzy Craster. Perhaps the only kid as picked on as I was, and certainly the only one insane enough to befriend me.
The same feeling I had now had been trailing me for days, my anxiety had been growing and when the shadows gathered and screamed with such intensity the house shook, I knew something terrible had happened.
I ran to the room Lizzy and I shared and banged on the door until the hinges gave out and the locked door fell open under the force of my fists. The wraiths had fallen silent, a sense of smugness radiating from their smothering darkness.
I had known then what I would find -- it had happened before. But nothing could have prepared me for the sight of her lifeless body lying there, her crimson blood soaking into the carpet, seeping from the wounds on her wrists.
Even then the shadows had called to me, whispering their thoughts, urging me to pick up those safety scissors and drag them across my own wrists. To join her in her fate.
I still don't know why I didn't.
*
Now, racing through Central Park, being chased by the horrors of my past, and whatever monster that stalked me, I wondered if I might, after all, end up the same as Lizzy.
Six feet under with no one around to care.
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Has Evelyn made a tragic mistake? What do you think you would do if you were her? I love hearing your feedback and thoughts.
