Evvie

Chapter 1 (Part 2) - The Beginning

Lying in a huddled ball was a little girl about six years old, shivering with cold. The rain had left her hair in little rat tails and she was dressed in a thin, once white cotton night gown.

"Oh Lord have mercy! You poor baby!", Maggie cried and she whisked the tiny body up into her arms and carried her to the kitchen table. The thought crossed Maggie's mind for a second that the child was very light for her apparent age and too skinny and pale.

"Where on earth did you come from way out here in the middle of nowhere?" Windy Willows was located almost 10 miles from the tiny village of Manse. There was nothing, no houses or people closer than the village which had approximately 55 residents. Willow orphanage had roughly twice that many residents at any given time!

The little girl was shivering and Maggie placed her in the chair closest to the stove, took a blanket from the basket of washing (that lazy maid left in the kitchen corner!) and tucked it around her. She turned away and started building up the fire in the old stove to bring some heat to the kitchen.

"There now hopefully you will start to feel warm in a bit, child. This old place has so many leaks and it's very hard to warm up! Now I shall make you some cocoa and you shall feel better and tell Old Maggie whereabouts you came to be on my back step in that condition!"

Maggie eyes the poor waif as she made the cup of weak cocoa. Poor child, she thought. She was dressed in an old ratty nightgown which was barely more than rags and her feet was bare. She was beautiful, Maggie mused. Huge bright blue eyes that were a little odd and lips that once warmed up, would be as pink as a freshly bloomed rose bud. Maggie snorted to herself as she wondered at herself. How come a pretty child like that came to be lying on her doorstep? She shook her head and handed the child the mug of hot cocoa.

"Here now drink it all up! You'll feel better in a minute." The little girl took the mug from Maggie, staring at her whilst she raised it to her lips. The mug was almost too big for her thin, pale fingers and she barely managed a sip or two. When she lowered the cup, she whispered, "Thank you, ma'am."

"No need to. How did you get here and where are you from?"

"I..I can't remember" she barely muttered.

"I just woke up here. I can't even remember where I am from or where I lived!" Hysteria rose in the girl and her eyes filled with tears.

"Please...you have to help me!" She started sobbing and the sound of the tears broke Old Maggie's heart.

"There there now. Go ahead and have a good cry. I know baby I know. It's gonna be alright." Maggie said as she engulf the poor child into her big arms. She rocked her until the sobs turned into hiccups. Maggie pulled back and looked into her eyes, with a searching glance.

"Do you remember your name child?"

"It's Evvie." "Evvie...sweet name for a sweet child. Now you wait here whilst I inform the warden you're here. She's a good soul and together we will soon find your parents." As she turned to go, Evvie suddenly grabbed her arm with surprising strength for a six year old. Maggie gasps and looked at her wildly.

"No you won't!" Evvie snarled. Her eyes grew larger and turned an intense red colour. Before Maggie could scream, Evvie whispered "Hushhhh" Maggie's shoulders relaxed and her face drooped. She looked as though she was under mind control. Evvie jumped up and walked around Maggie, inspecting her from head to foot. She stopped in front of her and said, "You would do well. Now listen to me. You are going to convince everyone that you are my grandmother. You will say that you had a son when you were young and he died and left me his daughter the child he had in his latter years. My mother died when I was young. Yes, Maggie. I know your history." She started walking around the old woman again, before stopping in front of her, a smirk on her face. "You will tell them your son was taken from you when he was born, so you came here to escape your past. Yes that would clear up all the queries." She paused. "One more thing... I have a 'special diet' that I expect you to provide for me. You will do whatever you have to do to get me my...'food'. Do I make myself clear?"

Maggie said,"Yesssss Mistress.", Tongue slurring her words because she was paralyzed. "Good. Now give me your wrist."

Slowly, Maggie raised her arm and presented her wrist to Evvie. She grabbed the proffered wrist and opened her mouth wide. Two long sharp canines filled her mouth as she sank her teeth into the pale and thready veined wrist of the woman. She suckled greedily until Maggie swayed unsteadily.

"Dammit!" she screeched in frustration. "Ah well I guess this morsel will have to do. Can't have you fainting on me." She picked up a kitchen towel and stripped it, wrapping one of the strips around Maggie's wrist. She secured it firmly and pulled Maggie's sleeve down around the makeshift bandage. She sat down in the chair again and tucked the blanket around her shoulders. "Wake."

Maggie stirred, shaking her head. She looked down at Evvie's hand on the arm, gently holding it with a gentle smile upon her sweet lips.

"I...I just wanted...to say...Thank you, Grandmama. Thank you for being there for me.", wiping away a single tear drop from the corner of her eyes.

Maggie smiled down at her, "Bless you my precious grandchild. We are all each other has. We must be there for each other. Now you sit there and finish your cocoa. I'm going to let the warden know that my grand baby has come to stay."

Wiping a few tears away herself, Maggie picked up the candle and started to leave the kitchen to head upstairs when she noticed the bandage on her wrist.

"Where on earth...!?" She looked at her granddaughter gently sipping away at her drink. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders, muttering to herself as she walked out the kitchen. "Maggie girl, you are getting up there in age. Can't even remember hurting your wrist!" Shaking her head she left the kitchen.

Had she glanced back then, her blood would have ran cold and her heart would have seized in fear. For the look on Evvie's face was not normal...in fact nothing has ever been able to or ever would be able to recreate that look. It was a look of pure evil.

"Yessss Maggie. You would do. You would do very, very well."

(Right people! That's the first chapter done! I'm not going to upload the other until I get 15 votes! So come on get ah voting! Comment please and let me know what you all think! What do you think Evvie wants with Maggie? What is she? Vote and Comment! Thank you! :D )