Chapter three : Everly

I threw away the apron and the cap and headed to the locker room, I grabbed my bag and made my way out of the store. There was no way I was coming back here. It was scary, that man was crazy. I really needed to learn to control my mouth. It was something I've been trying since young but everything I did was useless and today it actually got me in trouble.

As bad it sounded to me, I was kind of intimidated by him, that man was huge. And the moment he approached me I froze, I was assaulted by his scent, warm honey and amber. His deep brown eyes locked me in my place. And when I finally broke out of his spell, I pushed him away and escaped. Thank god, he didn't follow me out and now all I got to do was stay away, stay away from the place where I could never belong.

Getting back home, I headed to the bathroom for a long shower. I relaxed under the warm water, thinking about tomorrow. It was going to be a busy day. I got out from the shower and wrapped myself in a towel and took another one to dry my hair. I stepped out of the bathroom and looked around, my place was a mess. It was not big, but perfect for a single person to live comfortably and somehow I still managed to keep it messy, I needed to clean but it could surely wait till tomorrow. I got into a pair of sweatpants and an oversized T-Shirt and got under the covers, perfect. I was too tired to fight the sleep and gave in.

***

The alarm woke me up and I got up at once, I couldn't be late today, it was my favorite day of the week. I brushed my teeth, took a quick shower, I picked a pair of black jeans and a white pullover, I stuffed a jacket in my bag just in case it got chilly, it was already autumn and the nights could be a little cold. Today was going to be a good day, I could feel it. I took the subway and put on my headphones, it was going to be a long journey.

After almost an hour I reached my station, it was another twenty minutes walk from there.

I now stood in front of a big, old building, three storey high. The place was a little battered but this was my home before I moved out. This was the foster care I grew up in. Even though my memories of this place were not pleasant, it still was my home once. "Eve you're finally here." Jacob, one of the kids came running to me, I high-fived him, "Yes here I am."

"Let's go, Mrs. Maisel has something for you." He held my hand and pulled me with him. Mrs. Maisel had been the caretaker of this house, for as long as I remembered. She was a woman in her late fifties with bunch of white curls on her head. She greeted me with a warm hug and then led me to her office. "Is everything okay Mrs. Maisel? I mean where is everyone?"

She sighed, "Everly we're moving out from this place."

"Moving out? When did that happen?" I blurted out.

"You see the land on which this building stands has been sold off to some big enterprise."

"What? How is that even possible?" I stood up.

"Well this how it goes kid. There's nothing that can be done now. I've tried everything in my power but they are reluctant to let it go."

"And what about the children? Where are they going to be?"

Mrs. Maisel got up and moved to me, placing a hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry dear they've been taken care of. The buyer has shifted them to a new place, a much better place than this one. I guess this is as far I go, the kids will be looked after by the care under the company. I have already checked on everything, it's perfect, so don't go worrying about anything. I only have a few days to spend with them. But don't you worry, you can go meet them there." She patted my cheek.

"But, what are you going to do? Where will you go?"

"I'll go to my son, the one in the south. Now you better go, this is the last time you're meeting them here. Next time it'll be a new place."

I looked at her and the memories of all those years I'd spent in this place come rushing in. I took a last look of her office and then her, "I'll go then. Take care of yourself and call me whenever you need any help." I told her. She hugged me tightly one more time and then I went off to meet the children.

I was once again greeted by Jacob, "Eve, come play catch with me!" He pulled me by my hand. I laughed at his enthusiasm, "let me keep my bag first." I said and I put it under the tree and move to Jacob, taking the glove from him I got ready to throw the ball at him. "I'm not a kid anymore Eve. Come on give me your best shot."

I smiled at his confidence, taking a step back I get in position, seeing him get ready I threw the ball at him. It swung in the right direction and zoomed past him. He stumbled on the ground, "Wow, that was fast." He said dazed, "you got to teach me that!" He came running to me.

I shook my head, "Not now. At least get better at your basics first. Then I'll teach you." His face dipped. "I promise." I added.

"You do? Okay then help me work on my basics." He beamed.

The rest of the day went by in teaching Jacob to throw the ball and then playing hide and seek with the other kids. And soon it was time to say goodbye, Mrs. Maisel handed me a cardboard box with my name written on it, "What's this?" I asked.

"Your stuff. You left it here and since we all are moving out, you're going to take it with you. No questions asked." She announced. I took the box from her hands, it wasn't too heavy, "Thank you so much."

Getting back to my place I settled the box in the living room and headed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. I sat down on the couch and set the glass on the table beside the box. I ripped the tape off and opened the flaps. It took me a moment to realize what was in there, my blood ran cold. I pushed the the box away and it fell down with a thud, spilling its contents. Bile rose up in my stomach and I felt sick, I ran to the bathroom and threw up, I stayed there until I knew nothing more was coming up. I slumped down on the floor, my head in my hands, tears flowing down my cheeks. I spent years to forget everything, erase every memory related to them and today it all came back and hit me right in the head. I took a few calming breaths and got up, my legs still wobbly. I caught a sight of myself in the mirror, my eyes were red and I looked pathetic. I washed my face with cold water, gathering my courage I walked back to the living room, the box was still on the floor. I bent down and gathered everything quickly. I closed the flaps and grabbing my jacket I moved out to the terrace.

The night wind was cold, winter was approaching and so were my memories. I shook my head and moved around to the back. The room, I found it accidentally, it had all the stuff that people didn't need, but it helped me at some time, one man's trash is another man's treasure. I turned the knob and pushed the door open. It was dark, only illuminated by the faint glow of moon. Stale air hit my face as I moved inside, the box clenched in my hands, I reached the end of the room and threw the box in the corner, it hit a shelf and the things came rolling down, crashing on the ground. I stood still and watched the shadows in the dark room and the fear that was dead for ages came back full force. I dashed out and stood in the middle of the terrace and let the cold air hit me. I let it take over me once and my life turned into a living hell, but I will not let it happen again, I will not let it ruin me again.