So maybe it doesn't seem like fantasy right now, but trust me, it will be. Although, the completion of this story is not guaranteed, so proceed with caution. Please critique (I am desperately needing some) and be as harsh as you want. I'm posting part two of this chapter in a bit. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter One - Part One
Goodbyes have never really been my thing. In fact, hellos haven’t either. If you say hello, you might as well be saying goodbye because you eventually will have to say goodbye to whatever you’re saying hello to. If that makes any sense.
I linger by the big blue van while my family says bye to my dad. I don’t know why they’re all acting like they’ll never see him again. We’re just moving to the next state over, and he’s coming there in a month. It’s not like we’re leaving him forever.
My mother is crying hysterically, clinging onto Dad’s arm and burying her face in his chest. My two sisters are dabbing at their eyes with handkerchiefs and everyone else stands by, watching Dad trying to soothe Mother.
“It’ll be alright, darling. I’ll be there so soon you won’t even remember I was gone,” he says.
“But I need you, Jean! What am I supposed to do without you? How will I support the family?” My mother, short and ugly, always sounds like she’s crying, no matter what the circumstances are. She’s so dramatic and depressing, and I’ve never been able to figure out why my father married her.
“Shh, there, there. Nanny Addie will be there, and your father, and your brother…” Dad continues. He’s the opposite of Mother. Tall and attractive, he’s the rock of our family, and seems to be the only one who can bring a smile to mother’s face.
“Oh, I love you! I don’t want to leave you!”
Nanny Addie reaches forward and awkwardly pats Mother’s back.
“It’s alright, Nellie. I will be there soon.” Dad runs his fingers through her long, thin blonde hair. “Now here, let me kiss you.” He takes her chin, turns her face up towards his, and plants one on her sobbing lips. At that, the crying quiets and Mother smiles. “I’ll see you later.”
The ten of us pile into the big van. I wave at Dad before getting in behind my older brother.
The four-hour drive consists of Uncle Jonah telling stories of his recent endeavors at the casino and Mother listing all the terrible things that could happen without Dad with us. The trip seems like it takes days, and when we finally pull up in front of the large, beautiful Victorian house, I am the first one to jump out. My older sister stands nest to me as I stretch my arms over my head.
“Poor mother. She is an absolute mess,” Elyse observes.
“Isn’t she always?” I mutter.
“Evee!” she scolds, hitting my shoulder. “That is very rude!”
“And true. Don’t tell me that for the 17 years that you’ve been alive you haven’t noticed that our mom is not exactly normal,” I say, raising an eyebrow at the taller girl.
Elyse sighs. “Things will settle down once Dad gets here. Until then, please be nice.”
“Aren’t I always?” I cup my face in my hands and grin innocently at her.
She scoffs and walks away.
Nanny Addie assigns the care of Gregory, my baby cousin, to me. I carry him inside, hoping to bring him upstairs immediately and put him in the crib. However, I am held up by my little brother.
“Evee, can I ask you something?”
“Yes, what is it Albert?” I ask exasperatedly.
“Can I follow you?”
“Uh, I guess so. Why?” We head up the stairs together.
“I’m spending a day with everyone, starting today, with you,” he says.
“Why me?”
“’Cause when I asked Dmitri, he said something mean to me.” Albert’s cute little face slips into a pout. Dmitri is his idol. The poor thing.
“Well, here, do this for me.” I hand him Gregory. “Put him in his crib and stay until he falls asleep.”
“Okay.” The baby pulls hard on Albert’s curly brown hair, emitting a scream from the older boy. “Where is his room?”
But it’s too late, because I am already dashing down the stairs.
Later, at dinner, Albert comes down late and Nanny Addie asks where he was.
“Evee told me to put Gregory in his crib and wait until he falls asleep,” he explains.
Everyone at the table except for Mother glares at me. I shrug, and continue eating my pizza. Nanny Addie sighs.
“Well, Eve-Louise, since you like to skip out on your responsibilities, tomorrow morning I would like for you to go out and buy some things. By yourself, okay?” she says.
I nod.
“And no, Elyse, you cannot go with her.”
Elyse drops her hand with a grunt. “But I wanted to get some-“
“This is Eve-Louise’s outing okay?”
“Who’s Eve-Louise?” Albert asks.
“Your sister, squirt,” Grandpa answers.
Albert screws up his face in confusion. I’ve always hated my name. The story is that my mother couldn’t decide which one to name me, and so Dad told her to just name me both. I’ve had everyone call me Evee ever since I can remember. Albert’s rarely ever heard anyone call me by my real name.
I end up going to bed early because my family decides to play a board game together in the parlor. I don’t like board games, and they’re all used to me not participating in family events. However, I can’t get to sleep. The house is big and creepy, and there’s a tree outside my window whose leaves rub against it when the wind blows. It sounds like someone tapping on my window. After spending an hour awake, I fall asleep with the light on.
In the morning, I rummage through my suitcase until I find a shirt and tank top, and throw them on. Nanny Addie meets me in the hallway. Her glasses teeter on the very tip of her nose and her dark gray hair is down. She must have heard me out here and hurried out of bed, as she is still in her night gown.
“Oh good, you’re already up.” She shoves a piece of paper into my hand. “This is the list. Get everything on it, okay?”
“But what if I can’t find it?”
“Well, you’re the little mastermind of the house, I’m sure you can figure something out.” She smiles at me and walks away.
I sigh, rolling my eyes. I seem to be the only one who really dislikes Mother’s nanny. She told us when we were little that she would play the role of mother since ours wasn’t “so capable” and back then I loved my mom. I guess I never took a liking to Nanny later on.
When I exit the big dark house, it’s cloudy outside and seems like rain. These types of days are so depressing to me. It’s summer, why isn’t it sunny and bright?
The town is rather small, but I end up having to go to only two stores to get what I need. There’s a mini Jewel a few blocks from the house, and a Value City a ways away from there. Half of the items on this list I am sure we already have at home, but Nanny Addie probably added it for punishment. But actually, the shopping is not unpleasant at all. I like going around and getting to know our new home. It’s exactly the kind of place Dad would like: small, but not too small, and lots of parks.
After buying everything, I walk down a street where there are hardly any people. All the shops here seem locally owned and independent. At the end of the road, I stop in front of a store called Larson’s Antiques and Collectibles. It’s a tiny little store, and through the window I can see an old lady sitting at a counter reading a book. Everything in there seems dusty and looks as if they haven’t been cared for in a long time. I stare at that old lady for a while, wondering why she’s all by herself. Then I go in.
A light bell rings, announcing my arrival. The lady jumps and her book falls into her lap.
“Oh, oh my goodness.” She puts a pale hand to her heart. “You startled me, dear.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, no, it’s quite alright. I just haven’t had customers in a while.” She stands up, putting the book on the counter, and smoothes down her graying hair and pale blue dress.
“Oh.”
I walk leisurely toward the counter, glancing at things as I pass them.
“Is there something specific you’re looking for, miss?” she asks.
“Not really,” I answer, squinting at a dusty coffee table. “Just looking. My grandpa loves this kind of stuff.”
I stop in front of two mannequins. One is a boy with wavy red hair and bright green eyes, as tall as me, and the other is a little girl with the same eyes and hair as the boy. The longer I stare at them, the more they creep me out.
“What are these?” I ask.
“Oh, those.” The lady walks around the wooden counter and comes to stand next to me. She is taller than me, which is not surprising for normal people, but I wouldn’t expect someone elderly to be much taller. “Those are life-size dolls. My husband made those before he passed. There used to be three.”
“Hm…” I am about to ask what happened to the third one, but the woman speaks again.
“Would you like a job here?”
I turn to her. She stares at me with piercing blue eyes.
“Um… I uh, I can’t. My mother’s nanny says I shouldn’t because then my mom would think I was kidnapped or something,” I reply.
“Oh.”
“Well, I should go. People at home are probably waiting for me.” I smile as I back away. To be truthful, I don’t think anybody there actually cares right now, but those creepy dolls, the gloominess of the shop, and the strange old lady are practically daring me to stay. I may not be frilly and perky, but freaky places are not my thing.
“Come tomorrow, will you?” the lady asks.
“Um, sure.”
“See you soon!” She waves as I exit the store.
Once I am out of view of the shop, I shake it off. Chills run down my spine. I need something sweet.
