Dawn of Eve by MJ Howson (best ereader for students .txt) 📕

Seventeen

Charles

May 7, 2012

Eve looked across the room at Charles, flopped in his lumpy bed. The pudgy Chinese-American appeared ready to fall asleep, his arms clutching the square feather-stuffed pale-blue pillow he’d brought with him from home. The other four kids in the room were flopped in or near their beds, having separate conversations. The solid stone walls and vaulted ceiling caused their voices to softly echo. The dim light from the wood and iron chandelier cast a dull orange glow throughout the space.

Outside, the chilly sixty-degree evening air did little to warm the bedroom. Springtime in the Berkshires typically swung between the fifties and seventies. The furnace had been turned off at the start of the month, forcing the children to use extra layers of blankets to keep warm at night.

For someone who’d just consumed half his birthday cake, Charles looked ready to fall asleep. Then again, Eve remembered that Charles had the energy of a tired snail.

Poor Tina desperately tried to impress Billy. Ever since Annabelle had left, Tina’s flirtations with Billy knew no bounds. Billy relished the attention. It was obvious to everyone but Tina that Billy had no real interest in her. All the other kids assumed it to be a game with no end.

Suzie sat infatuated with her most prized possession brought from home–a pink handheld mirror. She smiled as she admired her twin puffs, secured in place with a pair of coral-colored rhinestone-encrusted barrettes. Her African-American mom took great pride in styling her daughter’s hair. Suzie always insisted her hair look fashionable. Hugo had somehow managed to smuggle another piece of cake back to his bed. The heavyset Mexican was busy devouring the sugary confection, covering his lips with blue frosting.

Eve closed her diary and tucked it beneath her pillow. She crossed the room and sat on the corner of Charles’s bed. The blue flannel blanket masked the blue frosting Charles had smeared on it when he climbed beneath the sheets earlier. Eve couldn’t help but wonder if all boys were this messy or just the three in this room. At least the spilled food made his bed smell sweet.

“Hey,” Eve said.

“Hey,” Charles replied. He didn’t bother to look at Eve and rolled to his side, pulling his pillow closer. Food stains covered the pillowcase. He yawned and tugged the natty flannel blanket closer to his neck. “How’s the diary coming?”

“Fine.” Eve looked at Anna’s empty bed. The blankets and sheets had been stripped away the night Anna had been taken by Caretaker. The thin-stripped mattress was bare, its lumps and stains exposed for all to see. “I wonder why we haven’t heard from her.”

“Who?”

“Anna.”

Charles groaned as he pulled himself upright. He looked over at the empty bed and said, “Was she supposed to contact us?”

“Well, no. We never knew she was leaving.”

“I don’t miss her. She only cared about one thing.” Charles nodded toward Billy, now pretending to be interested in Tina’s blabbering. “Him.”

“Whatever. It’s been four months since Anna left.”

Charles noticed a chunk of frosting on the blanket not far from his fingers. He snatched it and shoved it into his mouth. Charles sighed and said, “At least the cake was good.”

Eve frowned, disappointed that Charles wasn’t concerned about Anna. She decided to change the subject and asked, “But what was with that party?”

“What? I had fun.”

“No parents. Again. Just like Anna’s birthday.”

“I haven’t seen my parents all day.” Charles lowered his head and sighed. “I’m thirteen now. How come they weren’t there?” Charles ran his fingers through the folds of his blanket. He found another chunk of crumbled cake and gingerly tossed it into his mouth. “They didn’t even go on the hike.”

Earlier that day, Caretaker had led all the children on a hike in the surrounding woods. The nearby mountains were filled with lakes, rivers, and endless paths to explore. Even without their parents, the kids had managed to have a bit of fun. Most of them, anyway. Hugo had brought along a bag of PEZ candies but dropped it into a muddy puddle. Caretaker made him leave it for the animals to scavenge. The children had all joked about sugar-filled squirrels one day storming the compound.

Eve grinned as she recalled their adventure outside. Her eyes widened, and she said, “I wonder when the squirrels will come for us.”

“Right?” Charles chuckled briefly. His smile quickly faded. “Didn’t you see your parents when we got back?”

“Just my mom.” Eve nodded and looked over at the locked wooden door. “She seemed weird. I asked her if you were leaving tonight like Anna did. Before she could answer, Caretaker came over, and my mom walked away.”

The lock on the door snapped loudly, causing everyone to jump. The heavy wooden door swung open, the old hinges creaking in protest. Eve and Tina quickly scurried back to their beds.

Caretaker entered the room, carrying a wooden tray with a small bowl of pills and six glasses of water. The pills rattled gently against the glass bowl’s edges. She wore her usual dark gray gown, similar in style to what the children wore. Her long blonde hair remained tucked beneath a gray bonnet. Caretaker smiled as she used her foot to close the door behind her.

“How’s everyone tonight?” Caretaker asked. A few of the kids gave a mumbled response. “I hope you enjoyed the cake. That was my first time making blueberry filling.”

Caretaker walked to Hugo’s bed and gave him a glass of water and one of the small white pills from the bowl. Hugo downed the pill and then opened his mouth to show her he’d swallowed it. She smiled and said, “Good boy.”

Caretaker went from bed to bed, giving each child a glass of water and a pill. When she got to Eve’s bed, Eve took the last pill from the bowl and angrily stared at the tablet. Caretaker asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Where’s Anna?” Eve replied. Her question came across