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

“Not tonight. I need to go find a new place to live.”

Jacob left Sean’s room and closed the door behind him. He went to his bedroom and grabbed his phone. His mind raced as he tried to think of who to call. Sean had just given him two months to find a new place to live. Part of him wanted to punch the wall. Instead, Jacob sat down on his bed and unlocked his phone. He sent a text to Dawn.

Hey, up for dinner?

The thought of moving in the middle of winter made Jacob sick. He didn’t care about the furniture. Everything in the living room and kitchen belonged to Sean. Jacob coveted his clothing, posters, and jewelry. The furniture in his bedroom could be trashed. Jacob had no desire to get a place of his own. That would be too much responsibility and too expensive. He had to keep all of his options open, including the less desirable ones. Dawn replied back.

Sorry, not hungry.

“Not hungry?” Jacob said aloud. “What kind of answer is that?”

I’d really like to see you tonight.

Dawn’s reply was quick and to the point.

Maybe another time.

“Fuck.” Jacob tossed his phone onto the bed. A sense of dread washed over him as he worried he may have pushed Dawn away too often for too long. She was still his best option for a new place to live, even if only temporarily. “I can’t let her shut me out.”

Thirty Seven

Shattered

The mirrored walls in the Spire’s express elevator surrounded Jacob with seemingly endless reflections of himself. He spent a few moments admiring the fit of his clothes and his slicked-back hair. In his rush to come to Dawn’s, he forgot to do his usual makeup routine to try and conceal his scar. He frowned, knowing he needed to be on his A-game.

The bag of dim sum in Jacob’s hand filled the elevator with the scent of sesame and ginger. The doors opened to the brightly lit foyer. Jacob paused again to check his reflection in the closest mirror. He felt his hair seemed a bit over gelled but shrugged it off. Jacob opened the door to Dawn’s apartment and stepped inside. He was surprised to find it pitch black.

“Dawn?” Jacob called out. He waited a few seconds but heard nothing in the darkness. “Evelyn, turn on the lights.”

“Turning on the lights,” Evelyn responded.

The lights in the living room, kitchen, and dining room slowly illuminated. Jacob grinned a crooked smile, causing his upper lip to twist. This was his first time testing his guest access capabilities with the smart home system.

“Evelyn, is Dawn here?”

“Dawn Easton is not in the apartment.”

Jacob scratched his stubbled chin and wondered about the system’s capabilities. He asked, “Evelyn, do you know where Dawn is?”

“There are no appointments on her calendar.”

“So, you know her schedule. Interesting.”

Jacob removed his coat and brought the dim sum to the kitchen, leaving the bag on the counter. He paused to inspect the high-end appliances and glass backsplash tiles. Jacob went to the wine cooler and retrieved a bottle of merlot. He opened it and poured himself a glass of wine.

“Evelyn, can you find Dawn based on her phone?”

“Sorry, I don’t understand the question.”

Jacob took a sip and sighed. He asked, “Evelyn, do you know where Dawn’s phone is?”

“Sorry, I don’t understand the question.”

“I guess it was worth a try.” Jacob walked to the wall of windows and pressed his nose against the glass. New Jersey looked beautiful this late in the evening, the building lights reflecting off the Hudson. “I’m going to lose this view and that dumpy apartment with Sean?”

Jacob opened the door to the terrace. The wind immediately swirled into the apartment. He stepped outside and closed the door. The cold December air nipped at his ears and nose. Jacob walked to the edge and leaned over the railing, looking south to admire One World Trade Center. “I can’t lose all of this.”

As he turned to go back inside, he heard a crunch beneath his foot. Jacob knelt down to find a crushed prescription pill bottle. Two feet away, tucked in the corner, were two more bottles rattling in the wind. He grabbed both and went inside.

Jacob brought the pill bottles to the living room and sat beside a lamp. One was labeled Aripiprazole, another Alprazolam, and the last one Fluoxetine. His eyes slowly drifted to the name of the prescribing physician–Dr. Winston Cole. He vaguely recognized the drug names and assumed they were for Dawn’s anxiety and depression. Jacob glanced back at the terrace and wondered why the bottles were outside.

Jacob took a gulp of wine, stood up, and shoved the bottles into his pocket. He walked over to the closed door to Dawn’s art studio. He paused briefly, holding his hand above the handle. Jacob slowly opened the door. The smell of paint overwhelmed Jacob as he stepped inside the brightly lit room.

Splashes of paint covered the concrete floor. Over a dozen paintings hung from the walls. Jacob walked through the room, inspecting them. He was taken aback by how similar their designs were, differing only in the colors used. An easel in the middle of the room held Dawn’s latest work.

“What is this?” Jacob said as he studied the painting. “A sunrise?”

The canvas contained two hills with what appeared to be a sun rising between them. Unlike her multi-colored designs hanging on the walls, this painting lacked color. It had the basic outlines of the hills, done in black. Black and red acrylic paints of various shades smeared a nearby palette.

Jacob frowned. Despite a decade spent modeling, he never understood artwork. He crossed paths with many well-known, even revered, artists. In his mind, it was all paint by numbers, and most of it awful. True art came from a camera lens and the eye of the photographer.

Jacob left the studio, closing the door behind him. He went to the spiral staircase and ascended to the second floor. The