Liberation

by Sian B. Claven

  So lost in her thoughts was she that it took her a moment to realize the face of a woman with long black hair blocked out the window view. Evelyn stared at her, trying to comprehend what she was seeing, when suddenly she felt a stab in her belly, as though someone had just punched the air out of her. Frightened, she jerked and fell off her chair, hitting the floor hard.

  Karen and Aubrey were at her side immediately, fussing over her.

  “I saw someone by the window,” Evelyn said, tears forming in her eyes from the pain of the fall. “She was standing right there.”

  Aubrey looked over at the window and then went to the back door, flinging it open and walking out. He looked around and came back inside.

  “There’s no one there, honey.”

  “She was there, I swear,” Evelyn pleaded.

  “Well, she’s gone now,” Karen said, stroking her hair. “Come on, let’s finish breakfast and get you cleaned up. Dad and I have to go to work.”

  “What if she comes back?” Evelyn asked, and then felt foolish. She had let her mind drift and maybe it was playing tricks on her. She was fourteen, not four.

  “Then call Mom,” Aubrey said. “She’s just up the road.”

  Evelyn nodded and wiped her tears away, sitting on her chair. She glanced at the now empty window and resumed eating her breakfast.

  Both Aubrey and Karen kissed her head as they left and she couldn’t help but stare at the window long after they were gone, almost willing the strange woman to show her face again, if for no other reason than to assure Evelyn that she wasn’t going insane.

  Time ticked by and pretty soon Evelyn realized it was time to wake the boys. She rinsed her dishes and made them their breakfast - each had a different cereal they liked - before she went upstairs and gently woke them.

  While they ate their breakfast downstairs, Evelyn showered and dressed hurriedly, worried they weren’t safe while she was busy. She took a moment to feel foolish. Of course they were safe; this was their routine every morning.

  Once dressed, she entered the kitchen where the boys were busy rinsing their dishes. “Right, go get dressed and you can play outside for a bit.”

  They cheered and ran upstairs.

  She called out, “Dad said no running,” before she re-washed their dishes and packed them away.

  While the boys got dressed, she tidied the kitchen. They soon funnelled through the backdoor to play in their backyard. She could keep an eye on them from both the kitchen and the living room, so she always started cleaning those rooms first.

  Once the living room was spotless, she called them in, laying down newspaper on the floor so they could wipe their shoes on it.

  They came in, albeit reluctantly, and played video games while she cleaned the rest of the house, beginning with their bedrooms.

  She didn’t mind the manual labour; she was used to cleaning up after younger children at the orphanage. The nuns there often said that Evelyn was a saint for helping, and that without her they would spend all day cleaning. Small children couldn’t fend for themselves, that’s what they would say, so it was up to the bigger kids and adults to take care of them.

  Evelyn had just finished making Braydon’s bed and was putting his clothes in the hamper, when she heard squabbling downstairs.

  “Stop fighting,” she called.

  “Evelyn,” Mickey whined, “Evelyn, they aren’t giving me a chance.”

  “Give Mickey a chance,” she called down.

  “He’s lying, Evelyn,” Braydon responded, and they started squabbling again.

  It culminated in fists being thrown and Evelyn having to go downstairs to separate them.

  She scowled at each in turn. “That’s it; you’re all confined to your rooms until Mama gets home.” She took the twins’ hands and led them out the room. “Come, Braydon.”

  “No,” her eldest brother said defiantly, “you’re not the boss of me.”

  “When Mama and Daddy aren’t here, I am in charge.”

  “You’re not even my sister; they just felt sorry for you,” he said, and Evelyn knew he regretted the words the moment they were out. Little kids could be so spiteful without really meaning to be.

  Evelyn took the twins upstairs and put them in their room before coming back downstairs.

  “Turn it off, Braydon,” she demanded.

  Braydon ignored her and continued to play his video game, until Evelyn turned the console off, followed by the TV, ignoring Braydon’s protests. She then picked him up and carried him towards the stairs.

  He fought back, punching her in her lower back and kneeing her in the stomach as he screamed, “Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!”

  Evelyn tried to ignore it, but as he was really hurting her, she yelled back, “Stop being such a brat, Braydon!”

  “I’m telling my mama!” he screamed, kicking her again and connecting with her thigh this time.

  She barely managed to get him upstairs before tossing him on the carpet. “Go to your room before I phone Mama and tell her how you’re behaving.”

  “You are not our boss,” he said.

  Mickey and Nicky were at their door, watching events unfold.

  Braydon got up and squared off against Evelyn. “Move!” he demanded, “before I tell Mama to return you to the orphanage.”

  “At least Mama wanted me,” Evelyn said. “She had to have you, but she chose to have me.”

  Braydon pushed her and, surprised, she just stood there, before she pushed him back. He then launched himself at her, punching her in the face. They both froze, staring at each other.

  Suddenly Evelyn shoved him backwards, making him trip. “You brat,” she said. “You stupid horrible little brat.”

  Mickey helped Braydon up while Nicky moved to calm Evelyn down. In her anger, she pushed Nicky from her and, before they all knew what was happening, Nicky had tumbled down the stairs and landed with a loud crack at the bottom. His shrieks, Evelyn was sure, could be heard from across the county.

  Evelyn hurried to where he was trying to get up, his left arm absolutely useless.

  “My arm! My arm! My arm!” he shrieked. “Mama!”

  Evelyn bit her lip and then shouted, “Braydon, call 911!”

  She tried to sooth her baby brother, but he wouldn’t stop shrieking.

  Nicky screamed himself hoarse by the time the ambulance arrived to assess the situation. They gave him something for the pain and to calm him before they called the parents and explained which hospital they were taking Nicky to.

  Those were the longest hours of their lives as they waited for their parents to bring Nicky home. When Aubrey and Karen arrived without him, all believed he had died, and they burst into tears, talking over one another.

  Karen held her hand up. “He has to spend a few days in hospital. His arm is broken.” There was a chill to her voice and she looked at Evelyn. “What happened?”

  Aubrey stood beside her, his arms crossed over his chest.

  Evelyn stared at the floor. “Braydon wouldn’t listen to me …”

  “Look at us when you’re talking,” Aubrey said, “Don’t mumble to the floor.”

  Evelyn’s eyes filled with tears and she looked up at her parents as she explained what happened between Braydon and herself, and how Nicky had fallen down the stairs.

  Karen pointed upstairs. “You’re grounded, no dinner,” she said to Evelyn. “I want you to go to your room and pack up all your nice things for Dad to take out. There will be no reading, no television, no anything while you are grounded, except thinking about how badly you behaved today.”

  “But Braydon …” Evelyn started.

  “Braydon was wrong, but you were the responsible one, Evelyn. You were in charge and if that is how you act when you are in charge, then I cannot trust you to look after the boys.”

  That hurt Evelyn more than any part of her punishment. Karen was disappointed in her and had referred to ‘the boys’, not her brothers. Her heart shattered as she ran upstairs and
slammed her door closed behind her, falling into her bed and letting her tears soak her pillow.

  What she did not see was the figure standing in her mirror, a pale woman with black hair, watching her.

  Waiting for Nicky to come home from the hospital felt like a lifetime. He was kept there for three days before he returned, his arm set in a cast.

  Mickey and Braydon were quick to ask if they could draw on it and the three of them disappeared upstairs to the twins’ room.

  Evelyn was reluctant to join them. In fact, she waited at the top of the stairs as Nicky came home and watched how everyone fussed over him. Once it was decided they were coming upstairs, Evelyn got up and returned to her room without a word.

  A few minutes later there was a quiet knock at the door and Karen asked, “Can I come in?”

  “Yeah,” Evelyn responded miserably.

  Karen came inside and sat on the edge of the bed, but Evelyn turned her back on her, hugging her pillow with tears already threatening to spill over.

  The last three days had been hell for Evelyn, because she was sure she had sealed her fate and that her family now hated her. She hadn’t eaten, wasn’t sleeping properly and kept seeing shadows out of the corner of her eyes. She had the strangest dreams that woke her during the night.

  Last night, she dreamed that she was in a scary, dead forest. The pale woman was there and a branch from a tree snapped and killed her. It had felt so real, like a lost memory.

  Exhaustion made Evelyn feel even more emotional than she did already, and that was why she wanted to cry now. She had just realised that this was the first time Karen had checked in on her since she accidentally broke Nicky’s arm.

  “Honey?” her mother asked. “Honey, please talk to me.”

  Evelyn’s tears spilled and she sobbed into her pillow.

  She felt her mother's reassuring hand on her back, rubbing it gently. “I’m sorry we were so hard on you, Evelyn,” Karen said, reaching up and stroking her daughter’s hair lightly. “We were just so frightened.”

  Incredulous, Evelyn sat up, pulling away from Karen. “You were frightened? What about me? I was terrified!” She let her tears run down her face and didn’t care that her nose had started to snot. “It was an accident! I didn’t mean for it to happen and you just sent me away.”

  “Honey, please let me explain.”

  “You’re going to send me back to the orphanage, aren’t you?” Evelyn demanded, and stood up. “Well, fine then, I’ll pack my things; I won’t even take anything you bought me.”

  Karen looked both shocked and hurt and quickly rose. “N-no,” she stuttered, “no, Evelyn darling, is that what you thought?” She rushed to Evelyn and pulled her into a tight hug. “No, my darling, that isn’t what we wanted to do at all.”

  “I was punished for an accident, though,” she sobbed into her mother’s chest.

  “I know, and we are so sorry about that, but we were so worried about Nicky and so angry about what happened, when it could have been avoided. You were punished for fighting, not for hurting your brother. We understand it was an accident, my darling, we know you wouldn’t hurt your brothers on purpose.” She stroked Evelyn’s hair more. “And you’re going nowhere, darling. You are one of us and you’re stuck with us, I’m afraid.”

  Evelyn hugged Karen back, letting her emotions out as she sobbed, comforted that she wasn’t going anywhere, but still sad that poor Nicky had a broken arm. Karen held her until she calmed down.

  “Now why don’t you go wash your face and come out of your room for a bit? Mickey and Braydon are playing in the backyard; why don’t you go play with them?” she offered.

  Evelyn nodded and went to her bathroom, splashing cool water on her face as Karen left the room.

  As she raised her head to look in the mirror, she jumped with fright. Staring back at her was her own reflection, but with black eyes and blood dripping from her mouth.

  Evelyn stumbled backwards, tripping over her hamper and hitting the floor hard. Using her hands, she scooted onto her knees and slowly raised herself up. When she looked at the mirror again her reflection was gone entirely. She shook her head; the lack of sleep was really getting to her.

  She went downstairs, pausing to hug Aubrey tightly, which got her a kiss on the head. She also checked in on Nicky, but he was asleep in bed, his broken arm propped up on a pillow so he would be more comfortable. A pang of guilt ran through Evelyn’s body once more, but Karen had said it was okay, so it was okay.

  She passed her mother, who gave her a reassuring smile, before she left to go outside.

  Technically, their backyard was the grassy field behind the house, but there weren’t any fences to actually mark the territory, and often the kids would play in the woods just outside of the grassy area.

  Evelyn followed the little walking path made from years of footsteps going this way. She didn’t have to go too deep into the forest to find her brothers playing by a stream.

  She walked up to them. “Hey, guys.”

  “You’re grounded,” Braydon said, not looking up. “You’re not allowed outside.”

  “Mom said I could come out and play with you.”

  “We don’t want to play with you,” Braydon said and Mickey immediately copied him with, “Yeah, we don’t want to play with you.”

  Evelyn was hurt, but knelt beside them and said, “Bray, look, I’m sorry about what happened the other day, okay?”

  “I’m not, I meant every word. Ever since you came to our family everything has been worse. We even had to move houses because of you.”

  He stood and walked away from her, Mickey tailing him closely.

  “Besides,” Braydon added, “you’re just a dumb girl, we don’t want to play with you and that’s that.”

  Evelyn frowned. “Fine, then I’ll go play by myself.”

  “Fine.”

  Braydon and Mickey turned their backs on Evelyn.

  Evelyn frowned and got up, stomping off into the woods without looking back. She understood that Braydon was just angry because he had also gotten into trouble. She could go tell their parents, but she felt that getting him into more trouble would just make the situation worse.

  She sighed and slowed down, trying not to let the anger get to her. She noticed a shadow move ahead of her and looked up sharply, scanning her surroundings for anything that could have caused the movement. Moving a little closer to where she thought she saw it, she found a little girl standing there.

  “Hello,” Evelyn said. “What’s your name?”

  “Maggie,” the little girl said. “Do you want to play with me?”

  Evelyn smiled. “Sure.” She was excited to have made a friend, even if it was just a little girl.

  “Can’t catch me,” the girl called before running off.

  Evelyn chased her, but the little girl knew the woods better than she did, and seemed to be faster than Evelyn could anticipate. Soon she had fallen behind and stopped.

  “Wait! I need … I need to catch … my breath.”

  She looked around, but there was no sign of the girl at all, not even the sound of footsteps. Trying to get her bearings, she wasn’t sure how far into the woods she was, or which way home lay. She turned on the spot and standing right behind her was the same little girl, this time as tall as Evelyn, but her face was contorted, as though something was squeezing her insides and causing her great pain.

  Evelyn took a step back and raised her hands to protect herself. “Are you okay?”

  “Do you want to play with me?” A demonic voice issued the request from the little girl’s mouth, and Evelyn was frightened.

  The girl’s head started to twitch as though someone were banging it against something, and the next thing Evelyn knew the little girl’s head exploded and blood shot everywhere, including all over Evelyn.

  She shrieked, screaming and running away in the direction she thought they had come from. The sound of demonic laughter followed her as she moved. She stopped and look
ed back, but there was nothing behind her except for beautiful, tall trees and long, lush undergrowth. She wiped at her face, but found that the blood and brains has disappeared. She shivered slightly and walked back towards their house, or at least what she hoped was the direction of the house.

  As she walked she thought about Braydon, and how angry he was with her. She couldn’t help but feel angry too. Perhaps the little girl was a friend of his, they were about the same age, and they had decided to play a cruel prank on her. Braydon would do something like that. He loved those stupid horror movies and special effects.

  The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, until she stopped suddenly and blacked out.

  Everything was dark as Evelyn walked through weeds and vines. It felt as if everything in the forest was holding her back, waiting for her, calling to her.

  Suddenly a large dog appeared out of nowhere and barked at her. Frightened for her life she picked up a rock and hit the dog in the head. It slumped down, and to ensure it couldn't get up and follow her, she hit it again and again until it no longer resembled a dog at all

  Evelyn came to and found herself on her knees. A small puppy was in front of her, its small head completely crushed from being bashed with a large rock that lay next to it, covered in blood.

  She looked at her hands and her eyes widened in fright as she realised she had just killed a perfectly innocent puppy. She looked around and realised it had to be the neighbour’s; she was sure she had seen it playing with their child in the backyard.

  Disgusted and nauseous, she scooped up the limp body and the rock and carried it deeper into the woods. She felt like she might vomit as she started to dig. At first she tried using a branch, but it was useless and so she used her hands to scratch out a shallow grave for the little animal.

  His dog tag read Odin and tears spilled down her face as she lowered him into the makeshift grave with the rock and covered it up.

  She tried to wipe her hands on the inside of her dress, but it made no difference; she was filthy and would have to come up with a good reason for being so when she got home.