Eve and Maggie are technically orphans.
They usually avoid explaining this part of their history if they can. Eve was eighteen, having just graduated high school. At the time, Maggie was only twelve. Her younger sister has always been loud and opinionated, but she was different back then…softer. Her smiles were effortless and her laughter abundant. Now, the best word to describe Maggie would be…jaded.
Switching on the headlights as dusk makes its appearance, Eve falls back into thoughts of their turbulent past.
It was October. Houses in their neighborhood were covered in festive Halloween decorations, even more extravagant than when it was Christmastime. Eighteen-year-old Eve was carving pumpkins at her best friend Lily’s house, a tradition they did every year. She recalls a loud knock at the door, and Lily’s dad answering. Voices rumbled, the words indistinct. Her name was called, and with that, Eve quickly abandoned her jack-o’-lantern, curious to see why she was being summoned.
The look on Lily’s dad’s face said it all.
Escorted to a squad car, the cop promised to explain once they arrived at the station. Maggie looked so tiny and fragile, already waiting in the back seat.
Eve remembers holding her hand as silent tears slid down her sister’s beautiful face.
Everything after that was a blur. A female detective, Eve couldn’t remember her name, but she was blonde, in her forties, with weathered features. She was kind as she broke the news. Something had happened to their parents. They had found debris and their blood scattered in their laboratory, indicating that there had been a brutal attack.
What they hadn’t found, thankfully, were their parents’ bodies. The authorities believed that they might still be alive. They waited for a ransom to be demanded. They waited for new evidence to be discovered.
Four years later, the police have long since given up their search, but Eve and Maggie are still waiting, tortured by their lack of answers.
Their parents are gone, and as time passes, more than likely it’s for good.
Thankfully, Adel and Orion had savings set aside, but that only lasted a year or two. Eve is now not only Maggie’s sister, but assigned by the court to be her legal guardian—something she would lose if her ineptitude is ever discovered. Homeless and broke didn’t exactly scream “responsible adult.” Hence, leaving the only home they have ever known and moving here. To Saintsville. Hopefully here, they will be able to start over.
They sold their parents’ cars first. Correction—their nice cars. The station wagon isn’t anything to brag about, but it’s reliable. No matter what happens, it always turns on. It always keeps running.
Orion took them camping in it once. That was a good trip. A good memory, which in turn created a certain fondness toward this particular vehicle, despite its appearance.
Next, they sold all the furniture but their beds. When that wasn’t enough to keep them afloat, they kept selling, until the only items that remained were in the tattered boxes now traveling in back. For Eve, her treasures are her books. Printed words are the enemy of her poor eyesight, but they are the only place she can escape. In those books, she can be anyone, do anything, and for a little while, forget.
Eve is smart. Smart enough to have earned a full ride to college, but an incomplete degree in English didn’t pay the bills. She chose Maggie over finishing, putting food on the table over a degree. Not that it made much difference, she thinks, looking at the moody young adult beside her. After their parents’ disappearance, Maggie pretty much ran wild. And frankly, at the time, Eve was in too much pain to care. She wasn’t ready to be a parental figure. When it came to raising Maggie, Eve had screwed up. Only one of the many ways, when it came to Maggie, she has fallen short.
Even working three jobs wasn’t enough to keep them from drowning.
Saving her tears for when she’s finally alone, Eve tries to distract herself, studying the landscape. The change from desert to forest is a welcome one. Already it feels more like Seattle, and Eve can see why their grandmother loved it here.
June used to visit once a year and spoiled them both with love and presents. Adel’s mother was the opposite of her daughter. Free spirited, where Adel had been uptight and strict. Affectionate and loud, her optimism was contagious. Eve and Maggie loved her, but only as much as you can love someone who isn’t a constant in your life.
June was murdered a month before their parents’ disappearance. Exactly how she was killed had never been disclosed. That was just how their parents had operated. Everything was on a need-to-know basis, and Adel and Orion felt that their daughters would only be hurt further by the truth. Not that it stopped Eve from digging. She scoured the Sainstville Gazette obituaries and repeatedly called their police station. Never receiving a straight answer, sadly, her sleuthing was to no avail.
More pain fills Eve’s chest at the thought of Grandma June. Adel and Orion had been too busy in their research to even consider attending her funeral.
What could have possibly been more important?
Sometimes Eve wonders if there is a curse on their family.
Another weathered, faded, blue sign comes into view, drawing Eve back to reality.
“Left, Saintsville High, and right, downtown,” Maggie reads aloud. “You’re right, Eve, this town has totally grown over the years! Rumor has it, they’re gonna add a third arrow, pointing back the direction we came, and it’ll say, ‘leave while you still can!’”
Maggie tosses her curls and huffs. Apparently, something about the scenery sets her on edge as well.
“Do you want to go by Jill’s first? Or maybe explore a bit?” Eve asks, changing the subject.
“I’m serious. Let’s find a gas station, fill the wagon up, and then go home. Yay! Road trip, sister bonding time was a total blast, but I’m done,” Maggie states sarcastically. She has been begging Eve to go back to Washington ever since they left. Her friends are there, her now-ex-boyfriend is there, Eve is ruining her life, and so on, and so on….
“What part of ‘we are broke’ don’t you get? There is no returning to Seattle. At least not yet. Jill has offered us a free place to live and me steady work. Whether you realize it or not, I am trying to do what is best for you!” Eve placates.
“Mom and dad hated Aunt Jill…no clue why, but still! We haven’t seen her in, what, over ten years? Maybe we should just trust their judgment—”
“Stop. Maggie,” Eve interrupts. “Please, stop! Enough. We are homeless. Without this, we have no money and no place to stay. It’s this, or nothing.”
“But—”
“I think we’re here!” Eve states with finality.
Relief fills her as a small town starts to reveal itself among the trees.
Charming. Quaint? Saintsville feels like it has been lost in time. The residents have chosen to restore the vintage buildings, keeping their original charm intact. Bricks and fabric awnings. Old glass with even older-style lettering proclaims the names of the businesses. Post Office. Saintsville Market. Angel’s Boutique, a clothing store. Eve counts no more than twenty establishments as she searches for their first stop.
“There it is, up on the right!” she points, spotting Jill’s Coffee Shop. Pulling into a parking spot out front, their headlights shine on the Closed sign hanging on the red-trimmed door. Checking the time on the dash, it is only a little past seven, but they’re one of only two cars parked on the vacant street.
“Are you sure she’s here?” Maggie questions. Eve can tell that she is nervous, watching her pick at the deep red nail polish on her thumb.
“She said to come to the back and knock.” Not waiting for her sister, Eve gets out and stretches. It’s been a long trip, made longer by the whole bad-dream, lost-keys fiasco. And Eve, like her sister, is uneasy. Walking up to the front of the café, she takes it in. White and red is Jill’s chosen color scheme, beyond the brick exterior. Cupping her hands to the glass, she peeks into the dimly lit bistro. She notices individual tables with red tablecloth
s and old white metal chairs and a small, currently empty display case for baked goods connected to a white counter. There’s even a huge chalkboard hanging above it with a handwritten menu—upon it, a list of sandwiches and various popular coffee drinks.
Thanks to the streetlights, Eve can see her reflection faintly in the windows. Straightening her spectacles, she strategically uses her bangs to cover a bruise on her forehead—a gift from Maggie when she swerved, causing Eve’s head to connect with the glass.
Eve studies her face for a moment before retrieving a scrunchie from her wrist and gathering the rest of her hair up into a ponytail. Checking her reflection once more, she frowns. Dark circles are stark against her white skin. Her arms and legs are swimming in her clothing. She’s too thin, stress probably playing its part. Eve looks like she feels—unable to hide the toll fate has dealt her.
Maggie swiftly approaches, grabbing her hand and tugging until her sister’s feet start to move once more. As they round the corner, a light on the wall a little ways down illuminates another red door, solid in shape. This must be what Jill had meant.
Maggie charges ahead toward the door, but Eve freezes. A whisper of air tickles the back of her exposed neck, sending cold chills down her spin. Turning to look, there is nothing behind her. Nothing but the quiet buildings in this quiet town.
Her stomach tightens. She can’t shake the feeling that they are being watched.
Chapter 3
“Eve…Eve? Hello, Earth to Eve!” Maggie shouts, her voice somewhere in the background. Eve is still turned toward the road, the hairs on her arms raised.
Eve has always believed that we’re born with certain basic senses. Smell, touch, taste. But there are others. Warning bells wired into our very DNA. As we get older, we tend to ignore our natural-born instincts. Blowing them off, making excuses for our fear or unease. In that moment, Eve’s only thoughts are of protecting Maggie. She isn’t frozen in fear, she’s waiting.
Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she whips around, startled by Maggie’s presence for the second time that day.
“Look, you weirdo. I’m hungry. I’m tired. Let’s knock, get the keys, and go,” Maggie grumbles, annoyed, but her eyes are laced with concern. Not wanting to have to explain, the eldest Abbott wordlessly pushes Maggie to the door. Keeping herself between Maggie and the threat she can’t explain, she glances once more over her shoulder.
Whatever she’d felt is suddenly gone. Imaginary or real, the threat has passed.
When they reach the crimson doorway, Eve realizes it’s been freshly painted. Jill is obviously a stickler for perfection, from the inside out. Not waiting for her sister, Maggie finds a small doorbell to the right of the frame and pushes. A loud, solid buzzer resonates from inside the brick walls. Within moments they hear footsteps approaching. From the sound of it, thick-soled boots.
Eve’s stomach churns, this time with nervous anxiety. The door flies open, and a pretty redhead peeks her head from around the corner.
Jill.
Taking in the girls, she squeals in delight and throws her arms around Maggie. Not much has changed since they last saw her. Now in her mid-thirties, Jill matches Eve in height, but where Eve is tall and lean, Jill is solidly muscled. Maggie awkwardly pats Jill on the back, trapped in her embrace. The family resemblance between the two is undeniable. Maggie and Jill acquired the same recessive genes, gifting them with matching red curls. If anything, Jill looks like she could be Maggie’s mother, minus her chocolate-brown eyes. Noticing Eve, she releases Maggie and greets her with the same gusto. A giant hug and quiet sob, betraying the weight their family estrangement must have placed.
Relaxing, Eve wraps her arms around her aunt, realizing just how much she has missed her.
Wiping tears from her eyes, Jill finally lets go of Eve and grabs both of her nieces’ hands, pulling them through the doorway into what looks like a kitchen. More equipped as a bakery, there are various different types of ovens, with a large prep table firmly planted in the middle. Squinting in the semi-darkness, Eve takes in the white, shelf-lined walls, holding plastic containers with necessary ingredients. Flour, sugar, dried fruits, candies, and nuts. Releasing their hands, Jill motions toward a room past the kitchen on the right, which Eve guesses to be an office. The lights are on, and as soon as she steps inside, she sees her assumption is spot-on.
It’s a simple, windowless room, which Jill has obviously tried to make as homey as possible. There’s an antique wooden desk in back with manila folders stacked and organized. On the wall to the right, a clock with a mounted rack holding three heavily stamped timecards—probably for her employees. Another shelf boasts pictures of Jill in a baseball cap, her arm thrown casually around a man who’s holding up a sizeable fish. Yet another image catches Eve’s eye and she pauses. Without thinking, she moves toward it and gently picks up the frame with one hand, while the other pushes her horn-rimmed glasses back up the bridge of her nose.
The photo is of them. Maggie and Eve when they were younger. They had to be…five and eleven? She recalls this particular memory well. Maggie had gotten into trouble—for god knows what. It was Maggie, after all. She had convinced Eve to help her rake up the leaves in the front yard, her parental-designated punishment. But Maggie—again, being Maggie—kept jumping into the leaf pile, scattering Eve’s hard work across the grass. Fed up, Eve grabbed Maggie, pinning her arms to her sides, and they both had tumbled into the woodsy pile.
Laughter. Both wheezing so hard they couldn’t breathe, and their dad had witnessed the entire debacle from the kitchen window. He ran out holding a vintage polaroid camera. Flash.
That…was a good day.
“How did you get this?” Eve asks, curious. Jill plops down at her desk, her black Doc Martens resting on the wood surface as she leans backwards in her chair.
“Your mom sent it to me for my birthday one year. She knew how much I missed both of you….” Clearing her throat, Jill looks away. A flash of pain is written on her features before she recovers, falling back into a warm, mischievous grin.
Maggie, already over their reunion, wastes no time. “It’s great to see you, really. I’m ecstatic. Cool photo. But can we get what we need, and like, get out of here?” Her words are laced with sarcasm, but thankfully, Jill doesn’t seem to notice. Springing into action, their aunt plops her feet back down and opens a drawer next to her desk, taking out a set of old keys on a rusty, silver lightning-bolt keychain.
Walking straight past the sisters, Jill returns to the kitchen and they follow. Their aunt pulls open the door of a large refrigerator, face briefly illuminated as she takes out two paper bags, their names individually scribbled on each. Sheepishly, she hands them over, giving Eve the keys as well. Wiping her fingers on her ripped jeans, she retreats.
“I figured my nieces might be hungry after such a long trip. Maggie, ham and cheese for you, no mayo. And Eve, turkey on rye? I think that’s what you girls used to like….” she mutters, walking toward the door in which they came.
What happened that was so bad that their mother cut this sweet woman completely out of their lives? As generous as Jill seems, and as much as Eve desperately wants to reconnect with their only living blood relative, she can’t help but feel wary. Their parents had to have a good reason, and she needs to continue to trust their judgment.
Hugging the girls once more, Jill pulls a crinkled piece of paper from her pocket. It’s a hand-drawn map, with clear directions to their grandmother’s home.
She really had thought of everything.
“Turn right, stay on Saints Street for fifteen or so until you come to a big lake. It’s a quick left from there onto Red Creek Road, and Mom’s will be on the left. Big and white, you can’t miss it! I’ll call you on the landline in the morning.” The red door closes as she speaks, until it clicks shut.
“Night Jill, thank you…” Eve says politely, hoping their aunt could hear her still from the other side. Heading back toward the car, she’s forgotten all abo
ut her earlier trepidation. Flashes of their childhood and past begin to drown out any other previous musings. Both girls are silent, lost in their shared history. Their sandwich bags softly crinkle in their hands as they walk, Maggie stopping outside the driver’s-side door.
“Keys,” she demands, holding out her free hand as Eve rounds the other side and tosses. Maggie catches them with ease, opens the car, and crawls across the seat to unlock Eve’s side. There are no power locks in their old, trusty station wagon.
Eve studies the directions for a moment as Maggie turns on the headlights and throws their car in reverse. Stomachs rumbling, they empty the contents of their bags and devour the food ravenously. Her little sister drives with her knees, expertly navigating and chewing. The bread is homemade and fresh. Only Jill could turn a sandwich into a work of art. Eve had forgotten what a good cook Jill was.
Correction—is.
And the icing on the cake is her famous kitchen-sink cookies (called so because, you guessed it, they contain everything but the kitchen sink). Mouth-wateringly delicious, the desserts are a welcome surprise in the bottom of the bag.
As they eat and drive, the heavy forest lining either side of the now-dirt road feels massive and imposing. Like the sisters are intruding. Their automobile is tiny when compared to the magnitude of the tall stumps and long branches. They have never stayed anywhere this remote or been in a city devoid of streetlights. From the looks of it, where they were headed, they were going to be living in isolation.
“I think that’s the lake up there?” questions Eve, leaning forward and squinting. Her eyesight had been getting worse, but she hadn’t been able to afford to go to the optometrist.
Following Jill’s directions, they make a sharp left.
“That’s a lake, alright. But why do they call it ‘Red Creek’ Road? There’s no creek, from what I can see…. Wait, people in this town know the difference between a creek and a lake, right?”
Saintsville Page 2
