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╔⭑-⭒-⭑-⭒-⭑-⭒╗ 𝕻rologue ╚⭑-⭒-⭑-⭒-⭑-⭒╝
Grant Carson always used to say, 'Turn around, don't drown.' It was a saying used commonly during the rainy season when the roads would flood. If you couldn't tell how deep a puddle was, then turn around and find another way. But he never used it for what it actually was meant for. It was his own way of saying, no matter how deep something is, whether that be a puddle or not, to never give up and to find another way.
The saying was practically drilled into both his children's heads as they grew up, the life lesson not really sticking. But they were kids. All they worried about was who got the last slice of their Mom's homemade pizza and who had dish duty while the other went off to surf the waves. Whatever problem arised, they were always encouraged to find some type of solution, but to never give up. But soon enough, there would be no solution to what would happen to them.
'Three bodies found at a Santa Monica home fire. Reports tell us, the fire was caused by a gas leak. The victims were Grant and Minerva Carson and their son, William. Their daughter, Evangeline Carson was working at the time of the fire.'
It was reported as an accident, a wrong place, wrong time type of situation, but Evangeline refused to believe that. She knew that what had happened to her family was not a coincidence, that someone had ill intent towards them. She tried to tell the police, tried to get them to see that it was more. But they had no evidence of foul play or even a person of interest, there was nothing they could do.
The case was, unfortunately, closed and Evangeline was shipped off to her Aunt's all the way across the country to North Carolina. A place her Father never wanted to return to. When Evangeline was only 5, and William 11, Grant packed and moved his family to California to continue exploring the deep ocean for its hidden treasures and history. His Mother and Sister, Adele and Cynthia, never supported his interests and wanted something better for him, but he refused and parted ways. That was the last time he ever saw them.
Now, Evangeline was being sent to practically a stranger. All she knew about the woman was that she was a well put together business woman and a single mother raising her only child, Topper. Evangeline had never felt so alone as she made the trip, the things that survived the fire stuffed into one suitcase and the clothes on her back. The first thing she knew about North Carolina was that it was humid, but at least the sunset was pretty.
"Evangeline!" Stepping off the Ferry, Evangeline glanced around the dock before seeing a boy around her age standing off to the side. Topper Thornton, her cousin. She didn't really know much about the boy, the last time the two saw each other was when they were 5. Frowning, Evangeline hesitated before making her way over. "It's been so long, how've you been?" Evangeline nodded softly, her eyes lowering away from his questioning gaze. "Yeah, uh -" Before she could continue, Topper was taking her suitcase from her hands and leading her over to a considerably nice jeep. Evangeline was definitely not expecting that. "Come on. Let's get you settled in. You're gonna love it here, promise." As he went off to load the back of the jeep, Evangeline glanced around with a sigh. Yup, things were about to get really interesting.
