The bright white hospital lights burned her eyes as they slowly peeled open. Around four nurses scrambled throughout Evelyn's hospital room in search of something or someone. In the corner a blurry familiar figure sat on a chair, a mop of blonde hair on their head.
"Max?" She choked out, her throat dry. At the sound of her voice the figure sat up, his face becoming more clear.
"Hey," he whispered, "how are you feeling?" He asked gently, his hand resting on her arm as she made an attempt to get up.
"Where am I?" With her vision fully clear, Max's soft smile became more clear.
"Just the hospital, nothing new," he chuckled. Evelyn groaned as she felt a sudden stabbing pain throughout her leg.
"What happened?" She groaned.
"You got shot by some son of a bitch. The bullet went through and broke your leg too," He explained through gritted teeth.
"Fucking pussy missed the memo of trying to kill me," Evelyn laughed, a grin spreading across her face. "Where are mom and dad?"
"They're at the food court with James." He rolled his eyes.
"James wants more food, what a surprise," she retorted sarcastically. At his name, a small blonde figure burst into the food, a smudge of a mysterious food on his cheek.
"Evie!" He squealed, attempting to climb on the bed, Max having to hold him back.
"Slow down," he whispered.
"Are you okay? How are you feeling? Do you want any food? Does anythin-"
"James," Max said sternly, "calm. Down."
"But-"
"No buts!" He said, setting James down away from Evelyn's bed. A moment later, two other, again, blonde figures walk into the room.
"Evelyn, you are never going back with those people," Evelyn's father declared.
"What?" She squeaked out, sitting up straight in her bed, ignoring the pain.
"There have been too many dangerous things that have happened linked to those people and that school. You will never be going back to that school or those people, you hear me?" Her mother stated, a very maternal tone, that Evelyn had never heard, in her voice.
"But... Stevie and Nate and Janelle aren't the problem," She told her mother, a mix of anger and sadness flowing over her.
"We are done with this conversation. We have your stuff packed already and you will be staying in Fairview until you graduate. End of conversation." With that, her mother and father ushered Max and James out of the room, leaving Evelyn by herself.
YOU ARE READING
Lacuna(1)
Mystery / ThrillerEvelyn Hastings had always seemed to get her way into the Hawthorne family's lives somehow. Other than one persistent Hawthorne, Evelyn had never really spoken directly to any of them. But lately, a new Hawthorne has been appearing too much, prying...
