Closing Books

Chapter 3 - Part 2

The next morning, Evelyn pulled up in front of the mansion, surprised to see Lydia's car parked by Joanne's pink mini.

Everyone, including herself, had treated Kate's sister like an outcast since the fire. Though only her and Kate confronted Lydia, everyone else blamed Lydia for what happened as well.

Since finding out that their parents didn't die from an accident like their grandparents had told them, Lydia had been obsessed with finding out what caused their brutal murder.

Even though Lydia wasn't the one who set the fire, she was undeniably the cause of it.

To Evelyn, the actual fire didn't scare her; it was the events leading right up to it that did. The whole incident brought back the unwanted memories that she'd been trying to bury.

Even seeing Lydia's car brought back those memories.

She remembered how her heart pounded while she hid in the bathroom with Kate. She remembered how she kept her gun aimed at the door while fear ran rampant in her mind.

The suspense of knowing someone was heading for them reminded her of how she had felt while hiding in the bathroom as a child, of the futile prayers she had made, and of the eventual punishment she had to endure.

She was no longer a child, and she had practiced hard at using her gun. Still, no amount of logic helped as the same fear that used to surge through her veins every night raked her once again.

Evelyn rubbed her palms against her arms, getting some warmth back to her suddenly cold hands.

"Hey, you're late," Ryan said as she entered the kitchen.

Everyone else echoed some form of greeting and went back to the food on the table.

Without command, her eyes moved in search of Dan's, then immediately darted away the moment they met his.

She took her usual spot, sitting between Kate and Dan. Since his eyes were obviously avoiding her, Evelyn took the chance to observe him.

He kept his eyes on his plate, taking a bite of food then looking up at the selection on the table. He looked well to her. The brilliant smile he used to wear was missing. But besides that, he appeared to be doing fine without her.

She couldn't help wondering if he was already seeing someone new and if she could handle sitting at the same table with whoever it was.

"Now that you're here, we're ready to make the major announcement," Ryan said, swallowing a mouthful of food. He nudged Joseph and gestured for him to continue.

Seeing Ryan's excitement made her smile.

She wished she had his personality; he was always smiling and chirpy. She wondered how he did that. The things he must have seen in his line of work: the carnage, the deaths ... Yet he seemed untouched by them.

"We've decided to leave our jobs and start a gym like you guys suggested."

Joanne laughed. "Are you guys serious? I was only joking."

"We are. The only gym in this area isn't very good. Many of Ryan's fellow firefighters and friends he worked out with had complained about it. It's definitely viable," Joseph answered.

"That will be great," Kate said, her eyes bright. "That way, you guys won't have to deal with all the shifts anymore."

Dan nodded. "That's true. I can help with the finding of a location; I have contacts."

"And of course, Evelyn and I will design the place for you guys," Kate added.

"Before any of that, we'll have to come up with an actual proposal and get a bank loan," Joseph interjected before anyone else could continue.