Author's Note: Thank you very much for reading my story! I've put a lot of time into it, so please take a moment and write a review. I would appreciate that. Thanks again!
Part One: The Accident
"You'll never get any friends that way."
Eve looked up to see a lanky boy with dark hair staring down at her. "So?" Eve put her book aside and glared up at the boy.
"You don't care, then?" he questioned, a cocky expression on his face.
Eve shook her head. Lowering her blue eyes, she recommenced in her reading and the boy left her. Glancing up again, Eve hoped that no one else would bother her. She was happier in solitude, but no one seemed to understand that. Sighing, she tucked her golden hair behind her ear and closed her eyes to think. Eve was a loner; one who didn't make friends very easily and one who preferred to keep to herself. On her lunch breaks she could sit out on one of the benches in the communal garden. The garden was in between the girls' school and the boys' school. Usually the other students ignored her, but occasionally the boys would tease her for sitting alone and reading. It wasn't that Eve didn't want to make friends, but rather that she did not have enough confidence to talk to people. She was afraid that they wouldn't accept her or that she would make some mistake in front of them. Her low confidence drove her to pretend she was invisible.
Eve had always felt inferior to all of the other girls who attended the private school. They all seemed to be beautiful with lush, thick hair, and large, dark eyes. Eve's appearance was nothing special; she was pale and plain. Her ice blue eyes and thin, golden hair stood out among the other students. She was different because she was plain.
"Hey, look, she's still there." Eve's cheeks burned as she recognized the voice of the same boy who had bothered her before. "I think I know why you're always alone," he spoke up louder so that Eve would know he was speaking to her. Eve raised her eyes a fraction of an inch to see that he had three other boys with him, all donned in the same school uniform. "Youdon't have any friends!" he surmised loudly. Eve felt her cheeks burn a deeper red. The boys started to laugh, and Eve felt hot tears start to form in the corners of her eyes. She fought them back frantically. If she cried now, they would only tease her more.
"That's enough, leave her alone!" a girl's voice cut in suddenly. Eve looked up to see one of the older students standing nearby, hands on her hips. She had dark, brown hair and deep blue eyes. Her pretty face was contorted by a frown as she faced the boys. "I said, that's enough." The boys stopped laughing and walked in the other direction, muttering to each other. Once they were out of sight, the girl turned to Eve.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it." The girl smiled. Just then a bell rang; it was time for classes. "Don't let them pick on you," she said before heading toward the school building.
. . .
As Eve walked home from classes, she began to dread what awaited her. She would be driving with her older brother, Philip, to visit her aunt and uncle near Dover Beach. Her brother always loved to drive cross-country as quickly as possible near the edge of the cliffs. He loved to show off his new car; top of the line and also a smart shade of green. Eve was terrified of his driving, but she knew that he'd never listen to her if she told him to slow down. She'd tried to reason with her parents, but Philip always seemed to convince them in the end that he drove the speed limit, and that Eve was overreacting because she didn't like driving.
This time it was worse. Philip had a few drinks with his friends before he began the drive. He zigzagged along the road until Eve felt sick. "Philip, slow down!" Eve cried out frantically.
"What's the matter, Sis? Afraid?" Philip taunted, laughing and slamming on the accelerator.
"Philip, you're drunk, and you're driving much too close to the edge." Eve tried to keep her voice calm, but she was panicking on the inside. The white cliffs loomed ever nearer as her brother left the road.
The car swerved as Philip looked at Eve. "Ah, Sis, you're no fun."
"Watch the road!" Eve made a grab for the wheel, but Philip grabbed it first and jerked the car away from the cliffs. Eve thought he was going to stop, but just then Philip caught sight of a group of girls watching him. They were flappers, Eve noticed, wearing the rebellious short skirts and stylish bobbed hair. Though their "new-style" had become somewhat popular in Britain, it was still looked upon with slight frowns. Philip gave a lopsided grin and revved the motor. The girls giggled and waved from beside their own older convertible. Philip slammed on the accelerator. Eve closed her eyes in horror.
"Philip, let me out," she asked, panic edging her voice. He ignored her and focused on impressing the girls. Eve tried again, this time letting her voice rise to a wail. "Let me out! Let me out!" Philip turned his head and grinned at her with a cocky look on his face. The car was getting closer and closer to the edge of the cliffs. "Watch out!" Eve screamed. The car had come within a foot of the precipice. She made a frantic grab for the wheel and the car rolled safely away from the cliff. "Philip," Eve pleaded. "Please let me out."
"Oh, alright then," Philip finally consented. "You're looking a bit green anyway." He pressed his foot on the brake, but nothing happened.
"Stop!"
"I'm trying! The accelerator is jammed!" Philip yelled, wedging his shoe under the pedal and trying to loosen it. Sweat beads rolled down his head. Still nothing happened. The Cliffs of Dover stretched on, and Eve saw what she had feared all along.
"We're going to go over the edge!" she screamed at Philip.
"The-accelerator-is-stuck!" Philip pronounced each word slowly as if Eve hadn't understood him the first time.
"Turn off the ignition!" Eve shouted.
Philip turned the keys and the engine cut off. Then he turned the wheel to veer the car away from the cliffs. They were still going at a tremendous pace, but after hitting a few ruts, the car slowed to a final stop. "You almost killed us!" Eve shouted. Philip was very pale and breathing heavily. Without a word, he turned the key in the ignition and headed toward the road without a glance back. Eve sat shaking, but though Philip's driving was choppy, he didn't leave the road again.
When they finally reached their aunt and uncle's two story house, Eve had calmed down. Her hands had stopped shaking and her breathing had returned to normal. As soon as the car stopped, she threw open the door and ran toward the porch. Before she was able to reach the knocker, however, Philip grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. "Ouch, Philip, you're hurting me. Let go!" Eve cried out.
"Not a word about what happened, alright? Alright?"
"Alright, I promise, now let go!" Philip let go of her arm, and Eve glowered at him, reaching for the large, brass knocker.
"Eve! Philip! Come in," Eve's aunt, Joyce, said, answering the door. "I just put dinner on the stove. Will you help Charles with the carrots, Philip? Eve, you can set the table, if you will." Glad of the distraction, Eve set the small table for four and helped her aunt with the casserole. When they were all seated around the table, Joyce folded her hands, and they bowed their heads in prayer.
"This national debt will be the end of these meals," Charles said moodily after they had finished their dinner. "We'll have to start going on food rations and such."
"How much have they estimated, Sir?" Philip asked, setting aside his napkin.
"Some £7 billion," Charles answered, pulling out his pipe and lighting it.
"We'll need to give up anything that is not necessary. Pipe weed costs a fair bit, Charles," Joyce put in, giving her husband's pipe a disapproving glance. Before Charles could defend himself, the telephone rang from the next room. "Will you be a dear and answer that, Eve?" she asked. "I need to get the pie in the oven."
"Alright." Eve excused herself and went to lift the receiver. "Hello?"
"There's a call for an Eve on the other line from a Devon Monroe? Shall I connect you?" said the female voice of the operator.
"Yes, please." Eve waited while the connection was made. What could her father want?
"Eve?"
"Yes, father."
"Something urgent has come up, and we need you and Philip home right away. Can you make it?" Devon said, his voice slightly agitated.
"Yes, father, what is it?"
"Just come at once. I must go." There was a click as her father set down the receiver. Eve put down the phone and walked back into the kitchen, a feeling of confusion edged with panic growing in her.
"Who was it, dear?" Joyce asked.
"It was father; we're needed home at once. He didn't say why," Eve explained, standing in the doorway.
"Then you'd better go. I'm sorry you have to miss the pie. I hope everything is alright."
. . .
Philip drove quickly along the dark road, but this time Eve didn't mind. He was sober, and there was an emergency at home. She wondered what it could be. Had there been a fire? Had her grandfather had another heart attack? Had one of the neighbors given birth? Halfway home, it began to rain. By the time Eve had struggled with the top of the convertible, she and Philip were drenched and shivering. "Philip? I know we're in a hurry, but can you slow down a little? You can hardly see the road," Eve said in a quavering voice.
"I know what I'm doing, Sis." The road was a blur, and the rain sloshed over the windshield in torrents, making it impossible to see more than a few feet away. The headlights shone dimly, illuminating the dark road just before the tires. Just as a loud bang of thunder irrupted, there was a sudden flash of lights. Another car sped into view, driving along the median strip that divided the two, narrow lanes. Philip tried to swerve, but he didn't react in time to the sudden appearance of the car. There was a screeching of brakes and the crunch of metal as the two cars collided at top speed. Eve felt a sickening blow to the head and heard the breaking of glass. For a second she was in excruciating pain, and then it all stopped. Everything was black and the only sound was a deep, growling roar.
