Evelyn Moss knew she was being hunted.She had accepted that fact long ago. She was only nine years old and she had already been attacked twice, once in her own home and once out in the open, surrounded by muggles. She no longer felt safe anywhere. She lay in her bed and tried to push all thought about her father - the word felt like poison in her mind, slowly polluting her thoughts and happiness -out of her head. Her eyes were closed, and she had just relaxed when she heard the first scream.
The scream had echoed through the house, and Evelyn sat up straight instantly, fear filling her. She stared at her door with tears running down her cheeks, listening. The more she strained her ears, the faster her heartbeat got. Quiet footsteps got louder every second, and finally the door to her room slid open and her brother quickly stepped in, his eyes wild and his face full of fear. He gathered her up in his arms and silently hushed her, and together they snuck down the hallway to her parent's darkened bedroom.
He had given her specific instructions not to move. He placed her under the bed and took off, back out the door where he came, wand in his hand and determination written all over his face. She couldn't see anything, and the house was deathly silent. It felt like hours that she stayed under that bed and strained to hear anything, any sign that maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright.
And then the sound of a door slamming filled the air. She heard a shout from downstairs, "Where are you?!" and then loud thumps of footsteps, coming down the hallway and - thankfully - passing her door. She held her breath. She knew that voice, knew it very well. She heard a vicious laugh from the other side of the door, then the loud footfalls of someone running down the hallway. There was an unintelligible shout, a strangled cry, and then a bright flash of green spilled in through the crack under the door. And then it slowly faded, and she was left in silence and darkness again.
The sound of light footsteps falling in the hallway reached her ears. He was coming to her, inching ever closer to the door. She had to do something, she knew, but what could she do? She was scared senseless. Her eyes flicked wildly around the room, hoping for anything, any way out.
The door handle began to turn, she could hear it. Slowly, light poured in from the crack beginning to form in the doorway, and her eyes strained to adjust to the light. Her heartbeat was echoed in her ears and the thought crossed her mind that whoever this was might hear it. She closed her eyes tightly and held her breath.
Evelyn heard a sharp intake of breath. She opened her eyes to see a figure standing in the doorway, (much too big to be her brother, her mind seemed to scream at her, which meant... she felt sick), and then she glanced around the room once more. The left corner was still somewhat dark, but when she strained her eyes she saw it. Lying in the corner, in a puddle of blood, was a body. Her heart stopped, and she dug her nails into the floor. No. This wasn't happening. This couldn't happen.
Her mother lay dead, not ten feet from her. She didn't know how long she had been that close to her. Was she alive when she came in? Did she miss her chance to say goodbye? The world seemed to spin and Evelyn felt dizzy. The last thing she remembered was a scream - her scream - and then the world went black.
Evelyn awoke with a start in a hospital, her eyes frantically looking around for danger. She was alone. That fact finally sunk in, and she began to sob.
A loud crash awoke her from her terrible dreams, and she shot up out of bed, looking around instantly for the source of the noise. She let out a silent sigh of relief when it finally dawned on her that the source of the noise had been her cat, Mittens, knocking things off of her table. It had been two years since the incident - which is what her foster mother, Sharon, called it - and she still had trouble with any loud noises. She inwardly groaned and climbed out of bed, heading to the bathroom.
Today, Evelyn turned eleven years old, and she was thrilled. As thrilled as she could manage, that is. Her heart was heavy despite the excitement. Her mother wouldn't be around to see her go to Hogwarts. She'd not get to wave goodbye to her from the train. There would be no letters coming to her. She looked at herself in the mirror and wiped the tears off her pale face.
"Sweetie?" Sharon's gentle voice called up the stairs, "You're going to be late."
Evelyn took a long, deep breath. She would survive. She always survived. She got dressed and stepped out of her bathroom. Sharon sat in her room, smiling sweetly at her.
"Are you ready?" Sharon asked?
"As I'll ever be." Evelyn replied, forcing a smile.