Chapter 1
Eri Wakeman was a very bright young girl, especially for a first grader. She had the mind of a sixth grader, she loved reading, but she loved games more than anything. She never once lost a game. The seven year old could play Texas Hold 'Em, and was great at the game. Still there was a downside to her life. She had been tortured and abused by her family so much that her teacher had taken her in and adopted her, just to prevent the abuse from continuing.
Her teacher, Trucy Wakeman, was a very kind soul, who had fallen in love with the seven year old (not in the sexual way mind you, but a motherly way), when she came into her classroom, but when she saw Eri's bruises and scars she took her away and became her guardian until the adoption papers became final.
Though Eri was a bright girl, she still had the feelings of a normal seven year old. She would cry for her mommy, which she had come to terms that her adoptive mother was her real mother, blocking out all pain that she could, but still had nightmares of the people who tortured and abused her.
Eri now was sitting at the table, drinking a glass of milk and playing Mancala by herself. Eri had trust issues so she often played by herself. She didn't mind though. She had a bit of a nasally voice, but not by much. Trucy came into the room and saw Eri playing a game by herself; she sighed and wondered how to get the child to open up to others. Just then someone knocked on the door. Trucy walked over to the door and answered it.
"Good evening Ma'am, are you a Miss. Trucy Wakeman?" a male detective asked as he flashed his shield at her. "Yes, is there something I can help you with?" Trucy replied to his question curiously. There were two detectives from New York City well as a couple, a man in a suit, and a woman in rather skimpy outfits and rather large hair that looked like a wig. "Are you currently taking care of an Eri Campbell?" the female officer from New York asked her. "Yes, what is this about?" Trucy asked them.
Eri finished her milk and came to the door hugging Trucy's leg. "Mommy…what's going on?" Eri asked her, somewhat freaked out. The female officer from New York walked over to Eri and saw her fading scars. She then walked back to her partner and whispered about the fading scars. "Ma'am you're going to have to come with us." The male detective said as he grabbed Trucy's arms and handcuffed her. "What are you doing?" Trucy asked him. "Arresting you for child abuse." The male detective replied. "Child abuse…I would never harm Eri!" Trucy replied.
The female detective tried to grab Eri, but Eri bit her and ran, hiding in a tight spot. "It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to get you away from her." The female detective said, trying to get Eri to come out. "Mommy never hurts me! Let her go!" Eri ordered as she hid. "Mommy saved me!" Eri replied. "How did she save you?" the female detective asked. "She adopted me and I never had to live with my real mommy and daddy again!" Eri replied in tears. "My real mommy and daddy hurt me!" Eri said in tears. "Ok…we'll let your mommy go, but you need to come with us. I promise we'll let her go." The female detective said.
Eri came out in tears, and the female detective took her to the station. Meanwhile, Trucy was in an interrogation room. "You're making a mistake!" Trucy said in tears and frustration. "Oh why is that?" the male detective asked. "I never hurt Eri! I adopted Eri after I had her removed from her other home." Trucy replied. "Why is that?" the male detective asked. "Eri came to class every day, beaten and abused. One day she came in with three broken ribs, she had to be hospitalized. I got her to trust me, and I got her out of that house, her birth parents were beating her severely. I love that little girl, I would never hurt her." Trucy explained.
"I'm going to show you some pictures, I need you to tell me who the birth parents were." The male detective said. There were six sets of couples. Trucy pointed to couple number one and wiped the tears from her face. "What if I told you that the couple you just pointed to were kidnappers?" the male detective asked. "What do you mean?" Trucy asked. The detective picked up the picture of couple number four. "Eri Campbell is dead, that girl that you adopted is this couple's daughter, Eve Sheffield. The Campbell's killed Eri and kidnapped Eve to replace her, they looked extremely similar after all."
"Eri…" Trucy said quietly as she had enough. "Please…I don't want to hear anymore…" Trucy said in tears. "Let me see Eri…" Trucy asked. The male detective had his partner bring Eri in and Eri ran over to her, crying. "That detective said I can't stay with you anymore!" Eri said in tears. "What do you mean?" Trucy said as she looked up at them. She picked up Eri and tried to calm her down. Before the detectives had a chance to answer, their Captain poked his head through the door.
"Benson, Stabler…" he said, beckoning them out of the room. "Tread on this subject lightly. The parents are in my office. Hopefully we won't have to get family court involved." He said to them as he let them back into the room with Eri and Trucy. "Eri…why don't we go get a soda…would you like that?" Olivia asked her as she bent down to Eri's level. Trucy nodded for Eri to go and Olivia took her out of the room.
"What's going to happen now?" Trucy asked. "We have her parents in another room. She needs to go with them." Elliot replied. "…I want to meet them first, Eri…I mean Eve…she doesn't trust anyone else because of the abuse…she's such a bright girl, she does sixth grade work, and she's only seven." Trucy said to him. "I'm sure we can arrange a meeting." Elliot said as he walked out and brought in the parents.
The father was a somewhat tall man with a wave of gray hair where his bangs were, he dressed rather proper, of course he was a Broadway producer so it was to be expected. The woman had rather large, dark, wavy hair, and dressed in a rather skimpy outfit. "This is Maxwell Sheffield and his wife Fran Sheffield. They're Eve's parents." Elliot said as he sat down.
"Eri…how old are you?" Olivia asked her. "Seven…" Eri replied as she sat down drinking her soda. "What do you like to do?" she asked Eri. "I like reading and playing games." Eri replied. "What do you like to read Eri?" Olivia asked her. "Charles Dickens, Herman Melville, a lot of people really." Eri replied. "Really? What's your favorite book?" Olivia asked, shocked the seven year old read Charles Dickens. "Moby Dick." Eri replied. "They think me mad--Starbuck does; but I'm demoniac, I am madness maddened! That wild madness that's only calm to comprehend itself!" Eri quoted from the book, Olivia in shock that Eri could actually read Moby Dick.
"Eri, I know this might sound strange, but…your other mommy and daddy, they weren't your mommy and daddy." Olivia said to her. "What do you mean?" Eri asked as she took another drink. "They killed their real daughter, the real Eri, and took you from your family when you were three. You were so young you probably blocked it out." Olivia explained to her. "That can't be true…and if it is I want to stay with my mommy." Eri said to her. Olivia sighed and looked at her. "Your real name is Eve…I know it's hard, but you need to go with your real parents. They've been really worried about you for four years." Olivia said as she took Eri's hand to go back into the other room.
"Where is my baby? Is she ok?" Fran asked. Olivia came back in with Eri. "She's fine…" Olivia said. "Mommy!" Eri said as she ran to Trucy. Fran stood up and walked over to Eri. "Eve…sweetheart…don't you remember me? I'm your mommy, not this woman." Fran said to her, she tried to touch her, but Eri bit her arm and hid underneath the table. "Eri…or Eve…she only trusts me, the other people beat her severely, she came to class with three broken ribs once and had to be hospitalized, that's why I got her away from them. She doesn't trust people easily." Trucy said as she tried to calm Eve down.
"Eri…honey…I know it's scary, but you need to go with your family." Trucy said to her as she picked up Eve. "No! I want to stay with you. Please don't make me go with them! Please!" Eve begged. "Maybe we could work something out?" Trucy suggested. "I could help you work with her and try to help her begin to trust you, because at this rate she might try something like running away. Sweetie…I've been talking with them, they're very nice people who have been very worried that they would never see you again. Why don't you talk to them, we'll be right outside." Trucy said to her as they all left the room.
Eve pulled out her copy of Moby Dick and started reading, ignoring her so called parents. "You can read Moby Dick?" Maxwell asked in shock. "Yes, now leave me alone." Eve said rather angrily as she continued reading. "What else do you like doing?" Fran asked her. "Playing games…I've never lost a game." Eve said to them. "What else do you like to read?" Maxwell asked her. "Charles Dickens, I could read him all day." Eve replied. "What's your favorite book by him?" he asked her. "A Christmas Carol. David Copperfield is a close second." Eve replied.
They talked for a few hours, and yet Eve still did not trust them. Still Eve was being forced to go with her real family, though Trucy could always visit Eve. Would Eve ever be able to trust her real family? Or will Eve grow up hating them forever?