CHAPTER ONE: THE EVANS CHILDREN
It was a warm afternoon in late August. A redheaded six year-old girl with brilliant green eyes was sitting on a solitary swing in a little park. The girl twisted the chains of the swing, turning with her seat so that she could take a good look around the park. She spotted another girl, an eight year-old brunette, and called over to her.
"Petunia!" she cried. "Will you come push me on the swing?"
The brunette sighed and walked over reluctantly. She pulled the chains of the swing so that the redhead was about three feet off the ground and then let go. The redhead squealed with delight as she went (in her opinion) soaring through the air like a bird. Petunia, looking very bored and plastering a smile on her face, continued to push the redhead until the sky began to grow darker.
Petunia abruptly stopped the swing and ordered the redhead off of it. The redhead turned around and hugged Petunia, much to her dislike. However, she hugged back and smiled a fake smile once again.
"Thanks, Petunia! You are the best sister in the world!" the redhead cried.
Petunia sighed and took hold of the redhead's hand. "Come now, Lily, or we will get home after dark."
The two set off at a brisk walk down the street, coming to a house about forty-three feet from the park. Petunia opened the door and immediately let go of Lily's hand. Lily entered the house quickly; Petunia took her time. She took one last glance toward the park and then slowly walked through the door. She shut it and locked it, then made her way through the sitting room to a small red couch. Her parents looked at her and then said, "I hope you treated Lily well?"
"Yes, I did," snapped Petunia. "I did not get to swing once!"
"I see," said Petunia's father, obviously not caring too much. He and his wife turned a loving eye towards their younger daughter and asked her if she had fun. They always paid more attention to Lily than they did to Petunia. By now, Petunia had, for the most part, become accustomed to it. She sighed and walked out of the sitting room, making her way up a set of extremely creaky stairs. She walked down a hallway, entering the door at the very end.
She sat down on the bed, an angry and somewhat hurt look crossing her face. Then she lay down on her stomach, pulled her pillow into a hug, and cried into it as she did almost every night. She felt neglected, rejected, and alone. At school, she had a few friends, yet she knew that none of them would understand her position. Most of her friends had no siblings, and if they ever knew how jealous Petunia was of Lily, they would probably laugh.
Petunia wished that she had somebody in her life that could understand her. By now, she knew that she could not turn to her family. And her friends were also out of the question. Who did that leave her to turn to? Maxwell Smith, the school bully? As it were, Petunia happened to be Maxwell's favorite victim. Every time he ran into her, he would taunt her about her sister. Everyone knew that Lily was Petunia's sister, and everyone also knew that Lily was much more popular than Petunia could ever hope to be.
Petunia continued to cry for hours; when she looked at her alarm clock, it read 12: 37 am. Petunia changed into her pajamas, not bothering to stifle the drawers as she pulled them out and then slammed them shut. She crawled into bed, flipped over her pillow, pulled up the covers, and she fell asleep the second her head hit the pillow. She had many a strange dream that night. She had one particular dream that slightly troubled her. In her dream, she saw a flash of bright green light, heard high pitched laughter, and saw her sister fall to the ground, dead.
Petunia woke with a start. What had the dream meant? Did she want to kill her sister? Petunia shook off the thought. She would never kill anybody; the fact that she had even worried about her subconscious wanting to kill someone was utterly ridiculous. Of course, the fact that her 'subconscious' even existed and could dictate what she thought was ridiculous. After all, Petunia was as normal as could be.
By the age of eight, Petunia has three primary goals in life. The first was to be as normal as possible. Some kids at school had made up their own secret codes and some had very strange beliefs and superstitions. Not Petunia. The second was to marry a man just as normal as she was. The third was to raise one normal child. She had already decided that she would only have one child; she did not want anyone in her family to be mistreated.
Of course, she had a lot of time before she would have a child. It was a Saturday, which meant that the kids did not have to go to school. It also meant that her mother would make a special breakfast, over which her parents would make a fuss about Lily. Petunia got dressed and hurried down the steps; she was very hungry. She eagerly sat down at the table.
"Good morning, Petunia dear," her mother said, flipping over a pancake. Petunia simply said, "hello mum," and stared down at her plate. She was determined not to cry tonight. She would simply ignore her family as much as possible so she would have no reason to cry tonight. Her mother picked up her plate, filled it with pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage, and placed it in front of Petunia once again.
Just then, Lily walked in the door.
"Lily honey! You look absolutely lovely this morning! Look at this big breakfast I made for you!" her mother cried, pulling Lily into a tight hug. Petunia glared angrily at her plate and stabbed a sausage with her fork. She ate silently, looking down at her plate and ignoring her parents and sister. Towards the end of breakfast, however, she was forced to pay attention to her parents.
"Kids, your mother and I have decided to take you to the zoo. Lily has had perfect attendance at school this year and she has gotten the highest marks. We decided to reward her," her father said, lovingly putting a lock of red hair behind Lily's ear. Lily smiled stupidly, but Petunia continued to glare. Her parents had, of course, forgotten that Petunia had the highest marks in her classes also, had had perfect attendance, and that she was in third grade, which was considerably more difficult than first grade (which Lily was in).
Petunia walked outside with her family and climbed into the back of the family's car. She folded her hands in her lap and stared down at them the duration of the trip to the zoo. Once they had entered the zoo, her parents asked Lily which animals she wanted to see first. Lily said the lions. Petunia snorted. She would much rather see the birds. Birds were probably Petunia's favorite animals. She envied their freedom. They could go anywhere they wanted, and they were certainly not stuck with a family that could not care less about them.
The family made their way through the zoo, coming to the birds last. "Saved the best for last, I see," mumbled Petunia. Lily soon became very bored with the birds, but their beauty fascinated Petunia. Lily tugged on the sleeve of Petunia's shirt. "Come on, Petunia, it is time to go," Lily whined. Petunia continued to stare at the birds. Lily followed Petunia's gaze and said, "I wish the ruddy birds would turn invisible!" Just then, as though something magical had occurred, Petunia could no longer see the birds.
Of course, there was no such thing as magic. Petunia would never even dare to dream of such a thing. She simply thought that she was worn out from a long day at the zoo and that her mind was playing tricks on her. Since she could no longer see the birds, Petunia was resigned to walk away with Lily. They made their way to their parents, who were on the other side of the atrium. The family made their way back home. Petunia had just walked in the door when the phone rang. Her father answered it.
After talking for a while, he nodded solemnly and hung up. He gathered all of the family into the sitting room and looked around at them. "Kids.grandpa Evans died today. He had a heart attack." Though grandpa Evans had, like all other members of the family, favored Lily over her, the loss still hurt Petunia. Grandpa Evans was her father's father, and Petunia glanced over at him to see how he was handling it. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed. Her mother rushed over to Lily and hugged her. "Are you ok Lily dear?" she asked. 'Never mind the fact that I am here, too,' Petunia thought bitterly. Petunia stood up and went back to her bedroom.
She sat down on the bed again, her face turning angry and hurt. However, she lay down on her back and did not cry one single tear. She had told herself that she would not, and she was a woman of her word. Her day had been terrible, yes. Then again, so had her life. That night, she only had one dream, which involved watching birds for hours on end. It was a simple, normal, harmless dream. She woke up in a better mood, having dreamt of the one thing that she actually liked in her life.
It was a warm afternoon in late August. A redheaded six year-old girl with brilliant green eyes was sitting on a solitary swing in a little park. The girl twisted the chains of the swing, turning with her seat so that she could take a good look around the park. She spotted another girl, an eight year-old brunette, and called over to her.
"Petunia!" she cried. "Will you come push me on the swing?"
The brunette sighed and walked over reluctantly. She pulled the chains of the swing so that the redhead was about three feet off the ground and then let go. The redhead squealed with delight as she went (in her opinion) soaring through the air like a bird. Petunia, looking very bored and plastering a smile on her face, continued to push the redhead until the sky began to grow darker.
Petunia abruptly stopped the swing and ordered the redhead off of it. The redhead turned around and hugged Petunia, much to her dislike. However, she hugged back and smiled a fake smile once again.
"Thanks, Petunia! You are the best sister in the world!" the redhead cried.
Petunia sighed and took hold of the redhead's hand. "Come now, Lily, or we will get home after dark."
The two set off at a brisk walk down the street, coming to a house about forty-three feet from the park. Petunia opened the door and immediately let go of Lily's hand. Lily entered the house quickly; Petunia took her time. She took one last glance toward the park and then slowly walked through the door. She shut it and locked it, then made her way through the sitting room to a small red couch. Her parents looked at her and then said, "I hope you treated Lily well?"
"Yes, I did," snapped Petunia. "I did not get to swing once!"
"I see," said Petunia's father, obviously not caring too much. He and his wife turned a loving eye towards their younger daughter and asked her if she had fun. They always paid more attention to Lily than they did to Petunia. By now, Petunia had, for the most part, become accustomed to it. She sighed and walked out of the sitting room, making her way up a set of extremely creaky stairs. She walked down a hallway, entering the door at the very end.
She sat down on the bed, an angry and somewhat hurt look crossing her face. Then she lay down on her stomach, pulled her pillow into a hug, and cried into it as she did almost every night. She felt neglected, rejected, and alone. At school, she had a few friends, yet she knew that none of them would understand her position. Most of her friends had no siblings, and if they ever knew how jealous Petunia was of Lily, they would probably laugh.
Petunia wished that she had somebody in her life that could understand her. By now, she knew that she could not turn to her family. And her friends were also out of the question. Who did that leave her to turn to? Maxwell Smith, the school bully? As it were, Petunia happened to be Maxwell's favorite victim. Every time he ran into her, he would taunt her about her sister. Everyone knew that Lily was Petunia's sister, and everyone also knew that Lily was much more popular than Petunia could ever hope to be.
Petunia continued to cry for hours; when she looked at her alarm clock, it read 12: 37 am. Petunia changed into her pajamas, not bothering to stifle the drawers as she pulled them out and then slammed them shut. She crawled into bed, flipped over her pillow, pulled up the covers, and she fell asleep the second her head hit the pillow. She had many a strange dream that night. She had one particular dream that slightly troubled her. In her dream, she saw a flash of bright green light, heard high pitched laughter, and saw her sister fall to the ground, dead.
Petunia woke with a start. What had the dream meant? Did she want to kill her sister? Petunia shook off the thought. She would never kill anybody; the fact that she had even worried about her subconscious wanting to kill someone was utterly ridiculous. Of course, the fact that her 'subconscious' even existed and could dictate what she thought was ridiculous. After all, Petunia was as normal as could be.
By the age of eight, Petunia has three primary goals in life. The first was to be as normal as possible. Some kids at school had made up their own secret codes and some had very strange beliefs and superstitions. Not Petunia. The second was to marry a man just as normal as she was. The third was to raise one normal child. She had already decided that she would only have one child; she did not want anyone in her family to be mistreated.
Of course, she had a lot of time before she would have a child. It was a Saturday, which meant that the kids did not have to go to school. It also meant that her mother would make a special breakfast, over which her parents would make a fuss about Lily. Petunia got dressed and hurried down the steps; she was very hungry. She eagerly sat down at the table.
"Good morning, Petunia dear," her mother said, flipping over a pancake. Petunia simply said, "hello mum," and stared down at her plate. She was determined not to cry tonight. She would simply ignore her family as much as possible so she would have no reason to cry tonight. Her mother picked up her plate, filled it with pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage, and placed it in front of Petunia once again.
Just then, Lily walked in the door.
"Lily honey! You look absolutely lovely this morning! Look at this big breakfast I made for you!" her mother cried, pulling Lily into a tight hug. Petunia glared angrily at her plate and stabbed a sausage with her fork. She ate silently, looking down at her plate and ignoring her parents and sister. Towards the end of breakfast, however, she was forced to pay attention to her parents.
"Kids, your mother and I have decided to take you to the zoo. Lily has had perfect attendance at school this year and she has gotten the highest marks. We decided to reward her," her father said, lovingly putting a lock of red hair behind Lily's ear. Lily smiled stupidly, but Petunia continued to glare. Her parents had, of course, forgotten that Petunia had the highest marks in her classes also, had had perfect attendance, and that she was in third grade, which was considerably more difficult than first grade (which Lily was in).
Petunia walked outside with her family and climbed into the back of the family's car. She folded her hands in her lap and stared down at them the duration of the trip to the zoo. Once they had entered the zoo, her parents asked Lily which animals she wanted to see first. Lily said the lions. Petunia snorted. She would much rather see the birds. Birds were probably Petunia's favorite animals. She envied their freedom. They could go anywhere they wanted, and they were certainly not stuck with a family that could not care less about them.
The family made their way through the zoo, coming to the birds last. "Saved the best for last, I see," mumbled Petunia. Lily soon became very bored with the birds, but their beauty fascinated Petunia. Lily tugged on the sleeve of Petunia's shirt. "Come on, Petunia, it is time to go," Lily whined. Petunia continued to stare at the birds. Lily followed Petunia's gaze and said, "I wish the ruddy birds would turn invisible!" Just then, as though something magical had occurred, Petunia could no longer see the birds.
Of course, there was no such thing as magic. Petunia would never even dare to dream of such a thing. She simply thought that she was worn out from a long day at the zoo and that her mind was playing tricks on her. Since she could no longer see the birds, Petunia was resigned to walk away with Lily. They made their way to their parents, who were on the other side of the atrium. The family made their way back home. Petunia had just walked in the door when the phone rang. Her father answered it.
After talking for a while, he nodded solemnly and hung up. He gathered all of the family into the sitting room and looked around at them. "Kids.grandpa Evans died today. He had a heart attack." Though grandpa Evans had, like all other members of the family, favored Lily over her, the loss still hurt Petunia. Grandpa Evans was her father's father, and Petunia glanced over at him to see how he was handling it. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed. Her mother rushed over to Lily and hugged her. "Are you ok Lily dear?" she asked. 'Never mind the fact that I am here, too,' Petunia thought bitterly. Petunia stood up and went back to her bedroom.
She sat down on the bed again, her face turning angry and hurt. However, she lay down on her back and did not cry one single tear. She had told herself that she would not, and she was a woman of her word. Her day had been terrible, yes. Then again, so had her life. That night, she only had one dream, which involved watching birds for hours on end. It was a simple, normal, harmless dream. She woke up in a better mood, having dreamt of the one thing that she actually liked in her life.
