Why Is He Home So Early? “What are you doing home this early?” She held onto the scuffed corner of the wall beside her, her fingers moving back and forth across its smooth surface. “Do I need an excuse to come home and have lunch with my family?” “No,’ she started, her gaze going back to her Mother, still turned away scrubbing vigorously, ‘it’s just that you never have.” Reese’s smile crumbled. “Why don’t you take a seat, Evey.” With an outstretched arm, he patted a spot near the edge of the wooden table opposite of him. “There’s something … there’s something that we need to discuss.” Watching him steadily, unblinking, she slid down into the chair, her hands uneasily grasping the table before dropping to her lap. She, again, looked towards her Mother’s moving figure - wishing she would turn around and give the assurance that only her kind, steady gaze could. Brandy always gave a lightness to her Papa’s levity - a way out when things became too serious. Her Mother’s intentional separation during this particular conversation was making Evangeline very nervous. Perhaps they had enough of her crazy robot making and were sending her away for awhile? Maybe to the machine-void coasts of Mexico or to the wilderness hideaways of the north? The moments of silence continued as the tension grew to fill the table-sized gap between them. Reese cleared his throat and glanced slightly over his shoulder. “Evey,” his voice tremored with hesitance, “it’s about the government’s core program.” The room suddenly felt very cold. “Wh-what about it?” Evangeline rubbed her hands together and clenched her jaw, preparing for the worst. Reese looked down at his hand resting on the table. Evangeline thought she noticed him shiver. “I heard word today around the office … Well, Craig pulled me aside before that and told me what he suspected. He had seen a memo – or something like that …” “It’s me, isn’t it?” Reese looked up at her, eyes hollow and shimmering, while Brandy’s busy frame settled into stillness. It seemed as if everything stopped in that moment - the only sound being Evangeline’s racing heart beat and a small, uncontrollable gasp for air coming from her Mother. -Lines: Book 1 Evey’s Papa is home early - and the news he bears will change her life forever.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 23:04:36 +0000