Discovery- Chapter one

Eva sighed rubbing her neck; it was kinked from sitting in the car for so very long. Her brothers were bopping along to music and her sisters were snoring softly as the car plodded along yet another stretch of highway on its way to their new home. Mom was in the front seat with oldies music playing softly so as not to disturb the differing tastes of her offspring. Dad was in the passenger seat reading the paper from home. The van was not only carrying all of Eva’s family, but a small trailer of the mom’s best paintings, which she had been unwilling to entrust to the moving company.
Eva was so excited for the new house, which would be bigger and afford Eva her own room, though not necessarily for the new town. This was a small place, nothing like the big open skies of New Mexico. They were driving to Washington State where all the horizons were hemmed in by trees and mountains. Eva sighed pulling at a piece of her rust colored hair and noting how much more frizzy it was managing to be in the humidity. ‘Yuck, who likes humidity?’ She was sure that no hair looked better in this kind of weather, and if some did, well, she inherently disliked that person’s hair.
What had woken her was not the change in barometric pressure or anything of great note, just that Mom had turned off the interstate onto a less perfect road that led into the woods. The view opened up to a little town and too many more trees. Mom pulled off into the parking lot of a hotel and everyone began to rouse from their revere, glad to get out of the car.
“No, no,” Dad chided, “Stay by the car, I need to check us in first.” He swung his long legs out of the door and stiffly made his way to the little lit office. Eva watched the silent movie of him laughing with the keeper, almost hearing the conversation in her head.
A commotion broke out between her sibling and mother shushed them with a glare.
“Don’t ruin this trip now. You have done so well for so much of it.”
Eva grinned, that was such a mom thing to say, but like always, it worked. Dad came back with the room keys and began motioning people out of the car. Caleb and Joshua climbed out and began teasing. Katharine and Christine just gazed away from where they were standing eager to go back to bed. Mother grabbed Frankie and Dad grabbed the complaining baby Gertie. Dad motioned the boys into the first room and they plunked down their packs as close to the door as possible. Then he sent Eva, Katharine, and Christine to the last and placed mom and the babies in the middle.
“Now, we are all tired. I expect that you will all get in your pajamas, brush your teeth, and go to bed. We have been driving a long way and the little kids need to sleep. So please, don’t make me come talk to you tonight about being loud.” Dad pleaded.
Everyone mumbled a reply and all the doors closed. The girls were asleep quickly, having not really woken up. Eva did not bother to remind them to brush their teeth, since they had both plopped down into the same bed so she had the other to herself, which was worth any irritation from dad. Eva pulled out her jammies and tooth brush and hummed to herself as she got ready to turn in.
There was a knock on the door. It was dad. He looked at her sisters and shook his head. “Hey I was thinking that you and I should go in the morning and make sure everything is ready at the house. Before everyone else gets up, whad’ya think?” Dad’s grin was undeniable. He looked like a movie star and as the oldest, Eva enjoyed the attention.
“I think I can manage.” She replied.
“Alright then I will only knock on the door once. See ya early.”
Eva grinned, she loved doing things with Dad, and he always made sure that she did not feel the weight of having to help with that many kids. He made everything fun. Eva hopped into bed with a grin pleased with the prospect of the morning. Tomorrow was going to be the start of new and great things. Maybe she would even stay at the house and make cookies so it smelled really good for all the little kids that would no doubt be grumpy about having to get into the car yet again. Maybe senior year in a new place would not be so bad as she thought. At least it was a good jumping off place for dreams.
Dad’s knock in the morning was very early, but Eva was energized and excited. She hauled her hair up into a ponytail and dressed quickly. Dad was smiling when she pulled open the door and slipped out.
“I thought you could use some breakfast just the two of us what do you think?” He grinned putting his arm about her shoulders.
“You know I love breakfast.”
“Huh,” he replied, “I must have forgotten that.”
Eva grinned, Dad never forgot anything.
Breakfast was pancakes at a little café. They were good, but did not hold a candle to Moms. Not to mention that the syrup was not exactly high quality. Like they had mixed syrup with water and heated it until it was barely runny.
Dad polished off his hash brown and looked up expectantly. “You ready to go?”
Eva nodded and they were off again in the misty morning green. They pulled up to a long drive and an appealing house at what seemed to be the edge of town. It was nice, much bigger than the place they had lived before. Eva might actually have some peace and quiet here without her siblings all being pilled on top of her all the time. She bounded in the door behind Dad and began talking over with him where all the paintings that Mom had created would hang. They laughed and joked as they worked, getting everything in place in short order.
“Alright Muffin cup, let’s head out to get the family,” Dad offered holding the door.
Eva shook her head, “No. I think I want to stay and try out the kitchen. I figured the babies will do so much better with fresh cookies.”
Dad grinned, and kissed her on the top of the head, “You are such a good big sister. I am so proud of how you look out for them. Now no flirting with boys while I’m gone, remember we expect you to be a doctor.”
Eva laughed, “Dad I think I would have to walk five miles to find another living soul and who knows if they’d be male. Besides, I am going be in the kitchen. Oh and by the way, I love moving companies.”
Dad nodded, “Me too, it would have been a mess to pack and unpack all of you by ourselves.” kissed her one more time, and drove off.
Eva hummed through the batter, grinning as she imagined what they were going to say when they got there. She looked out the window a few times, across the magnificent turquoise water that lapped at the small fishing village below, wondering what was taking so long. Then Eva decided maybe Dad was taking them all out to lunch as well and stifled her worry. Eva was bored with the wait, so she went outside to weed. The constant thumping of the water against the break-water soothed Eva and the brine smelled somehow familiar. There was so much to do, but she was already concocting great plans for a garden and flowerbeds. A few places in the tiny town boasted bright roses beds and bright pink peonies. The doorbell rang and she dusted off her pants, glad Dad had given her enough warning to meet them at the door. When she swung wide the door she did not find the expected big van and a herd of family. It was a lone officer, dressed in the most horrible color of forest green.
“Hi,” she greeted him, apprehensive of new people when she was alone as all good city girls should be.
“Are you one of the Homesteaders?” He asked.
Eva nodded, “Yes Sir. I’m Eva.”
The man looked all the more chest fallen when she confirmed her identity. He swallowed and Eva began to really worry. Something was really wrong.
“What?” She demanded.
He looked away, “I need you to go for a drive with me. Your family has had a bit of an accident.”
Eva swayed. “A what?”
“If you’ll just go for a ride with me. I promise you’ll be safe.”
Eva nodded, terror flooding through her veins. “Are we going to Forks? The hospital is in Forks?”
The officer shook his head and opened the car door for her but did not reply.
Eva rocked herself in the back of the car lumbered down her steep hill and on through the unchanging green. When they arrived at the hospital at Forks Eva was relieved. But the officer shook his head. Her stomach fell again. They went inside and a hush fell even among the nursing staff. Eva began shaking. They took the stairs not up to the patient rooms, but down to the basement. Eva wanted to retch. When the officer directed her through the doors with the big letters M-O-U-R-G-E on them she began to cry. The workers did not so much as ask her for anything, but led her into a foul smelling room with a metal table in the middle.
“You need to tell us if this is your family,” the officer said softly.
Eva nodded, tears still pouring down her face.
The first was dad. “Richard.”
Then mom, “Marie.”
“Caleb.” “Joshua.” “Katharine.” “Christine.” “Frankie.”
Eva dropped to her knees when they showed baby Gertie. There she sobbed, rocking on her knees for what seemed like hours. The world had stopped turning. Time slowed and pulled out like some painful kind of taffy, leaving her in an abyss of confusion. She stood there for a long time, as moments ticked by like hours. Eva was not sure what to do next or how to breathe let alone proceed with her normal life. What must have been hours later someone spoke to Eva.
“Come on Eva. Let’s get you out of here.”
Eva blinked shocked that she was still in the same place, let alone the same world, but nodded to whomever the voice belonged to. She could not see through her tears. A hand pressed her down into a seat and a softer female voice began prattling at her.
It took her some time to understand that this was a social worker who was trying to tell her she would be placed in a foster home.
She glared at the woman, “I have a house thank you. I was there when your officer so graciously picked me up and destroyed my life.”
The woman took her irritation in stride, “Yes, but you need someone to look after you.”
Eva shook her head, “Thank you, but no thank you. I am eighteen and I can take care of myself. Now if you will leave me to my grief.”
The woman frowned and stood up.
The officer asked her to sign papers and told her the police report would be out in the morning if she wanted to read it. She just looked at him, glazed.
“I want to go home, please.” She pleaded. The doctor put a small bottle into her hand saying to take it if she needed it. She took it, uncertain what it was or what else to do with it.
He gave her one nod, walked her back out to the car, and drove her home. It was a long drive through breath taking vistas and thick temperate rain forest, Eva’s mind numb as it tried not to believe. She stared out the window without seeing. Eva wished he would just always drive so that she would not have to go on with life alone.
“Do you have other family that I could call for you?” The officer asked as the car stopped.
Eva shook her head, looking down the long drive .
“Are you going to be alright?” He asked.
That was the stupidest question in the whole world, of course she wasn’t. How was she ever going to be all right again? “I’ll be fine.”
He nodded, unconvinced, but almost understanding.
Eva stood in the drive while he drove off, the red tail- lights fading behind the trees. She fell to her knees again, sobbing. Finally, she pulled herself into the house and made herself eat. Mom would have made her eat. She brushed her teeth. Dad would have made her brush her teeth. She curled up in the middle of their bed and after more tears, fell into a peaceful sleep, feeling oddly comforted and not as alone as she had been.