The Fortune of the Unfortunate

Prologue-

Everlyn’s head is barely held above the waves as they beat against her body, attempting to pull her under. Panic is an everlasting constant as she struggles against the will of the water. Suddenly, as if by a miracle, she sees a flash of light, and her naive fifteen-year-old emotions balloon with hope. Using strength Ever didn’t know she possessed she thrusts herself forward toward where she saw the beam of light, brilliant in the storm. For hours or maybe minutes, she can’t tell anymore, she swims, all she knows is that she is exhausted, that small spark of hope the only thing forcing her forward. Slowly, ever so slowly, Ever starts to notice a strange substance making the water even harder to swim through; gliding over her skin like the tendrils of dread she had been attempting to ignore this entire time. Despite the warning flaring in the back of her mind Everlyn continued onward desperate to find that light. Finally, she reaches the point she thought she saw the light, and the hope she had been trying to bury deep down, evaporates like it was never there. In front of her burns a wall of fire that reaches as far as she can see and in the back of her mind she realizes that strange substance she felt was oil. Ever swivels around, racing back the way she came but the fire chases after her, gaining on her faster than she can see. It surrounds her and Everlyn feels panic truly set in as she spins in place searching for a way out as the fire closes in on her. Finally, when the flame is almost touching her nose, she inhales a smoke-filled breath and dives beneath the churning waves.

Chapter One- Two Months Earlier

I roll out of bed, groaning at the stiffness that always comes after a rough night of sleep. I stretched my arms and felt a sharp pain that was all too familiar, remnants of past experiences. I sigh and walk into the bathroom already dreading the day ahead. After showering, I walk out of the bathroom straight to the closet and picked out my only nice outfit with black pants and a magenta off the shoulders shirt. Dressed, I stand in front of the full-length mirror on my closet door, watching my reflection as I try to tame my wild red hair that's fighting against being combed, that contrasts starkly with my extremely pale skin and bright blue eyes. At twelve, I had looked like a mature adult with the height of one as well and that hasn't changed three years later my height is now 5,11 making me the tallest woman anywhere I go. Although my looks are not the only thing that makes me stand out, at fifteen I started my first year of college having graduated high school at thirteen, now I'm sixteen and I have finished my first year of college. To celebrate my first completed year of college, my mom is taking me out to breakfast. This is yet another one of my differences, instead of taking me out to dinner, my mom believes that dinner gets too much attention and breakfast's importance is neglected, and so we always celebrate special events with breakfast. Still, that is not saying I don't appreciate it, my mom spends her hard-earned money sparingly most of the time, but she still tries to buy me a celebratory breakfast whenever I succeed at a project or do something remarkable. My mother and I have been poor for my entire life. We never had enough money to move out of the dangerous neighborhoods I had spent my childhood in, we barely had enough to pay for rent and food even with my mom working three jobs and me working as much as possible from the age of twelve while still going to school. I cut off my depressing thoughts and slowly move out of the room, careful to grab my phone off the nightstand, then head down the hall. My mom is sitting at the counter in the kitchen, also dressed in her nicest clothes with her red hair that is slightly less vibrant than mine and the same pale skin and blue eyes it is clear where I had gotten most of my features. "Hey Mom" I begin my voice sounding tired even to me. "Good morning, Jelly Bean" my mother replies using the atrocious nickname that had stuck with me for most of my life. "Mom, I told you not to call me that" I groaned in fake exasperation. My mother doesn't respond she just smiles at me as if what I just said was the most ridiculous thing in the world. I sigh at her expression, something telling me that nickname was going to be with me my whole life. "You ready to go Ever?" My mom asks, interrupting my musings. "Sure" I reply giving my mom one of my rare smiles. I had been told many times before that I needed to smile more often but I just didn't have a very expressive face which meant I had to think about it to smile, it just doesn't come naturally and it just isn't high enough on my priorities. I stand up with my mother and walk out of the apartment to the stairs that lead down to the street.

My mother and I drive to our favorite restaurant, a family-owned business called "Jane and Jerry's" that's been here for longer than I've been alive, My mom and I personally know Jane and Jerry, very pleasant and generous people who have always owned an honest business. I pull the car up to the curb, using this occasion to my advantage and getting some driving practice in, then walk into the restaurant behind my mom. The second we were inside a screech of excitement assaults me and arms wrap around me. "Ever!!" comes Jane's voice "It's been forever"

"Hi, Jane" I reply in a quieter but not any less enthusiastic voice.

"It's been too long, come, come sit down" Jane drags me towards my favorite table that overlooks the entire restaurant still speaking loud enough for the entire diner to hear. Well aware of the stares we're receiving from both the tourists and regulars alike, my cheeks heat and I whisper "Jane" in warning bringing her attention to the crowd we're attracting. Glancing around Jane acknowledges the restaurant for the first time since my mom and I walked in. Although the stares don't seem to bother her all that much as she continues tugging me across the diner before depositing me in my seat and plopping down across from me next to my mom who had already sat down and despite my embarrassment, I smile at her antics. "Mary, Everlyn, it is so good to see you two. Especially you Ever, it's been months. How has college been? No one has given you a hard time because of your age, have they? What major are you doing again, wait, never mind it's chemistry right?" I open my mouth but Jane continues talking in that rapid-fire way of hers until Jerry, who had followed us to the table, takes pity on me and says "Jane, let Ever talk, dear"

"What oh yes, my bad," Jane says cutting herself off mid-sentence. We continue to talk for a few minutes until Jane and Jerry have to get back to work. At which point my mom goes quiet, so much so that by the time the waitress sets down our food I had started to get worried, and when the waitress finally gives us our check I decide to voice my concerns to my mom. "Hey mom," I begin tentatively, "Is something bothering you, you've been quiet this entire time." My mom sighs "Well I was hoping to tell you this as late as possible but," My mom pauses and seems to wrestle with herself as to what to say. "While you've been gone I met someone I really like and we started dating about a month after you went to college-"

"Wait, what!" I interrupt "How have I not heard about this before?"

"Well I didn't want to add anything to your plate if it didn't work out,

so I didn't say anything. "So your relationship is going well then?" I respond my mind latching on to the word 'didn't'. "But why would you be nervous about that. I don't care that you're dating so long as your happy"

"I appreciate that you feel that way and it does help relieve some of my concerns, however, that is not the problem." Mom sucks in a breath before continuing, "when he was here he was on a business trip, he went back home about two weeks ago." I open my mouth to respond but mom holds up a hand silencing me. "He wants me to live with him in California"

"What!!!"

"Just hear me out, if we go there we could move out of this awful neighborhood and we would be closer to your college so you come and visit me during the year and not just in the summer."

"But what about Jerry and Jane we wouldn't see them anymore"

"I have already told them about his offer and they say I should take him up on it. Besides, it's not like we couldn't visit sometimes." The way mom says it makes me think that she has been thinking about this for a while now.

"Alright, when do we leave?" I say, resigned to our move then watch my mom's surprised look at my easy compliance but it's not like I have any friends here just bullies and bad memories. 'We leave this weekend" My mom answers the question I forgot I asked.

Chapter Two-

I step out of the car and stretch my limbs after the long car ride staring up at the mansion that's masquerading as a house. My mind swirled with a surreal feeling as I stare up at the building in front of me, just three days ago my mom had told me we were moving into some stranger's house and now here we are standing in front of our new home. Although I suppose to my mom, he isn't a stranger, she has known him for months, I just have to trust her judgment, even if I've never met him myself. On the drive up my mom started telling me about him such as the fact that he travels a lot for work, has two kids around my age, oh and just an obscure unimportant fact, he is extremely wealthy. I follow my mom up the ridiculous number of steps to the door staying behind her in an attempt to hide, one that proved futile because of my height. I walk out next to her after accepting that I can't hide behind her and watch as she knocks on the door. Almost immediately the door is opened by a man who looks to be around my mom's age.