Diamond's Edge
My Soul to Keep

Evie had her headphones in when Jonah opened the door silently and crept across her dark floor to the side of her bed. By the time he clamored in next to her she’d removed her music and could hear the commotion coming from the living room. She glanced over at him and noted he’d fallen back asleep immediately. Part of her envied him his ignorance, but the other, stronger part was glad he couldn’t hear the angered voices steadily rising in volume.

Wait a second. Evie sat upright, listening intently. She’d grown so accustomed to hearing her parents argue that, despite the three-year break, she’d completely forgotten the fact that they shouldn’t be arguing. Her dad shouldn’t even be here. Now that she was actually paying attention, she could tell that her mother didn’t sound angry at all. She sounded scared. And her father, that was a different story entirely.

He did sound angry, which was nothing new, but there was something wrong with his voice. She couldn’t put her finger on it exactly, but when he spoke her skin broke out in goosebumps. As he neared her closed door, Evie truly heard what he was saying, and the goosebumps turned into full-on tremors.

“They’re not even mine.” What? What could he mean by that? Surely not what it sounded like. His voice was getting closer and Evie gently eased herself out of bed, preparing to intercept him should he enter the room. She didn’t know exactly what was going on but she knew enough to realize she didn’t want him anywhere near Jonah right now.

“What are you talking about? Of course, they’re yours.” Mom sounded…afraid.

“You think I don’t know what you are? What you were the entire time we were together. You’ve always been a whore but I never thought you’d let the scum get you pregnant. And twice. I allowed your behavior for long enough and now you face the consequences of your actions.” Evie had stopped halfway between Jonah sleeping on her bed and the door to her room. As her father finished this tirade, her door handle began to turn. Every instinct Evie had screamed in that moment, causing her to freeze mid-step, shaking, her eyes squeezed tight.

“Of course, I slept around. Have you seen yourself? I know they say size doesn’t matter but that’s only when you have something larger than pencil lead. I mean, come on! What was I supposed to do? Poor little Eric, you couldn’t even get a hard on without medical assistance. What was I supposed to do, wait for three hours while you coaxed yourself into it?” As her mother finished speaking, Evie exhaled slowly, trying to calm her racing heart. Then she heard the crash from the living room as something, or someone, slammed into the far wall. In that moment, Evie knew what she needed to do. She grabbed Jonah, her phone, and, after a slight hesitation, her cd player and rushed into the closet, closing the door behind her. The movement had awoken Jonah, who was staring at her with fear shining in his eyes. Before he could speak, Evie placed her headphones on his ears, turning the volume up loud enough to block the sounds coming from the living room. She put her finger to her lips and could have kissed him as Jonah nodded.

Then she started dialing.

“9-1-1 what is your emergency.”

“My dad’s in my house….” Another crash from the living room. “He’s not supposed to be here and I don’t know what he wants but he’s-“ She suddenly found that she couldn’t continue.

“What is your name, honey?”

“Evie- Evelyn. Evelyn Stogen. I live at 1370 Eagle Port.” She rattled off the zip code.

“Stay calm Evie. Help is on the way. I’m going to ask you to stay on the line ok?” Evie nodded before she could stop her self and gave a shaky affirmative instead. Jonah glanced at her before reaching for the headphones. Evie shook her head and Jonah nodded, though his eyes were filled with tears. She pulled him to her, holding him tightly against her chest as he did the same with his teddy bear. “Evie? Help should be there any minute, ok? Stay calm, sweetie, and stay quiet.”

This time, Evie stayed silent. Things had gotten very quiet in the living room. She waited, holding her breath. Then she heard it, the sound she’d been dreading. The squeak of her hinges as her door was opened. Evie slid Jonah behind her and reached across the closet, palming the baseball bat she’d kept hidden there for three years, and waited.