Dawn of Eve - MJ Howson (read full novel .txt) 📗

of the setting sun. The orange glow illuminated Eve’s white porcelain face. Once the last remnant of the sun vanished below the horizon, Dawn took Eve back inside.

After getting pregnant earlier this year, Dawn had collected different magazines and catalogs for new mothers and babies. She spent the rest of the evening enjoying her wine, listening to jazz music, and reading different articles. She made a list of items she saw that she might like to buy for Eve.

At ten o’clock, Dawn, wiped from the long day, picked Eve up and headed to the private elevator. On her way to the top floor, she asked Evelyn to secure the apartment. The elevator doors opened, and Dawn brought Eve into her bedroom. She placed the doll against the pillow, adjusting the arms and legs to hold it in place. She smiled and said, “You could have been a cat.”

After changing into white silk pajamas, Dawn went into her bathroom. She removed Jacob’s sapphire pendant and hung it from a nearby cabinet handle. Her Prozac, Xanax, and melatonin bottles sat beside the sink. She poured the proper dosage of each into her palm and filled a glass with tap water before heading back to the bedroom.

Dawn stopped beside her bed and placed the pills and glass on the nightstand near Eve. She dropped to her knees to get the box hidden beneath her bed. Dawn gently ran her fingers across the curved edging and slowly opened it. She briefly stared at the fertility pill bottle before finally popping the top and removing a pill. Dawn returned the bottle to the box and slid it back into the shadowy depths beneath her bed.

Eve was sitting against the pillow, facing the bathroom, its jewel-like eyes open. Dawn stared at the doll and wondered if she’d positioned it that way or not. She looked at the fertility pill and then the doll. She said, “Jacob doesn’t know I’m still taking these. Neither does my doctor. It’s our secret, okay?”

Dawn downed her meds and placed the glass of water beside the bed before sliding beneath the covers. She turned off the light beside her bed, leaned over, and kissed Eve on the cheek. “Sweet dreams, Eve. For both of us.”

Dawn smiled, her eyes heavy with emotion and wine. She ran her fingers through Eve’s hair. The doll’s eyes clicked closed. As Dawn drifted off to sleep, she felt more relaxed than she’d been in months. Unfortunately, Dawn’s mind soon filled with an all too familiar dream.

Dawn found herself once again running barefoot down a long passageway. This time, the surroundings were different. The arched white walls now glowed from an orange light she couldn’t see. The dirt floor, once coarse and gritty, was now paved in rough cobblestones. Her ruby red gown flowed effortlessly behind her. Dawn turned the corner and stopped. Far ahead, a young red-headed girl stood motionless. Dawn stared in disbelief, stunned to see a different person from her prior dreams. She was taller and older. The girl smiled, turned, and ran down the never-ending passageway, her curly copper locks bouncing in slow motion.

Dawn felt breathless as she chased after the girl. This hallway, unlike in her earlier dreams, seemed to twist and turn endlessly. Dawn’s chest burned, and her feet ached as she made one last turn. A dark wooden door stood ominously at the end of the corridor. The young redhead stopped, opened the door, and ran inside, slamming the door behind her. Dawn kept running, but the end of the hall remained far away. Her bare feet ached as they pounded against the cobblestone floor. Suddenly a voice in the darkness cried out from behind the closed door, “Mom! No!”

Dawn screamed herself awake, her body drenched in sweat. She looked around her bedroom in confusion. The time projected on the ceiling read 11:55 p.m. Dawn fumbled for the lamp on the nightstand, finally turning on the power.

Eve was sitting silently beside her in bed, eyes open, staring across the room.

“I . . . I thought these dreams were over.” Dawn pulled Eve closer. “Especially now that I have you.”

Dawn’s hand trembled as she picked up the glass of water on her nightstand. She took a sip and shook her head as she replayed the dream in her mind. She glanced over at Eve’s curly copper hair. “This time, it was different. The girl who was running away from me. She . . . she wasn’t my daughter.” Dawn ran her fingers through Eve’s silky locks. “Her hair was different. Was it . . . you?”

Fourteen

Meeting Eve

Dawn knew she’d bought too much food. It was 10:30 p.m., and she had no idea if Jacob would even be hungry after working such a long shift at the bar. But she wanted everything to go perfectly this evening. Dawn hadn’t told Jacob about Eve and was looking forward to surprising him.

Three different boxes of crackers and four blocks of cheese covered the kitchen counter. A white marble wine chiller was filled with ice and an open bottle of chardonnay. She also had three different bottles of red wine nearby for Jacob.

As Dawn retrieved two white ceramic plates from the kitchen cabinet, Evelyn announced, “Jacob Jilani arriving.”

Dawn refilled her glass of wine and walked to the entrance, standing a few feet away from the door. She fidgeted with her white and black floral kaftan, smoothing it across her thighs. Her heart pounded in anticipation of finally seeing Jacob. They hadn’t seen one another since her birthday almost two weeks ago. Since getting Eve last weekend, all they’d done is chat on the phone and exchange text messages.

The door opened, and Jacob stepped inside. Dawn thought he looked as stunning as ever. Black wool pants and a skin-tight white dress-shirt clung to his sculpted body. He glided forward and presented Dawn with a dozen white roses. Dawn gasped when she saw them. She took them in her hands and buried