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

legs felt like they were sinking into the floor. With each step, Eve pulled further away.

“Don’t . . . don’t go in there!” Dawn cried.

Eve reached for the doorknob and yanked the black wooden door open. She glanced back at Dawn and smiled before running inside and closing the door behind her.

Dawn, sweat running down her face, finally reached the door. The perspiration immediately turned ice cold on her skin. Dawn grabbed the handle, but it would not turn. She pounded against the door, crying. Suddenly a voice in the darkness cried out, “Mom! No!”

Dawn screamed herself awake. She looked around her bedroom, lost and confused. Her feet throbbed, and sweat covered her brow. The time projected on the ceiling read 11:55 p.m. Dawn turned on the bedside lamp and looked at Eve resting beside her. She pulled the doll closer. Eve’s eyes clicked open. Dawn asked, “What are you trying to tell me? What’s behind that door?”

Twenty Five

Suspicious Minds

The brisk late-October air whipped across Dawn’s cheeks as she pushed Eve’s stroller north along the High Line. Her lightly-tinted gold-framed Prada sunglasses reflected the nearby concrete and glass Spire. She smiled and nodded to passersby, her head held high. Last week’s nightmare was a distant memory, and she and Eve had spent several lovely days together. All Dawn could think about was her coffee and pastry awaiting her at Mercado Little Spain. But her first stop would be to see Joe.

Dawn found her favorite security guard patrolling the area surrounding the Vessel. She waved with excitement when Joe noticed her and quickly made her way toward him. Dawn removed her sunglasses and said, “Good morning, Joe.”

“Good morning to you, Miss Easton,” Joe said. He looked her up and down, briefly glancing at the baby stroller. “You look different today.”

“Thanks.” Dawn ran her hands across her white jacket and up to the graphic green scarf wrapped around her neck. “I’ve been diving into my mother’s old collections lately.”

“It’s a beautiful scarf.”

“I love it. Oh, and I grabbed these, too.” Dawn held up her right arm and wiggled her hand, causing the two white gold bracelets around her wrist to clink together. One was encrusted with blue sapphires, the other with red rubies. She smiled at Joe and said, “Red, blue and green are primary colors.”

“I told you a little pop of color wouldn’t hurt.”

“A bit of makeup today, too.” Dawn smiled, her lips displaying a pale but shiny shade of coral lipstick. “I’ve been experimenting.”

“I noticed.”

“The scarf’s from my mother’s abstract geometric phase.” Dawn pulled the scarf from beneath her coat, holding it out for Joe to inspect. “I may try to paint something like this.”

Joe ran his fingers across the flowing silk and nodded toward Dawn’s head. He asked, “And what’s going on up there?”

“Oh!” Dawn laughed as she tucked her scarf beneath her jacket. “My roots. I know. I . . . I keep changing my mind.” Dawn’s natural black color extended almost three inches from her scalp before fading into a nearly white-blonde color. She ran her fingers through her locks and asked, “What do you think?”

Joe stroked his chin, widened his eyes, and said, “You look like you’ve been dipped in paint.”

The two shared a brief laugh before Dawn turned her attention to Eve. The wind in the wide-open plaza allowed gusts to roll in from the Hudson River, buffeting the stroller. Dawn secured the blanket tighter around Eve, her eyes wide open. Joe watched with curiosity as Dawn fussed over the doll.

“I’ve been painting a lot these days,” Dawn said. “Life’s good. Mostly. I’ve even surprised myself by these pops of color. It’s been nice revisiting my mother’s stuff.”

“And, uh, I see you still have the doll.”

“Eve. Her name is Eve.” Dawn forced a smile as she stared at Joe, disappointed he’d forgotten her name. “She’s been the best. Truly. We have our routine now. It’s really made me see I’m destined for motherhood.”

Joe nodded, his eyes darting between Dawn and Eve. He said, “Well, you do seem happier lately.”

“Thanks, Joe. I have another session with my doctor today. Speaking of which, let me get going. I’m not myself until I get my miguelito and coffee.”

After making her way to Mercado Little Spain on the lower level, Dawn returned topside to the High Line. The elevated walkway felt busier than usual. Dawn sipped her coffee as she headed south until arriving at the 10th Avenue bleachers. She was relieved to find an open bench beneath a tree. Dawn parked Eve’s stroller against the back railing and removed her pastry bag tucked inside. She sat down on the narrow slotted bench and started enjoying her breakfast.

“I wonder what the doctor will want to talk about today,” Dawn said to Eve. “I’m starting to think that, now that I have you, I don’t really need him anymore. You know? These sessions seem useless the longer they go on.”

Dawn took a sip of coffee to wash her pastry down. The long stroll and cool breeze had lowered the temperature of her drink. She glanced into the stroller. Eve, her eyes closed, sat motionless, appearing to be fast asleep beneath the white cotton blanket. Dawn reached in and stroked her hair. The doll’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

“Take me with you,” Eve said.

“Take you?” Dawn asked. She wiped bits of powdered sugar from her lips. “I should, shouldn’t I? I didn’t ask him about it last time. He . . . he never really asks about you.”

A mother pushing a pink and white carriage caught Dawn’s eye. As they passed one another, the woman looked at Dawn, smiled, and nodded. Dawn returned the gesture, her emotions swelling with joy at the thought of being part of a special club–one mom acknowledging another. Her smile soon faded as her thoughts returned to the doctor.

“What’s his problem?” Dawn asked Eve. She reached into the stroller and began to fidget with the doll’s curly locks. “We’re so good together.