Tora (The Tora Trilogy Book 1) (7 page)

Seven

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Eva kept staring at the trunk. She’d been at it for a while now. Trying to suss out what its contents could possibly be.

Early Saturday morning, the trunk had appeared outside bedroom door. She’d quickly tucked it in her closet out of vision and left. Eva had to be down at St Nassacre early for classes. And she couldn’t be late. She didn’t want to open it when Bella, her roommate would be hanging around in their dormitory. And she decided she didn’t want her prying in on her personal belongings. If it held any importance, she’d devote her time to it.

Going against her eagerness she let the other half of her mind tell her to open it later. Just when her roommate wasn’t around. So she could catch her breath.

According to the sticky note, wrapped around the handle, the package had been despatched from Boca Raton. Michelle must have been rummaging through the attic. Eva remembered seeing the trunk before. Over a month ago, following her seventeenth birthday, her family lawyer had allowed her to gain access to some of her parent’s restricted possessions. She had never been able to see them before. Michelle said it was something to look at in her own time. But after tucking it away in the attic, the thought had quickly drifted from her mind.

But Eva couldn’t be sure whether this trunk had anything to do with it.

Maybe something was holding her back.

It was a guitar case. A black guitar case.

Flipping it onto the up side of her bed, she saw a sticker, almost scratched off completely, reading a name that she instantly recognised.

Brian Wentworth.

Eva drew her forefinger to her mouth. Her breath caught in her throat. Twisted emotions broiled in her stomach.

It was her father’s name.

Her forefinger gently traced the letters. How many people had touched this before her? Something that belonged to her parents?

Eva felt angry. Angry with the authorities for not letting it be passed on to her earlier. Wasn’t she entitled to whatever had been contained in the will? Why hadn’t she seen this until now?

It was precious. She searched for the smell. The trace that was all too familiar to her. The reminder of them.

Breathing in a deep slow breath, nostalgia hit her. The whiff of starched suits. The scent of her father. And she didn’t try to stop it as it flooded her lungs. It coursed through her, reverberating her memory.  She wanted more of it, until her lungs were so full, they’d burst. But she leaned away, afraid, that simply smelling it, would suck it away. If only someone could zap it and whip up a perfume.
In your dreams Eva
. She heard a voice buzzing through her head that didn’t quite sound like her own. 

Eyes stinging, Eva’s heart snapped in memory of it all.
How could something so familiar to her be making her feel like this?
Unexplained guilt and a pinch of loneliness, sadness, regret for the past gnawed at her.

A tear threatened to drop. Before, she had been adamant to avoid seeing the emotional side of it all, but now it felt all too hard to manage and her heart splintered in unexplained sorrow.

Salty, bleak tears slipped down her face. The trinket, made her feel less alone, even though her parents were amidst the sea of a thousand stars. It was all that was left of them.

Did her dad play guitar? Michelle or her lawyer had never mentioned that.

Carefully, she opened the case onto her bed. Inside were a few items; a delicate hardbound book, a letter, and a jewellery box.

And on a separate note Eva hadn’t noticed until now, Michelle had enclosed a small message to her.

Eva pumpkin,

Remember something you were given a while ago, but forgot to open? I thought it might interest you. Don’t forget to keep up your intake of iron. Hoping to hear from you soon.

Michelle. xxx

Eva chewed her lip. She missed Michelle, her dog Betsy and the comfort of her own bed. She’d been at Combe Bank for a few days now. Anxiety and loneliness had pinched her soul. Here, she’d had barely enough room to stretch her feet or store her clothes as she had to share a room with another girl. Her head was floating on a cloud of delirium. She was still trying to find her feet. But she willed herself to continue.

Fine black calligraphy enveloped the letter. She clutched it in her hands, nervously holding her breath and read it:

My dearest Evangulina,

Don’t let that gorgeous smile stray from your face!

If you’re reading this, I imagine it might be hard to do. I hope you will – hopefully sooner rather than later.  I can’t predict when this letter will reach you, I wish I could.  No one can predict one’s fate. But try not to let it bite you too hard. Things just happen. Don’t let death define the course of your life. I think you’re stoic, just like your father. I can see it, something bold and courageous in your baby walnut eyes. I wonder if you’ll look like me or your father someday, what traits you’ll have, if you’ll inherit the bony wrist of your mother, or your dad’s bad sense of humour. I can’t believe how fast life is passing! You’re growing right before my eyes! I can already see a baby tooth emerging from those gums. And you’re almost ready to move on from the stroller! I can’t wait to see you flourish into a beautiful young lady!

I’m finally back here with you after what seems an eternity. You’re lying beside me – sleeping so softly – whilst a storm is hurdling outside the window. You look so peaceful, gentle, your delicate face is the mirror of an innocent angel. As I tilt my head towards the window, the clouds are muddy grey. The weather is supposed to be like this all week! Hopefully it won’t spoil our plans! I’m looking forward to spending some time with you in the coming days…

Hold on to the rhinestone and keep it close. It’s quite puzzling, but it carries an abundance of power and energy. I’ve been finding it quite useful. It inspires and intrigues me. It might offer you some guidance too, when you need it. Further down the track.

Be strong, carry me in your heart, and don’t dwell on the bad more than the good. I know clarity will find you, and you will find sense in the world. Keep the people you care about close to you. Family is a gift that one must cherish.

Take a good look at the book. It’s been passed down through the family for generations. Enjoy it. I know you will find it interesting. Whenever you’re lost, follow your heart and you will find the true meaning in it.

See each and every day you have with gratitude and never take your life for granted.

I love you my sweetheart.

With deep love and affection,

Elora.

Eva sniffed. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Just seeing the big loopy handwriting of her mother’s, was enough to make her cry. And Eva never cried. Not like this.

Her eyes caught the date it was written: March 11, 1998. That was a week before the date of her parent’s death. Ironically, her mother had written her will then.
Why was it that she ended up in a car accident so soon after?
The thought was puzzling.

Her mind flashed with heat, melting like butter on warm toast. Palms sweating, she clamped them around her hand towel. Eva didn’t know why she felt like this. The rope inside of her stomach tightened with every breath. And she didn’t understand, could not understand why she felt so much sorrow and loss now.

A tear, a solo salty tear fell onto the page. It left a sea through patch on the yellowed letter. She could have read the letter over and over and smiled again from the heart felt words.

But she didn’t.

Instead, Eva tucked it away back in the box.

Inside the jewellery box buried in a padded oval shell was the rhinestone mum had mentioned in the letter. The jewellery box was as equally beautiful as the rhinestone itself. In unison they gleamed brightly under the light that streaked through the blinds of her dorm room. Encrusted in gold ornate structural features, the box embodied something of a royal spectacle. The rectangular box had criss-cross bars of gold forming the cage, standing on curved gold legs. Hinged to it was a lid of white elongated crystals speckled with flecks of grey.

She lifted the rhinestone from the box. As she held it up against the window, sparks of light radiated onto the walls, reflecting an image similar to one of the sun swirling on water. She could almost feel the energy building in the palm of her hand. The rhinestone was cool and smooth. Although it appeared as though peaks had surfaced on the rhinestone, all she felt was the smoothness of polished marble. Maybe there were layers, and these sharp crests were embedded internally.

The rhinestone anything like what she’d ever seen before.
Maybe she’d only ever seen the fake ones at the markets. Maybe the rhinestone she held in her hands was real. Was it Rose Quartz?
The gem in her hands was cloudy, translucent, the colour of a delicate pale pink. It was so pretty, Eva felt her head starting to ache and found by just looking at it, her eyes were incredibly sore. The weight in the gem was astounding, so she slid it back in its case.

Last was the book. Did she need gloves for this one? The book binding appeared as though it was about to fall off. Like the gem, the book was quite heavy as she lifted it onto her lap. Mum was right, it did look intriguing. When she flipped it open onto the first page, the words stunned her.

Zeus, Mount Olympus and the oath.

The words below it, Eva couldn’t understand. But the heading was strikingly familiar and she suspected that the book had something to do with Ancient Greece. Its contents smelt of dust, must and years of neglect. She reached out, running her forefinger over the mottled brown page spread. It was coarse, rattled with age. The pages she flipped through weren’t the type of material she was used to touching. Every page felt fabricated, cut coarsely so when the book was flipped shut, the pages weren’t of even size. As she skimmed the pages of the book, she saw ink blocks of words printed in a foreign language. Did her mother understand this language? She said she’d find it interesting. But Eva wanted to ask, how was she supposed to understand it? If it had been passed down through the family tree, surely it held some kind of significance. Either way, Eva was curious to know its origins and the story that was printed on its pages.

If only she had internet, she thought with a deep sigh, she could type the few words that were known into her web browser. Apart from allowing access to a few educational materials and resources, internet was severely restricted at Combe Bank.

Hearing Bella approaching the door, she stuffed the book back inside her trunk and slid it under the bed.

“Where have you been?” Eva viewed Bella’s stripy jumpsuit and her new hairdo: her long blonde hair was pulled into a large high bun. Smokey eye shadow framed her ocean blue eyes and her forehead was set in a frown as though she hadn’t expected Eva to still be up.

“Um.” Eva mumbled, scratching the back of her head, dropping her eyes to a stain on her jeans she hadn’t noticed before.

Bella sat on her bed, her high shoes dangling over the edge.

“Um. Um.” Bella mimicked, cocking her head from side to side, tapping her pointy nails against a book on her lap. “No excuses.” Why would you want to be in this cramped lifeless dormitory anyway?” She was obviously disgusted. She looked around the room pretentiously flicking her absent ponytail to the side and placing her hands on her small hips as if to convey she was above everything here.

Eva tried not to laugh at Bella’s melodramatic voice. She was a drama queen for sure. Eva hadn’t smiled all day. But now when she saw her now spitting the image of Regina George from Mean Girls, she couldn’t resist.

“Hey!” Bella narrowed her eyes at Eva. She studied her more closely.

Admittedly, Bella was right. Eva had been probably been too exhausted the last few nights to notice the terrible state the room was in. She couldn’t help agreeing with her after she’d pointed it out. Brown curtains draped the window hanging awkwardly at the ends of their flimsy rails. There was a tall, narrow window with a small ledge and a tiny lever to open it. But it wasn’t enough to circulate the room properly. There was mould on the shelf below her bedside table and from her angle; she could see their shared wardrobe doors were in desperate need of a sugar-soap. The misty frosty air of wintery-autumn made the whole room smell damp. Boy, was Eva looking forward to summer.

“Mr so-and-so was asking where
you
were.” Bella raised a pencilled in eyebrow. She twirled a loose strand of hair around her finger.

Someone had been asking about her? Was it the guy she’d met in class the other day, or the guy – midnight swimming at the Monochrose lake?

“Earth to Eva?”

Startled, and embarrassed Eva turned her head to see Bella giving her a look.

“Sorry. Kind of zoned out there.”

Bella continued. “I don’t know who his name is, but he’s kinda cute. Assuming he’s new here.”

Avan and Daniel were both gorgeous, but there was something about Daniel she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“Who?” Eva asked trying not to sound to curious. But secretly she was dying to know who. Was it Avan or Daniel?

“Ahah!” Bella said. “I just saw something light up in there. Like somebody was home.” Bella kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto her bed opposite Eva’s. The rosy scent of her perfume carried across the room to where Eva sat cross-legged over her bed.