An Owl's Rise

She reached down to her back and legs, surprised for some reason that they did not hurt.

\'Wait? Why was I expecting to feel any pain?\' Evelyn thought, feeling a haziness in her head.

For some reason she felt like she should have had bruises on her upper legs and back but had no idea why. She could not remember ever getting hurt in those areas badly enough to warrant such a feeling.

Shaking her head, she decided that it all must have been related to whatever bad dream she had been experiencing before waking up.

Pushing the weird thoughts in her head to the back of her mind, Evelyn opened up her closet and was momentarily surprised by all of the nice items that were within. As if everything she had ever longed for before was within

\'When did I get all of this?\'

Yet, in just a moment some vague memories surfaced in her mind, and she seemed to sort of remember receiving the clothing and accessories that were in her closet.

"Evie, hurry up already. We need to leave in fifteen minutes, and you have not even eaten yet." Mason said, after knocking on her door.

Feeling the time constraint, Evelyn completely disregarded any other slight feelings she had about things being out of place and hastily put on a black skirt and white top.

After that she moved over to where a makeup stand with a mirror was and despite the unpracticed movements of her hands, she was able to somehow apply the makeup in a perfect way that gave her the appearance she thought was ideal.

Feeling that she was ready, Evelyn left her room and found Mason leaning against the wall outside waiting for her.

"Finally. Let\'s get going. Dad made breakfast. It\'s your favorite. Blue berry pancakes and hashbrowns with freshly squeezed orange juice. You only have a couple of minutes, but if you don\'t have any dad will be upset for the rest of the day." Mason had a slight smile on his face as he headed towards the kitchen and expected Evelyn to follow her.

But, at the mention of their father, Evelyn froze up instinctually. As if every fiber in her being was telling her not to go anywhere near him.

"Come on Evie. We do not have long enough for you to dilly dally here. You don\'t want to go to school without eating first. Remember the last time you skipped breakfast and spent the entire day hungry." Mason said, grabbing Evelyn\'s arm and dragging her to the kitchen.

When she arrived and saw her father sitting at the table for a moment, she saw the imagine of a man with an unkempt appearance, a cold expression with harsh eyes, and a bottle of hard liquor in his hands.

Except, this imagine only lasted for a single instant, and the person before her now was a respectable man in a suit drinking some coffee and grading an assignment from his students at the university where he was a professor.

"Oh, Evelyn, you are finally awake. Hurry up and eat, or you are going to make Mason late as well." Her father said, a kind smile on his face.

Still, Evelyn hesitated, and she felt as if her heart was being wrenched out of her body. It was as if the little bit of affection her father had just shown her was enough to shake her to the core.

Of course, if she thought back to it, she remembered her father always being quite caring. For some reason her earlier memories when she was younger were more vivid, but she could recall him always being kind to her.

The hesitation Evelyn was feeling faded away swiftly, and she sat down and began eating the breakfast that was laid out for her.

After taking one bite she could not believe how incredible it tasted. She felt that it was the most wonderous thing she had ever eaten, the absolute best breakfast she could imagine.

Time seemed to have no meaning as she enjoyed the food and only once she had finished did Mason remind her that it was time for them to go to school.

"Good luck at school today. I am sure that it will be another perfect day for you." Evelyn\'s father said, placing his hand on her head and rubbing her head before she left.

At first, Evelyn winced when her father\'s hand touched her, but she quickly calmed down. It seemed whatever irrational fear of her father was quickly fading.

Once her father had finished seeing Evelyn off, she headed into the garage and thought it cleaner than normal for some reason, but that was not what really shocked her.

"When did we get this car?" Evelyn said tilting her head at the unfamiliar blue sedan Mason had gotten into.

"What do you mean, when? Did you forget my sixteenth birthday. Dad got me the car I wanted. He said he would do the same for you when you turned sixteen, remember?" Mason said.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Evelyn recalled everything Mason had just mentioned and nodded her head.

"Yeah, that is right. I guess I am just still tired. Let\'s go to school. I would not want us to be late." Evelyn said, getting into the passenger seat that was already flawlessly adjusted for her.

Along the way to school things worked out and they made it with a few minutes to spare thanks to not hitting a single red light. It was almost like the work of a miracle really.

When Evelyn got to her first class, she was greeted by several others that she slowly realized were her friends. At this point whenever something happened that made her feel wrong, she just ignored it. What could be wrong with how well things were going.