Page 28 of Firefly Effect

She flips the book over so I can see the cover. “An oldie but goodie.”

I squint at the tattered hardback, wishing I recognized anything other than psychology-reference material. “Anne of Green Gables? What’s that about?”

Her mouth widens in a smile, and she runs a gentle finger across the cover. “It’s a children’s classic about an orphan girl with a wild imagination. She goes through a terrible experience with foster families but is eventually adopted by a brother and sister who live on a farm.” She lets out a small laugh. “However, when she shows up to live with them, they realize she’s a girl and not the boy they had asked for.”

At my frown, she rushes to continue. “They end up keeping her,” she explains. “And she has a crush on this boy, Gilbert Blythe.” She flushes with that last statement. “Anyway, it’s just a great tale that spans a lifetime when you continue reading the series. They even made it into a miniseries. It’s my favorite story.”

My eyes still search every inch of her face, delighting in how animated she’s become. “I can see that.”

She shrugs. “It’s inspiring. Anne doesn’t let her past determine her future. She observes the world with wide-open eyes and believes anything is possible.”

“Do you believe anything is possible?”

Her smile fades, and she tenses a bit. “I’d like to, but… in the real world, there’s so much out of our control.”

I’m not sure how much deeper we should get into this conversation, but I guess I can test how much she’s comfortable sharing. “Like what?”

She hesitates for a second, seeming to think of about she wants to respond. “Well, for instance, when I was younger, I would hear about my parents’ lavish vacations. I dreamed of them taking me one day, but they never did. Instead, I always came here to stay with Uncle Patrick.”

A piece of the mysterious puzzle that is Evie begins to slowly snap into place. “That explains why you had a bedroom at his house.”

“He wanted me to feel like his house was mine too. By the time I was a teen, Bryson City felt more like home than where I lived in Raleigh with my parents.”

There’s a pang in my chest. “What was your life like in Raleigh?”

She gives me a knowing smile. “Is this one of your incognito therapy sessions?”

I frown. “No, Evie. I’m asking because I’m curious how you ended up here.”

She studies me for a few more seconds before her shoulders relax a bit. “Raleigh was… prestigious, pretentious, and lonely. Very lonely.” She takes a deep breath. “My parents were very much into the social scene, and children weren’t allowed. By the time I got old enough for my parents to allow me into society, I was too much of a disappointment to them. My classmates were assholes who followed in their parents’ footsteps, and we just didn’t get along.”

A sigh escapes her. “After graduation, my parents threatened to cut me off if I didn’t go to college. So I packed my overnight bag and took the first train to Bryson City to live with Patrick permanently, and he welcomed me with open arms. All before my eighteenth birthday.”

“Sounds like Patrick was more of a parent to you than your own.”

“That’s an understatement.” She lets out a sarcastic laugh. “When I moved in, his only stipulation was that I had to go to therapy, and that’s when I started my sessions with J.D.” Her eyes dart to mine, like she’s said too much. “Patrick was worried over what detaching myself from my parents might mean for me.”

There’s clearly much more to the story there, but it’s not my place to push the conversation any more than I already have. With perfect timing, Francine and Lucy walk toward us. Lucy is wrapped in a big towel, her pigtails wet and tangled on top of her head, but she looks very happy.

“Hey, you two!” Francine grins.

“Hi, Francine. Hi, Lucy,” Evie says, giving Lucy a big smile that Lucy returns tenfold.

“Lucy here keeps talking about those darn goats,” Francine says. “I think I’m going to take her. Do you two want to come?”

I look at Evie, hopeful she’ll say yes.

Just then, another person calls out to her from behind us. “Evie! We’re going tubing. You coming?”

I look over my shoulder to see her co-worker Armando waving her over.

“Bring your friends,” he adds with a nod to me.

By now, I assume I’m a familiar face in this small town, so I smile and nod back.

Evie looks torn between Lucy and her friends, but Francine jumps in.

“You two go tubing,” she says to me and Evie. “I’ll take Lucy in the car to see the goats, and then I’ll pick you up whenever you’re done.”

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