Eva stared blankly past the UEE official as he spoke to Tess, her mind still unable to process the news that this man brought with him, her mind numb and eyes looking out the window, completely unfocused.

"There's no chance she survived?" Tess asks, her hands wringing at the fabric front of her dress. She was using all of her will to not cry, but tears were welling in her eyes regardless.

"I'm sorry, Madam." The official replied, "Her Aurora was found with the cockpit completely blown out. It looks like it took a direct hit with a missile right on the windows. I'm sure she didn't suffer. Her will states that the handle Valkyrie will pass to her daughter Evangeline on her seventeenth birthday, and that the remainder of her estate, as well as this letter, be passed onto you."

The man held out a sealed envelope to Tess, who reached out with a shaky hand to take it from him. He held it firmly when she first tried to pull it from his grip and says softly, "For your eyes only. She was very specific about this. Do you understand?"

Tess nodded silently and pulled the letter from the man, staring down at it through blurry vision as he excused himself and let himself out. Slowly, she slid her finger under the seal of the letter and lifted the single page out. Unfolding it she read the contents, her tears spilling from her cheeks finally to drop onto the paper. Without a word she folded the page neatly and slipped it back into the envelope.

"What is that?" Eva asked, in a voice so small it sounded like it came from a ten year old than someone who is almost fifteen.

"It's......." Tess hesitated, "Just a message from your Ma....."

Eva held out her hand for the envelope expectantly but Tess shook her head gently, "She asked me not to show this to you until you're ready."

Eva stared at her Aunt Tess for many long moments, her blank expression slowly forming second by second into a mask of pure rage, "Until I'm ready?! Who decides when I'm ready? YOU?!? You get everything and all I get is a stupid name?!? You know what? Fuck it, I don't need this. I HATE YOU!!"

Tess looked as though Eva had physically struck her, taking a step back and steadying herself against the doorframe. Eva got to her feet abruptly and stormed into Tess' guest room, slamming the door behind her and shoving a chair under the doorhandle before she finally threw herself onto her bed and allowed herself to cry, memories of her last conversation with her mother haunting her thoughts, as they would do for years to come.

 

Having never known her father, Eva was put into the care of Tess and had to move in with her. Eva's attitude in general soured as time went on. While not at school she withdrew into herself almost never leaving her room. At dinner time she would come out, snatch up her plate and then lock herself back into her room. She stopped calling her friends and slowly drifted away from them.

 

Things at school weren't much better. She managed to maintain relatively good grades, finding studying focused her mind away from depressive thoughts that she'd rather not have. There were however, multiple instances where Tess was called in to discuss disciplinary action caused by Eva mouthing off at teachers or fighting with other students. More than a few times she'd come home with a bruised lip or black eye.

 

After six months of this Tess decided to pull Eva out of the public school system. Instead she took the girl with her in her Freelancer, which she used to complete trade consignments through the more heavily UEE policed systems around Terra. The ship was larger than Jessica's Aurora allowing Eva plenty of room to sit in the galley alone and focus on her studies by correspondence.

 

Tess followed Jessica's habit of allowing Eva to fly the ship from time to time, but only when Eva's general attitude had been less than poisonous for the day. She used it almost as bribery to get some form of a polite attitude from the girl. If Eva managed to get through a day without swearing, snatching, breaking something and got her quota of schoolwork done, she would be rewarded with a couple of hours in the cockpit.

 

NEXT ENTRY: Enlistment