Chapter 1: The Changing of Evie. Albertville, New Jersey, 1840.
Lightning flashes across the midnight sky, lighting up a ghostly white wooden church. As darkness settles thunder rolls overhead, drowning out the church bell clanging in the wind. Another flash and the figure of a girl can be seen at the entrance of the church, hurrying to unlock the door and get out of the wind and rain. She is dressed in a black cloak, hooded cloak, her features are hidden but as the door opens she looks back into the storm to reveal the frightened face of a pretty girl in her late teenaged years, a damp lock of straight blonde hair can be seen from under her hood. The lightning flashes again and she is gone.
Evie Clemence knew she should not be inside the church at night, especially during a thunder storm, but she had not known where else to go. Her father was the minister: a tall, powerful man, with a square jaw and a dour expression who had the complete respect of his community and maintained a sense of fervent godliness while preaching on a Sunday. However Evie knew a different and dangerous side to him. She had fled the house tonight because her father, in a drunken rage, had attacked her young brother. It had happened before of course, beatings where a regular part of family life for Evie, but something told her that it was worse this time.
They had both been asleep when he had burst in, and pretended to still be asleep as he had skulked around the room, reeking of whisky. Pretending to be asleep had not worked, it never did. He had grabbed Evie's brother from his bed and started shouting and whipping the poor boy with his leather belt. Evie had tried to stop him, leaping onto her father's back at one point, but he had just shaken her off and kept beating the child over and over. Evie had run from the room to shout for help from her fat, stupid mother, but the woman had just stared at her helplessly with her cow-like eyes. The sound of the leather belt whipping could still be heard from the other room, but now the boy did not cry out in pain. Evie could bare it no longer; she had grabbed the Church key from the hook on the wall and fled from the house, the whipping sound still echoing in her head. Her mother had shouted after her, but as she left the house she had heard her father's voice,
"Let the bitch go" he had said, and Evie disappeared into the night.
Evie walked hurriedly down the aisle of the church, pulling her hood down to reveal her wet blonde hair. The lightning flashed, illuminating the stained glass windows which colourfully depicted saintly martyrdom in its various forms. Falling to her knees in front of the alter she desperately tried to pray, but the words would not come to her. Thunder rumbled overhead and rain lashed against the windows. Evie was exhausted but she knew she could not sleep, she stared up at the crucifix and it stared back at her, but for once she could find no comfort in those wooden eyes.
A gust of cold wind filled the church, blowing Evie's hair across her face. The wind chilled her to her soul; she shivered and looked behind her. In the darkness she could see that the door had blown open, and the storm was raging in. She quickly hurried back down the aisle and locked the door, before returning to sit on one of the pews. It was dark and cold in the church, Evie shivered slightly as she sat and her mind began to wonder. She thought of the events that had led to her coming here, how she could probably never return home, and she thought of her poor brother and whether he was still alive. She began to cry, terrified of what was to become of her. Her tears felt hot against her cold cheeks, and as she allowed her emotions to overtake her she finally found some comfort in her sorrow and despair.
Just then, in the depths of self pity, Evie thought she heard something behind her. She froze.
"Hello Evie" said a voice.
Evie gave a frightened yelp and turned quickly.
"Who's there?" She asked fearfully.
It was a man, sitting a few pews behind her. She could not see him clearly in the dark but he appeared to have long black hair and square shoulders, he also appeared to be quite slender. Just then another flash of lightning lit up the room and she could see a face, a beautiful face with piercing green eyes. She gasped in surprise.
"Who are you," she managed to say, "what do you want?"
"I'm just a traveller from out of town" he said idly, as the thunder rumbled.
The man stood up and made his way towards Evie, who sat frozen.
"The storm is passing" the man stated, looking in the direction of the windows, "the time between thunder and lightning is increasing. It will soon be over."
"What are you doing here?" Evie asked, her voice trembling.
The man ignored her and walked to a lantern at the end of one of the pews, lighting it with a match. Evie could now see the man's beautiful face clearly, it was a face she trusted and as she looked into his eyes she knew she should not be afraid.
"Oh dear," the man said, looking at her sympathetically, "why is a beautiful girl like you so upset, Evie?"
"How do you know my name?" Evie asked, mesmerised by those green eyes.
"I know a lot of things about you Evie," he said, walking towards her and sitting down next to her, "more than you can imagine."
Evie was entranced. Never in her life had she seen anyone as beautiful as this man, and as he sat down beside her she no longer felt cold or afraid, just pleased to be so close to him.
"What is your name?" she asked in awe.
"My name is Edward" he responded.
She continued to look into those green eyes and she felt a yearning deep within her.
"So why are you so sad Evie?" he asked, gently placing a hand on her thigh.
She said nothing for a moment and then looked at the floor.
"I am lost" she said sadly, "I have nowhere to go."
Edward looked at her for some seconds before responding.
"You have run away from home?"
