Free Finding Eden by Camilla Beavers Page A

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to me while I doodle on a notepad to ease the time away. A scene
begins to take form, somewhere I know I've never been, yet feels
extremely familiar.
    There are trees. It's a
forest maybe. But there is a clearing and in that clearing there is a
fire. Three men stand around the fire. I don't know who they are, and
they're too small in the drawing to have faces, but in the drawing
they're being watched.
    “ What did you just
draw?” Sahariel asks.
    He's become suddenly
alert, almost angry at me for drawing such a picture.
    “ I-I don't know.”
I say.
    “ Where did you see
this?”
    “ I d-don't know,”
I say, “I don't rem‒”
    “ You have to
remember.” He whispers harshly.
    “ No I‒”
    “ Yes, you do,”
he says, “You have to have seen this somewhere.”
    “ Why are you so
angry?” I whisper, “I don't know why I drew this. Stop
and listen to yourself. You're not making any sense.”
    I pick up the drawing and
hold it up and look at him, a questioning expression on my face. How
could he be so mad at me over a drawing? I look at the drawing and
try to figure why I drew it.
    Is it from a dream?
    I continue to stare at it
until I feel Sahariel get up from his seat, the chair scraping
against the ground with a squeal. He doesn't say anything as he gets
up and I watch as he leaves the room. I frown at the drawing,
genuinely wondering what I had done wrong.
    Class ends and I pack up
my bag, still unsure about why Sahariel is mad at me. Hell, I'm not
even mad at him, I'm just really confused. I drive home and see dad's
car in the driveway. I park next to his car, jump out and walk into
the house, trying to be as quiet as possible.
    Walking into the house, I
cringe when the door closes a little harder than I'd like it to and
the sound echoes past his office and up the stairs.
    “ Yes... thank you
for informing me... it's great news... yes... thank you for calling
me... uh-huh... thank you, goodbye,” I hear dad in his office,
the click of the phone as he hangs up. I walk past the door to my
dad’s office to the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible.
    “ Eden, can you come
in here please?” I hear him say as I pass the door.
    I slowly push the door
open and it creeks a little. Dad looks at me over a pile of papers in
his hands, an unreadable expression on his face.
    “ Can you sit down
for a minute?”
    “ Uh, sure,”
I’m confused, but I sit down across from him and try not to
fidget, “what’s up?”
    “ I received a
letter from your school today,” he begins. I try not to look
horrified.
    “ Okay?”
    “ I also just got
off the phone from Julliard,” he says.
    He clasps his hands in
front of himself, the odd expression still on his face. Why do
parents emotions have to be so complicated?
    I don’t say a word.
I just look at him; nothings clicking into place.
    “ You’ve been
approved for early graduation,” he says finally, “The
call was about you being accepted.”
    “ They called?”
I ask, “Did you bribe them?”
    “ No, I didn’t
bribe anyone,” he says.
    “ Then how did I get
accepted?” I ask, “I didn’t even apply.”
    “ I must admit
that’s my fault,” dad says, “I had them hold a
place for you since you were seven.”
    “ Dad!”
    “ What?”
    He manages to look
slightly ashamed.
    “ You’re
unbelievable,” I say. I try to glare but smile instead.
    “ I know,” he
says, “so, dinner tonight or another night?”
    “ Do you have time
tonight?” I try not to sound too hopeful.
    “ Of course I do,”
he says, “now, I’m going to make a reservation for seven,
so you’ll have a few hours to get ready.”
    “ Oh my god.”
I say with a huge grin, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
    I leave his office almost
unable to walk without hopping slightly. I need to go shopping since
the last time I went out for a fancy dinner was when I was twelve,
and I think that outfit would be a bit dated. I grab my purse and my
cell phone, intent on calling