Choice

By Eric Pike

Eva Clark was having a hard enough time surviving Middle School before she felt like her mind was starting to fall apart. A visit from a mysterious boy that only she could see didn't help. His promise to help her through her trials was too good to pass up, however. With his help, Eva embarks on a new path and learns about herself and many other lifelong lessons.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eric Pike
• Release date: Sep 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310260629

Book preview

Choice

Valuable Series Book 1

By Eric Pike

Copyright 2015 Eric Pike

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Joshua 24:15—And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Eva May Colby McNerlin

About the Author

Chapter 1

Eva May Clark was never really sure how much she liked her name. She had gone through different phases in her life. When she was young, most people called her Eva May, but she seemed to have grown out of that. No one called her that anymore, except for her dad. Sometimes her mom used her full name when Eva was in trouble, but otherwise mostly called her Evy. Teachers always struggled on the first day of school; they would ask her, Is it ee-va or eh-va? Eva always felt awkward enough just being in a room full of new kids, and the extra attention being drawn to her made her want to shrink down in her chair even more before responding in a mousy voice, ee-va. She tried May for a while to avoid the pronunciation difficulties, but that didn't work for her, it just didn't feel right. So eventually she went back to Eva.

Eva grew up with her parents telling her stories about her great-great-grandma, Eva May Colby McNerlin, for whom she was named, and how they hoped that Eva would turn out to be like her. They had the idea, or maybe the hope, that by naming her after someone who did good things, she would automatically do good as well. Eva wasn't so sure she always wanted to do good, however, sometimes it was hard to do what she knew was right when so many other kids were doing the opposite. It was easier to fit into the crowd when you did what everyone else was doing, and Eva never wanted to stick out. Sometimes, she even found it exhilarating to hang out with kids who were a little edgy; kids who would do or say things that she never would. It gave her a little thrill knowing how much trouble she would get into if her Mom found out about some of the things she was present to hear or see. Deep down, though, Eva knew she wouldn't actually do anything really bad, and maybe that's why those edgy 'friends' never lasted long. They would begin to recognize Eva's unwillingness to participate and would move on, looking for kids who would actually jump in with them, instead of just watch.

It wasn't just these friends that seemed to change. Her oldest friends whom she had known for years had changed, too, seemingly overnight. The ones she thought she knew really well began to move in different directions and seek new interests; they seemed to become strangers to her, even though they would continue to exchange greetings in the hall at school. Eva was left with just a few close friends, but, if the truth be told, that was OK with her. Her best and closest friend, Andrea, was almost like a sister. They had spent so much time together growing up that she might as well have been. Luckily, Andrea was a constant to which Eva could hold during so much change.

Friends were just one of the many changes Eva seemed to be going through recently. Now that she was nearing the end of seventh grade, middle school was not as intimidating as it had seemed originally, but high school was just on the horizon. The biggest change Eva was experiencing, however, was in herself. She used to enjoy going to parties with her friends and spending hours just gabbing about random things, but now would rather just be at home, curled up in her bed, and reading a good book. If she had to, she was OK hanging out with a couple of people in a quiet setting, but large groups in general had become more intimidating, and having to interact in those settings just completely wore her out. Any time she had to give a presentation at school or go to a party, she would go home and just crash for an hour or more before she had the strength to do anything else. These days, when she entered a room with a crowd, she found herself trying to sit at the end of the row or near the exit to make a quick escape, if needed.

Chapter 2

Every Sunday for as long as she could remember, Eva had attended church with her family. It had become a bit routine to her and, seated in the back corner of her Sunday School class, Eva half listened to the lesson as she stared out of the window at the beautiful spring morning. She'd heard most of the lessons before and knew the answers pretty well. That was one thing that Eva had going for her, she was pretty smart and didn't really need to study to pick up the information she needed. Facts and figures just seemed to stick in her mind and tests were never really all that difficult. She mused on the last Biology test that she had taken, where she was way ahead of the curve, even though she forgot that they were even having a test that day. The multiple choice tests were always the easiest, the answers just seemed to pop out at her.

Eva, why are we here on the Earth?

Eva's attention snapped back to her Sunday School teacher, Sister Evans.

Um, to help people, Eva responded, then added, and learn how to be a better person.

Good, and what are some things we can do to achieve those goals? Asked Sister Evans.

Eva responded without much thought, Read the scriptures, pray, attend church, and look for ways to help others. Piece of cake, Eva thought to herself. Eva never really read her scriptures or other church materials on a regular basis. Sure, she knew the scripture stories from church and through some of the family night lessons her parents gave, but that was about the depth of her Gospel education. There was never a real challenging question at church and they pretty much talked about the same stuff every week regardless of the actual principle being taught: read your scriptures, pray, go to church, keep the commandments, etc. There was never any real test on how much she had learned. All of it was good stuff, she knew, but there was no challenge there, nothing to pique her interest.

Thank you, Eva. Sister Evans replied and continued on with her lesson. Eva resumed staring out of the window and daydreaming.

***

How was church? Mom asked, once Eva and her parents were settled in the car for the drive home.

Fine, Eva responded flatly.

What did you learn about?

You know, service and being good to others.

Why do you think we should serve and be good to others?

Mom was pretty good at the follow up questions, you couldn't let your guard down or she would pounce. She was always looking for ways to help Eva grow and learn. Mom used to be a lot more persistent and pushy about it, until about a year ago when Eva's little brother, Danny, had died. Ever since then Mom seemed afraid to push things too far, afraid she would push Eva out of her life, and essentially lose the only kid she had left.

Because that's what God wants, Eva replied.

Is that the only reason?

Well... Eva hesitated, trying to think of a good response to end the questioning, but she wasn't quick enough.

Think about that one a little.

It looks like Mom is going to let me off easy today, Eva thought to herself. As Eva again turned her head to the window and just before she drifted off into another daydream, she was somewhat startled by a young man standing on the corner. Normally, she wouldn’t have given him a second thought, much preferring to enjoy the trees and other landscaping of the various houses of the neighborhood that surrounded the church; but the way he was dressed made him stick out like a black bear in a snowy field. He was in a pair of dark slacks, a white button-up shirt and, oddly for this weather, a long brown overcoat. The overcoat hung open and he had his hands in his pants pockets as he leaned, cross-legged, against a cinder block wall. Weirdest of all though, he seemed to be staring right through the window and back at Eva. Eva looked to her parents to see if they had noticed this strange apparition, but they were deep in conversation and were apparently oblivious to the boy. As Eva turned back in the boy's direction, she was startled to see him still standing in the same attitude, and still staring after her. Weird, she thought, and, as they drove on, she tried to return her now ruffled demeanor back to a calm state.

Driving through town was something that Eva normally enjoyed and now tried to focus on to take her mind off of the boy. She watched the many different buildings and remnants of bygone eras pass by her window. As she often did, Eva imagined what life would have been like in what she thought of as much simpler times. The City of Twin Springs was established on a branch of the California Trail in the mid-1800's, and there was still quite a bit left over from that time period. Main Street had mostly stayed the same since the 1930-40's, brick buildings all squished together, with a few 50's style buildings thrown in for good measure. There had been some attempts to update the area recently, but Eva enjoyed the slightly run-down, old time look. She imagined what it must have been like for those pioneers, trying to settle this arid climate, or back in the 50's with sock hops and poodle skirts. Eva smiled as she thought of a story her dad's grandma once told. She was supposed to dress up for a 50's dance that was being held sometime in the 80's, and couldn't remember what she wore in the 50's. After a while it came to her: most of her seven children were born in the 50's, so the clothes that she wore for the majority of that decade were maternity clothes.

As they continued on out of town, they passed old homes and barns, businesses, and agricultural fields that were around the cinder block walled housing developments full of similar looking stucco houses, like the one in which Eva lived.

As the car pulled into Eva’s development, the scene changed dramatically. It sometimes reminded her of the experience you have when you are at Disneyland. No matter how hard you try, you can’t see the outside world, just the well-manicured landscaping and houses that comprise this section of town. All of the rest of the town, with its charm and diversity, are nowhere in sight. It was somewhat depressing to Eva, but it had its advantages as well. Most of these houses were built too close together for Eva's taste, but a bunch of her friends lived nearby. There was even a park in the middle of the neighborhood at which Eva and her friends spent countless hours when they were younger. Eva and Andrea still sometimes sat on the benches there when they were discussing things that they would rather not have people, mostly Andrea's little brothers, overhear.

As Eva stepped from the car, she had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she had almost completely forgotten the strange boy who had ruffled her.

A pretty standard Sunday afternoon in the Clark home followed what seemed to be an eventful morning.

Chapter 3

That night, as Eva tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable spot on her bed, an exercise that had become more common lately, her thoughts returned to the events of earlier in the day. Why was that boy staring at her? She didn't think she recognized him from school or church. Why was he wearing an overcoat of all things? It was at least 70 degrees, surely not cold enough to be in an overcoat. She