Eva Zerat

Name: Eva Zerat

Gender: Female

Orientation: Straight

Status: Single
Birthday: July 27th

Age: 29

Play By: Lauren Houldsworth

Tell me what's the point of life 

Romantic- Though her heart is jaded and she believes her prince will never come, she is still a romantic, it's almost like a requirement for her writing. She still has those fluffy day dreams and hopes for the future, but she takes them and puts them into her books instead of seriously believing they will happen to her. She finds it easier this way, less likely to get hurt but romance has always intrigued her and left her wanted to know more and experience things for her next best seller, though really getting emotionally attached...she finds it too dangerous.

Kind- Eva tries to be kind to everyone she meets because you never know what they are going through. She tries to come from a place of understanding and support but also practices tough love in the appropriate situations. Sometimes she feels being harsh is the only way to get things done but strives to make sure her actions start out from an attempt to be kind.

Passionate- There is no half-assing anything with her. When she puts her mind to something she pursues it with a fiery passion that spreads over the team. She doesn't like to leave a job unfinished or without meeting specific goals. She's a go getter who takes pride in her work and what she does.

Organized- Her whole life practically revolves around a schedule from Monday morning to Saturday afternoon. She has her days mapped out, dedicated to her work duties then to her writing along with lining up her schedule to her brother to take him to his appointments to ensure he is holding up to his end of the bargain of doing well in school while also trying to take control of his anger and learning disability. She is almost always on the go or her mind is elsewhere unless she is taking a quick break or if it's the weekend, which she reserves for any and all social activities. 

Strict- Especially when it comes to Ben or the more rambunctious students at Tidewater Eva can be strict, using tough love as a way to manage them and try to keep them on the right path so that they can succeed. She can be described as a hard ass when it comes to work, but it comes from a good place, though sometimes she needs to remind herself that her students are just that, students, so she has to take time to step back and reflect or be reminded that she doesn't need to be so hard on them. She is also strict on herself, especially with work, she leaves no stone unturned when solving a problem and wants to make sure all of her bases are covered.

So when all this is gone what do I have to come home to? 

Eva grew up in the country side of Kentucky, one of three siblings, triplets to be precise. She was the oldest by 5 minutes and so she took on the responsibility for her siblings while her mother was working in the city and her father working on the cattle farm. Growing up Eva involved herself in a variety of activities ranging from ballet to girl scouts until she got older, and her choices evolved. No matter where she went though, her sister Vivian was there to follow while their brother Oliver took off on his own to do whatever it is that boys do. Even though Eva was the oldest and took care of her siblings she indulged herself in made up romance fairy tales, dreaming of the day she would meet her own prince and have her happily ever after. She saw how in love her parents were and read fantastic love stories in her novels that she believed that one day her prince would come.

In high school Eva got more involved, she was class president all four years, a member of almost every committee, and even carved out time to become a cheerleader. Despite being so involved and knowing almost everyone in her school, she never won any titles such as home coming queen, prom queen, etc. Instead, she watched as her sister was chosen. She was happy for her but deep down it hurt. At least there was one thing she could count on: her boyfriend Alexander, her prince. The two had been together since freshman year and to Eva, everything was going smoothly. It was perfect, her needs were met and she got to be with the hottest and smartest boy in school, but she was so focused on herself that she neglected him and failed to see the devastating truth. After a particularly stressful time in school, Eva found her grades slipping, something unacceptable to her and so she found only one solution: to break up with Alexander. He was quiet as she broke the news and the two separated. Though it hurt her, Eva continued, even though her heart hurt she believed that they would get back together, that if he really did love her as much as he said he did, he would wait for her. Without the distraction her grades improving and once she was steady, she went back to Alexander, only to find out the horrible truth.

A little time after their breakup, Vivian and Alexander had started talking in private and that talking soon turned to more. They were dating by the time Eva had gone to talk to him. Her heart broke and all she could feel was anger towards herself for being so stupid and a great betrayal from her sister. After that she rarely spoke with her sister, turning to her brother who was always there for her. Truth is, they had always been closer than she was with Vivian and he helped keep her mind off of the unsavory truth. In public Eva kept her thoughts to herself, she knew her sister needed to be happy but didn't understand why it had to be Alexander that made her so.

As high school went on and their eventual graduation came and went each sibling went their own way. Eva went off to college, Vivian got a job in town, and Oliver joined the Army. Times were hard but Eva made it though, focusing on school mainly. She had goals to set and was accomplishing them with little distraction and on top of everything she was starting to accomplish a goal she never thought possible. With her love of romance and vast imagination she had started to write her own romance novels and under the pen name Amalia Grace, she got them published and to her delight, majority of them became best sellers. The confidence boost made her feel like the sacrifices were worth it and that all was going right in the world, though she was still jaded by love, she had no problem writing about, writing about the kind of love that she could only hope would reach her.

What would I have but some stories now that I have told 

But her bliss was short lived when horrible news came in the form of a phone call. While on duty Oliver had been hurt in an explosion, he being the only in his platoon to survive, but at a cost. He lost both of his legs and his will to live. He was sent back home and though his parents tried to care for him, they couldn't, they were struggling to handle their business and their youngest son Ben. At the news Eva switched her classes to online and went home, becoming the care giver to her brother, Vivian unable to handle what had become of him. Oliver was like the shell of himself, he rarely spoke and his mind was ravaged with PTSD flashbacks. When he spoke, he spoke of misery. Eva tried to cheer him up, tried to do everything she could but nothing seemed to help. After a year Oliver was starting to speak of physician assisted suicide. At first Eva didn't want to hear it, but as time went on, she became more open. She hated seeing her brother suffer and so she stayed with him and spoke, trying to understand his thoughts until finally she arranged for it to happen.

Oliver was laid to rest on August 17th.

Eva felt numb afterwards. She couldn't protect her brother or even look her sister or parents in the eyes. Though no one spoke or blamed her, she felt it. Just days after the funeral she packed up and moved back to where he school was in order to complete her degree. After completing her degree and getting some experience, Eva got her position at Tidewater, hoping that being somewhere far away from her family would be best for her. So far, whether the decision was a good one or not, is up for debate. Her writing career is still going strong and now she can look over her youngest brother Ben, trying to keep him out of trouble and on track to graduate while they are so far from home.