-ˋˏ☀︎𝕁𝕒𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕂𝕖𝕟𝕥.ೃ࿔☀︎
"Uh, what are you doing?" I raised an eyebrow when I crossed paths Emma coming out of the cellar, the two of us pausing at the same time before she looked around then cleared her throat.
"Just putting something back in place," she simply said but I gave her an unconvinced look until she rolled her eyes, "I think Kai grabbed a drink yesterday when I slept, so I'm hiding the evidence in case Naz somehow sees it."
"That kid is gonna die if Naz figured out he drinks—"
"Which is why she's never finding out," Emma pointed her index finger at me in a warning tone, "he survived for a whole year—"
"Kai's been drinking for a year?" My eyebrows shot up, "he said it was just a few months—"
"Shh," she smacked my arm before pushing me out of the doorway, walking with me like she is running away from earshot, "what is wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with you?" I snapped back, "I feel like I'm being a horrible uncle right now. Should I, like, ground him or something?"
Emma just scoffed with a shake of her head, "James you were never a good uncle," she pinned me with a look that made me frown before my expression relaxed with her next words as she patted my arm, "but that's why we love you. You're like the younger brother we all never had."
"Oh my god," I rolled my eyes until we came to a stop, lowering my eyebrows and looking around, "where is he anyway? You usually come in two."
"Ha ha," she mocked, crossing her arms, "he's still asleep, so let him be."
I watched her expression fade, her eyes somehow distancing like a cloud formed within them, making my expression drop with hers as I sighed. Her head is probably a mess right now, plus, the happy face she kept up last night in Jett's party probably exhausted her more.
"Hey," I put a hand on her shoulder, snapping her out of her daydream, watching her look up at me, blinking, "what are you thinking about?"
She took in a sharp breath, her posture tensing as her jaw clenched before she gave me a soft smile, "well, everything. But it's going to be fine."
"It doesn't have to be, you know," I reassured, "it's okay to still feel... pressured. You have all the time in the world."
"Yeah, I know," her expression went back to normal as she nodded her head, "I just don't get it. I know I'm back and safe, why am I still hung up on the last, like, five days. It makes me feel... ungrateful."
"Ungrateful?" I frowned.
"Well... because you did everything to save us. To save me," she blew out a shaky breath, brushing her hair behind her ears and swallowing, "least I could do to repay you is being happy."
I couldn't help the scoff I let out, watching her frown at me as a smile drew on my face, "what makes you think we want any kind of repayment from you?"
"Because you did everything to get us out of there all for my mind to get stuck in the way," she huffed, her chest expanding by the next breath she took, "I shouldn't feel like this, it's not fair."
"Not fair?" I fired, taken aback by how these thoughts made their way into her mind, my hand squeezing on her shoulder, "what's not fair is you being hard on yourself for feeling whatever you do right now."
"But—"
"Did you tell Kai he was being unfair for feeling pressured?"
"...what?" Her lips parted after a moment, causing me to give her a soft, knowing smile. I could write essays about these kids and their feelings I swear, should have majored in psychology instead. One day I found myself understanding them without them needing to explain, saw right through them if they tried to lie or hide something from me.
"You want to tell me that Kai got up at midnight for a drink for the hell of it? Kai, getting out of his bed, willingly?"
"Fine," she rolled her eyes and swatted my hand away, shifting on her legs, "he only does that when he has a lot on his mind. No, I didn't tell him that, but—"
"No buts, what implies to him implies to all of you," I pinned her with a look, "take all the time you need, all the help you want, we're not just some people who managed to get you back, we're your family, Emma. If we didn't do it who will?"
"I hate when you have a point," she crossed her arms over the very oversized shirt that I just became aware of before narrowing her eyes at me, "you know us so well, it's starting to feel dangerous."
"I—" a sharp intake of breath cut me off, both of us snapping our head up to see Aaron giving Emma a semi-horrified look before letting out a loud sigh.
"I'm not going to lie to you, Leila," he started with a flat voice, "I've done a lot of things in my life, a lot. I still don't think any of them deserve the horrific scene I'm witnessing right now as a payment."
I looked back down at Emma clutching onto the hem of her shirt, or from what I progressed was Kai's, clearing her throat, "I don't it's that big of a deal—"
"It is," he cut her off and she nodded, forming her mouth into a thin line as he kept going, "break up with this boy."
"Dad, we talked about this—"
"He's ruining what I dedicated my whole life to build."
"Okay, one, that's pretty dramatic," Emma pointed out, "two, stop being dramatic, this is literally just a shirt."
"Exactly," he said with a single nod, "this is just a shirt, and you're just dating Kenji's son," he said more to himself than to her before his legs moved, walking past us, "my life is perfect."
"Dad! Come on—" Emma cut herself off, looking up at me, pointing over her shoulder, "hey, I'm gonna go check that out before he has an identity crisis."
"Yeah, you do that."
"Mhm," she turned on her heels and started following and calling after him, "Dad! I've been trying not to hurt your feelings, but the real Drama Queen in this family is you not Kenji..."
My eyebrows shot up at the last phrase within my earshot as she disappeared from view, not needing to see Aaron's face to know this probably knocked the air out of him. I blew up a breath and turned to go, trying to remember why I got downstairs to begin with.
I didn't let myself think or feel anything talking to Emma right now, focusing on comforting her instead of freaking out. I'm still not over that we lost them for a few days, that they went through things they weren't prepared for or warned about. Things I wasn't prepared for.
I don't know if this was better or not, but I was way younger than they are when my father kidnapped me. I probably was scared, I don't much remember, I think I forced my mind to forget, forced myself to let go of this part of my life or else it'd ruin me. So I forgot. Forgetting what happened, what you felt during can be ignorant to the real issue, but I wasn't strong enough to live with that.
But they're not young now, they're Adam's age at that time, he understood what was happening, he lived it and probably still does. Be probably remembers it as a vivid memory while to me it's like a fever dream. I don't think any of them would choose to forget like I did. I was a child, fending for the moment I get to live like one, like a normal kid. They were children who lived their entire life normally. All to suddenly flip upside down.
To me this was my reality, to them this was like a nightmare. Something odd, something they would forever remember.
"Whose murder are you planning?" I joked when I found Silas sitting with his eyes narrowed, more like turning into slits at something's direction. I waited until he pointed towards where his gaze fell, his sharp expression still not wavering. I followed either my eyes where he was looking at, seeing Zade sitting with Amelia who was signing something to Margrette, her little sister.
I felt my chest tighten at the sight of her. I tried to ignore her as much as I could, tried to not think to much about that day we went to her house, to forget it like I choose to forget all my problems. But I couldn't. Each time I looked at her I remembered the look on Eve's face, I remembered seeing her cry, seeing her completely change into a different person than the one I thought she was now.
And then it fast forwards to me begging her to tell me why she left, and I hate how she looked at me then, I hated it. Because the broken look in her eyes gave me hope, just a little bit, that there was at least one reason. That I could forgive her, that I could apologize for whatever she went through that made her leave me, that I could do what I couldn't last time when she cried, hug her. Tell her it's alright. Tell her she's going to be okay.
"Amelia has nothing to do with anything," I finally said, "if she did, Aaron would have said something."
"Yeah, sure," Silas replied in a flat voice, causing me to tilt my head, studying what he could be thinking of before he scoffed, motioning towards them again, "he's actually learning sign language for her."
I looked over to Zade following the signs Amelia made with her hands, smiling when she scoffed at how wrong he got the move before Margrette swatted his hands when he tried again, motioning for him to look at her as she repeated the sign again slowly, making me smile at him following the little girl's instructions.
"He shouldn't just trust her blindly," Silas gritted out, his frown deepening, "we don't even know this girl."
"Calm down," I started, stepping closer to where he was sitting to hide Zade and Amelia from his view, making him focus on me instead, "she didn't do anything to prove she's involved in all of this."
"And she didn't do anything to prove she isn't," Silas shot back without missing a beat, his eyes sharp on mine, "you always said I should take care who I get close to, didn't you tell him the same thing?"
"What do you expect us to do, Silas?" I sighed, "Aaron is not going to let her out of here either way, there is literally no harm in letting Zade spend time with her," I finished, trying to reason with him, "we're keeping a close watch on her, and we'll know if anything seems off."
Silas crossed his arms over his chest, his expression still tense, "I don't like it," he said, shaking his head.
I understood his concerns; we had to be cautious, especially in these times, "we'll keep an eye on her," I promised, "if anything feels wrong, we'll take action. But until then, let's not jump to conclusions."
Silas seemed unconvinced, but he nodded, albeit reluctantly, "alright," he said, "just don't let your guard down. I don't trust her."
"You don't trust her or you don't like her?" I raised an eyebrow in question, watching him blink at me, "or you just don't like her spending time with him?"
He opened his mouth then closed it, hesitating. My eyes narrowed when he looked away swallowing. I've never seen him act like that, like, ever, "I don't like that she's in our space," he said slowly, "and you're right, I don't like her spending time with him. I know I can't dictate who he chooses to spend time with, but he doesn't know her, not really. It's risky."
I nodded, understanding his perspective, of course I understand. I thought him it, I warned them all to take care, to be friendly, but not blindly, to love and open up, but keep an eye aware. I tried to protect them from what I feel, and at the same time to let them experience what I can't now. I can't seem to be genuinely friendly, I can't seem to love every new person I meet with no thoughts, and I obviously can't and probably would never open up again.
"I'll talk to him," I finally said, "just be easy on him, alright?"
"I didn't even talk to him about anything," he shrugged, his eyes going back towards their direction, "so don't worry."
After I made sure that he's alright, even when I know he might just be saying this for my sake, I finally gained the courage to get out of the base's gate without telling anyone. They were probably all distracted now anyway; yesterday, J talked to Naz and decided that it would be best for them to actually close up the academies. Not because they were threatened to but because the academies became the threat.
It became dangerous to keep them open, for kids to go in there with a chance of them getting attacked one way or another since now people started getting influenced by this record that spread, Kenji somehow managed to help J take it down, but people have already heard it, believed it. They've also seen what Emma did, they're scared.
I made my way to the car and out of the huge gates, my hand tightened around the wheel when I reached for my phone with the other one, debating if I should call her now or just when I get there like we had agreed.
I've been in contact with Eve since we took Amelia in with us, well, she called me first to yell a little before asking me about how she is, and then the next day. The day after that I was the one who called her for some reason. I felt bad. I felt bad seeing how much true her frustration and tears were.
She's the closest thing I have to a real family.
I have no idea who her family even is, the only thing I know that her uncle turned out to be a psychopath and her cousins, the ones she compared to one of my nephews and nieces, meaning they were as important to her as the kids were to me, who is away from her by choice. If I was Eve, I'd probably hide all of this from Amelia too.
I know she had a mother though, she always talked about her, I even saw her once at college, but she never mentioned her now. She said Amelia and Margrette were the only thing left for her. That was what I can't get out of my mind. I remember when my own mum died, when Adam got punished for her death.
Mum used to hide him and me when Dad would visit, she would lock us in a room until he would leave because of how he treated us and looked down on us like we were a plague. When she died and Dad came again, Adam did the same thing Mum used to do with us with me, he would hide me. Because Dad didn't come for a little fatherly moments, he came to tell us we're the reason she's dead. That we killed her.
So Adam would take the fall, he would take all the harsh treatment thinking I wasn't aware, that I didn't see. But I used to watch. I watched him from the lock hole of my bedroom door, I watched him standing there with Dad drinking then throwing the bottles his way, throwing glass, it almost blinded him one time, he had so many cuts all over his skin, but he wouldn't fight him back. He would just take it until Dad would grow tired and leave.
I didn't just lose my mum, my brother got punished, I got told I was a killer when I was younger than ten years old. Eve losing her mother made me stop, wait. Think.
Everything she said came out to be true, everything she told me made sense, and what I saw the other day was the only thing I actually had zero doubts about. She was about to tell me why she left. She had her guard down, she was going to fess up until Margrette appeared. That happens when she is in her truest form, when she is being real with someone, with me.
The phone in my hand rang, snapping me out of my thoughts, making me blink a few times to be brought back to earth. The traffic ahead seemed to be moving at a snail's pace, with cars backed up for what seemed like miles. As I inched closer, I could see the cause of the congestion—a car had broken down in the middle of the road. It looked old and worn-out, with smoke billowing from the hood.
Despite the urgency of the situation, I couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration. I didn't have time for this. But as I approached the stranded vehicle, something compelled me to pull over. Maybe it was the way the driver looked helpless and stranded, or perhaps it was a sense of duty to help someone in need.
Pushing aside my impatience, I parked my car on the shoulder of the road and got out to help him. But before I could even take a step towards the elderly man whose eyes fell on me, the phone rang again, looking down to see Eve's ID on the screen as I picked up.
"Where are you?" Eve's sharp voice asked on the other end, "I've been here for, like, an hour, are you not coming?"
"I am—"
"You're the one who asked to meet up, by the way," she sighed, "if you changed your mind, I can leave—"
"No—"
"Hey, please, can you—" the man cut himself off, making me snap my head up to him narrowing his eyes on me before tilting his head, "sorry, uh, do I... did we meet before?"
I lowered my brows in confusion which caused him to shake his head, "sorry, it just feels like I know you."
"Oh," my heart dropped for a second, taking a step back and giving him a smile, "no, I don't think so, sorry."
"What?" Eve started, her tone shifting to confusion.
"That wasn't for you, I'm on my way I promise—"
"Please, hurry," she gritted out, "I need to leave."
"Why?"
"James—"
"Fine, fine, be there in 5," I cut her off, giving the man an apologetic look as I hung up, "I'm sorry, I need to leave."
The man nodded understandingly, though disappointment flickered in his eyes. I felt a pang of guilt, knowing I was leaving him stranded, but between the fight or flight battle, flight was always my escape. I climbed back into the car, driving away, still feeling his eyes piercing through my back. I wanted to help him, but if I had stayed for long he may have figured me out, he'd know who I am.
I don't know why, but I don't like it. I hid who I am since J took over the government, I didn't like the sound of people knowing me for who I am. Even Eve didn't know I was until a few months into our relationship. And especially now, I need to take care. I don't know this man or how he'd react to figuring out I'm James Kent.
As I sped away, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the air. Keeping my identity hidden had become second nature to me, a necessary precaution in this world. The thought of someone discovering who I really was filled me with a sense of danger.
Some people knew how I looked, if they had a sharp memory. I never show my face, I don't like to. The only way someone can know I'm even related to my family is if pictures were taken of us when we are out together. I couldn't afford to let my guard down, not now, not ever. A lot depended on it, the safety of those around me. With a heavy heart, I focused on the road ahead, pushing aside the nagging doubts that threatened to consume me.
≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫
The cafe buzzed with the murmur of conversations and the clinking of utensils against plates. Soft jazz music filled the air, lending a soothing ambiance to the cozy space. Warm sunlight streamed in through the large windows, casting a golden glow over the wooden tables and chairs.
Eve sat at a small table near the window, her arms crossed impatiently as she waited for me, bathed in the warm sunlight that filtered through the glass pane behind her. Her fiery red hair cascaded in loose waves around her shoulders, catching the light and casting a soft halo around her face. Her piercing blue eyes sparkled with a mixture of anticipation and mild annoyance . The table was adorned with a checkered tablecloth and a vase of vibrant flowers, adding a splash of color to the otherwise muted surroundings. A menu lay open in front of her, its pages filled with an array of tempting treats.
Despite the lively atmosphere, there was an air of tension between us, the unspoken weight of our conversation hanging heavy in the air.
"You're late," Eve started when I took a seat apposed to her.
"You didn't tell me you had somewhere to go after meeting me," I said, "I would have rushed or left earlier."
"I don't," she shrugged, looking away, "I just hate when someone doesn't respect his word."
My eyebrows shot up at her insult, waiting until she looked back at me, "I don't respect my words? I called you everyday to keep you in touch of how Amelia and Margrette are doing, I even went out of my way to meet you today."
"Why?" She leaned in, resting her crossed arms on the table, her eyes piercing through mine, as if trying to read me, "why aren't the phone calls enough?"
I took in a deep breath, looking down for a moment. I don't know. This is what I had planned to tell her when she asks this question. I didn't really think farther, I didn't want to. Because if I'm honest, this meet up has absolutely nothing to do with Amelia and Margrette, or the people who kidnapped the kids, or her uncle.
It had everything to do with her. I wanted to see her. I would tell her I don't know, but I knew. I wanted to get an answer out of her. I wanted to know what was wrong with her. I wanted her to tell me herself, to tell me how the hell are her cousins the only people she has.
"Hey, can you turn up the volume?" A woman's voice snapped my head to the right, my eyes going to the TV screen pinned on the wall in the middle of the cafe, the volume going higher until the reporter's words made their way to my ear.
"We're here at the heart of downtown, where a peaceful protest is currently underway," the reporter's voice echoed through the bustling cafe, "demonstrators are chanting for equality between individuals with powers and those without, calling for unity and understanding in our society."
As the camera panned to the scene outside, the screen filled with a sea of people holding signs and banners, their voices raised in unison. The protest appeared to be well-organized, with individuals of all ages and backgrounds coming together to make their voices heard.
As the reporter continued to narrate the scene of the protest, As the news anchor continued to report on the ongoing protest, a red "incoming call" notification flashed in the corner of the screen. With a quick gesture, the anchor accepted the call, and a split-screen appeared, showing a voice recording logo that moved depending on what the one on the other line is saying.
"Hello, you're on live TV," she announced, her voice projecting over the bustling noise of the protest.
A man's voice crackled through the line, slightly muffled by the background noise, "hey, I'm here at the protest," he began, his tone urgent, "I just wanted to say something. I don't trust those academies. They're training people with powers for something bigger, mark my words."
The reporter listened intently, nodding along as she took in his words, "and how do you feel about the recent closure of the academies by the government?" she inquired, adjusting the microphone to capture his response.
The man's voice took on a more somber tone, "it only proves my point," he asserted, "the government shutting down those academies doesn't change anything. It just confirms what we've been saying all along. And that recording that's been spreading around? It's true. Those academies were up to something, and now they're trying to cover it up."
I couldn't help my scoff, shaking my head and looking back at Eve while averted her gaze from the TV to me, blinking a few times for her soft gaze to sharpen on me again, lowering her eyebrows, "what's so funny?"
"I don't know," I shrugged before saying, "maybe that this is all stupid? I mean, peaceful protest? After these people caused a building to be destroyed and kidnapped children?"
"I don't think these people are the ones who were at that first protest, and I certainly don't think they're the ones who kidnapped your family. Maybe they were just influenced."
"Whatever," I rolled my eyes, flashes of how I saw all of them the moment they came back snapping in my mind; Emma dying, Kai with a bullet in his arm, Atlas with a broken arm and injured shoulder. The only one who came in one unharmed piece was Jett, "they'd probably fit in the same category, anyway."
I watched Eve's eyebrows shot up, the blue eyes suddenly turning into ice piercing through my own, "what's that supposed to mean?"
I hesitated, realizing my words had come out harsher than I intended, "I just meant... I don't know," I stammered, scrambling for an explanation, "they were involved in all of that chaos, right? So who's to say they're any different from the ones who caused it?"
Eve's tone turned harsher, higher, the intensity in her gaze not wavering, "James, you can't paint everyone with the same brush," her jaw clenched, "not everyone who was there that day had malicious intentions. Some might have just been caught up in something bigger than themselves. Some might actually want a peaceful protest—"
"For what?" I finally snapped, trying to keep my tone low, "they really want the reestablishment back? Do they have any idea how oppressed people were? Powers or no powers?"
"Maybe they don't understand that," she leaned back against her chair, her eyes flickering up towards where the TV was then back to me, "maybe in their minds, the reestablishment showed them how everyone was equal, how everyone was living the same life, same jobs, same schools, same social state, etcetera."
"Well, that's wrong."
"Is it?" She raised an eyebrow, her tone finally softening. She's trying to get me to listen to her, to understand.
"I think that now there are more opportunities now than before, you don't have to live the same life," I explained, "now you have the chance to make it better, back then you had one choice and one choice only; to suck it up until you die as a nobody."
"Some don't get offered these opportunities—"
"How do you know that?" I cut her off, leaning forward, "you're an example of what I'm saying. You managed to get into a good college, same one as mine by the way, you studied psychology, even Amelia, the daughter of your uncle who sent Kai to a hospital, goes the same school two supreme kids go to."
She opened her mouth then closed it again, taking a deep breath and blowing it when she looked to her right. I hated how I didn't know what was on her mind, how I don't know if the wheels inside are turning or not. I hated how she probably got a clear view of how my mind works. It was as if she could see straight through me, peeling back the layers until she reached the core of my being.
"Do want to take a walk?" She finally looked back at me, already taking her bag off of the table, "I've been sitting here for what feels like an eternity."
A rush of relief flooded through me at her suggestion, grateful for the chance to escape the confines of the cafe and the weight of our conversation.
"Yeah, that sounds good," I replied, offering her a small smile as I stood up from my chair, waiting for her to get up and opened the door to let her through before following, feeling the tension between us as we stepped out of the cafe. The cool breeze brushed against my skin, carrying with it the scent of freshly fallen leaves and distant traffic. I glanced at Eve, watching her fix the emerald green scarf around her neck, her chest expanding with a deep breath as she clung onto the handle of her cross bag.
"Remember how I worked two jobs in college?" She asked out of nowhere, waiting for me to nod to continue, "I would have been fine on my own with only one, the one I met you through," she offered me a glance, "but for Amelia to be able to go to the school you're talking about, I had to take the other one."
"You paid for her?" I asked, and she hummed with a nod, making me frown, "what about her dad?"
Now it was her turn to scoff, looking down at her steps as we continued moving on the sidewalk, "he didn't care enough. He saw it as a dead end, didn't even want Margrette to attend school to begin with, said it's too much getting in a school with people like her."
"And you got her into one?" I tilted my head in question, watching her smile.
"Yeah, I mean, her dad said that he won't help and that it's all on me since I'm the one who insisted, but seeing her happy was enough to convince me to agree," her smile widened, my heart squeezing at the sight, "point is, I didn't get those opportunities, I fought for them tooth and nail, it wasn't served to me on a silver platter like it was for others. Kind of felt like I was stealing them to live."
"Why am I just hearing about this?" I frowned, "why haven't you told me?"
"You never asked," she shrugged, crossing her arms, "and I didn't feel comfortable... seeing how different we were from each other."
Despite her words, I couldn't shake the bitterness bubbling within me, towards myself. It clawed at my insides, reminding me of all the reasons why I shouldn't trust her, shouldn't feel any semblance of happiness in her presence.
I forced myself to keep a neutral expression, masking any hint of awe or warmth that threatened to surface. I reminded myself of the betrayal, the deceit, the pain she caused, and the role she played in my suffering.
Her smile only served to fuel my resentment, a reminder of the trust I shouldn't have placed in her. Yet, despite my inner turmoil, a small part of me couldn't help but soften at the sight of her happiness. It was a constant battle between my rationality and my emotions, a struggle to reconcile the conflicting feelings within me.
But deep down, beneath the layers of anger and mistrust, there lingered a tiny glimmer of something else—a flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, she could redeem herself. Yet, I pushed that thought aside, burying it beneath the weight of my resentment and distrust.
"Why haven't you ever told me about them?" I accidentally let out, watching her movements slow down to a stop, her smile fading as she looked up at me, shifting on her legs, my frustration rising again when she looked over my shoulder, "is every question that hard to answer? You—"
Before I could get my phrase out, she swiftly pulled me towards a nearby building, her back pressing against it as she shielded me from view. Startled by her sudden action, I stumbled slightly before steadying myself, my confusion growing as she wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace.
I froze, caught off guard by her unexpected gesture. Her body pressed against mine, her warmth seeping through the fabric of our clothes, my sharp intake of breath being the sent of her hair. I think my heart stopped, I couldn't move or take another breath.
"Why did you...?" I began, trailing off as I struggled to find the words to articulate my thoughts.
She sighed softly, her arms still wrapped around me as she leaned in close, her breath warm against my ear, "I saw the paparazzi on the other side," she confessed in a hushed tone, her voice tinged with concern, "and I know how much you hate being seen by them. I didn't want to risk any unwanted attention, so I... I just acted on instinct."
Her explanation caught me off guard, the realization dawning on me as her words sank in. Despite my initial confusion, I couldn't deny the logic behind her actions. But I needed to get out of her grip, I couldn't stay like this a minute longer, it was stealing me away from reality, locking me back in the past. One look at her and I already was trying to look for the key to open that door and walk right through it and never look back, this was being locked in a whole vault, "are they gone?"
"Not yet, wait," she breathed against my skin. I squeezed my eyes shut. Her embrace was suffocating, not physically, but emotionally. I couldn't let myself get lost in the comfort of her arms, not when there were still lingering questions and unresolved tensions between us.
You came here to just see her. What do you even want?
I felt a surge of conflicting emotions welling up inside me. On one hand, there was a sense of gratitude for her thoughtfulness, for her instinctive reaction to protect me from the prying eyes of the paparazzi. But on the other hand, there was a deep-seated discomfort, a nagging sense of unease at being held so intimately by someone I couldn't fully trust, by someone I knew what it felt like holding, but now seemed more like drowning than being the reason my thoughts calmed down back then.
"Okay," she finally let out with a sigh, leaning back with her hands still on my shoulders, min unintentionally resting on her waist the moment her blue eyes that were bathed in the golden glow of dust, her red hair practically shining underneath the sun's golden rays, I think it was sunset. That's how she always looked at that time.
A breeze of air hit her face, her hair danced against her face, making her blink rapidly. Without having the chance to stop myself, I reached out to brush them away, feeling her tense even when her expression stayed soft, her pupils widening, knocking air out of me. Fuck it, I was in love with her. I was so in love with her that I don't even know what I'm feeling right now, "why are you not answering me?"
"Why does it matter?" She said after a moment, her hands falling from my shoulders but not moving out of my grip, "what would it change?"
"Every—"
"You already have a girlfriend," she didn't seem to hear me, talking more to herself than to me, "you already moved on. Why do you want to be stuck back there?"
"Because back there was my life," I shot back, resting my hand on the scarf on her neck, pinning her gaze to mine so she wouldn't try to run away again, "I deserve to know why."
"Why what?"
"Why you ruined my life, Eve," I swallowed past the lump in my throat, my chest falling up and down harsher, "why did you leave? Why did I have to get punished for loving you?"
"Why do you—"
"What's that?" Now it was me who didn't hear her out, frowning at where my hand was, at where the scarf slid down because of my hold, revealing a bruise mark on her skin. My heart sank at the sight, a wave of concern washing over me as I reached out to gently touch the bruise, my fingers tracing its edges with a mix of worry and confusion.
But before I could voice my concern, Eve pushed me away with a sudden force, her eyes wide with panic as she hastily covered the bruise with her scarf. Her movements were quick and deliberate, as if she were trying to hide something from me, something she didn't want me to see.
Ignoring her attempts to brush off the situation, I stepped closer, my voice tinged with urgency as I demanded answers, "Eve, what happened? Who did this to you?"
"Nothing, nobody," she jerked her head, clearing her throat and rounding me, "it's nothing—"
"Don't lie to me," I lightly grabbed her elbow, watching her eyes dart away, a fleeting expression of discomfort crossing her features before she quickly composed herself.
"Stop," she pulled out of my grasp, pushing against my chest again before gritting out, "what do you want, James? You didn't want to talk to me at all at first, and I get that, but I was going to leave you alone, I was already doing that. Why are we here?"
"I don't know!" I fired back, adrenaline kicking in as I tried to even my breathing while keeping my tone low, "I want to talk to you. I want you to answer me. I keep asking questions with no answers—"
"I left you, James," she let out through an exhale, her gaze furiously piercing through me, "I left, and you have a girlfriend now, and if I was Aurora I would have never let you within 5 miles radius of me. Does she even know that you're here?"
I opened my mouth to argue back but nothing came out, just kept staring back at her, as if waiting for her to answer the question only I should know the answer to. I wanted to see you. That's the only thing that came to mind. I wanted to check up on you. But I didn't let myself think those thoughts out loud, didn't let her know until she spoke again, "listen, unless it's something that has to do with the girls then don't call me—"
"Eve—"
"I'll be in contact if anything new happened with me or if my uncle appeared again," she went on without missing a beat, "I don't want us meeting like this again, not after you took her—"
"We didn't take—"
"I don't care," she held her palm up, "your track of thoughts obviously doesn't go beyond these walls inside your brain. I have to go."
"Eve—" I tried to reach out for her again but she fastened her pace until she disappeared between everyone passing by, leaving me alone on the sidewalk, my heart still heavy with worry.
She has bruises. What the hell?
≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫
I slammed the door behind me, quickly changing my clothes before throwing myself on the bed and rubbing a hand down my face in frustration. Getting scolded by Adam, Aaron, and Kenji like you're a toddler is not fun. And I wasn't even listening, I have no idea what they said or asked, I just know I'm apparently grounded by Kenji. I couldn't stop thinking about her, about what happened, what she said, what I saw.
Nothing, nobody.
I left you, James.
I don't care.
Why is it that every time I think I'm close to figuring her out, she makes me take ten steps back? She's like a puzzle with missing pieces, each revelation only serving to deepen the mystery surrounding her. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to unravel the layers of secrets that she guards so closely.
Somebody was hurting her, somebody was causing these marks on her skin. I tried calling her on my way back here, but she never answered. If Aurora hasn't convinced her that we were together, I might've had a chance to let myself in again. If I had given Eve the benefit of the doubt to start with, this would have been easier. If I had just believed her.
Something was up, she didn't just leave. I know it. I wanted to believe it at least, but I swear something was not right. I left you, James. She said that as if she was the bad guy I believed her to be, as if she truly just left like all of these years of us together meant nothing to her. I'd spent those past three years knowing she abandoned me, that I wanted her to explain, to tell me this isn't it, but deep down I knew that she just wanted to go. Yet the moment I asked and she answered the same answer I was telling myself over those years, I found it hard to believe.
I didn't want to, I didn't believe her. You always don't believe here, this is what you did before, and look where it got you.
A knock on the door, snapped me out of my thoughts, looking up before Aurora's voice came muffled from behind the door, "can I come in?"
I let out a sigh, sitting straight on the bed, "yeah."
The door cracked open slightly, her head popping inside before she pushed it open wider, stepping inside with a hesitant smile, "hey, sorry to bother you. Just wanted to check in and see how you're doing."
"I'm alright," I replied, forcing a smile of my own as I watched her approach, "just sorting through some things in my head."
She nodded, pursing her lips while looking around my room before blowing out a breath when she reached the edge of my bed, her eyes falling on mine, "okay, I'm actually bored, and you're the only one here who's my age. Let's hang out."
I breathed out a chuckle, shaking my head, "sick of babysitting already? They just came back."
"I've been babysitting my whole life, okay?" She pinned me with a look, "first Nia, then Atlas when they became close, and other than that I'm busy, so I have no time to hang out with people my own age."
"So you're using me for entertainment? You're not here to check up on me?" I narrowed my eyes at her as she rolled her own.
"You seem fine to me," she looked away, studying her surroundings, "how did meeting Eve go?"
My breath caught for a moment, lowering my eyebrows even when she wasn't looking at me, "how did you know I was with her?"
"What else would be so important for you to leave the base one day after the kids came back?" She shrugged, looking back at me, "what did she have to say this time?"
"Uh," I rubbed the back of my neck, looking away from her gaze, "I'm the one who asked to, um, meet up."
"Oh," I felt her shift in place and looked back at her slowly nodding her head, "okay... that story was quick and boring, I'm still bored."
"Listen the most fun thing for me is playing chess, which I'm pretty sure—"
"Let's play chess then," she cut me off, looking around again, "where do you keep it? Why is your room so bland?"
"Compared to your garden?" I stood up, "anything would be bland."
"Ha ha," she took a seat on the mini round table close to the window as I got the chess board and laid it in front of her, "or you're just a grumpy old man."
"I'm not an old man," I scowled at her, taking a seat, "I'm literally four years older than you."
"Damn, you're old," her eyes widened as I laid down the pieces, "and you play chess, talk about old guys."
"Hey," I pointed a finger at her, "chess is fun. At least for who actually know how to play it."
"Are you saying I can't play chess?" she challenged, tilting her head, her curls bouncing with each confident stride, "because I'll have you know, I'm a chess master in the making."
"Yeah, sure," I gave her a look, "Kai's been saying this since he learned how to speak. I'm still waiting for the day he beats me, getting a little bored if you ask me."
"You did not just compare me to an 18 year old," she leaned forward, eyeing the chess board, "you take the white, go."
I rolled my eyes but started playing, moving a piece after another with side comments being our only conversation until she went quiet, making me look up at her, seeing her fingers playing with her bottom lip as she tried to focus, forgetting I'm even there apparently. She tilted her head, wavering my attention back to her hair. Each curl seemed to have a mind of its own, bouncing and twisting with every movement she made, her dark locks intertwining with lighter strands that caught the light. It was a stark contrast to her usual closed-off demeanor.
I thought she was bitter to talk to me because that's how she was as a person, or maybe because I was rude to her at first, but by time she seemed to relax talking to me, even coming up to me before I did, coming into my room. She was way friendlier than I thought. Maybe it was just as she had said, there was nobody here who was her age except for me. Everyone was either older and she probably felt uncomfortable talking freely to, and the rest were a bunch of teenagers.
"Checkmate," she grinned to herself, making me jerk my head back, blinking quickly.
"Wait, what?" I whipped my head down, seeing her cornering my king.
I frowned, leaning back when I saw I in fact had no escape, moving my hand to my mouth as I looked up at her shrugging, "checkmate, dum dum. Your king's dead, long live my queen."
"No."
She scoffed, "what don you mean no? I won, dude."
"No, you didn't."
"Yes, I did," she nodded her head with a blank expression, "for someone who is a chess expert, you sure as hell don't know chess rules as much as you thought you did if you don't know what winning a game looks like."
"Go again," I shook my head, adjusting myself in my seat to focus more on the game, "that doesn't count."
"Uh, it does—"
"Again," I rearranged the pieces again, hearing her sigh before she gave in, "and I'm giving you the white ones, just to have mercy."
"Mhm... sure, big guy," I ignored her sarcasm, starting the game again.
Until I lost. Again.
≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫
"You're a cheater!" I called after her, hearing her laugh at me as she ran away until she reached the sitting room, "you can't— what—"
"You're crazy!"
"You're a cheater!."
"No, you're just a loser. You can't cheat in chess," she yelled back, "don't you know the rule—"
"Stop saying that," I pointed at her, seeing Emma and Jett look up from the couch they were on, "I know the rules better than you do."
"Right," a smile drew on her face without her even fighting's it, "that's why you lost... all five times."
"You lost 5 games?" Kai's jaw slightly, his eyes widening, "woah. And I wasn't there to witness the downfall?"
"Don't worry, next time I'll get it in recording," Aurora winked at Kai which caused him to scoff, making me more irritated at her.
"There won't be a next time," I informed her, "I don't play with cheaters."
"Fine by me," she crossed her arms, shrugging, "and I don't play with losers."
"You—"
"Hey," Atlas shot up from his place Aurora in place when she was about to open her mouth again, "let's all just take a minute."
"But—"
"Enough," Jett suddenly appeared in front of me, holding the arm I was pointing with down, "you're acting like a kid again."
"I'm not a kid—"
"You said yourself that nobody can cheat in chess," Kai chimed in.
"Yeah," Aurora said, "what? Hasn't anybody won against you before?"
"No, the only person is capable of doing that is Aaron," I shot back, "it's an unspoken rule."
"Well, I broke your rule," she formed her mouth into a thin line, "sue me."
That earned a chuckle of disbelief from me, going to step forward when Jett held me in place, Atlas speaking, "dude, relax. It's just a game, you're overreacting."
"Hey, he's not overreacting," Jett defended before I could open my mouth, "he's just passionate about chess, alright? Don't be mean to him."
"I wasn't mean," he jerked his head back, "Aurora was the one being mean."
"Aurora's a girl, she can say whatever she wants to a man."
"You—"
"Enough," Emma's sharp tone hissed, my head snapping to her standing up and walking up to us, looking up at me, "you lost a couple of games, James. It doesn't mean you're a failure, maybe you need more practice, you've been lacking on playing chess for a few now, get your foot back in the game."
She turned to Aurora, "don't listen to him, he talks nonsense a lot—"
"Hey—"
"You really earned my respect though," she extended her hand, "beating James in chess deserves an award."
"I don't know," she shrugged as she shook her hand, "seemed pretty easy to me."
"No, it wasn't—"
"Shh," Emma waved a hand, looking at Atlas, "and you. Don't stand against Jett, it will earn you no wins whatsoever, be respectful."
"I am respectful, God," he huffed out, "what is wrong with you people?"
"Finally," she turned to Jett, ignoring him, "can we continue that story about your classmate from ages ago, I really want to know how she found out her boyfriend turned out to be her best friend's really young uncle."
"What?" Aurora and I snapped at the same time, giving her a disturbed look.
"Jett has wild stories, you should join one time," she threw an arm around Jett's shoulders, walking back to the couch.
"I'm going to bed," Aura flipped her hair, patting my shoulder as she went, "thanks, it was really fun seeing your jaw smile drop every now and then."
I swatted her hand, hearing her scoff as she walked out if the door, waiting a moment before following to head back up to my own room, all that thinking gave me a headache and for what?
I was about to head to the elevator when I passed by the gym, seeing the door opened with Amelia sitting on the floor inside, my chest tightening as I shifted on my legs at the reminder of Eve again.
Amelia.
Amelia's dad.
Eve.
Wanting to see her.
This is how the sequence of my thoughts went whenever I laid eyes on Amelia, it was frustrating. But now it was even more overwhelming since going to see Eve increased those unanswered questions lingering in my mind.
Her practically raising the girls.
Someone hurting her—
Before I could think too much about it, I got in, closing the door behind me, seeing her whip her head up with her eyes slightly widened.
"Hey."
"Hi— I'm sorry, I'll—"
"Don't," I raised my palm up when she was about to get up, walking up to her before sitting across from her, "I'm here to talk to you."
"Me?" She arched a brow, and I gave her a smile.
"How are you?"
"...fine," she hesitated.
"U was with Eve today," I started, "she asks about you literally everyday."
I noticed how her body tensed at Eve's name, her eyes going anywhere but me before nodding, "okay, tell her I'm fine."
"She wants to talk to you," I pressed, "I don't think you should treat her like that."
A line formed between her eyebrows when she scowled, "you can't tell me what to feel and not feel. I don't even know you."
"I'm not telling you to do anything," I shot back, "I'm just saying all she did her whole life was try and protect you."
"You know," she said after a moment of silence, "mum died giving birth to Margrette... I was so young then, but I remember. I remember the bedtime stories she used to tell me, and the advices she gave me," she swallowed, blinking once and her eyes turned glassy, "one of these stories terrified me, but it lingered. I can't get it out of my head," she hugged her knees more, linking her fingers together, "it was why I freaked out and left Eve that day."
"What story?" I couldn't help but ask. A part of me was curious, the other part, probably the main reason, wanted to talk about this, wanted to solve a problem. I don't know how or when this happened, but I couldn't seem to stay put when I felt like someone needed to talk, probably why Zade labeled me as the family therapist.
"She used to tell me this story of a girl who lived in the middle of the forest in a very huge house with her mother," she took in a shaky breath, "but that forest was filled with wolves, but her mother didn't tell her about these wild animals. The daughter grew up isolated from the world beyond the walls of her house, not understanding why, but she the more she grew curious, the more her mother got scared, so she..." she trailed off, taking a deep breath before going on.
"She was so terrified and desperate to protect her daughter that the day her daughter learned how to properly walk on her own, she took a really sharp blade and cut her daughter's legs in two," she took in a sharp breath when I frowned, that's a bedtime story? "When the girl cried in cried out, demanding to know why her mother would do such a thing, her mum's eyes teared up, but she only said, 'the world's too dangerous outside, I had to save you.'"
"...what?" That was the only response my brain was able to form, shaking my head quickly after a moment to process what the hell she just told me, "that's the kind of stories your mum used to tell you?"
"No," she simply shook her head, "it was just this one time. I don't know why she said it or what was going on in her mind to tell that to a seven year old, but I couldn't get it out of my head."
"What does this even have to do with anything?"
"The mother wasn't evil, she just wanted to protect her daughter, but instead she harmed her even more. Who knew? Maybe if the girl went outside there would be a chance she will survive, but now? She's stuck in that house. Forever not being able to move. What if a wolf had come inside that house, and she was all alone? Do you think she would survive? She can't even run," Amelia's jaw clenched as a tear slipped from her eye, sniffing once before continuing, "I get that Eve wanted to protect me, but it was wrong."
"I don't think you can compare Eve to this woman in your story," I simply said with no hesitation, "she never harmed you."
"She left me and my sister underneath his roof without telling me anything," she replied, "what if he had done anything to us? If she had told me before, I would have found away to leave him and live with her. Then I'd be protecting living in her house. But she left us in the dark. What if this had brought more damage than good? Forget about me, what about Margrette?"
I opened my mouth to say something but her words made their way into my brain first, giving me a moment to process them. She was scared, she freaked out. It's not about Eve, it's about her preferring Eve over her father, about her wishing Eve had told her so that she could actually stay with her instead of living with strangers.
"It's understandable that you feel hurt and angry. Eve's decision to not inform you must have left you feeling vulnerable and abandoned. But sometimes, people make choices out of fear or desperation, believing they are doing what's best at the time."
Amelia paused, her eyes studying me for a moment, eyeing me up and down before straightening in her place, "don't you, like, hate her? I mean... you were her boyfriend, right?"
"I—"
"I mean she never even told me who her boyfriend is, and I never asked, but I know it's you."
"How?" I clenched my jaw, trying to ignore how her own family didn't even know she was dating me.
"I saw this one photo in between her stuff one time," she explained, "you like like the one in it, that's why I thought you were familiar when you came to pick up Kai and Emma sometimes, just didn't connect the dots until now."
"Why do you think I hate her?"
"She said that," Amelia shrugged, "I asked about you when I felt that something had changed one time and she told me not to talk about it and that you don't speak anymore."
This was all not giving me any answers, it still doesn't prove anything other than what Eve already said. I left you, James.
"Did she, um," I cleared my throat, "did she go out with anyone else? Is she seeing someone right now? Or has been?"
"Not that I know of. Why do you ask?"
Because of whatever the hell I saw today.
They seemed recent, it was new. I knew from my work at the hospital that domestic abuse was all too common. And five days was plenty of time for someone for things to turn sour between her and whoever did this. Whoever it is, it's someone she's been around in these past five days, but from what I know, her uncle hasn't appeared yet, and I know nothing about her or who her friends are. Or if she had been with someone after we broke up like she thinks I'm with someone right now.
I don't know. I don't know anything. It's like whenever I try to untie a knot that has something to do with Eve, it just gets even more tangled by accident. All I want is to fix that, to understand. To know for sure that something is up with her. I wanted her to tell me so I could help her.
——————
A/N:
Bro. BRO.
I'm so sorry I disappeared like that, but I just started finals so I might not post for the next week, but I promise I'll try. But please bear with me just a few days. I few days and I'm graduate. And then you'll be stuck with me to the point where you get sick and tired.
Anyway, I get really nervous writing James's POV because it mostly includes politics and I hate writing it because I'm not really great at it, but I'm trying🫶🏻
Anyway, I really missed you guys. Ily.