Mia did not immediately understand what she was seeing. "Evangeline?" Mia's voice quivered with fear and disbelief, but there was no response. She crouched down, her trembling hands reaching out to gently turn Evangeline's tear-streaked face toward her. The sight made her lightheaded, and she struggled to catch her breath. The severity of the situation slowly began to sink in. "Evangeline!"
Mia's mind raced, trying to find a solution. She searched frantically for any sign of medical supplies, but the room yielded none. Mia's gaze fell upon her knife, and with a deep breath, she proceeded to cut strips of fabric from Evangeline's skirt to fashion makeshift bandages. Mia then called Devara. "I need a medic!"
"I'll send a medical transport right away," Devara's reassuring voice responded.
Soon enough, Devara arrived at the scene, his expression a mix of concern and confusion. Not wasting any time, he smashed the window and jumped through. He found Mia with Evangeline. "What happened?"
"I don't know!" Mia cried. "I just found her like this."
"She needs attention immediately," Devara stated. " What's her blood type?"
"I don't know."
"We can find out. Is she safe to move?"
"I don't know. I think so."
Devara picked up Evangeline and carried her to the window, where a medic was waiting to take her to the medical transport ship. He went out the window, and Mia followed, grabbing Eris along the way. "Is she going to be all right?" Mia's voice trembled with anxiety.
"My occupation requires deception, but I don't like lying," said Devara. "I don't know."
They entered the ship, which promptly flew away. Mia turned to the medic, hoping for her to say something.
"She doesn't speak English," said Devara. "But I'll ask."
The medic concentrated on treating Evangeline's wounds, while having a long dialogue with Devara in Hindi. As they prepared to land in front of a hospital in Mumbai, Devara sat down beside Mia, who was clearly traumatized. "She'll probably be fine."
"What do you mean by 'probably?'"
"We'll have no trouble treating her physical wounds. You don't have to worry about that," Devara replied, attempting to soothe Mia's fears.
"Then, what's the issue?"
"This was a suicide attempt, no doubt about it."
"I don't understand. Are you saying she tried to kill herself? Why would she do that?"
The ship landed, and Evangeline was rushed away by the medic.
"Wait!" Mia cried. "Where are they taking her?"
"She needs a blood transfusion," Devara explained, trying to ease her worry. "Don't worry."
"I'm worried, and that's not about to change!" Mia's emotions overflowed, her voice strained with anguish.
Devara picked her up and carried her into the hospital. He set her down just outside the room where Evangeline was being treated. "Wait."
"I should be in there with her!"
"You'll be able to see her soon enough, but you have to wait until she's stable."
"I'll not get in the way, I promise."
"Let the doctors do their job," Devara insisted. "While they do that, you should give her some privacy. I'll have someone replace that broken window."
"I don't care about the window!" Mia cried, her emotions overwhelming her.
Devara looked at her with understanding in his eyes. "Not now, perhaps, but you will," said Devara. "Just out of curiosity, of everyone you could have called, this time and the last, why me?"
Mia took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. "I don't really know time zones, but I can always count on you to be awake. As far as I can tell, you don't sleep."
Devara chuckled lightly. "I do, from time to time. I'm just a light sleeper, and quite irregular."
"Also, you seem to really care, but unlike Dalziel and Caoimhe, you're rarely too busy to help."
"Well, you're not wrong. I can't say I'm exactly proud of these things, though."
"That doesn't matter," said Mia. "I'm still thankful."
"I help when I can," said Devara. "You interrupted a game I was playing, but it's not a big deal. Hendrika will understand."
"Who's that?"
"An old acquaintance I just reconnected with by chance," said Devara. "She lives with her sister, Alice, in the London area. Don't tell Susan."
"After what you did for me, that's the least I could do. But why?"
"Hendrika and I get along just fine, but she absolutely hates Susan, who still has a grudge against her."
"What for?"
"They're former clients who never paid us. Alice used to lead a militia against the British colonial rule in Nigeria, but now wants to open an English pub for some bizarre reason. I don't get it, and Hendrika doesn't get it either."
"I'm scared for Evangeline," Mia said.
"I know, but it's good that you got to her when you did."
"And yet, I only got to her when I did because I randomly had to get up to use the bathroom. Now, I don't even need to anymore. Ironic, isn't it?"
"I wouldn't really call that irony," Devara replied. "That aside, may I ask why you brought that stuffed cat?"
Mia clutched the stuffed cat, Eris, close to her chest. "This is Eris. She's very important to Evangeline and helps her sleep. I knew 'twould be good to bring her with us. When Evangeline wakes up, she'll be wanting to have Eris by her side."
After Evangeline was treated, Mia was allowed to see her. It would be hours before Evangeline awoke. Evangeline had been sedated as a precaution, so when she did awaken, she was very tired and confused. She looked around. She was wearing a plain white gown and resting on a hospital bed in a bland white room with no windows. Mia was at her side holding Eris.
Evangeline's voice trembled with confusion as she asked, "What's going on? Where am I?"
"We're in India, I believe," Mia replied gently. "Do you remember what happened?"
Evangeline looked at her wrists. Her wounds were almost completely healed, although there was still some barely visible scarring. "What happened. Yes. I tried to kill myself. Why didn't you let me die?"
Mia's heart ached, and she hugged Evangeline tightly. "I couldn't let that happen. I need you in my life."
Evangeline embraced her back, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you," she whispered.
"You lost a lot of blood," Mia continued, her voice still filled with concern. "I was so scared for you."
"I don't feel so bad now," Evangeline admitted, checking her pulse. "My blood seems to be flowing fine."
"You got a transfusion," said Mia. "They make stockpiles of blood on site. Also, they filled you with drugs, so any good feelings you've got right now might be due to that."
"What happened to my clothes?"
"Discarded. They were soaked with blood. Don't worry, we can get you new clothes."
Just then, Devara entered the room. "I don't mean to be rude, but if everything is fine now, I think we should leave. The hospital is quite busy."
Mia turned to Evangeline. "Can you stand?"
Evangeline nodded cautiously. "Can stand." With Mia's help, she got out of bed and stood up. "I feel a little dizzy."
"I'll support you," Mia said, wrapping an arm around Evangeline to steady her.
Evangeline turned her attention to Devara. "And who's this?"
Devara smiled. "I'm Devara, a friend of Mia's. I brought you here. I own this place. All of the services here are provided free of charge."
"Why do you own a hospital?" asked Mia.
"My first love worked in the medical field," Devara explained. "We're similar in age, by the way, and how he obtained a medical license is suspicious at best, but that's not really important. The relationship didn't work out, but he gave me the idea to run a hospital, and I still see him around on occasion. Anyway, my little sister may be selfish, but I like to help out others when I can."
Evangeline seemed intrigued. "How do you two know each other?"
Devara sighed, glancing at Mia before answering, "It's a complicated story."
"Don't be worrying about it," said Mia.
Helen and James Martella didn't even notice Mia and Evangeline had been gone until their return. The day after returning home, Mia and Evangeline were enrolled in another public school.
As they walked to their new school on the morning of their first day, they passed by a pub called the Red Lion, as it was being opened for the day by an ebony-skinned woman wearing an elegant black and white gothic dress adorned with frills. She wore her shoulder-length black hair in corkscrew curls and carried an assault rifle tipped with a bayonet. Noticing Mia and Evangeline, she greeted them with a friendly, "Hello. Can I help you?"
"Get out of our way!" Mia retorted, her defensive nature taking over. "We've got a school to go to!"
Unfazed, Alice raised an eyebrow, amused by Mia's assertiveness. "Who are you to tell me what to do?"
"I'm Mia Donegal. Who the bloody hell are you?" Mia replied, her bravado clashing with Alice's commanding presence.
"Alice Okoye, the owner of this establishment," she replied calmly. "If you had moved ever so slightly to the side, we could have avoided this confrontation."
After a moment of silently staring, Mia relented, "I guess I can't argue with that logic. Very well then. I will concede."
Alice's lips quirked into a small smirk. "I had no quarrel with you in the first place."
Curiosity getting the better of her, Mia asked, "How skilled are you with that weapon?"
"I've got plenty of experience," Alice stated matter-of-factly. "Trust me, if I did want to hurt someone like you, it wouldn't even be a fight."
Evangeline interjected, "Mia, shouldn't we be heading to school?"
"Soon," Mia replied, not ready to let go of the conversation just yet. "Alice, how would you describe yourself politically?"
"I'd say I lean toward libertarian socialist," Alice responded, not one to shy away from sharing her beliefs. "I'm definitely not a big fan of imperialism. Why do you ask?"
Mia's eyes sparkled with intrigue. "Do you think you could stand your ground against a British soldier?"
"I wouldn't even need to, because they'd be on the defensive, so—" Alice stopped abruptly. Her brown eyes widened and she clenched her fist. She seemed a bit nervous but did well to keep her composure. She hesitated a few moments before continuing. "Mind your own business and go on to school."
"Thank you for the conversation," Mia said, her voice gentle this time. "I hope to see you again soon."
As Mia and Evangeline continued on their way, Alice opened the door and went inside the building. Evangeline turned to Mia. "What was all of that about?"
"I don't know yet. But I've got an idea."
After arriving at school, Mia noticed several people were staring at her. "Why is everyone staring?" she asked Evangeline.Evangeline tried to lighten the mood, saying, "Maybe it's because you're so beautiful."
"No," said an ivory-skinned girl with bright blue eyes and long blond hair. She was wearing a blue and white frilled dress, pink stockings, and black loafers. She walked with unnerving confidence and composure around Mia, staring and getting uncomfortably close.
"Um, excuse me?" Mia said, taken aback by the girl's behavior.
"It's because of your lack of pigmentation," the girl stated matter-of-factly. "They find you intimidating. I, however, find you fascinating. Complete albinism is quite rare in humans."
Mia tried to remain composed and offered her name, "Hello. My name is Mia. And you are?"
"Nanette Windsor. I make a better friend than an enemy."
Evangeline cautiously stepped forward. "Hello, Nanette. I'm Evangeline."
"I didn't ask," said Nanette. "Nonetheless, I wish to thank you for the information. Are you her friend?"
"Friend. Yes," Evangeline replied.
"My mother's name was Evaline. Not the same, but sort of similar, don't you think?"
Evangeline managed a small smile, feeling slightly awkward. "Similar. I guess so."
Nanette walked around Evangeline, inspecting her. Evangeline was visibly uncomfortable.
"Are you autistic?" Nanette abruptly asked.
"Autistic. Yes," Evangeline answered, her guard up but still polite.
"Can you ride a bicycle?" Nanette continued with her relentless questioning.
"Bicycle. No," Evangeline replied honestly.
"Do you enjoy reading?" Nanette probed further.
"Enjoy reading. Yes," Evangeline responded, trying not to show her growing unease.
"Do you believe in God?"
"I don't know," Evangeline replied, feeling overwhelmed.
"Are you or have you ever been a communist?"
Evangeline nodded hesitantly. "Yes."
"Have you got a penis?"
Evangeline shyly nodded, feeling deeply uncomfortable. Mia drew her pistol and pressed the barrel of her gun against Nanette's head. Nanette did not seem to be afraid, while Mia began shaking uncontrollably.
Evangeline grabbed Mia's gun and took it away from her. "You promised me you wouldn't kill anyone."
"Fine," Mia sighed. She took her gun back.
Nanette, unafraid, commented, "I can tell you're both new here. You could use a friend."
"I welcome it," Evangeline replied. "But if you can't learn to recognize and respect reasonable boundaries, I can't promise I'll hold her back in the future."
"Understood," Nanette acquiesced.
"So, how old are you?"
"I'm five, almost six."
"Have you got any siblings?"
"I've got a brother. He's a scientist. I'll introduce you to him after school."
"What sort of scientist is he?" asked Evangeline.
"He's an autodidactic polymath. He'll probably want to study you. Would you submit to a brain scan?"
"Brain scan. No," Evangeline said, nervous and confused.
"Would you be willing to answer a survey?"
"Survey. No," Evangeline asserted. "I don't owe you or anyone an explanation. My identity is not up for discussion or debate. Life is short, and I don't intend to waste it justifying my existence to everyone I meet."
"I understand, and I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused," Nanette said as she took a lollipop from her pocket and gave it to Evangeline.
"Thank you."
"I want one, too," cried Mia.
"What do you say?" asked Nanette.
"Gimme lollipop."
Nanette sighed. "Here," she said as she handed a lollipop to Mia. "Just take it."
"Thanks," Mia said.
"Don't worry about it. I'm obscenely rich."
"Then why go to a public school?"
"Social experiment. Thus far, it has proved most interesting."
Evangeline turned to Mia and whispered in her ear, "I need to pee."
"Then you should do that," Mia said gently.
"I don't want to go by myself," Evangeline admitted, her voice filled with vulnerability.
"I understand," Mia replied, realizing that Evangeline needed her support. She turned to Nanette, politely excusing them. "We've got something to attend to. We'll talk to you later."
In the restroom, while Evangeline washed her hands, two other girls walked in. While Evangeline did her best to ignore them, Mia overheard them making rude comments. Mia tried to contain her anger, but then one of the girls pulled up Evangeline's skirt, while the other pointed and laughed, commenting, "See, I told you."
Seeing Evangeline blush and tears welling up in her eyes, Mia acted swiftly. She stood between Evangeline and the other girls, shielding Evangeline from any further harm. "That's enough!" Mia's voice carried a firmness that surprised even herself.
With tears streaming down her face, Evangeline cowered behind Mia, seeking refuge and protection.
"Please excuse me," Mia said, trying to keep her composure for Evangeline's sake. "Don't be waiting up."
Evangeline nodded, grateful for Mia's support, and left the restroom to rejoin Nanette, who was patiently waiting nearby. Tightly gripping her switchblade, Mia threw one of the girls to the wall, with the blade to her throat. As the other girl tried to get away, Mia drew her pistol and pointed it to the girl, who backed away with her hands up.
"You both need to learn some manners," Mia commanded. "Consider yourselves lucky. I won't kill you. Not today. Only because she wouldn't want me to. Do not mistake my mercy for forgiveness. That will never come, and you both would do well to treat her with respect, or I may not be as polite in the future."
Meanwhile, Nanette and Evangeline saw another student fleeing from others harassing her. Due in part to resembling a squirrel, Pwalvaserk Ghaqualzjiopa stood out among the other students. Her fur was soft and smooth, with the exception of some prominent scarring on her left side where the fur was somewhat irregular. It was a medium brown over most of her body, with some streaks of black and white along her tail. Without a left arm, and her left leg replaced below the knee with a crude metal prosthetic, her movements were awkward at times, but she was usually able to balance fairly well with help from her tail. Running was difficult for her, making her a popular target for bullying. Pwalvaserk accidentally bumped into another girl, who was carrying a stack of books.
"I'm sorry," the girl said.
"Don't be, I'm the one who should be sorry." Pwalvaserk steadied herself to face her. The mahogany-skinned girl looked to be about five years old, and she was wearing a denim jacket, large black boots, a black miniskirt, and white leggings featuring a colorful floral pattern. Her long, curly, black hair obscured most of her face, and she wore exceptionally large, round glasses.
"I don't believe I've seen you around," Pwalvaserk commented.
"I just moved here from Johannesburg," the girl said softly in what was barely more than a whisper. "My name is Iminathi. What's your name?"
"I'm Pwalvaserk."
"You're the first person here who's talked to me," said Iminathi.
"You're from Johannesburg? In South Africa?"
"The one and the same."
"That was where my family first landed on this planet."
"Where are you from?"
"Eenryta," said Pwalvaserk. "My parents were on a diplomatic mission to Mars on behalf of the Soeaxodo Republic. Our ship was attacked while flying by Earth, and we crashed."
"Was that the fireball a few years back that came out of the sky and hit all those buildings, killing a bunch of people?" asked Iminathi.
"Yes. Only my family survived, and with no way to make contact at the time, we were presumed dead and the plan was called off."
"Oh. I have things to do, but I hope to see you around. We should be friends."
"Take care," said Pwalvaserk. Walking away, she almost immediately bumped into Evangeline.
"Are you all right?" Evangeline asked, somewhat nervously.
"I'll be fine. Sorry for my clumsiness."
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I just wanted to make sure you were all right."
"I have poor depth perception, so this tends to happen a lot. Anyway, what's your name?"
"I'm Evangeline."
"That's a pretty name. I'm Pwalvaserk."
"That's a lovely, if unusual, name."
"It's actually a very common name where I came from. I was named after a fertility goddess."
"And where are you from?" Evangeline inquired.
"She's an alien," said Nanette, walking around Pwalvaserk and examining her. "More specifically, a Luycavin, from Eenryta."
"Um, hello," said Pwalvaserk.
"Greetings, Pwalvaserk, I am Nanette."
"What are you doing?"
"Observing." Nanette looked into her eyes, of which the right was brown while the left was yellow. She waved her hand in front of Pwalvaserk's face slowly and observed the movement of her eyes. She poked Pwalvaserk in her left eye, finding there was no response to her approach, only the contact.
"Yes, I'm blind in that eye. That doesn't mean I can't feel it."
"Sorry for the inconvenience, I was just curious."
"She's just got a bad habit of testing her ideas," said Evangeline.
"My brother says I should apply the scientific method to every aspect of life," said Nanette. "It gets results."
"Sometimes it's seen as intrusive, though. Your behavior nearly got you killed."
"What happened?" asked Pwalvaserk.
"What happened. It's not really important," Evangeline replied. "But to be fair, she had it coming."
"I'll concede to that," said Nanette. "Our friend Mia put a gun to my head and threatened to kill me. We settled things peacefully, though."
"Settled peacefully. Mia really is a good person," said Evangeline. "She was just trying to protect me."
"Oh," said Pwalvaserk. "I guess that makes sense."
"Where is she, anyway?" asked Nanette.
"Otherwise occupied," said Evangeline.
"I hope that maybe we could be friends," Nanette said to Pwalvaserk.
Pwalvaserk smiled. "Sure, just don't poke me in the eye."
"I can manage that."
"How long have you been going to this school?" Evangeline asked.
"Since the semester started," replied Pwalvaserk. "You?"
"Just started today," said Evangeline.
"And I started a few weeks ago," said Nanette.
"I'd seen you around before," said Pwalvaserk. "We're in the same class."
"You look fluffy," said Evangeline. "Could I pet your tail?"
"Sure, just be gentle."
Evangeline petted Pwalvaserk's tail. "Your fur is so pretty."
"Thank you."
"Do you like hugs?"
"I guess so."
"May I hug you?"
"Sure."
Evangeline hugged Pwalvaserk for an extended period of time. Pwalvaserk was fine with it at first, but she was starting to become uncomfortable. "Could you please let me go?"
"Let go. Of course," said Evangeline, releasing Pwalvaserk. "Sorry."
"It's fine, don't worry about it."
"Could I get a hug, too?" asked Nanette.
"I suppose."
Nanette hugged Pwalvaserk and then felt her tail. "Very fluffy indeed."
"We should probably start heading to class," said Pwalvaserk.
"Good idea."
On the way to class, they noticed the phrase "Tiocfaidh ár lá!" freshly spray-painted across a wall in the hallway.
"I wonder who did that," Pwalvaserk commented.
"It was Mia," said Evangeline. "I have no doubt about it."
Because of budget cuts, the school had only six teachers, and each class had approximately three hundred students. All of the students but Pwalvaserk were human, and almost all were Caucasian. Even then it was still primarily the very small middle and upper class of society that ever attended. As there were very few other schools, it would have been far more crowded were it not for the fact that the vast majority of children never attended any sort of schooling, as they were often more concerned with basic survival. Once Nanette, Evangeline, and Pwalvaserk arrived to their class, they encountered Iminathi. Pwalvaserk called out to her.
"Hi!"
Iminathi approached them. "Hello again, Pwalvaserk. Who are these people?"
"My new friends, Evangeline and Nanette." Pwalvaserk then turned to them. "This is my friend, Iminathi."
"Very interesting," said Nanette. "I'll be happy to teach you how to assimilate into civilized society."
Iminathi, Pwalvaserk, and Evangeline all glared at Nanette.
"Did I say something rude again?" asked Nanette. "If so, I'm sorry. I was just trying to be helpful. Let's start over. Hi, I'm Nanette. If I say or do something insensitive, please call me out on it. I want to learn to be better."
"I hope we can be friends," said Iminathi.
"Be friends," Evangeline said nervously. "I'm Evangeline."
"Nice to meet you."
Mia rejoined Evangeline and Nanette.
"Where have you been?" Evangeline asked.
"Don't be worrying about it," said Mia. "Who are these people?"
"These people. Our new friends, Pwalvaserk and Iminathi. You should introduce yourself."
"Hi, I'm Mia. You'll probably not want to know me. I hope we can get along, but time will tell."