Dalziel and Caoimhe gave Mia regular lessons in self-defense, drastically improving her fighting skills. In her free time, Mia read extensively on various topics that she believed would help her to achieve her goals. One morning, which happened to be the first of April, Mia was awoken by Dalziel. Caoimhe was not by her side.
"You'll be leaving today," Dalziel stated, his voice tinged with a mix of sorrow and resolution.
Mia sat up, confusion and a hint of fear etched on her face. "Is this some sort of joke?" she pleaded.
"I found a new home for you. Everything about the family seems to check out, and you should be fine."
Mia's heart sank. "But this is my home," she protested, her voice wavering with emotion.
"I know," Dalziel replied gently. "But this is no place for a child."
"Who'll be taking me in?"
"Helen and James Martella of Westminster."
"They're English?" Mia asked, unsure about the idea.
"Our enemy is their government, not the people," Dalziel clarified. "There are good and bad individuals in every society, including ours."
Trying to come to terms with the news, Mia nodded slowly. "Oh."
"I think of you like a daughter, but I could never be an adequate parent because my work is always going to be my priority. I'll still be keeping in contact, and if you want to continue working with us, you can. I do hope you'll be keeping up the good fight."
Her determination resurfaced. "I will," Mia promised. "I won't give up on my dreams."
Dalziel mustered a half-smile. "Good. Just don't get into too much trouble."
"Where is Caoimhe?"
Caoimhe entered the tent, her eyes red from crying. "I was here the whole time. I just couldn't bear to give you the news. I'm sorry," Caoimhe said, her voice breaking. "I'd really like you to stay, but Dalziel's right. You deserve a proper childhood."
"I'll be leaving you two alone," Dalziel said before leaving.
Caoimhe embraced Mia tightly, and tears flowed freely from both of them. "I love you," Caoimhe said.
"I love you, too," said Mia. "I really wish I could stay."
Caoimhe smiled sadly. "You're the daughter I want, but I'm not the mother you need."
"I couldn't ask for better."
"I'm really going to miss you," Caoimhe admitted, trying to smile through her sadness.
"'Twill be all right," said Mia. "I'll be keeping in touch, and I'll try visiting if I can."
"You should probably start packing," Caoimhe suggested, trying to compose herself. "I'll need to talk some things over with the others."
"I'll be fine," Mia assured her, mustering a small smile.
With a final hug and a heavy heart, Caoimhe left the tent, leaving Mia to collect her emotions in solitude. As she began to pack her belongings, the reality of the situation sunk in. A mixture of excitement for new possibilities and sorrow for leaving weighed on her young shoulders. But she knew deep down that this journey was necessary for her growth, and she was determined to make the most of it.
As she was brought by car from the airport to her new home, Mia observed her surroundings. She was surprised to see such a state of ruin. England wasn't always this bad, for wealthy conservative non-disabled neurotypical cisgender heterosexual Anglo-Saxon Protestant men anyway, although it had been in decline for a long time. She could tell that London had once been a thriving metropolis, but the devastation to its buildings and infrastructure from war and neglect was evident. The remains of buildings were covered with lichen and other hardened growths and many showed signs of structural decay. The city streets were pocked by potholes and strewn with litter, and detritus was piled up all around. Only the wealthiest parts of the London area were left relatively intact, and the sprawling estates of the rich and powerful were as luxurious and extravagant as they ever were.
Mia arrived at a small but well-kept house. From the artificial lighting and the sprinklers, it was safe to assume the house had both electricity and water. It was adequate. The surrounding area was a wealthy neighborhood with soldiers patrolling the streets.
Her new guardians, Helen and James Martella, were there to greet her on her arrival. Mia didn't care about them and didn't get a clear look at them. What they looked like wasn't terribly important, and neither were they.
"We hope you'll like it here," said Helen.
"It looks nice," said Mia.
"I don't like to brag, but we have had some wonderful luck in our investments. Still, we try to live modestly."
"I think I'll do just fine here."
"If you don't, too bad," said James. "Our son, Jaden, is a constant disappointment, but it would be nice if you can get along with him."
"I'll try."
"If you prove to be too much trouble, we'll have no problem with just abandoning you. If we could do that with Jaden, we would, but we can't. The state is providing us with modest compensation to care for you, and as long as you keep your cost of living below that amount and don't annoy or inconvenience us, we shouldn't have any problems. We're not your parents, you're not our daughter, and we don't love you. Got that?"
"Understood."
"Now, I know you just got here, but you and Jaden are going to be on your own for a while," said Helen. "Try to behave."
"Have you got somewhere to go?"
"No, we're just about to get absolutely wasted," said James. "Well, I guess that just about wraps up introductions."
"I think we handled everything," said Helen. "Welcome home, Mia."
Mia was shown to her bedroom, which was unusually orderly. On the left was a bunk bed and a door leading to a bathroom. On the right was a very neatly organized bookcase, adjacent to some shelves holding carefully lined up toys. The near side of the room had a dresser, while the far side had a window. In the middle of the room was a rose-skinned girl, about the same size and age as Mia. She was wearing a long-sleeved, orange-trimmed yellow blouse, an orange skirt, and long white stockings. She was bent over on her knees, resting her head on the floor, and facing between her legs toward Mia while flapping her left hand and clicking with her tongue to the rhythm of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture as it played on a phonograph record atop her dresser.
Mia stared in confusion. "Are you all right?"
"All right," the other girl said with a soft, serene voice. "There's no need to worry about me."
"What exactly are you doing?"
"Doing. Thinking."
"About what?"
"About windmills."
"Hello, then. I'm Mia. I'll be living here now. And you are?"
"Living here. I'm Evangeline." Her voice wavered with vulnerability.
Mia remarked, "Good to know. They didn't mention a daughter."
"Daughter," Evangeline said. She sighed softly. "Here I am."
"They told me they had a son. Where's he?"
"No son," said Evangeline. "They meant me."
"Most peculiar."
With a kick of her legs, Evangeline rolled forward to a sitting position, then turned around, sitting on her knees and facing Mia, her emerald green eyes shifting to avoid contact. Her golden-brown hair was shoulder-length, with her bangs trimmed just above her eyebrows. A pacifier on a necklace hung around her neck. She blushed and rocked her head side to side as she groaned and fidgeted nervously. "My parents think I'm a boy, but I'm not," Evangeline confided in a vulnerable tone. "I'm a girl, no matter what anyone else says."
"Works for me," said Mia. "So, you seem to have good taste in music."
"Good music," said Evangeline. "I don't like loud noises, but I like loud music. It helps me take my mind off everything else. I like kitty cats. Do you?"
"I've met a few cats in my life and enjoyed their presence."Evangeline brightened up. "There's an orange one who wanders around the neighborhood. I call her Sekhmet. She's nice."
"Could you tell me about your parents?" Mia asked.
"Parents." Evangeline took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "They don't like me very much."
"They don't seem to particularly like me, either, but it could be worse."
"What were your parents like?" asked Evangeline. "And what happened to them? I'm sorry. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."
"I'd rather not go into detail about how they treated me, as I'm not ready yet to fully process it myself."
Evangeline looked around for a distraction.
"I would like you to understand, though," Mia continued. "I don't really feel comfortable talking about my past, but I hope that someday, I can confide in you."
"If you do decide to tell me, I'm here for you."
"I'm already planning on changing this world for the better, and I'd like to be doing what I can to help you."
"Oh. That's nice."
"How can I be of service? Is there anything I should know to accommodate you?"
"I sometimes experience seizures, usually induced by stress," Evangeline replied. "You should also be aware of my occasional muscle spasms, especially if you're close to me."
"Is there anything else I should know?"
"I guess I should show you around the room."
"'Tisn't very big," said Mia. "I've seen most of it already."
"I mean I'd like to identify and explain its features to you."
"Oh. Proceed."
Mia observed that Evangeline tended to walk on her toes while keeping her heals up, and she somewhat wobbled from side to side as she walked, holding out her arms for balance.
"We'll start with the window," said Evangeline. "It opens vertically. I don't like it open, unless it's to allow passage for Sekhmet."
Mia nodded. "If you insist."
"However, if you're going to be smoking in here, then have the window open. Please do not smoke in here."
"I don't smoke."
"If you look to the dresser, you'll see four drawers on each side," Evangeline explained. "I keep my clothes on the left. I'd rather keep my undies to myself, but otherwise, I'm willing to share clothes if you need to borrow any."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"If that happens, wait for me to get them. You are free to use the drawers on the right."
"Thank you."
Evangeline then pointed out the books on the bookcase, saying, "You may read any of the books, but please put them back in their proper place when you're done. You may play with any of the toys. When you're done with them, please put them back neatly. As long as they're appropriately organized, they don't go in any special order, except the dinosaurs."
"What about the dinosaurs?"
"They are divided into Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. Please don't mix them."
"Even while playing with them?" Mia inquired.
Evangeline nodded emphatically. "Especially while playing with them."
"Is there anything else?"
Evangeline grabbed a plush toy cat from her bed. "This is Eris. You can play with her, but I need her to sleep."
"That's fine."
"And lastly, there's my pacifier," Evangeline said as she help up the pacifier on her necklace. "I'm not sharing it."
"Why have you got a pacifier?"
"Pacifier. For pacification. Why else?"
Mia chuckled. "Fair enough. You're a very interesting person."
"Thank you, I think."
"Would you like a hug?"
"I don't like being touched."
"You don't like hugs?"
"That's not it. I love hugs. Hugging is one of the few forms of physical contact I consider acceptable, but only when I want a hug, and right now I don't want one."
"When do you want hugs?"
"When I feel I need a hug, usually the result of some emotional stress. I rarely willingly hug people. I don't very much like many people. I like cats, and dogs, and rabbits, and ferrets. Oh, and I love snakes. I also love spiders, but I can't really hug them, because that would squish them."
Mia walked up to Evangeline with open arms. Evangeline fidgeted anxiously, groaning with discomfort. Mia stopped, nodded, and backed away. Wanting to give Evangeline a bit of space, Mia decided to survey the layout of the rest of the house, so as to familiarize herself with her new home. Upon returning to the bedroom, Mia stared at Evangeline.
"Why are you staring?" Evangeline inquired cautiously.
Mia quickly reassured her, "Sorry, I was just thinking."
"Thinking. You probably think I'm a freak."
Mia's tone was gentle as she countered, "No, of course not. I think you're really pretty."
Evangeline's eyes widened in astonishment. "Pretty. You mean it?"
"Absolutely," Mia affirmed.
Evangeline returned the compliment with a hint of bashfulness, "You're kind of pretty, too." For the first time, she directly faced Mia. "I can't quite tell what color your eyes are."
"They haven't got any, but they may appear different in different lighting. I'm an albino," Mia explained.
"Albino. Oh, that explains a lot. You're awfully pale, and I don't often see kids with white hair."
"I sunburn really easily. That's why I never go outside without my umbrella, which has the added utility of also being bulletproof."
"Bulletproof. Really?"
"'Tis an ultra-lightweight synthetic polymer, tougher than steel. It can stop ordinary gunfire with ease."
"With ease," Evangeline repeated.
"But probably still no match for heavy artillery."
"That's still better than nothing, I guess."
"If you'll not mind me asking, how did you know you were a girl?" Mia inquired. "I hope I don't seem rude. I'm just curious."
"Just curious," Evangeline echoed. "It's fine. Although, to be honest, I'm not really sure. What about you?"
"My parents told me I was a girl. It made sense, so I accepted it. I thought that was just how things worked. It must be weird being told you're a boy only to find out you're a girl."
"My parents see my identity as a sign of their failure and shun me out of shame."
"So, I take it you don't particularly like your parents?"
"I do not."
"Want me to kill them?"
"Please don't."
"If I may ask, how do you get clothes and other things you actually want?"
"I wear what I want in defiance of my parents," Evangeline replied. "They know I'll find a way no matter what they do, so they don't usually bother abusing me directly anymore over it. They kind of just gave up, and rarely interact with me at all anymore. What makes you so interested, anyway?"
"I've been having identity issues myself. Not on as deep of a level as you, but still."
"Deep level. Would you like to talk about it? Maybe I could help."
"I wouldn't want to be troubling you."
"Troubling. It's not. I'm not very good with people, but I like helping when I can."
"Even so, I doubt there's anyone who can actually help me in the ways I really need."
"Maybe, but it's worth a try."
"I'm tired. I think I'll be going to sleep. Good night."
"Good night."
Mia climbed onto the top bunk and went to sleep. Evangeline stayed awake, thinking for a while. Eventually, she fell asleep, too, cuddling Eris and sucking on her pacifier. The following morning, Evangeline woke up and prepared for school. Mia awoke soon after, confused.
"So, what are we doing today?" she asked.
"Doing today. I'm going to school," said Evangeline. "You're staying here. My parents have got to get you enrolled first."
"I'm already bored," said Mia. "Can't I go with you?"
"I wish you could, but no. You're not a student yet. You could get in trouble."
"Not if you just tell them I'm your imaginary friend."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"Oh. Then just say I'm your service dog. I do a pretty good impression. I think I could pass."
"That would never work."
"Don't be too sure."
"Even if it did work, I'd have to keep you on a leash."
"I'm fine with that."
"No."
"Maybe you could say I'm a hallucination, or an illusion, or some sort of special effect. That should work."
"You're still not making sense. I'm sorry, I can't help."
While Evangeline went to school, Mia stayed home and tried to find ways to pass the time. She spent most of the day lying in bed, reading. When at last Evangeline returned, Mia climbed down to greet her.
"'Tisn't any fun here by myself," said Mia. "When do I start school?"
"Start school," said Evangeline. "Tomorrow."
"What's it like there?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Evangeline looked sad and distressed.
Mia didn't like to see Evangeline upset. "Is something wrong?"
"I said I didn't want to talk about it."
Mia thought about how she could cheer Evangeline up. Looking around, she saw a spider on the wall. "You like spiders, right?"
"Like spiders. Yes."
Mia pointed to the spider. "Look, there's one."
"There's one," Evangeline said, carefully picking up the spider. "They're so cute and fuzzy!"
"And big," Mia said, a bit nervously.
"Big. I know. And pretty. Do you want to pet them?"
"No thanks. Are you sure you should be holding that spider?"
"Wolf spider. The venom isn't too bad, and they don't really bite as long as you're nice and careful and don't scare them."
Evangeline smiled and giggled as she watched the spider. Mia wasn't sure why, but it made her happy to see Evangeline happy. Just watching her and being around her filled Mia with a feeling of warmth and comfort.
Following the second night at her new home, Mia awoke in her bed. It had been more pleasant than her first night, because this time, she had something to look forward to. Mia dressed in dark pink attire, in part because she liked it, but primarily because she felt it would be most sensible to wear clothing toward the red end of the color spectrum, as it would make any blood she might get on her less obvious.
"Are you properly armed?" Evangeline asked once she had readied herself.
"My gun is fully loaded and I've got two full backup magazines. Also, I've got my knife, two hand grenades, and my umbrella."
"That should suffice. Would you do a favor for me?"
"Sure, if I can. What do you need?"
"I'd just like you to listen for danger," said Evangeline. "I can watch just fine."
"No problem. But why?"
"This city is loud and scary. I like to wear noise-canceling headphones."
"That seems dangerous. Sure, now you've got me, but what did you do before?"
"Without the headphones, the chaotic noise puts me in a near-constant state of panic. With them, I can't clearly hear my surroundings, but at least I can think clearly. It's the better of two bad options."
"I guess so."
Following breakfast, Evangeline laid out a map on the kitchen table. "Ideally, we'll take the most direct path to the school."
"And in a less than ideal situation?"
"We'll be in an Army-patrolled area for most of the trip. They don't usually attack without provocation, but if they do, we die. There's a militia headquarters nearby. They've been known to attack people passing by. However, they will not venture into the territory of the gang just up the street. They're cruel, but they won't hurt children."
"Seems simple enough."
"School starts in forty-five minutes. Taking the shortest path, we should arrive in twenty to twenty-five minutes. Detours may cost us another ten minutes."
"Seems like an awful lot of trouble to traverse on foot," Mia commented. "Surely, there's got to be a better way."
"My parents think we should endure hardships. They say it builds character."
"Have you considered at least trying to raise your concerns to them?"
"I don't want to get locked out again."
"I'll just be taking your word for it. Let's go."
Mia was filled with joy and excitement as she walked to school with Evangeline, past their posh neighborhood, through the city of rubble and ruins, where nature seemed to be reclaiming what humanity had destroyed. The streets were lined with tall, thick trees, and flowering plants filled the cracks in the sidewalks. Evangeline gleefully skipped along, her black Mary Jane shoes clacking against what remained of the pavement. Mia kept up, moving at a quick pace, and found it exhilarating and entertaining. It was unusually peaceful, but as they arrived on campus, a boy ran toward them and threw a Molotov cocktail at Evangeline. He missed, instead hitting a passing car. While Evangeline cowered in fear, Mia drew her pistol and shot both of the boy's knees. He fell to the ground. She stepped on his chest, and held her pistol in his face.
"What the fuck is your fucking problem, motherfucker?" Mia's rage resonated in her voice. "You best fucking apologize to her, and you best fucking do it right fucking now before I fucking kill you!"
A security guard threw Mia onto the ground and confiscated her gun. Mia and Evangeline were both taken to the Principal's office. The Principal was a pale old man, perhaps in his sixties. Although they did not quite understand it, something about him seemed extremely unpleasant, almost evil. He sat in his chair behind his oversized desk, staring at them for what was probably a very short time, but felt unbearably long. It appeared as though he was savoring the moment, actually enjoying intimidating the two small children. They waited anxiously for him to say something, anything.
"Look," he began, "you can have a gun, but you can't threaten other students for no reason."
"He tried to kill her!" Mia's voice trembled with a mix of anger and distress.
The Principal seemed dismissive. "It was a harmless prank. You clearly overreacted. You're overreacting right now."
"He threw a bloody incendiary device at her!"
"Well, you can't really blame him. I mean, boys will be boys. Mia, since you're new here, you might not know this isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened. You see, Jaden—"
"Evangeline," Evangeline corrected, her voice quivering.
"Whatever," the Principal waved it off. "He's always complaining—"
"I'm a girl," Evangeline asserted.
"Just shut up. Whatever that thing is comes in here almost every day to complain about being bullied."
"And you never do anything about it!"
"It's part of growing up. Not everyone's going to like you."
"You can't just keep letting this happen!"
"Life isn't fair, and you need to understand that."
"So what'll you be doing to that boy?" asked Mia. "He may not have hurt either of us, but he still did cause serious harm and damage. Aren't you going to punish him?"
The Principal, however, remained unmoved. "No. He just doesn't know any better. However, what you did was inexcusable. You're both expelled."
Confusion filled Evangeline's voice. "What did I do?"
"You're a freak and nobody likes you. Both of you may leave now. The guard will give you your gun on your way out."
The two girls left the office. As Mia received her gun, she saw Evangeline crying.
"You go on ahead," Mia said, her voice filled with determination. "I've got further business to attend to."
"Further business." Evangeline, still shaken by the encounter, nodded and wiped away her tears. "I'll be waiting in front of the school."
Mia walked back into the Principal's office with her pistol ready. The Principal, however, already had an assault rifle pointed at her.
"I suggest you leave peacefully," he said.
"I can't forgive your rudeness to Evangeline," Mia said, lowering her weapon. "Despite the horrible treatment she receives on a regular basis, she still looks forward to school. She really loves to learn. She didn't do anything wrong."
"I really don't care what you've got to say. I don't like either of you. That's really all there is to it."
"I urge you to reconsider."
"Or what?"
"I'll call in an air strike."
"You're not very good at bluffing."
Mia called Devara. "I'll be needing an air strike at this location in five minutes."
"No, that's a school," said Devara.
"Oh," said Mia. "Well, that's a bit of a problem."
"Stop wasting my time," said the Principal. "Get out."
Mia exited the Principal's office and walked briskly down the hall, joining Evangeline and trying to comfort her. Upon returning home, Evangeline just went to bed. After a while of quietly lying there, face-down, she turned over to see Mia staring.
"Is something wrong?" Mia asked.
"Something wrong. Yes," Evangeline replied. "Everything."
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"I got expelled."
"Worry not. We'll find another school."
"Another school. Why does it even matter?"
"Don't you want to learn?"
"Want to learn."
"Knowledge is power, the power to live a successful and fulfilling life. Or something like that."
"Fulfilling life. I never really seriously considered that an option. I just need a distraction from my misery."
"You shouldn't be so negative."
"I've always tried being optimistic," said Evangeline. "But let's be realistic. What sort of future have I got?"
"Your future is what you make of it."
"Or maybe I'm just prolonging my suffering."
"Life isn't always pleasant or easy. I know this all too well. But it can and does get better."
"Get better. Do you know how it feels to be told by the people who were supposed to love and care for you that your feelings don't matter?"
"To be told you're too young to understand, and to just do what you're told?" Mia nodded solemnly. "I do know how that feels. I know what that's like, to be feeling completely helpless and alone. But I'm not alone anymore, and neither are you. I've got you, and you've got me."
"Not alone. We barely know each other. You seem rather distant and detached. It's hard to feel a personal connection to you, and I still don't know if I can trust you."
"If you want to know me better, I could tell you more personal information. Remember how you offered to listen and maybe help? Let's give that a try."
"I don't think I can help you right now. I can't even help myself."
"Even if you can't help me, that's fine," said Mia. "Maybe I could help you."
"If you want to help, you could tell my so-called parents we got expelled."
"What good will that do?"
"What good. None at all, but I'm sure it'll only get worse the longer we wait to tell them."
Mia went to the room that Helen and James shared. The two were semi-conscious, lying among piles of drugs and money. After failing to get their attention, Mia left a note for them, and then returned to Evangeline's side.
"How are you feeling?" Mia asked.
Evangeline groaned.
"Can you speak?"
Evangeline whined.
"Are you going to be nonverbal?"
Evangeline clicked rapidly with her tongue, and Mia understood that to be an affirmative.
"Fine. If you'll be needing anything, I'll be glad to help you. Just use any means to make a sound. I'll figure it out."
Evangeline turned over, lying face down, with very little other motion or sound for several hours. Mia carried on with her day, finding activities to occupy her time. However, her thoughts remained focused on Evangeline. As the day turned to night, Mia tried encouraging Evangeline to do something, anything. Although it was emotionally exhausting, Evangeline turned over and faced her.
"I'm sorry I got you expelled," said Evangeline.
"'Tisn't your fault," said Mia. "You did nothing wrong. My actions were mine alone."
"But you did it to protect me. I cause trouble just by existing."
"The only ones at fault were the one who attacked you and the one who blamed us for it."
"You'd be better off without me getting in the way."
"I'll be making my own decisions. I'm trying to help you because I want to. You're not a burden. Even if you were, 'twouldn't matter, because I'd willingly accept that burden."
"Sorry."
"Don't apologize."
"Sorry."
"I'll be here if you need me. I'll be going to sleep, and you should at least be trying to sleep if you can, but if you need anything at all, just let me know."
Mia put on pajamas and placed her gun and knife atop the dresser. She turned off the lights and climbed up to her bed. She was deeply worried about Evangeline, but remained hopeful that things would be better in the morning. She stayed awake, thinking, for far longer than she would have liked, but eventually fell asleep. Evangeline, meanwhile, didn't sleep at all.
Mia woke up early in the morning to use the bathroom. There, on the floor, leaning against the bathtub, with Mia's switchblade on her lap, was Evangeline. She was mumbling incoherently, with tears running down her face, and she didn't seem to be aware of Mia's presence. Her wrists were slashed and there was blood all around her.