Inhale

"We need to go meet your friends, right? You're meeting them after so long, it's better if I go and get ready right now." without waiting for his response, Eva smiled at Gwen and turned around to hurry back into her new bedroom.

The door clicked shut behind her and she felt like she could breathe easier when his face wasn't in front of her. Clenching her fists, she braced herself to meet some new people and stepped in front of the mirror to fix her haywire hair.

Eva huffed, forgetting all her miseries and troubles as she stared at the mess of her hair.

The strands of silver seemed untamable as she tried to drag a comb through the rest. Her hand tugged and tugged and tugged harder, and after a while of trying she dropped her arms to her sides. Eva stared at the obsidian black comb with a glare in her ember eyes. It was wedged deep in her hair and she fisted her hands, not knowing what to do in this situation.

A loud knock echoed throughout the room making her jump. Eva sighed, hoping the person behind that door be anyone but Theo.

She pulled the door open and, through the small crack, saw two pretty-looking girls standing outside. They were waiting too causally for them to be servants and anyway, why would two maids whose job included cleaning, knock on her room door?

Her room was spotlessly clean, the only messed-up thing here was her...

"Yes?" she asked, popping her head out. While scanning their faces, her eyes widened as she spotted a familiar face among the two.

"Daphne?"

The shorter of the two looked up and passed a wide smile. " I thought you wouldn't recognize me, milady."

Eva parted her lips to speak but didn't know what to say. The Daphne she had seen back in the castle was wearing ordinary servant attire but now, she was clothed in casual clothes while the state of her dress was much better. The difference was why she hadn't been able to recognize her a little earlier and she once again scanned her from top to bottom to confirm that she hadn't been mistaken.

"What are you doing here?" spoke Eva, now fully opening the door for the two girls to enter in.

"I am a resident of Eden along with my sister, Fiona." Daphne placed her hand on the taller girl's shoulder as Eva bowed, shocking them both again.

"You don't have to bow to anyone here, milady." cried out both of them at the same time and Eva raised her head to peek up.

"Then why are you still calling me My Lady?" she questioned, folding her arms across her chest and looking comical with her chaotic mess of hair.

"I can see why Theodore is so in love with you." Fiona laughed out, and every little muscle in her body froze.

Breathe.

She needed to remember how to breathe.

In and out.

Inhale and Exhale.

Through the nose and the mouth.

What could she mean? Were her ears malfunctioning now? Why was her heart beating so loudly in her chest? Her fingers quivered, and she released a shaky breath out from her now dry lips.

Her brain felt like a little newborn's. A brain that couldn't work, and a body that didn't know how to function. What was she supposed to say and do? Her mother was dead... Both her nonbiological and biological parents are long gone. No one was left to spare some warmth. She was alone.

"Eva!"

Eva. Eva. Eva.

She wished she could hear his voice in her ears instead of theirs.

But they were lying.

He couldn't love her.

It wasn't possible.

Because whoever ended up loving her, ultimately fell to their doom. He doesn't love her. No one would.

Lies.

The world slowly swam back to focus as she blinked her eyes rapidly to get rid of the haze. Fiona and Daphne were crouching at a certain distance as she realized that she had fallen to the ground. Her hands pressed around for any form of support to hold onto and that was when she spotted two burn imprints on the wooden planks, deep flame-shaped scorched marks.

Her shaky pupils slowly glimpsed up at the two women who were now staring at her with anxious but fearless looks. A small part of her felt relieved that they weren't running away screaming. That would've made her want to kill herself almost instantly. It also made her wonder what things they had seen to make them so brave and unshrinking.

"A-Are you both okay?" she asked, inching further away and keeping her hands hidden behind her.

"We are fine, Milady— Eva. Are you alright?" asked Daphne and Eva nodded immediately.

"Don't tell him— Theodore— about what just happened." she almost begged, but Fiona stood up, offering her hand for her to take and stand up.

"I can't— "

"Nothing will happen." the girl assured, and Eva hesitantly touched her finger to her hand. After a minute, when nothing happened, she got up to her feet and gave a grateful smile to Fiona.

"Thank you."

"It's my pleasure. Do you need help with your hair?" she questioned and Eva managed to giggle out despite the negative thoughts that had started to cloud her mind once again. She desperately needed a distraction. Anything. Anyone.

"I'm sure I do."

"Then what are we wasting our time for? Let's get to work!" Daphne helped her sit on the vanity chair and with difficulty, they managed to get the comb out of her silver strands. Eva tried not to scream out in the process and as she raised her head to look in the mirror, her lips were a bright shade of red from the pressure of her teeth.

Silence etched on and Fiona opened her mouth to speak but decided against it. Daphne held the comb in her hand, fidgeting awkwardly on her legs as she finally parted her lips to speak,

"You don't need any lipstick then, I guess."

For the first time, Eva felt a laugh bubbling in her throat. A genuine urge to laugh as she burst out giggling and waited patiently while the two girls did her hair and made her look presentable for the strangers she was going to meet.