My Name Is Evie

Bird

TW: More mentions about Evie's previous self harm

*Evie's P.O.V*

It felt awkward to be around Lady Dimitrescu after our talk. It was kind of like I pretended she didn't exist even though she wanted to talk with me sometimes. I just always conveniently had something else to do. Like go see Salvatore. I liked seeing Salvatore especially since Mother Miranda hadn't visited in a while.

Salvatore rarely went above ground but I managed to convince him that he needed to on one of the warmer days. The lake ice had broken up enough that there were large cracks of water that separated the pieces of ice. Salvatore was part fish so that meant that he was fine in all types of water but I was not. Since today was warm enough, I convinced him to go swimming with me.

That meant I had to change into a tank top and shorts. I felt oddly exposed since I wasn't wearing long sleeves but it was nice to be able to just let my scars be scars. Salvatore didn't even give them a second glance, he didn't make any comment and I liked that. I wished more people would just ignore them so I could wear short sleeves without being uncomfortable.

Salvatore was more focused on showing me all the underwater parts of the lake. Sometimes I think he forgot that I couldn't breathe underwater like he could. It was okay though, he could easily make holes in the ice so that I could surface for air.

Honestly the Cadou might not be so bad. I didn't feel cold like I would have if I was still human. If I was still human I would have probably caught hypothermia as soon as I stepped into the icy water. Since I was now a mutant creature though, I could barely feel the cold water against my skin. We would have to do this more often.

I surfaced again for air, my wet hair covering my face. I huffed as I pushed my hair back, blinking the water out of my eyes. I was closer to shore than I had been yet today and I saw a bird sitting on a rock. I pulled myself out of the water, sliding across the ice to get a closer look.

I snorted when I saw that it was one of Mother Miranda's birds. The intelligent gleam in its eyes as it cocked its head to study me. "Hello birdie," I said as I stayed sitting in front of it. It squawked and flapped it's wings as it tried to take flight. I rolled my eyes in annoyance before realizing why it couldn't fly.

"Your feet are frozen to the rock," I said simply. The bird squawked as it tried to fly again. "Stop doing that or I won't help you," I said simply as I scooted closer, huffing when my bare legs touched the snow covered shore. I cupped my hands around its talons, breathing onto the ice a few times.

It was a very awkward situation for both the bird and me. The bird stayed still while I did it until the ice melted enough that it could move its taloned claws. It then flapped its wings, hitting me in the face as it flew away.

"You're welcome bird bitch," I called after it. I scooted back across the ice to the hole in the ice, seeing Salvatore waiting under the water.  I slipped back into the water, noticing he looked quite pleased that I had helped one of Mother Miranda's birds. I hadn't helped it to help her, I had helped it because it was just a bird and it didn't deserve to die out here in the cold.

I hung out with Salvatore for as long as I could, having to eventually leave when he had to go work on an experiment. I did not want to see things get experimented on so I threw on a dry long sleeve top and a pair of pants. I decided to walk back to Lady Dimitrescu's home since it meant I could spend more time avoiding her.

My hands reached up to knock the snow off the tree limbs as I walked past, pausing when I heard a bird caw. I turned to see the bird I saved following me from branch to branch, holding something in its talon. When it saw that I saw it, it dived down from the branch. I flinched in preparation but it just landed on my shoulder.

"Way to make me look over dramatic," I muttered as I moved my hand to take it off my shoulder. It pecked my fingers as it held up its talons. Clutched in it was a single gold coin, a Lei. I held out my hand and it dropped the Lei into my palm. "Is this my thank you for saving you?" I asked curiously.

"Yes," the voice made me turn around and I shivered when I saw Mother Miranda.

"What do you want?" I ask softly, the bird still staying on my shoulder as I talk. It seemed to like me for some reason. That was bad because I didn't like it.

"You saved one of my birds, why?" Mother Miranda asked.

"Because I didn't want it to suffer and die on a rock," I answered. "Don't mistake me saving your bird to me liking you," I said, a frown on my lips.

"Who will save you?" Mother Miranda muttered. I barely managed to catch it but her words made me uncomfortable.

"What?" I asked with a huff escaping me. Her question was odd, it made me feel very uncomfortable.

"Don't do it again," Mother Miranda. Normally I would have thought she meant me saving her bird but I could tell she was looking at my wrists. I pulled my shirt sleeves down farther.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said simply.

"Yes you do," Mother Miranda said simply. She took a step forward before seeming to hesitate. She disappeared in a swirl of birds and I rolled my eyes.

The one crow was still on my shoulder.

"You're not staying with me," I muttered. The bird cawed as it stayed on my shoulder. "Fine but you have to stay in the barn with Horse, otherwise Lady Dimitrescu might kill me for bringing home another animal," I sighed.

The bird nodded its head in agreement.

"And no snitching to Mother Miranda, what happens in secret stays a secret," I informed it. It nodded its head in agreement and I sighed. "Welcome to the family then," I muttered.