Saving Eve

4.

    (14 years later)

    "Morning Eve." I glanced up at the speakers and placed the book I was reading on the table beside me.

"Hello Dr. Kahled, how are you this fine morning?" I asked as I spun in my chair so I can look through the large glass window. Dr Kahled was an old man with hair so white that it seemed silver when he stood under light. In his hands he had the usual: a folder, a pen and a small metal tin with my tablets in. He opened a small slot in the metal door next to the glass window and slid the tin into my room. I watched as it skidded across the smooth floor and ended next to my feet.

"I will be much happier, when I see you take those tablets Eve." I pick up the tin and count the number of multicolored tablets. Five, just like usual. I place them on the table and grab a glass of water from the filtered jug that was already prepared for me this morning.

"How are my parents?" I ask as I drop the tablets into my palm and then quickly chuck them into my mouth washing them down with a glass of water. I see Dr. Kahled nod with appreciation when I walk over to the door and slide the tin back to the other side.

"Well done Eve. Your parents, they are very well. They were quite busy as you know preparing for the annual hunt." He pauses as if he is remembering something, "of course they will be coming down to see you later today."I nod and watch as the doctor bids me goodbye and slowly walks away, leaving me staring out of the window at an empty room.

"You know something Eve; I just don't understand why they can't get you a mobile phone. I mean it's just the most logical thing in the world isn't it. Get your dad to buy you a phone so I don't have to bloody walk a mile to see my best friend." Gemma rants

I burst into giggles as I watch Gemma's face slowly change colours before she ends up looking like a tomato ready to burst.

"What? Why are you laughing?" I just shake my head.

"I think the whole phone thing is really just because it's one less thing to sterilise." Gemma rolls her eyes and takes a seat in the opposite room. For a second I forget that there is a glass window separating us and I imagine us sitting together in my room, joking around and being a typical teenager. But then I reach forward and I place a hand on the window and I feel the sharp coldness of the glass and my imagination shatters into fragments.

Gemma sees my face fall and she reaches forward and places her hand opposite me.

"Hey, one day you will get out of here and that day I will take you everywhere. First I will take you to Mora's and we will order the double sundae, chocolate chip fudge with marshmallows on top," I sigh as I feel my mouth water, "then we will go shopping and then we will hit the cinema and watch whatever movie you want to."

I smiled "And then..."

Gemma lets out a laugh before leaning in so close that her breath fogged up the glass "and then we will go to the forest and I will show you my wolf."

I let out a yelp and jump from the chair, clapping my hands in the air. It might seem pathetic that I live in a pack of werewolves and I have never seen a person transform into their wolf.

My excitement however gets too much and I have to stop to dry heave when a pain starts in my chest.

"Woah Eve, are you alright?" I can see Gemma standing up, her hands splayed across the glass and her green eyes wide in fear.

I hold my hand up, taking a second to get my breathe back. "I'm fine, just a tad too excited"

I hear a door opening and then "Gemma, hello sweetie." It was mum and I look up just in time to catch my mother's anxious gaze.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" My mum ran over to the window, nearly pushing Gemma over, just to get close enough to put her hands against the glass and to watch me with wide blue eyes. "Should I get Dr Kahled?" I shake my head and sigh.

"No mum, I'm fine. Gemma and I were talking about the places we were going to go to when I get better." I turn away, not wanting to watch as my mother's face crumple and her eyes fill with tears. We all knew that the chance of me getting better and being allowed out of the sterile room were close to zero, but that didn't stop me dreaming. I dreamed that one day I will feel the grass beneath my feet, be able to look up and see the endless blue sky and feel the icy wind in my hair. But as I looked around the room, noticing the plain white walls and the freshly made bed and the spotless white tiles on the ground my heart broke once, twice and three times.

"Well I think that will be soon my darling, I spoke with Dr Kahled and he seems to believe you're making great progress." I smile and turn around, faking happiness though I knew she was lying.

"Have you finished the preparations for the Hunt?" I ask deciding it was time to change the subject. Gemma jumped up and down beside my mother, filled with excitement.

"Oh my gosh I can't wait! It's better than Christmas." Gemma screeched and my mother narrowed her eyes at the over excited girl.

"Yes, well I have done everything on my part and your father is busy prepping everything else" Mum said as she folded her arms over her chest.

I nod my head, "Is Daddy coming to see me later?" I ask, hoping that he will be able to come before he goes on the Hunt. Mum smiles, nodding her head.

"Yes of course. He's just a bit busy at the moment Eve, but he will come down before the Hunt begins."

Gemma excuses herself after looking down at her watch.

"Oh shoot! Eve I've got to run. Mum asked me to grab something from the shops and if I don't leave now they are all going to be closed in a few hours." I smile and wave as she runs out of the room, leaving me and my mother alone.

"I swear Mum, every time I see Gem, she gets prettier each time."

Mum laughs as she pulls up a plastic chair and sits opposite me. Her blonde hair was tied up into a bun and her blue eyes shone brightly as she smiled.

"Honey I think the same about you." I giggle and take a seat on the floor as I can't be bothered to pull up a chair. "No, I'm being serious, it feels like just yesterday when I had you in my hands and now look at you. My little princess is nearly twenty." I blush, and rock myself back and forth.

"What did you think of me when you first found me?" I ask and look up to meet my mother's warm gaze. I had always known that I was adopted. I mean my mother had blonde hair and blue eyes, my father had brown hair and grey eyes and there was me with the black hair and brown eyes. Oh and of course, they were werewolves and I a human. I would have been beyond stupid to think I was biologically related to them. But to me it didn't matter, they were my parents and I their daughter.

Mum pursed her lips and looked up at the ceiling.

"I thought you were the most gorgeous baby ever. You had the biggest brown eyes and the chubbiest cheeks. But you were so ill, so very sick and that made me scared. I had never felt as maternal in my life as you made me feel in that second I held you. It didn't matter that someone else gave birth to you because to me you were my daughter and I finally had you in my hands." She sighs and looks regretfully at me.

"And now, my heart breaks everyday because I can't hold you the way I did then."

A tear rolls down my cheeks and I didn't have the energy to wipe it away so it rolled and rested at my chin.

I raise my hand and place it on the glass.

"One day, mum. One day."

She nods her head but I could see the lack of faith in her eyes as she repeated "one day."