E.V.E

INTRODUCTION

-2066- VELNA MYY

The buzzing alarms sounded off, sending vibrations through the walls, floors and bars. There was a bubble of nervous laughter that followed along the coattails of a tense flinch. A female guard noticed Velna's awkwardness and gave a nod, although the reasoning was unclear but it was returned on auto pilot nonetheless. Velna was familiar enough with the procedure by now. She was directed to an empty table that she was sure she sat at before, since there was a familiar chip pattern on its surface. Tried as she might to distract herself with it, she wasn't given the time as the guard tsked her teeth to grab her attention. Following her eyes that were facing the opposite side of the room, she caught on to what induced her grimace. Velna, on the other hand, couldn't help but make the opposite expression. A fierce burn surfaced behind her teary eyes, leaving her face flushedーnot the most attractive expressionーbut the return look from Simon eased her anxiety.

In seconds, he was right in front of her; tall and lanky with brown, shaggy hair even longer than last remembered. There were dark circles under his chocolate brown eyes and a purpling line that reached from his right cheek to the corner of his lip. Hands shot out to reach his face, thumb caressing the cut in gentle motions. Simon nearly melted in her palms, his eyes closing and a long sigh spilling from his lips. Yet the intimate moment was abruptly cut when the guard cleared her throat.

"Keep the touches limited. Remember your rules," she gruffed out at Simon. With a final glare, she walked off to stand her post at one of the walls.

With the moment ruined, they stiffly took their seats at the table. She said the touches had to be limited, but hand holding was allowed and Velna wasn't going to squander the opportunity. With desperate speed, she reached across the table and Simon followed suit a second later. Velna gathered her words before taking another look at his cut. "What happened to your face?" She questioned softly.

Simon shook his head, rattling the waves on top. "It's nothing."

"That's not what I asked."

"Vel, it's fine, forget about it. Tell me about everything else, please."

His voice was pleading. The desperate tone managed to stop her short, weakening her resolve to ask more questions. Instead, she chose to clue him in on her changes. "I've gained 5 more pounds and the doctor keeps recommending a strict diet. The usual keeps going on at work. Your uncle is a saint. And you know, I miss you."

He responded with a faint smile. "Do you know the gender yet?"

The mimicking smile she hadn't realized was dancing on her face, immediately disappeared. The question was barely out of his mouth before Velna vehemently shook her head in answer. "No, no I didn't ask."

"Vel," he sighed, now sounding exasperated.

Ignoring the impending argument she could feel rising, Velna quickly tacked on more news. "I've also spoken to the lawyers."

Thankfully, it caught him off guard. "What did they say?"

"That there's promise. They haven't guaranteed anything, but you have a clean record prior to the riots and overall, you have a good standing."

"What's the hiccup?"

"They did warn me that the one thing they're worried about are the log books. It's evidence that proveーI mean, suggest, according to Mr. Ableーyou set up all those meetings." By the end of her speech, she found her voice to be practically whispering to Simon, afraid that somehow the guard who was still stationed across the room could hear them.

Simon was quiet and for once, his expression no longer looked stressed. The frown lines and forehead creases mellowed out and seeped back into his skin, reminding Velna of the youthful Simon she went to school with. It had been a very long while since she's seen this version of him. It made her wonder where he went where she couldn't follow. Because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't confess actual knowledge on whether Simon committed the crimes or not. Not that it mattered anyway since Simon didn't deem her allowed to know. Nothing hurt worse than the secrecy.