“Here we are.”
I parked my vehicle in the garage, after driving all the way from the police station to my home. As I turned off the engine and sighed deeply, trying to relax myself a little before going inside the house, Eve’s voice broke through the peaceful silence, “do you have anyone living here?” she asked, breaking the awkward tension between us.
“Well…there was my dad. But technically a new person replaced him, his more of a room-mate than anything,” I answered, turning at my side to face her. Eve remained silent as she stared at me for several seconds before asking, “who was your dad?” she asked with such curiosity in her eyes that I could almost feel her burning gaze piercing right into me.
I shifted my eyes away from her, staring down at the floor instead and said, “my dad? His name is Doctor Sol,” I answer slowly but deliberately, avoiding eye contact because I am not sure how to tell this story without being too personal about things. I do not want Eve to see the pain behind my mask of being reminded by my deceased adoptive father, just yet.
“Doctor Sol?” Eve asked, leaning closer towards me as if she wanted to hear every single word that I said. “He sounds like an interesting man,” she added, causing me to look up at her once again. Her expression has softened, indicating that she is actually quite fond of hearing more about my life.
“Yeah, he was…until…” I started, clearing my throat and forcing myself to continue on despite feeling uncomfortable with telling someone else about my painful past, “can we talk about this another time? I am tired,” I said, trying hard to hold back the tears that are threatening to pour out from my eyes.
She nodded silently, sensing the seriousness of what I am going through. Eve does not know that I have been through a lot, both physically and mentally. She also does not realize how much I have suffered in my life until now. However, even if I see her as a valuable companion, I still want to protect myself from any more pain or hurt.
Eve was about to say something when I decided to unlock all of the doors in my car with the press of button in the keychain. After I opened the door, Eve got off the passenger seat and car, waiting for me to lead her inside the house. It is cold outside and snowing like always, so I was glad that I had the heater turned on the whole time. The warmth from the engine made the air inside the vehicle a little stuffy though, but it is nothing compared to the freezing weather outside.
Suffice to say, I am finally glad the long journey of my first day as a police detective is over, for now.
Holding the keychain with either hand, I inserted it in the closed door of my vehicle, turning the car key to lock the doors, creating a loud click in the process. Leaving the garage, I stepped out onto the pavement where I was greeted by a blast of chilly wind, making me feel like I am going to freeze to death at any moment, although that is not true. Placing the car keys in my pockets, I motioned Eve to follow me inside the house.
“This is your home?” she asked, staring at me with curious eyes after stopping in front of my door, waiting for me to open it. “I thought you would live somewhere more fancy,” she commented beside me. I did not bother responding to her question, instead, I unlocked the door with another key of mine, pushing it aside as we headed inside my home.
Home sweet home, it felt like ages since I have last been here, but still, I cannot help feeling grateful about being back in this place again. It was almost as if I never left; the house is the same way I remembered it before, except that there are loud cheering coming from the other side of the room.
“Who is that?” Eve curiously asked me after taking notice of loud cheers emitting somewhere in this house, making her look around the entire living area until she spotted a television screen showing some sporting event or something similar. “Is someone watching sports right now?” she wondered, looking towards me and then turning to the TV once more.
It is time to have Eve introduce to this leprechaun midget as I call himself to be. The only thing that I want to say about this short guy if he broke any of the rules in the house that I instructed him on. If I caught him breaking any of them, his ass will be kicked so hard even his tiny feet won’t be able to touch ground ever again. I am going to ensure this midget does not mess with my things while I am away.
“His the room mate I am talking about,” I said to Eve, “just follow me, I will introduce him to you,” I told her. Walking into the specific area together, we stopped at the foot of his place where the leprechaun was sitting down on his couch, happily cheering at sports event on the television with food scattered around the floor and the table, which makes it look like he is having a party.
“Clover!”
I shouted at him with arms crossed, making the leprechaun turn to me and smiled nervously, “h-hey lad! Long time no see arty, how’s yer been?” He asked, standing up from his seat with visible sweat on his forehead. I glared at him with a cold stare, not saying anything back to him as he just continued to smile in response awkwardly.
“Er, I could explain Adam!” Clover’s eyes rapidly glance around the trash that has littered around the area before looking back to me, “no hard feelings, right?” Shrugging his shoulders, the leprechaun then walked towards me, kneeling down to beg for forgiveness, “I am sorry lad! Don’t kick the poor old leprechaun! I will clean this mess, I promise in the name of my grandma’s cooking!” His desperate irish accent made me chuckle, shaking my head lightly.
“Alright, alright,” I sighed with a slight smile placed on my face, “it is fine. Just do not do it again, okay? I do not want you to keep messing up my things,” I told him, turning to Eve who was still standing beside me, staring at the leprechaun in shock.
“Um, are you two…friends?” she asked, tilting her head slightly to one side as if trying to discover something.
Seeing someone different, Clover’s attention on me shifted to her, resulting the leprechaun to stand up with a frown and stared at the young woman, “yes lass! The boy and I are best friends! I know him from the mental asylum where I work!” He answered quickly without any hesitation or fear of being misunderstood by the other party, “so my lady, mind I know your name?”
Eve turned to me for a few moments while I was thinking about what to say, “my name is Eve, mutant. It is a pleasure to meet you.” She replied in blank display with an open palm that extended towards the little green leprechaun. Clover quickly smiled brightly at her before a frown appeared on his face, “lass, I ain’t mutant. I am fae from irish folklore. Just because I look different, doesn’t mean I am mutant,” he said with confidence, patting his chest with pride.
Her eyes widened when she heard him saying this, causing her to stare back at me with question in mind, “is he always like this?” Eve asked me, giving me a weird impression as she was looking down at Clover with a cold gaze. I nodded with a sigh once more, “just don’t mind the midget, his personality is quite annoying but otherwise harmless,” I told her, gesturing my hands to dismiss it all, “he is like me.”
“I see…” Eve muttered, “you are both very odd, but then again, so are we here,” she answered with a shrug before turning away and started in the kitchen, “I am going to get something to eat,” bluntly ignoring Clover’s presence. This time, I saw him frowning at her before nodding his head lightly, “of course lass! You need not worry yourself about anything else!” He exclaimed cheerfully while waving his hand in front of himself as she left our sight.
“What a strange girl, almost if she was just a doll given life,” Clover mumbled to himself, “but I guess everyone has their own personalities,” he continued, watching her leave the room with slight sadness written on his face, “even though she seemingly acts cold towards us, I still feel pity for her…she appears lonely and tired.”
Huh, just like me in a sarcastic way, I thought.
“She is human, isn’t she? What happened to her that made her become like this?” Clover questioned while staring at the spot where Eve disappeared into. “Did someone hurt or abuse her?”
Clover turned back to look at me as I shrugged my shoulders, “I do not know or care to. She is a complete stranger after all,” I said, pulling out a cigar from inside my pockets as I placed it in my lips before lighting up the end with lighter.
A disappointment look appeared on Clover’s face when he heard what I had just told him, “complete stranger? Isn’t she your girlfriend or something lad?” He asked me with judging eyes.
“Well no,” I replied bluntly, puffing smoke through my mouth, “we are still strangers because she and I only met each other for the first time,” I added while looking down at him, “but enough of that, do you not have something to do? Like cleaning these mess?” I gestured my hands around to indicate the messy trash spot, releasing a cloud of smoke from my mouth.
He looked at me blankly before nodding his head, “aye lad, you are right but I still have don’t know why you would bring a stranger into your home,” his voice was heavy with disapproval and suspicion from my action.
I have many reasons, she is a valuable tool and companion; a friend in need is a friend indeed. Moreover, this Eve had the look of an exceptionally skilled assassin and knife wielding killer who could be beneficial to me if needed. It is like having an extra pair of eyes and ears at my disposal whenever I want to ensure things go smoothly without any problems, or even get rid of those who might cause harm to myself and others around me.
Still, I cannot fathom how selfish and greedy of seeing her or anyone in that matter to be more than just a pawn, but perhaps a comrade that will help me survive in this cold, harsh world of frost. Besides, I was never a good person to begin with.
“She was homeless,” a made up lie told by me, “and I decided to help her in the meantime,” I lied again, “she has been living on the streets since she lost everything and everyone dear to her.” Clover appeared doubtful about my words but nonetheless accepted them wholeheartedly. He did not appear to bother questioning further, “guess I’ll take your words into consideration then.”
Nodding in agreement, I left him in silence to do his cleaning work, going to the kitchen to grab some food. When I reached there, Eve was seemingly cutting vegetables while also chopping down large chunks of meat.
Is she…preparing for something? I thought, but we are eating dinner together tonight. The fact that she knows how to cook and clean means that she is likely more than just a weapon of destruction or assassin, but rather a normal human being with her own personality traits. If so, what other side of her personality does she have?
I walked into the kitchen, having noticed me approaching from behind as she turned to my direction, “Oh, Adam. I was not expecting you to come here.” Aside from her lack of expression, I could tell that she is…happy to see me?
No wait, that is impossible? Is she coming out of her shell or simply becoming more comfortable around people now? “Yes, Eve?” I asked, still confused about her reaction towards my presence. It is like she is trying to have a conversation with me despite how awkward it might be for both parties.
She turned back to the sink, “What do you think of this?” She held up a plate full of raw meat and vegetables on top of it, making sure that I can clearly see its contents, “I am preparing something delicious for us to eat tonight,” she bluntly said, “do you mind helping me Adam? I could teach you a thing or two about culinary arts.”
Culinary arts? Interesting hobby of hers…I must say, cooking and baking is one skill that is still seen in the world today. But sure, why the hell not?
“Sure, I am interested.”
