Eva stared out the window, her mind wandering behind the view and into a far away land.

Her hands were plastered against her lap as her foot tapped on her bedroom floor. She fought the urge to check her hair but couldn't. She touched it. Her delicate fingers went right through it, being once again disappointed with the lack of it. Eva didn't know what to expect, but she truly hoped for some miracle to happen and fix it.

Ashton dropped her off two days ago after that traumatizing incident. Eva frowned at the house's new attire - everything was so clean, the furniture was rearranged, and even the hideous yellow sofa was covered with a black, shimmery slipcover. What was more shocking than the neat home was the odor of a delicious cake baking, reminding Eva of all the happy memories she once had with her full family; her dad, her sister, her brother, and her mom.

Hannah used to be such a loving and a caring mother, but things changed too fast for Eva to stop it or even comprehend what was going on. Ever since Celene and Joseph, the fraternal twins, won the National Spelling Competition and earned themselves a spcial scholarship in the Elite Boarding School with the condition of keeping their grades up, Hannah was completely devastated. She was so heartbroken that she hadn't talked with anyone - not even House, her husband - for days, she stopped eating and slept all day. Once she finally got her mind off of her youngest kids, House was forced to leave and go to an emergency mission which shattered Hannah all over again.

It was just Evangeline and Hannah in the house, and Eva was introduced to a part of Hannah that Eva didn't know her caring mother even had - she was so cold and ignorant towards her, almost blaming her for her misery which was outrageous and immature. It made Eva wonder whether all the happy moments she had before with her mother was fake - of course they were! After all, she wasn't enough in the eyes of her own mother.

Hannah was smiling, face filled with pure joy, as she whisked the whipped cream in her bowl with a speed too close to being humanly impossible. Her rosy cheeks had residues of flour, and so was her red apron. Dirty dishes piled in the sink as eggshells and orange zest were messing the usually empty counter. The sight was too welcoming and home-like to belong to her ignorant mother. Eva didn't feel her lips as they quivered up on their own, and for a moment there, Eva forgot what happened to her a less than an hour ago.

Hannah dropped what was in her hand when she saw her daughter, hurrying over to her with genuine concern displayed on her pretty face. "What's wrong?" she panicked, "What happened to you?" Eva flinched when Hannah gripped her shoulder, Hannah's widened eyes scanning her entire body for injuries. "You're not hurt, are you?" Her honey colored eyes zeroed on the grey beanie. "Whose is it?"

Hannah snatched it off with no prior warning. She gasped in horror, her eyes mortified. She shook her daughter, on the verge of begging her for answers. "Eva, what happened?"

Eva couldn't keep it in any longer. Her suppressed sobs escaped as she lunged at her mom. Hannah's body went stiff and tense, but she still wrapped her arms around her daughter's neck. Even though Hannah's touches were hesitant and awkward, it meant so much for Eva. She had been craving her mother by her side for so long, so that simple hug was all what Eva needed to sooth her pain.

Eva found out the reason of her mother's giddiness soon after. When Eva locked herself in her room for her endless crying sessions, she heard her mother leaving with her car. Later that evening, when Hannah came back and unlocked the door, she was accompanied with loud squeals that traveled the entire house all the way to Eva's isolated bedroom.

Celene and Joseph were back from their broading school for the Spring Break.

Eva knew she should have went down to greet them, but she wasn't emotionally stable enough, so she pretended to be asleep. Eva was glad Hannah didn't push her to come down. She gave her the time to be ready. Until last night, that was. Eva was obliged to, yet again, tell her about Zarek.

Hannah knew who Zarek Black was - everyone who went to her high school did, perhaps even the entire town did. Zarek Black was the fearless troublemaker, the ruthless bully, and the son of Theodore Black, a man who didn't need any introduction because nothing could sum up his greatness and success. Eva was intimidated of Zarek's popularity, finding it hard to believe that he was after her; a simple, humble girl with her head down in shyness and popular only among the teachers because of her ridiculously high grades.

When Zarek's bullying last year became a bit intense, some of the observing teachers told her mother which resulted in switching classes to avoid him. Hannah was furious when she learned that Zarek was still after her daughter. Eva didn't know what her mother was about to do for this matter, but she begged her to not do anything. She didn't want any trouble, and if she responded to Zarek's harassment in any way, then Zarek would get back at her again. Frankly, Evangeline was tired of the same old cycle.

Eva argued her point that only a couple months were left from her senior year and then she would be off to university and she wouldn't see Zarek again so any arrangements were unnecessary. At the mention of the said university, Hannah flinched and nodded, seemingly agreeing with her daughter on that one.

A knock on Eva's bedroom door pulled her back to the present. She quickly put the beanie back on, making sure her hair was well hidden. She forced a smile as Joseph walked into her room. Eva's heart banged against her rib cage at the sight of her innocent little brother. Eva noted that he got considerably taller, almost as tall as she was, his muscles were noticeable through his top that showcased how serious he was of staying healthy, and his soft hair was a dirty blond, a shade darker than she last remembered it to be.

"Hey, Eva," Joseph said, his puppy eyes averted, "Would you mind if you played with me? Celene is-... Forget about Celene, I miss you." Joseph's lips sheepishly curled, his pale cheeks a bright red.

Eva's heart melted at his shyness. She hadn't seen him in two months, and she missed him so much. Eva blamed herself for her distant attitude and decided that her little brother deserved her attention. "Of course, little man," she said, "Just give me a minute."

Joseph nodded his head and closed the bedroom door behind him. It took Eva a few long moments before she mastered up every ounce of her courage and left her room.

Walking through the hallway, Eva passed her mom's room. The door was half open, showing a part of her desk. Hannah was seated at it, on her laptop as she gave her back to Eva. Eva peeked a little further to see the lit screen - Hannah was making a video call.

After a few rings, the other line picked up. Eva's knees almost gave out on her when she saw the military man on the screen. Eva didn't believe her eyes until she heard his deep voice as he spoke.

"Hannah," he greeted.

Hannah's went a little breathless, her hands sweaty and clammy. "House," Eva didn't know that one word could hold so much longing.

Eva expected to see her father laying down on a white bed in the intense caring unit, with casts hugging most of his body and tubes scarring through his skin - she even expected him to be in a coma. House wasn't in a hospital, he was in some sort of an office. He wasn't tired or ill, he was well and sound, smiling, even laughing - happy. Eva would have though her father was perfectly healthy if Hannah didn't tell Eva about her dad's condition. That must be a good sign, right?

House curved his lips in his signature boyish smile. "You look prettier than I remember," Hannah choked on her spit, making her husband - who was in god knew what military confidential office - erupt in chuckles at her reaction. House stopped laughing soon after, hissing in pain. He adjusted himself on his desk, loosening his tie.

"Are you hurt?" Hannah's eyes broke at the gesture, her panicked chest rising and falling in an abnormal speed. "How bad is it?"

"What? My injury?" House shrugged, his hand fixing his uniform. "Well, I just got discharged from the hospital and went straight for the station because I can't reach you any other way. Now, I just have to finish some paper work and I'll be home, officially a retired man."

"Really?" A squeak of hope shone through the cracks of Hannah's broken heart. "So no more unforeseen missions?"

"Yes," House said, "My adventurous days are over. I'll be back once all the paper work is done and when my health conditins allows it, but sometime in the upcoming months. This time, it'll be for good, I promise."

"Okay," Hannah took her first real breath, her shoulders straightening as if a huge weight had been lifted off of them. "But you haven't answered me yet, how bad is it?"

"I thought I distracted you," House grinned, "Down worry, it doesn't hurt as much as the thought of you leaving me for someone else. I even had nightmares about it, honeybear, and it got very intense actually." His hand removed his army hat and messed his hair, his fifty years were evident in the silver strands of hair within his brown ones. "You're a dangerous woman, Hannah. I'm afraid when I'm back, I'll find you told our kids I was MIA and married yourself off to the next best thing."

Hannah stilled. "I would never."

"I know you wouldn't," House shifted in his seat, taking a deep breath. "So, did the kids arrive okay from their boarding school? This is their first time home since the Winter Break isn't it?"

"Yes," Hannah said, "They are excited to finally be home."

"Even Celene? I know she can be hard to deal with."

"Yes, Celene is fine." Hannah paused. "Stop changing the subject, House. Just tell me how bad your condition is-"

House's boyish smile dropped, the atmosphere changing to a stiff one too fast. "I lost my left leg." Hannah gasped in terror, Eva had to put her hand over her mouth to stifle her shock. "I'm actually lucky, other people have it worse than me."

"H-how did it happen?" Hannah's voice was forced and restrained, cracking as she talked.

"There was an accident, a tank was out of control and ran a few people," House took a deep breath, regaining his childhood glint. "Hey, look at the bright side, at least it's not my dominant leg, right?"

Hannah - just like Eva - was too horrified to appreciate his attempt at making a joke. Hannah straightened her spine and maintained a levelled gaze, wearing her favorite mask of carelessness. "There's something I need to talk to you about-"

"No, stop," House interrupted, "Don't ignore the issue, honeybear, and face it. It won't go away until you acknowledge it." Eva couldn't agree more with her dad's words. That was Hannah's strategy - whenever things got tough, Hannah would just close up on herself, detaching herself from her emotions and feelings.

Hannah gulped. "I want to talk to you about Evangeline."

Hannah better not tell House what happened. Eva was exposed enough to her yesterday, and Hannah just had to make it more difficult for Eva.

House's lips turned up, his boyish features reminding Eva of all the good and genuinely happy times they had as a family. "I was about to ask you about her," he said, "How is she doing? Can you call her now? I want to see her."

Eva's heart melted at his gesture. Eva never blamed her dad for not being around. She knew his job required all of his time, unlike Hannah who would purposely invest her spare time on her work instead of spending it with her daughter.

"No," Hannah shook her head, her gaze fixed on her lap, "She's not okay."

House's eyes flashed with alertness. "Why is that?"

"Don't freak out," Hannah said, "But there's this boy-"

"I swear to god, Hannah," His voice rose. "If he touched her, he and she will be dead!"

Hannah flinched at his temper. "No, Eva didn't do anything. It's not within her to stop it anyways."

"Stop what?" House said, "If she's having an affair behind my back-"

"God, can you calm down?" Hannah exasperated, lifting her honey colored eyes and looking at the military man for the first time since the call started - no, for the first time in six months since the last video chat.

House narrowed his eyes. "Not until you tell me who this boy is."

Hannah sighed. "His name is Zarek Black. He goes to her highschool. He has been bugging her since last year."

Bullying was the right word to describe the situation, but the wrong one if she used it with House. Eva was surprised he hadn't lashed out already. The least thing she was expecting was changing high schools, that is, if she didn't leave school altogether.

House exhaled, running his bandaged hand over his hair and putting his hat back on. "What did he do?"

"Nothing major. He got her into the principal's office once. A couple of empty threats, and..."

House was pressing his lips together. He was taking heavy breaths, doing his best at being patient. Eva wondered how he'd react to the upcoming bomb. I bet the army didn't teach him that.

Hannah breathed. "Zarek cut her hair."

"What?" His eyes bulged out, "Th-"

"It doesn't matter," Hannah quickly interrupted, "She has been thinking of cutting it anyways - it looks gorgeous on her."

"That's some bull, Hannah," House said, "You seriously expecting me to buy that-"

"Eva!" Joseph shouted from downstairs, "You're taking forever, are you coming or what?"

Eva stumbled backwards from her brother's sudden shout. Hannah turned around but late enough for Eva to sprint away from her room's entrance to the stairs. Eva was so afraid she might get caught eavesdropping on Hannah's conversation with House that she almost fell a couple of times which could've resulted in her death.

Hannah's door closed, the lock turning as well. Eva's hand clutched at her fast beating heart not from how close she had been from dying but because she was doing something she shouldn't. I wish I didn't listen in. Eva regretted it, now she was bound to overthink about her dad's health condition. Eva was feeling so much pain in her heart at the mere thought of her dad never being able to walk normally again - no!

Eva pressed her palm against her lips, silencing her whispers again. She convinced herself to give her mother's strategy a try, maybe if she actually pretended that nothing was wrong, then it wouldn't hurt as much. She truly hoped it would work, she had no other solution to stop the pain if it didn't.

"Why are you wearing that beanie?"

Celene, her very pretty sister, retorted. Her silky, dirty blond hair was the perfect shade between Hannah's red hair and House's brown one. Her big, mesmerizing eyes that changed hues from subtle hazel to pastel green contrasted beautifully with her thick, long eyelashes. A black, lacy shocker was wrapped around her neck, giving her the alternative aura she wanted around her.

Eva's eyes widened as she faced Celene, her thirteen year old sister, her heartbeats so fast it was painful. "What?"

Celene walked over to her. "I asked you why you're wearing that ugly beanie," She reached out and pulled it away. "Is it because it matches your face-..."

Celene stopped talking when she took in Eva's hair condition, glaring at it with disbelief and pure disgust. Eva couldn't blame her, she was scared herself when she looked at it in the mirror. Many uneven strands were sticking out. Some were too short they hardly reached her jaw, while others were significantly longer and touching her neck - it was absolute horror!

Celene's eyes glistened with regret, but it went as soon as it came. She put the beanie back on, even though it wasn't on correctly. Eva replaced the beanie how it should be. Celene shrugged her shoulders and went up into her room, sticking her white ear-buds into her ear and humming to some Bring Me The Horizon song.

Eva wasn't ashamed of her new hair. She wasn't hurt over what Celene had done either. She was just disappointed. They hadn't seen each other in two months, and Celene didn't bother putting their differences aside and treating her elder sister nicely. Celene cared so little of Eva, if not at all. Eva didn't understand why the females in her family had a disliking towards her - Celene, Hannah, Alisha - so much hate directed at such an innocent soul.

Eva shook her head. She wouldn't let it get to her. Inside the living room was her sweet brother, Joseph, who cared and loved her. He was craving her company, and she wouldn't delay that any longer for any moment of self-pity.

Joseph spotted Eva entering the living room. The couch wasn't yellow or in the middle of the room, it was a shimmery black and in the far away corner. Eva still had to get used to the new arrangement of the decor that was done by Hannah.

Random images of Zarek standing over her in that scary cafetaria attacked her mind. His smile, which she always interpreted as gentle and sweet, started to resemble evil and sinister. His sadistic glare echoed in Eva's memories. His cigarette smell invaded her nostrils.

"Eva, what's wrong?"

She didn't understand what Joseph meant until she felt the wetness on her cheeks. She wiped off the tears and sat with him on the couch that would have felt new if it wasn't for the annoying creeks.

Joseph hesitated before deciding to let it go. He glanced at her beanie, he was about to ask her why she was wearing it but he figured she wouldn't tell him anyways. Eva was thankful for avoiding the awkwardness. Joseph pushed himself to the right to leave room for Eva on the couch. Eva ruffled his soft, dirty blond hair before sitting next to him. Joseph reached his hand to the controllers and gave Eva one.

She took it, offering a challenging smile and forcing her mind off of things she wouldn't have to deal with them at the moment. "Let's see how good you've became, little man."

Joseph smirked, pressing the start button to the video game. "You're talking like I didn't beat you everytime."