When I wake up, I hear talking.
"So you have her?"
"Yeah, I got her, and she ain't going back."
"Good. You get her to her room and I'll start making something to eat." The voice sounded so damn familiar, who the hell was it? I opened my left eye a little to see who it was, and I was shocked when I saw it was Vergil. Dante grabbed my laptop and handed it to him, telling him to bring it up to my room. The younger hybrid then got out of the car and went over to me, opening the back door and picking me up out of the car and into the cold air. It was December, I couldn't remember if it was the 15th or the 16th but I knew it was December. I immediately started shaking furiously, which caused Dante to curse and say "I forgot to bring her a jacket."
"Well hurry up and get her inside," Vergil said and quickly strode up to the door. Vergil held the door open for Dante and he quickly entered, setting me on a soft couch.
"So, she's my new cousin?" I heard another familiar voice say, and I was able to tell it was Nero because he said I was his new cousin. Dante is my dad, Vergil is Nero's dad, Dante and Vergil are brothers, that would make Nero and me cousins.
"Yeah, what are you doing up so late?"
"I wanted some hot chocolate, it's homemade. There's still more in the pot for you, dad and her."
"Her name is Evangeline."
"Okay, there's enough for you, dad, and Evangeline," Nero said and I heard him sip the hot chocolate.

I heard the sound of fabric being moved off of something and I quickly heard Nero say "Why is she so filthy? And what happened to her leg?"
"Her parents rarely bathe her and she was climbing trees unsupervised and fell from about 15 feet, landing on her leg," Dante said and tucked me in with a soft blanket.
"Well she needs a bath right now more than sleep," Nero said, with this much talking I won't be able to get back to sleep, so I stretch and sit up.
"Look who's awake," Dante said cheerily. I look around the room and start crying. The room was lit by a fireplace and the curtains were open so the snow could be watched falling. A Christmas tree was set up and beautifully decorated, there were red plastic bells hung around the railing of stairs leading to the upper level of the house and they were flashing bright lights. On the coffee table, there was this little glass Christmas village set up. I've never seen anything like this before.

Immediately Nero and Dante were by my side, I'm assuming because the sight of a crying 8-year-old draws pity.
"What's wrong?" They both say in unison. I sniffled and said "My house has never been decorated so pretty. It's always a filthy mess."
"Well this is your house now, and it's never gonna be a filthy mess," Vergil said as he came into the room. He handed me a cup of hot chocolate and kissed my forehead before turning and heading back into the kitchen. I slowly sipped the hot chocolate, which I remembered was homemade. It was sweet and delicious, I've never had hot chocolate before. Dante got up and walked over to the bells, pushing a little button I had missed. Instantly jingle bells were playing and it sounded in the form of bells. I couldn't help but smile, I've never been so happy.

Nero quickly finished his cup and grabbed a laptop off the couch he was sitting on. He walked over and sat next to me, saying "Let's watch some videos. It's close to Christmas, this time is supposed to be happy." He opened and immediately put in the password, he never turned it off.
"What do you want to watch?" He asked as he signed into YouTube. I smile and reach over, immediately typing in something
"Four Creepy And Disturbing School Lockdown Stories?" Nero said, Dante shook his head and said sternly "No. You know those give you nightmares. You woke up screaming from them a few nights. Remember?" As soon as Dante said that, Nero hollered "Jaws! Come here!" Immediately I heard claws scratching against the stairs and saw a giant pitbull come running and jump onto Nero's lap.

I stare at the dog for a long time, not sure if I should be afraid or not. The dog reached over and licked my dirty face with his slobbery tongue. When he kept licking me, Dante laughed and said: "She's getting a puppy bath." Once my face was clean, Dante grabbed some tissues and wiped all the puppy drool off my face.
"Jaws likes her, so I'm sure she'll guard her and make her feel safe throughout the night," Nero said and scratched the pit bull behind the ears.
"Why is she called jaws?" I ask quietly, still thinking I should be scared of the pit bull. They have a bad rep.
"When I first got her, dad and Dante went to go get her the stuff she'll need. It was nighttime when they left, I couldn't decide what to name her so I was just playing with her until I could think of a good one. I ordered a small pizza with no garlic so she could have something to eat. She grew to like me real quickly. Because of that, when someone broke in and tried to attack me, she jumped at him and sank her teeth right into the guy's leg. The mark she left was so huge, I knew I had the perfect name for her." Nero explained, I went pale and said "She... She bites?"
"Only bad people." Nero said, he looked at Jaws, pointed at me and said: "Sick her!" I thought she was going to attack me so I screamed, though I quickly stopped when she jumped on me and started licking me again.

I laugh and try to get her to stop while Nero said: "See, she knows you're good, If you were someone bad then she would actually attack you." He then pushed the enter key on his laptop and clicked on the video. We watched it no problem, well, except for me, really. When it got to the final one, saying how after the lockdown the principle was found at his desk with his head missing and that it was removed with a bone saw, I shivered, feeling uneasy for some reason. I looked up at Dante, who was watching T.V., and it seemed that he didn't notice.
"What do you want to watch next?" Nero asked me. Before I could answer, Vergil walks into the living room and says "I made a late snack, you guys head into kitchen and eat." Nero sets his laptop on the coffee table and helped me up, handing me my crutches that I didn't know were brought it.

I head into the kitchen and I'm in awe at how perfect it is. There is a counter near the stove and stools at it to sit and eat or drink at. My kitchen didn't have that. Nero set me on one of the stools that I wouldn't be able to get on by myself and sat next to me. there were already plates on the counter, one was mine, one was Nero's, and I'm assuming the other was Dante's. On the plates were two kinda small sandwiches. There was grilled chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and mayonnaise but I didn't know what the bread was, I've never seen this kind before.
"What kind of bread is this?" I ask, not eating and just examining my food.
"Ciabatta bread. It's pretty good. My dad just got it from the bakery today." Nero said and took a bite of his first sandwich. I listened to Vergil and Dante talk in the other room for a second before picking up my first sandwich and taking a bite. It was so good! I quickly chew and swallow and take another bite except slowly, I don't want to look like a pig like earlier. But I couldn't help that, I hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday.

I soon finish my first sandwich and start eating my second one, by that time Dante had come into the room and grabbed his plate.
"How was work yesterday?" Nero asked Dante,
"Pretty good. Some guy tipped me big, so I was thinking tomorrow we'd pick up Vergil during his lunch break and go out for lunch." Dante said and took a bite of his first sandwich.
"How big was the tip?"
"120 dollars. The guy said he was having a bad day, just found out his wife was cheating on him. He asked for scotch so I got the best we had and charged him the price of the average stuff we got, looked like he really needed it. After downing 3 glasses, he paid the tab and tipped me the money for giving him the best scotch he ever had."
"You work at a bar?" I asked,
"Yeah, pretty good job too. Because there are very few who actually work the bar and deal with the assholes, we get paid pretty big. It's only me and one other guy, the chef always gives us something good to eat for lunch. Plus we get free beer."
"What does Vergil do?"
"He works at Kolter Library. Every Friday he takes me there because they get rid of books that are either old or nobody reads anymore. I got some good ones if you want to borrow them." Nero said and finished his second sandwich. I stutter for a second, trying to tell him that I can't.
"She can barely read. Her parents never put her through school. Because she's too old to be put in kindergarten where the kids will make fun of her she's gonna do online schooling." Dante said, Nero just nodded and took care of mine and his plates as I already finished before him.

Nero helped me off the stool and said: "Let's get back to watching videos." But Vergil immediately stopped us and said: "Not now, she needs a bath."
"I'm on it," Dante said and put his plate in the sink. He walked over and picked me up, carrying me to a bathroom across from the living room. Vergil went into some room that looked like a mini library and Nero went upstairs. Dante set me on this small, plastic pink stool and filled this bucket looking thing with soap and water. After I was undressed he started to scrub me down with this weird blue sponge, I'm assuming it's meant for the body.

When Dante was done washing my back and arms, he had to dump the water out and refill the bucket because the water was so dirty. After my bath was done, Dante brushed my hair, he was surprisingly gentle, my mom is always so rough when trying to get the snarls out. I was dressed in sea foam green fleece pajamas that were a bit too big for me, making me look smaller and younger than I actually am. Dante picked me up and carried me back into the living room, setting me on the couch next to Nero.
"Ready for more videos?" He asked, I smiled and nodded.
"You guys have fun, I've got to get going," Dante said and put his coat on,
"Where are you going?" I ask, suddenly and randomly upset. Dante just smiled and said "I'm just going to work. I'll be back by 7." Dante headed out the door. I looked out the window and watched him trudge through the snow to his car.
"You guys can watch one more video, then you have to get some sleep," Vergil said and walked over, kissing Nero's head then mine, causing me to giggle. Vergil turned off the lights in the kitchen and said "I've got to get to work too, I'm gonna organize the books before the library opens. I won't be home until 2 pm, but Dante said he'll be back in time to make breakfast." With that said, Vergil threw on his coat and left the house, locking the door.

Nero found a video, '3 True Creepy Walmart Stories.' he clicked play and we immediately started listening to the stories. As soon as we got through with the second story, Jaws started whining. I thought she wanted attention but Nero grabbed her leash and said: "Come on, she needs to be walked and I'm not leaving you here alone."
"I've been left home alone before. I can take care of myself." I respond,
"I don't care, I'm not leaving an 8-year-old home alone, especially in this damn city. People like to break into houses, a few people are lucky they weren't killed when it happened to them." I force myself not to shiver in sudden fear and grab my crutches, standing up. Nero hooked the leash to Jaws' collar and puts his coat on, a thick dark blue winter coat with black fur around the neck and hood. He handed me one in my size except it was lavender with dark purple fur. He grabs his keys and unlocks the door, ushering me and Jaws out. Once we're all outside, Nero locks the door again. Then we head off down the sidewalk.

We walk for half an hour, Jaws not going to the bathroom, just sniffing everything. Suddenly I hear something behind us, it's footsteps. I try to ignore it but after 10 minutes and still hearing the footsteps I got scared. I look at Nero and say "Hey, do you watch Supernatural? They've got so many secret codes, certain stuff they say to let each other know that something is going on, something like, uhm, they're in trouble or to meet up in a specific location. Like one code means - Oh damn it." I say and pretend that my foot got stuck.
"What's wrong?" Nero asked,
"There's gum stuck to my shoe. Hey, can we go see my dad, I miss him." I say, Nero caught on immediately and said "Sure." He immediately turned a corner and walked down a short street before turning a corner again, now we're in a busy part of the city. I see two bars but don't know which one to go to. Nero grabs my shoulder and says "This way." He leads me to a bar called 'Karelian's' when we get close enough, Nero throws the door open and grabs me, shoving me inside and quickly dragging jaws in and shutting the door.

"Hey, you guys can't be in here." a waitress called out.  I spot Dante, who is now dressed in black jeans and a black tank top with a picture of a dog's head on the chest. He immediately turned his attention away from a drunk man rambling something about a horse that's gonna make everything better and looks at us. He quickly sets the bottle of whiskey he was holding down and runs over.
"What are you guys doing here? You know you're not allowed in here." Dante said surprisingly calm, probably able to tell something is wrong.
"We were watching a video when Jaws starting whining to be let out. As we were walking her, Evangeline started randomly talking about a show and their secret codes to tell each other when there was trouble, she cut herself off to say something that I knew was a code and she immediately asked me to take her to see you." Dante got this angry look. He turned to face the waitress and said: "Watch the entrance, I have to deal with a problem." Dante picked me up and held me with one arm, grabbing my crutches with his free hand. He told Nero to follow him and started walking through the bar and to the kitchen.

We entered the break room and Dante sets me down on the couch, He looks at me and says "Okay, what's wrong? Why did you ask Nero to take you here?" without hesitation I say "I heard someone walking behind us, they kept behind us for 10 minutes and I got scared. So I said there was gum stuck to my shoe, which is code for 'I'm being followed.' and I asked Nero to take me here 'cause I thought if they saw you then they would get scared off." Dante sighed and said "Well, you were right to come here. But from now on, if Jaws wants to go outside late at night, you keep her in the backyard." Nero nodded and I just remain still and silent. Dante picks me and my crutches up again and tells Nero to follow him. He walks into an office with this burly man covered in tattoos sitting behind a desk smoking a cigarette. When he looks up, Dante says "I got to leave early, my daughter and nephew were walking his dog and some guy started following them so they came here. I need to get them home."

The burly man was silent for a second before laughing and saying "Don't be ridiculous, they can stay here! They can sit in the break room and watch T.V., I'll tell the chef to make them something when they get hungry. And during your break, you can watch T.V. with them."
I liked the idea and wanted to stay but Dante said "Yeah, but I would rather have them be in bed right now. Besides, if my brother found out I let his son stay here then he would kick my ass." The burly man smiled lightly and nodded, saying "Ah, want to be a responsible father and uncle. Okay, go ahead and leave early. If y- Excuse me?" The waitress Dante told to watch the door came in and said: "This man came in saying he wants his children who walked in here." Dante was about to speak but his boss got up and said: "Go out the back, I'll deal with this bastard." He snuffed out his cigarette and stormed into the bar. I heard him shout "listen here, you moth- Let's go, now." Dante said and quickly carried me out the back door with Nero and Jaws following.

Dante quickly sped home, getting out and saying to Nero "Okay, up to bed, now." Nero opened the door and Jaws jumped out, Nero grabbed his leash and led him inside. Dante grabbed my crutches and helped me out. He led me inside and upstairs to a room decorated in pastels, it's so much prettier than my room back home. Well, this is my home now. He tucked me into bed and said: "Try and get some sleep, you've got an appointment tomorrow."
"What kind of appointment?"
"A doctor's appointment." As soon as I hear 'doctor', I sit up and screech "NO!" Dante winced as my voice is so naturally high that when I shrieked it got 10 times higher and hurt his ears.
"You need to get shots, very important ones," Dante said and tried to get me to lay down.
"No! Never! I know what happens in hospitals! I'm not going to see a doctor." I scream. Dante looks annoyed now and said, "You are going to see the doctor, now calm down and go to bed."
"I'm not going to the doctor!" I scream. Dante looked mad now, I couldn't tell if he was going to yell at me or what but Nero immediately came in and said to me "What if I go with you? I'll be your bodyguard. If the doctor does anything funny I'll kick his ass. Deal?" I was silent for a good two minutes before saying "Deal" in a quiet, scared voice.

I was about to lay down but Nero immediately called out "Jaws!" when the giant pit bull came running in, Nero pointed at me and said, "Comfort her." Jaws then immediately jumped on my bed and curled up next to me.
"There, she should help you sleep," Nero said and headed back to his room. Dante kissed my forehead and said "Goodnight" before heading to his room. I lay down and wrap my arms around jaws, the gigantic dog actually bringing comfort. It took me awhile but I was able to fall asleep, still scared about the doctor.