The feeling of anguish of her parent’s death came rushing back to her and she flinched as if hit. Tears came streaming down her face and somehow she thought she was back in her house with flames all around, watching her mother die.

“Mother!!!” Eve screamed. “Please….please don’t leave me!!”

Eve hadn’t noticed in her anguish that a black spot had formed directly over her heart. As her feeling of anguish and terror increased the black spot grew until it almost covered her whole torso. Her screams of terror echoed off the walls making it seem even louder. In her eyes she was still in her house, the fire playfully licking at her shoes and the bodies of her mother and father. The fire was about to engulf her when she felt a different kind of warmth on her shoulder. It was comforting warmth unlike the scolding fire. The warm thing she felt on her shoulder was a hand, a strong hand that made her want to cling to it. The hand pulled her out of the fire and through what seemed like endless night until she opened her eyes and was back in the room on the floor with the chair she had been sitting in knocked over. She was gasping for breath. She looked around the room and saw Oran , with his hand on her shoulder looking extremely worried.

“Are you ok?” Oran asked in a soft tone which Eve had never heard him use before.

“I….I’m f-fine.” She stuttered, still gasping for breath. “What…what happened?”

“You screamed and when I ran in you were on the floor screeching ‘No…… no…. no... mother please’ so I tried to wake you up.” Oran said helping her to her feet. She was covered in a cold sweat that made her shiver uncontrollably.

“I… I think I’m going to take a bath.” Eve said swaying slightly where she stood. ”I’ll be fine.” She answered to Oran ’s concerned look. He left her in her room and went to go to sleep in his and Derian’s room.  She went to a door in the far corner with the words “bath room” written in gold letters on it and quickly undressed, careful to keep her balance. She soon lay down in the steaming hot bath and breathed in the warm steamy air.  Then she heard another scream, a man’s scream.

She jumped out of the bath and scrambled to find a towel, then ran out into her room. She could still hear a man’s scream echoing off the walls. She went to the first place she thought, Oran and Derian’s room. She burst through the door and saw Oran writhing on the floor in pain. Derian was just sitting on a chair, half smirking at Oran .

“What did you do?!” Eve shouted at Derian.

He just replied by smirking more. Eve ran over to Oran and put her hands on his shoulders to steady him.

“What’s wrong Oran ?” Eve asked trying to sound calm though she wasn’t.

“No...,” he gasped,” I’ll go just don’t…don’t….take her.” He fell silent on the last word.

Eve panicked, started shaking him, and shouted “ Oran !” in his ear. When shaking him didn’t wake him up she did something even Derian wouldn’t have expected. She got close enough that she could feel his unsteady breath and then she punched him right on the side of his face. “Wake up, you

Idiot!!” She shouted. “You’re making me worry!!”  Oran instantly woke up and stared at the girl who had just punched him. Eve was huffing and holding her hands in fists.

“How did….what the…what happened?” Oran asked, shocked.

“You screamed.” She stated plainly.

“I…I did? Oh.” Oran said staring at his hands.

“Yeah, now I should get back to my room.” Eve said noting that she was only wearing a towel.

“Yeah.” Oran nodded, his face turning slightly red.

“Wait, before I go, Derian, why were you smirking?” She asked suspiciously.

“I….I am offended that you think I would do such a thing while my friend Oran is in pain.” Derian replied looking shocked.

“Hmff. That answer will do….for now.” Eve said turning her back to them and opening the door. Once she was changed and settled down into bed, she heard a strange noise that sounded almost like footsteps only too light to be human footsteps. She stepped quietly out of bed and opened the door slightly to peek out. There was a familiar black cat climbing the stairs upward.