That wasn't to say she wasn't interested in the phenomenon. Eve had grown up on stories of monsters and demons and was insanely intrigued to see one in real life. The issue was simply, she couldn't afford to go out looking for the monsters, or stress over the cause for them.
Instead, Eve focused on working the few hours her job assigned her and sleeping her free time away. Because of that, she didn't have much of a social life, though she did have one friend she relied on in her darker days.
Atticus Finch had been Eve's friend through out a majority of their childhoods. He'd lived on her street during second grade, and ever since then they'd repeatedly run into one another throughout their school careers. He was the closest friend Eve ever had, even now that they were both in their twenties and he was off at college.
So, when he had a day free of his schooling, Eve happily agreed to being picked up and spending the day with him.
"So, how have you been?" Finch asked after a stop to get them a treat before heading to his home.
"I've been fine," Eve hummed, feeling Finch throw her a pointed look before he had to focus on driving.
"Well, you've been sleeping a lot more, I've been kinda worried," he said, and while his tone was nonchalant, the dark haired girl still felt her stomach twist with guilt. So, after a heavy moment of silence, she finally sighed,
"My work keeps cutting my hours, I'm scared I won't make rent and bills this month..." Finch grabbed her pale hand in his and squeezed, and that simple gesture was the nudge Eve needed to tear up on command.
"You'll be okay, if you need, you can stay with me and Nikki for a while, save up or something." He offered while she wiped her eyes and shook her head,
"No, I feel like Nikki hates how much I already visit, I don't wanna bug her more." Finch rolled his green-blue eyes,
"Nikki likes you, she's just been going through her own shit recently. I dunno what's up with her." He sighed, "Don't make me kidnap you. I will." he warned, making Eve laugh a bit as she pushed the burning urge to cry back down. This was to be a fun day, she wouldn't cry.
After that, Finch changed the subject and talked about happier things as he drove them back to where he stayed with his other friend Nikki. Once there though, Eve's phone danced with notifications almost as soon as it received a Wi-Fi connection.
When she checked it though, it was a surprising sender. Instead of her mother, the only person who messaged her outside of Finch or Nikki, it was Britney Anderson, an old friend who'd grown apart from Eve in highschool. They hadn't talked since Freshman year.
B: Hey Eve! How u been? Was the simple message on her screen, nothing special. So, she gave into her curiosity,
E: Fine, you?
B: I've been gud, trying 2 make some apologies for how I acted in the past. U free?
Eve naturally wanted to say no, she was with Finch, but her brightly-colored friend shook his head,
"See if she'll buy you lunch while you talk. Free food, man," Eve nodded at that, sending back,
E: Eh, hanging out with Finch, but I'm not doing anything, so I can chat for a bit.
B: cool! Meet me @ Howdie's, we can chat over sum food!
So, Eve had Finch drive her to Howdies, an old-western-themed burger joint that was about as immersive as it was healthy. Nonetheless, Eve found herself an outside table and waited, watching Finch sit inside and order himself some lunch since their earlier treat hadn't been that filling.
The wait wasn't that long though, as only a few moments later, Britney dropped down from the sky, her hair in a tight bun, so only a few tasteful wisps of blonde seemed to be loose around her, admittedly, very beautiful face,
"Evee! Hi! Long time no see!" She chirped, letting her hair down so that it cascaded between the massive pair of snow-colored wings that sprouted from her back and sent a cold stone to the bottom of Eve's stomach more than the use of her old nickname did.
The rest of the woman's greeting didn't seem to fully register at all. Eve was too busy feeling like her body had been hollowed out in a minute flat. Her old friend, the snobby prom queen that had made her four years in high school some of her worst, had been turned. Meanwhile, she was still a stupid human, struggling to afford a meal a day, let alone one of Britney's purses.
The rest of the encounter felt like a torturously slow dream. Eve did get free food, which she picked at while Britney rambled on about how her transformation brought her to her senses, and she was now making amends for her younger mistakes. It all went in one ear and out the other, drowned out by the harsh reminder that Britney had everything Eve wanted. Security, not having to work, and now, an extra layer of 'special' to her.
"So! Enough about me, are you changed at all?" Britney asked, taking a breath to finish off her fries and set into her burger,
"No, I'm still human," Eve said quietly, taking a bite of her burger despite how despair had closed up her throat once again.
"Awww, bummer! I was almost certain you'd turn into some form of demon," Britney said with an airy laugh, "Lord knows you're not becoming an angel, but maybe a sloth demon!" That last sugar-coated barb did Eve in. She tuned the blonde out completely after that and simply focused on not breaking down under the weight of her insecurities in public.
When Eve finally felt she'd stayed long enough to be polite, she wished Britney well and went back to Finch's with her mostly uneaten burger and a barely-restrained sobbing fit.
Thankfully, Eve had Finch to vent to on the drive back and get her mind off of the jealousy and self-loathing that ate at her for the remainder of the day, but when she returned home that evening, it all resurfaced like a tsunami as soon as she shut her front door behind her.
The house was silent for a second before a cacophany of fiery anger, icy shame, and the heavy apathy that swirled along with every other negative emotion Britney had fed during lunch that turned her legs to overcooked noodles and caused her to claw at her shirt as if to dig out all of the pain from her heart. After a few long moments though, the apathy seemed to win out and wash away the dreadful feelings in a tide of exhaustion and numbness. Leaving Eve with nothing but a sense of tearless sobs and her self-loathing.
She got back to her feet, mopping up the tear streaks from her pale cheeks while she looked around her tiny livingroom. Because she'd spent so much time at work or in her room, it was relatively untouched, and usually realizing she at least had a home brought a bit of feeling back to Eve's bones. But tonight, all it did was remind her of her inability to pay her own bills. Unlike Britney, and Finch. So, without another step inside, Eve turned on her heel and went back outside.
Sloth demon. That suggestion stuck like a burr in her thoughts, I guess she's not wrong. I do sleep a lot, and don't clean my room. She mused to herself while she walked away from her tiny house and down the street, not quite wondering, but not quite sure of where she was headed either. 20 years old, still unable to pay my rent and bills. I don't even have a drivers licence. I'm not doing a damned thing with my life, am I? The realization drug her limbs down more, but nonetheless, she pushed on.
For the entire walk, the dark-haired woman couldn't seem to quiet the dark voice in her head that listed each and every flaw she had. It wasn't until Eve tripped on an uneven portion of the cracked sidewalk that she realized how far she'd wandered.
The buildings had gone from the slightly aged homes of her neighborhood, to only a few sleepy homes and more quiet businesses that watched her from across the rarely used road with dark windows. The line-up wasn't much different on her side of the asphalt. While there was obviously some form of life on this road, it wasn't much.
For a moment, she paused her mindless exploration. The thought of going home to the tiny abode she couldn't sustain still stung her like a hornet, but she also didn't want to bother Finch after already dampening their fun day earlier. So, she took a deep breath and made a decision. Beginning to look around at the abandoned buildings until she found one with a missing window she could wriggle through, she managed to get into the musty interior of a gutted, graffiti'd building. However, she hadn't come there to get drunk or laid. Instead, she flicked on her phone's flashlight and ignored the stashed packs of beer left by rebellious teenagers to begin exploring the silent, dark halls until her light fell onto the stairs to the second floor at last.
Carefully, she climbed the stairs, finding a semi-clean bar on one of the upper floors to swipe away spiderwebs in her way. Returning to thinking as she went. Maybe I should just go home, call Finch and vent to him. She mused, But then what? How do you expect to afford rent? Food? Do you think Nikki would let you stay with them for MONTHS? The dark voice that had spoken earlier whispered, and Eve knew, deep down, that it had a point.
Unlike Finch, who'd gone to college after high school, or Britney, Eve had never transitioned to adulthood successfully. Instead, she'd stagnated. She'd never learned to drive, too anxious to try, and she couldn't get to any better jobs without a degree or car. She had trapped herself in her current predicament. Hopelessly scared and without any real independance to call her own. At least, that's what she felt. Everyone else had told her repeatedly that she was fine, that she could always ask for help, that she was doing good regardless, but she still couldn't escape the fact that she'd live a life of struggles and anxiety. She hated it.
So, Eve continued to climb up the floors of the abandoned building, using her pipe to break the rusted and ancient lock on the door to the roof when she reached it and pushing the creaky door open to take a breath of the cold night air once more.
The roof was clear of any dust or clutter that the inside had, having nothing but a rusted lawn chair and a railing to decorate it. So, leaving the old door open, Eve took another deep breath and walked on shaky legs to the railing, looking out on the city that was only about five or six floors below her, with everyone going about their well-adjusted lives.
Despite the beauty of the sight, Eve had to shut her eyes as she turned and lifted herself onto the railing.
She'd never been a fan of heights, but this was the best option she could think of to ensure her mother wouldn't come to check on her to only find her corpse. So, she pulled her feet beneath her and willed her legs to not give out as she stood on the railing, her back to the city and her eyes closed. She could feel her heart thundering painfully against her ribs, and how her hands shook, but she just shoved her hands into her hoodie's pockets and leaned back before she could think another thought.
It only took a tiny bit of movement before gravity took hold, and everything after that felt like a mere second. However, she didn't black out or die on impact like she thought she would. Instead, her whole body was flooded with searing, insufferable pain that tore a scream from her throat before she felt something inside of her get pulled into the pavement and she finally, mercifully blacked out.
