Evelia ran wildly through the corridors of the Lil' Gifted School for Lil' Gifted Kids, her sandaled feet making solid thumps at each desperate stride. Her dark hair fell in front of her face and she pushed it aside angrily, cadaverous shoulders heaving with humiliation as she blundered into a nearby empty classroom and slammed the door behind her, the notices tacked onto the frame fluttering to the ground beside her as she crawled on to the carpet and hugged her knees to her thin chest.
She felt like her cheeks were on fire – the shame of it, running from the room at a silly insult. But he'd hit a nerve, that Elijah. Old memories resurfaced and she choked back another dry sob, fingernails digging into her bare white knees. For a long, long while, she just lay there, curled up on the rainbow-patterned floor, her head spinning and her lungs gasping for air.
There came a soft creak, then the hesitant padding of footsteps toward her, and she felt something shift beside her as someone's warm presence was felt. Gritting her teeth, Evie tried to calm down the awkward, ugly noises she was involuntarily making, knowing that her nose was running and her eyes were probably ringed with feverish red circles.
The unknown person waited silently by her side as she finally tempered her mood to something close to respectable. Taking a deep breath, Evie pressed her face further into the cradle of her hunched up knees, knuckling her curled fists into her wet eyes.
"I'm not going back," she said thickly, her Irish-twanging accent muffled by her arms. Expecting her step-brother Ethan to answer, she started at the sound of a child's voice, no older than hers.
"I – I'm not telling you to go back."
Evie whipped her head upwards to see the freak from before some distance away, nervously gripping a glass sphere in his blue hands. Pursing her mouth, Evie turned scornfully away, thrusting her nose into the air.
"What are YOU doing here?" she asked coldly, still turned pointedly away. The cowed child sighed mournfully, then replied in a trembling whisper – "I came to see...to see if you were OK."
For the third time that day, Evie was surprised. She swivelled herself round and stared almost incredulously at the boy, who proceeded to go a deep purple at her intense gaze and switched his eyes to the sphere in his fingers, as if drawing support from the slumbering fish bobbing merrily in the bowl.
"But," he said quietly, rising. "If you don't want me here..."
"Wait," Evie broke in suddenly, her voice bubbling involuntarily from her throat. "Why are you still at school? I think I heard the bell ring about a half hour ago."
Something cold dulled the boy's intelligent emerald irises.
"I," he began haltingly. He shook his abnormal skull twice, then "The prison bus comes for me an hour and a half after everybody else. And yes, your buses came ten minutes after the bell." He gave a wry, bitter smile that looked out of place beneath such innocent eyes. "Your guardian managed to convince the teacher to give you some space. I think you've been here for about forty minutes."
Without thinking, Evie let out a short giggle, and the boy cocked his head in amazement as the edges of her wide lips hitched upwards again. "You said minutes like min-u-ets. Don't you know how to say simple words?"
The harsh, accusing tone returned into her voice, but it was strangely half-hearted – like she couldn't formulate the previous disdain that had laced her voice so acidly before. He didn't reply, choosing instead to settle back onto the carpet and pick at a loose thread unravelling from the hemmed edges.
Evie placed her chin thoughtfully in the palm of her hand, propping her elbow up onto her knee. Time passed. He observed Evie out of the corner of his eye, both wary and curious of her as the length of red thread continued to travel across his fingers. A ray of sunlight angled through the slatted window – it shone on his face and he turned away, attracting her attention.
He heard her mumble something under her breath and he turned instinctively.
"What?"
Evie looked a little bewildered as she slowly cleared her throat and raised her head.
"I said I'm sorry."
It took a moment for that to sink in.
"Before you say anything," she interrupted, "it's not because I ignored you. I think you're freakish, I'll admit it, and I'm not gonna apologise for it. You're awkward and socially inept, and that fish is just plain weird. But – I suppose – I'm sorry for snapping at you when you're the only one that came."
Seeing the confused expression written into his features, Evie rolled her eyes impatiently.
"Urgh. Listen. After that cretin called me –"
Her voice petered off to a choked whisper and she took a deep, soothing breath.
"Whatever he called me, there was not a single person there who even BOTHERED to come to my aid. That dumb guy with all the hair shook him up a little, but that was after Jessica Lee and her cronies had already dug the dart in. And then, when I ran in here, sure, I wanted space – but after 40 minutes, I wouldn't expect my brother or the teacher to come in; I wanted someone my own age, who'd understand. Those quiet ones who hadn't said anything, maybe. But no-one came. Then you,"
Here she looked with something akin to admiration on her countenance
"You came. You, the person who everyone hates, and who I hated at the beginning as well." She laughed then, and it was a glorious thing to see. Evie's head tossed back and her slightly-goofy teeth flashed like white stars between her wide pink lips, long brown eyelashes barely screening her sparkling gray-green irises.
"Who'da known, huh?" Evie giggled, laughing again, and to his utter surprise, the boy she addressed found something warm and pleasant fluttering in his belly, as a melody that was steeped in delight and joy bubbled through the air. A few seconds, and then he located the source – his own mouth, pulled up at the corners into an effortless grin. Before either of them could wonder why, they were flat on their backs, writhing with convulsions of laughter and absolutely nothing at all. They were both so delicate in their emotional balance before, Evie sorrowful, the boy curious, that a slight tip in one direction would result in the reaction the both produced gleefully now.
After a few more seconds of hysterics, they sat up shakily, and broke into simultaneous grins at the other's gaze.
"Let's start over," Evie promised breathlessly, holding out her hand. "Evelia Naomi Knight."
The boy glanced back at the fishbowl which he had brought in as if for an answer, but the occupant had long been asleep – it was doubtful if he had even noticed the exchange that had occurred for the past hour.
"I don't really have a proper name," he admitted, his cheeks darkening. Evie's thick eyebrows arched upwards a millimetre, then she composed herself and tucked her knees back up to her chest.
"Well, that's easily solved. I'll name you then," she continued, as if it were obvious. "What are you, an imbecile?"
She bit her lip as soon as the insult escaped and coughed nervously into her fist as an apology, flowing smoothly into her next sentence with a blush heightening the colour of the tips of her ears and nose.
"I'll call you..." Evie scrutinized him carefully, tapping her nail against her jaw. "Not Blueberry. I'm not THAT cruel. Berry?" she suggested, to which a short 'NO.' was replied.
"Don't be so huffy," Evie chided. "I'm trying to help. Hey! What about Blue? You know, for a nickname. Until you decide your own."
The boy chewed it over slowly in his impressive cranium, and then nodded in acceptance.
"Blue." Blue said, rolling each letter as it passed his tongue. "I like it."
Evie shook his hand, as if to seal the deal, and then dropped it quickly, wrinkling her nose.
"Whoops," she apologised. "Sorry. I just have to get used to you, that's all." Realising she'd offended him; she looked awkwardly away and began to play absently with a lock of glossy sienna hanging over her forehead. Minutes passed – all that could be heard was the faraway music of a radio blaring George Michael from a car parked nearby. The balmy afternoon sunlight pooled around them like a spotlight.
"So," The newly named alien boy asked hesitantly, breaking the silence. "We're - we're like friends?"
Evie tilted her head curiously to the side, her eyes bright and sharp. "Not friends just yet," she decided. She nudged his drooping shoulders and gave a small smile. "We're more... acquaintances. I think I can deal with that."
"Yeah," Blue agreed, only mildly feeling disappointment at her answer. "Me too."