Notes:

Wow, almost a month since the last time I updated :/ Definitely wasn't intending to take that long! Sorry it's been so long, started uni again and then got sick on top of that. Anyway, apologies for any bad grammar or spelling, I really wanted to get this chapter out of the way and post it finally. Enjoy :)

2017

Mama misses Pretty Girl.

She's not sure how long it's been – she's only just beginning to understand what 'years', 'days' and 'months' are – but she knows it's been long. Too long.

She's learning a lot of new things. She knows now that Pretty Girl is not Pretty Girl but Amber. She'd known that before really, but only now can she properly connect the word and the thing together. A- M – B – E - R. That's what Sad Girl, Angry Boy and Worry Woman had called her. Sad Girl was Evie. Angry Boy was Danny. Worry Woman was "Mom". Mama doesn't know Mom's real name; she'd never heard anyone say it.

She loved Amber, loved talking to her. She liked Evie too. She even liked Mom although she never talked to Mama. She usually watched from a distance, her teeth nibbling at her lip and nails, all worry. As for Danny - he ignored Mama, so she ignored him.

But Amber was different. Amber was her best friend. When Mama first went to live at the zoo, she'd been so lonely. None of the humans talked to her with the hand-talk like they did at her old home. None of the other stupid gorillas understood her either, staring at her with empty faces whenever she tried to speak to them. She couldn't play on her buttons or learn more hand-talk with her friend Frankie. She couldn't leave the big glass box or the big metal cage outside and tickle her feet on the grass. She couldn't play with the silly little humans banging on the glass. She couldn't do anything. She never knew why. She hadn't been a bad girl. She had tried so hard to be good, but they took her away from Frankie anyway.

Then she met Amber. And she did the hand-talk too! And she understood her! Mama was so happy to find a new friend she could have burst! They would talk and talk through the glass and sometimes they'd play chase, Mama running around the glass box and hiding in the corners, Amber toddling after her, laughing. She would be so sad when Amber had to leave, and she would wait and wait for Amber to come back so they could talk and play again. And time and time again she'd come back, getting a little bigger each time.

Amber often reminded Mama of a little baby with her sweet smiles and giggles. She'd wanted a baby ever since she was a little baby girl like Amber. She dreamed of having a tiny baby of her own to take care of and tickle. It would be easy to think of Amber as her little baby, but she knew that she wasn't true. Amber's mother was Mom. Amber could never be her baby.

Big Poppa and she tried many times to have a baby. She hadn't liked Poppa when they met – he was bossy and didn't understand when she told him to go away. She had to bite him a couple of times and he would jump back all surprised but then he would lumber away, never hitting her back. After a while, when she was felt her loneliest, Mama let him get closer and he would groom her ever so gently. Poppa was dumb like the other gorillas, but he was nice, and he was friendly to Amber and Evie so she decided that he could be her boyfriend like Frankie had talked about.

They tried and they tried, and Mama got sad, thinking that the baby would never come. And then one day her belly got all big and just like that, a baby was pushing out of her! It hurt a lot, but Mama didn't care, she finally had everything she wanted. Her little baby boy. Before she just called him 'Boy' but as she thought back she remembered that the keepers had called him something strange: S -U – G – R – I – V – A. She liked that name, so she kept it.

She'd been so excited to show Amber and Evie what a cute little baby boy she'd made. It made her so happy, seeing Amber, Evie and Sugriva meet for the first time and she knew that they were special to each other, that they were tied somehow. Brother and sisters with no blood. Then that stupid child bashed and crashed on the glass, shouting and taunting Poppa. Mama couldn't make him understand that it was bad to hurt the humans – she could only watch as he launched himself at the glass, enraged. The glass cracked like a spider web and everyone was screaming and running. Amber was the only one not running away, signing to them, trying to calm Poppa down. It didn't help though – the people still yelled and rushed. She looked at Mom and Evie to help but they were scared too, their faces white. That's the last time she saw Amber and Evie, tears running down their faces, being dragged away by Mom.

She doesn't remember much after that. After all the people had run away, it was quiet, and Mama had hoped that they would be left alone. Gently tucking Sugriva behind her back, she'd slowly crept up to Poppa, seeing if he'd calmed down. He flinched when she touched his shoulder but relaxed as Sugriva's face peeked over her shoulder at him. Trying to soothe him, she pulled him forward and tenderly brought their foreheads together. She barely registered the sound of the shot and the sting in her back when it all went black.

When she woken up, it was dark, and she wasn't in the glass cage anymore. She felt really sleepy and her eyes kept closing. There was a whimper and Mama could dimly see Sugriva burrowing into her breast through blurred eyes. She couldn't see Poppa anywhere. When she tried to stand up, her eyes filled with dots and her head knocked against something hard. Feeling panicked, Mama slammed her fists against the walls and ceiling, scrabbling around the confined box. Feeling gaps in between the bars of the door, she yanked at them, struggling to get out. But they didn't budge. And so they were trapped in the metal box.

They have never left the box. Her keeper, the nice man, would appear and give Mama food and water. A lot of the time, the food and the water would taste funny and feel grainy in her mouth, but she ate it anyway. She liked her keeper and she trusted him. As soon as she had, Mama would feel tired, tired and sick and she would lay down, her head pounding. Sugriva would spin around her, poking and shaking her, striving to get her up and she would pat at him feebly, not having the strength to do anything else. She'd stay awake though – she'd had enough of sleeping.

Sometimes, she would smell Poppa or think she could hear his muffled roars. She would long for him to come and rescue her and Sugriva, but he never did. Only the keeper would come, looking more drained and dejected every time. Then one day, the keeper came to her, bringing food and water as per usual. He was pale and his eyes were red and watery. Instead of simply handing her the food and water and leaving, he knelt down and spoke quietly to Mama.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as if he knew she could understand him. "I'm sorry about this it's … we had to keep you here until that stuff with the kid died down. It was the little fuckers fault, but we had to stop them putting you all down."

He glanced around uneasily. "Though I guess it's safer for you here than it is out there right now."

He chuckled darkly, triggering him to cough violently as if he'd choked on his laughter. "Not that you'll get sick. That's just the rest of us puny humans."

He coughed again and his breath rattled.

"They'll be coming. Dumb asses think that you're the ones spreading the Flu. Even though we're the ones that made it. And spreading it. At least I'm smart enough to know that. Simian Flu my ass …"

He trailed off, a line of red running down his nose. He gazed back at Mama and smiled at her sadly. "Huh. And now I'm talking to a gorilla. I guess this shit really does make you go crazy." His words slurred and his eyelids drooped. "But don't worry. I won't let them hurt you." And with that, he lurched away, his back heaving like he was crying. As she watched him go, she ran her fingers down the bars, smearing the blood he'd coughed onto them. She never saw him again.

For a while, no one came to feed Mama with the weird food. Her throat dried up and her belly started to hurt. It was so much worse than what the weird food did to her, and she wished that the keeper would bring her some. She didn't care if it made her sick or dizzy, she would eat it, she would eat it ALL, just anything but this. She tried to make sure that Sugriva was fed but soon her milk was drying up and suddenly she understood that they would both die here.

Please, she signed weakly to the air. Mama eat. Mama good.

And then - a lot of big bangs and shouts. Mama was overjoyed. The keeper had come back for them! Managing to lift her head, Mama peered out of the bars expectantly, only to see a stranger with a sharp, mean face staring back at her. She wasn't happy to see him, but he seemed happy to see her. He called out and two other men appeared, grinning at her menacingly.

"Looks like we've hit the jackpot!" the man snickered, and Mama recoiled in terror.

They lifted the metal box up and out of the darkroom, knocking Mama and Sugriva about as they did. Fleetingly, she felt the warmth of the sun on her face and cool air flowing through the bars and she limply reached for the outside she missed so much. But it didn't last long - heaving them into a much bigger box, the men roughly pushed them in and slammed the big doors, sharply cutting off the light and the air. Mama desperately wanted to cry then, like humans did, but she couldn't. She whimpered instead, holding Sugriva closer to her.

It was then that she heard a quiet gurgle in the darkness and a familiar scent washed over her. Lifting herself up onto her elbows, Mama squinted into the dark, spotting a shiny box like theirs right beside them. Another rumble rang out and a large shadow shuffled towards the bars of the other box.

Poppa.

Mama shrieked and leapt towards him, frantically pressing up against the bars trying to reach him. Stretching out his arm, their fingers just touched, fingertips brushing against each other. His face was gaunt, his eyes large and dull. But it didn't matter. She'd gotten Poppa back and he was alive. That's all that mattered.

Later, the men fed them and gave them water. Bit by bit, Mama felt strength ebbing back into her. Though the food was different from what they usually ate (human food) it didn't taste like weird or make her sick, so she ate it ravenously, not wasting a single crumb. The men made sure that they were fed and watered every day, checking up on them several times a day. This should have made her feel like they were being cared for, like they were safe. It didn't. She'd heard the men talking before and while she didn't understand everything they said, she knew enough to realize that the men wanted them for something. Several times she'd heard them whispering about selling them to a lab down south that was offering ransoms for apes. She wasn't sure what the lab was, but she assumed it was nothing good.

And they are still here now. They haven't left the van or their cages, not once. The only times they get to see the outside is when the men open the van doors, though they always shut them right away. They're hiding them, keeping them hidden from other humans. It's because other humans might hurt them, like the ones the keeper talked about. She'd realised a while ago that the keeper had been protecting them from these people and that he had probably died defending them, not leaving them to die. It'd made her feel sad and that time she was able to cry, water running down her face. But it made her think too. If humans got sick and died and apes didn't die, had it done something to them too? Mama could remember and understand things she had never even thought of. Poppa had taken to sign as he had never had, mimicking her perfectly. Sugriva was the same – he could sign a couple of words now. But more than that – all their eyes had turned green. She'd noticed it in Sugriva's eyes first, the brilliant emerald flashing at her as he'd gazed at her adoringly. Poppa's eyes followed and not soon after he was able to sign to her that her eyes had changed too.

She's thinking about this when the van rapidly brakes, flinging their cages into the walls. There's yelling and screaming and big bangs – guns. Abruptly the shouts cut off and a wail rises up, full of fear and grief. Mama shudders and she worries about what the men are doing. There's more sobbing and she hears a dragging sound against the pavement outside. Poppa sits up, alert. They hear more dragging before the men huff and heave and drop something to the side with a thump. The men talk amongst themselves, laughing before scuffing back to the front of the van.

Someone's crying – a girl – and a slightly deeper voice – a boy – is begging. The men are talking again, and they shout at them, telling them to shut up.

Poppa stiffens; cocking her head, Mama can hear slight footsteps coming towards the van doors. It's not any of the men – the steps are too light. Whoever it is opens the doors gradually, trying to open them as quietly as possible. The doors creak anyway, and the person carefully pulls the doors back.

The lights in the van's interior blink on and they squint against the harsh shine. Mama forces her eyes open. The sky is dark, the road stretching under the van illuminated only by the dim glow of the van. The red lights of the back of the van shine on the person's face, shimmering in their golden curls.

Mama, Amber says.

All in all, Maurice was feeling pleased with himself. Ever since he'd suggested that Eve help him with classes, the children were learning more than he could ever teach them and he'd gained himself a new helper.

Eve had been hesitant at first, saying that she only had a basic knowledge at best of the things she knew and that she hadn't even finished school. Maurice, however, suspected she was just being modest. Even if Eve wasn't as clever as she appeared, she was a human with a human education which meant she automatically knew more about the world than any ape did.

After much persuading on Maurice's part, Eve agreed, seemingly glad to help. I would say that I'm doing it to be a good neighbour and all that but I'm just happy to work with cute kids all day, Eve had joked to Maurice, a humorously sly look on her face, and to his surprise, he had laughed.

Eve was a strange human, there was no doubt about that. If being the only human in the village bothered her, she didn't show it. Maurice still hadn't really gotten over the shock he felt whenever she spoke to him or other apes, looking them in the eye and talking to them as if they were human too. Not once in Maurice's life had a human spoken to him like that. It always one of two things – the harsh shouts and insults as they tried to beat the circus tricks into him or the stupid-speak the audience would use on him, oohing and aahing at him, jabbing and jabbering at him to do something stupid monkey! Somehow the stupid-speak was worse; whereas the trainers would leave him alone once he did their silly tricks, the cheers and shrieks of the crowd were relentless, taunting him for hours.

So it was … unusual to see Eve at such ease with the apes. Her relationship with the troop was especially bizarre. There had been many times where Maurice spied Eve casually reaching her arm around Sugriva's shoulders to give him a brief hug or smacking a kiss on Sky's cheek. The troop obviously had a deeper attachment to Eve than other apes in the village and liked to throng around her when they were resting in the courtyard, ignoring the apes that didn't dare go near.

Travis was particularly close to Eve and took great pains to stay by her side as much as possible. His behaviour reminded Maurice of a male protecting his mate and he wondered whether Eve and Travis' closeness was more meaningful than he'd assumed. Human and ape relationships were utterly unheard of in the village and most (if not all) apes would be appalled by the very idea of it. But Maurice had to admit it made sense. Out of all the troop, Travis was by far the most human, preferring to walk and talk like them. He also seemed to know more about humans and their culture than any other ape, even more so than Caesar. Maurice remembered Rocket once asking about the grey in Eve's hair as he'd never seen grey hair in a human so young and Eve replying in a deadpan tone that it was probably the trauma. When Rocket hadn't reacted, Eve quickly corrected herself, saying that the flu had undoubtedly put stress on her body which showed in her hair. Rocket had then asked her whether it worried her, perhaps echoing his own insecurities about his hair – or the lack of it – and Eve had shrugged, telling him that if it didn't affect her in a major way then it would be fine. Almost as an afterthought, Eve had mumbled to herself that "at least I look like the cool dragon lady from Game of Thrones" and Travis had guffawed as if he knew what she meant.

It was all understandable, Maurice supposed. From what the troop had said, Eve had been the one to free them from the lab, though she tried her best to play down her role in it. And from what she had said herself, humanity had been far crueller to her than any ape had. So maybe it made sense that had found each other. Maybe they represented something Maurice had never even considered before – a world where humans and apes could coexist.

For the most part, Eve helped the children during classes, showing them how to do numbers and letters. She was also teaching them more sign language, showing them how to sign more complex words and phrases. Maurice thought it would be good for Eve to teach them how to speak as well. While the adult apes could obviously talk, they didn't like to do it as it needlessly strained their throats to say a couple of words that easily could have been said in sign. In comparison, the children took better to talking out loud and he thought that it would be useful for apes to know spoken and sign language, specifically for apes that were blind or unable to sign. And who better to do it than a human?

As expected, some of the children's parents did not like the fact that a human was anywhere near their children and complained to Maurice, sometimes right in front of Eve. While he did his best to reassure them, he would lose his temper with the ones that openly insulted Eve. Eve never retaliated, keeping her face carefully blank, and would look away as if ashamed, repeatedly having to tell the troop – Travis – to back down. This infuriated Maurice and he would curtly tell them to mind their language in front of Sky, forever perched on Eve's shoulder, and to speak to Caesar if they had any concerns. Eve would look at Maurice, surprised by his intervention but grateful all the same, and he would suddenly see a much younger, vulnerable girl in front of him than the brave, hardened woman the troop respected. It reminded him that for all she had been through she was still a young girl.

Of course, several of the parents did complain to Caesar about Eve, prompting him to ask Maurice and her about what they were doing. While Eve was quite happy to step down if the parents were uncomfortable with her teaching their children, Maurice was far more stubborn, arguing that they all could learn a lot from Eve; not just sign or spoken language but more about the world itself. Since he would be supervising Eve and all the classes, he argued that there would be nothing to fear. But it wasn't just that – he wanted the younger apes to become more accustomed to Eve. For years Koba had drummed into them horrifying stories of the evil and cruelty of humans, and although they were true, Maurice was wary of the children growing up to hate and fear something they had never even encountered. And there was good in humans too. Whilst he himself had never seen their good side, Caesar had, and Maurice believed what he had told him of his human family. The man with the haunted eyes who had warned them of the impending firestorm all those years ago and Eve were proof of it too.

Caesar enthusiastically accepted this, agreeing that Eve could teach them things that no other ape in the village would be able to teach. He assured the parents that Maurice would always be there to watch over Eve and that he trusted him wholeheartedly, implying that if they didn't trust Maurice, they didn't trust him. No one complained after that.

Things went smoothly from then on. The children that weren't taught or told to keep away from Eve by their parents liked her and she was very good at interacting with them and encouraging them. In the breaks in between lessons, they would ask her about humans and the world beyond the village. She would sit with her legs crossed and the children would gather around her, eager to hear her stories. She told them about the world and how there were many different continents and countries, and therefore many various languages – in the thousands last time she had heard. She told them that she had come from Canada and that she had learnt both English and French due to the previous countries colonizing those areas in the past. They, on the other hand, were currently in the United States of America and she'd pointed to where they were on a map in one of the books she'd scavenged. Maurice was amazed by how big the world was and it made him feel small. It also made him appreciate how far Eve had travelled over the years.

Over time, more and more apes, young and old, gathered to listen to Eve's stories. Even Koba started listening in, and though he claimed that he was checking in on what the human was saying, Maurice suspected he was more interested in what she had to say (not that that stopped him from contradicting or interrupting her). It never ceased to surprise Maurice how little apes knew about their own world and how one human girl could know so much.

But perhaps knowing too much had its own consequences.

It was evening and the sky was clear and cold, forcing many apes into their huts early for the night. The ones that braved the chill were wrapped in furs and huddled around their fires. Caesar, Maurice, and their friends were sat in the centre of the courtyard, warming themselves by the fire. Eve and the troop were sitting by their own fire in the corner, right up by the paths, talking. Strangely, Eve, wrapped up in her green coat, was sat furthest away from the fire. Maurice thought this was odd as she was clearly not being shunned from the group and she was visibly cold, shivering. The others, nonetheless, were sat closer to the fire and were talking cheerfully. Sky, who had wriggled herself into Eve's coat and had her head poking out of the neck, was obviously warm, her eyes drooping sleepily.

One by one, members of the troop gradually left the fireside, leaving Eve, Sky, Luna, Travis, Sugriva, Bad Ape, Yolanda and Banshee. Sensing an opportunity, Cornelia put her hand on Caesar's shoulder and looked towards them discreetly. Nodding, Caesar called out to the troop, inviting them over. Cautiously skirting around the fires other apes had built, Eve sat next to Caesar, still keeping her distance from the fire, and the others settled around her. Seeing that Eve was there, Ash hooted excitedly and scampered up to her, dragging along the less enthused Blue Eyes, and plopped himself down beside her. The normally shy Winter also crept up to Eve and, to everyone's shock, seated himself next to her, smiling up at Sky. Defying his parents' stares, the young chimp Cloud shuffled closer to Eve too, followed by his more hesitant bonobo friend, Rain. While Rain seemed just as wary of humans as everyone else, she had a fondness for Luna and visibly relaxed as she ran her hand down the dog's back.

They were barely able to say anything to Eve before the children bombarded her with questions. Ash had heard from Winter that Eve had said that humans were technically apes and wanted to know if it was true. Everyone's heads snapped towards Eve and suddenly it wasn't just the children staring at her. Shifting uncomfortably under the stares, Eve paused as if she was thinking about what she was going to say before quickly shrugging it off. "That's true," she said flatly.

Koba snorted derisively and Eve turned to him. "It is! I know we aren't exactly the same, but there are a lot more similarities than differences. I mean, think about it. You see any other animal that walks like us? Talks like us?"

Koba threw her a sulky look – even he had to admit she had a point. Caesar and Cornelia looked intrigued and Maurice gurgled encouragingly. Eve has told me about this, he said. It was very interesting. Why don't you tell them, Eve?

Eve peered at the apes around her, unsure, but, seeing she had their undivided attention, she launched into her story. She talked about humans and how they had evolved from apes some four to seven million winters ago and that they all belonged to same family 'the Great Apes' ("I've been trying to get him to call himself 'Great Ape' for months," Eve said, flicking an exasperated glance at Bad Ape who smiled sweetly). Apparently, whereas gibbons were still technically apes, they belonged to a different branch called the 'Lesser Apes'. Eve glanced at Banshee apologetically as she said this and he huffed sourly, letting her know the apology wasn't accepted. She spoke of how there was a time when there were many different species of human, much like chimpanzees and bonobos.

"See," Eve said slyly, looking at Koba. "Could have been worse. Imagine having to deal with more species of humans!"

The apes laughed and Koba cringed, looking like he wanted to be physically sick.

But what happened to them? Cloud asked. Where did they go?

"Went extinct thousands of years ago. Depending on who you ask they either went extinct because of competition from humans like me or they were bred into modern humans. Nobody knows for sure; it was too long ago."

Extinct? Ash asked, trying out the word. He paused and then turned to Eve eagerly. So they all died?

Eve nodded. Ash thought it over. So what happened to them is happening to humans now? he asked innocently, not realising that he was stumbling into dangerous territory. He paused. Does that mean you're the last human?

The apes winced, and Travis glared at Ash. Koba's eye glittered malevolently, waiting for Eve's reaction, disappointed when he found nothing on her blank face. Only Maurice saw her eyelid twitch.

Tinker went to apologise but Eve held out a placating hand. "It's okay," Eve said, her voice flat and lifeless. "It's probably true. The flu killed nine out of ten people, which takes out most of the population. Everyone else is probably dead from starvation or fighting." Her eyes were glazed, and it was as if she wasn't really there anymore. "The last human," she murmured distantly.

"Eve …" Travis said, reaching out to touch her arm.

Her eyes focused abruptly, and her face twisted bitterly. "It's for the best anyway. We had our chance. And we ruined it. We were so arrogant, thinking we could play God. We destroyed the planet, taking everything we could and giving nothing back, and then we destroyed ourselves. It's exactly what we deserve. The world will be a better place now that we're gone."

A heavy silence fell, and the apes stared at Eve in shock. Koba's mouth hung wide open in surprise and Caesar, the ape most sympathetic to humans, was visibly stunned by what she had said about her own species. Even the troop looked at her warily.

Taking a few calming breaths, Eve's face closed off and she stood up, jolting Sky. Looking down at them, her face was shadowed from them though Maurice could swear he could still see her eyes flaring brightly.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, almost embarrassed. Quickly bidding goodnight to everyone, she hurried away, leaving Travis and Luna scrambling to catch up to her and the rest of the troop gaping after her. As Maurice watched her go, he wondered whether she and Koba had more in common than anyone could have thought.

Eve couldn't sleep. It had been hours since they had gone to bed and Eve was still awake, staring up at the ceiling, trying her hardest to stay still so she didn't wake up Sky. Every time she closed her eyes and tried to settle, the tension from the campfire would fizz in her veins, making her want to toss and turn. Eventually, she gave up and decided it just wasn't going to happen.

Slowly sitting up, Eve cradled Sky to her chest, trying to not to wake her. There was a snuffle and Sky turned her head slightly, but she didn't stir, her eyes tightly closed. Getting up as quietly as she could, Eve squinted into the dark, just making out Travis beside her and Sugriva and Bad Ape on the other side of the room. Creeping around Travis, Eve froze when he heard his snores stutter but relaxed when they started up again and sneaked her way towards the cart. Silently putting on her oversized green double-breasted coat, Eve buttoned it up around Sky and slipped out the door. By the doorway, Luna's head rose groggily, checking to see if she was an intruder. When she saw it was Eve, she eased herself back down and curled up, huffing.

It was a little more cramped now that they had moved out of the Shelter. Caesar had told them that they could stay there longer if they wanted to but when he'd told them that a hut was ready, Eve had jumped at the opportunity. She was keen to get a bit more privacy and she'd felt guilty about taking up space that could have been used for the sick. Even if getting three grown males, a woman, a baby orangutan, and a dog in there was a struggle, Eve was nonetheless happy with it. Sure, it was a squeeze, but she didn't mind that. She preferred to sleep with her back the wall anyhow – it made her feel safer.

She liked where their hut was, higher up in the mountain. In the daytime, if she climbed up to the high point on the very top of the mountain, she could see the whole valley sprawled out below and the waterfall flowing into rivers and creeks, cutting through the rock and woods. If the sky were clear enough, she could sometimes see the Golden Gate Bridge flashing out through the mist. Looking at it brought up a painful heap of emotions that Eve didn't even want to try identifying. She wasn't sure what she was looking for but still, she looked, torturing herself with what could have been. Dad had wanted to bring them to San Francisco someday, so they could go on the cable cars and drive across the bridge. Only a few miles away now and, funnily enough, she still couldn't get there – Caesar forbade anyone from going into the city.

Carefully picking her way through the dark, Eve headed up to the high point, her way lit up only by a few sputtering lanterns swaying in the wind. Tonight she was coming up here for a different reason; not to look down but to look up. Using the moonlight to illuminate her way, she ascended, feeling the wind pushing harder at her.

The sky was a deep black, dotted by beautiful pricks of light shining from the moons and the stars of space. The moon was full and beaming, so big that Eve could see the large pits and craters marring its pale surface. The cold bright stars winked at her and she felt icy blasts of air whistling around her, flapping at her coattails. Standing there, feeling the wind, earth and sky moving around her, she felt more at peace than she had been when she'd arrived. It reminded of those crisp clear nights back home when she would stand outside the house, staring up at the sky, feeling the wind flow through her fingers and she would almost feel powerful and magical like she was frozen in time and nothing could ever hurt her again.

For a moment, Eve closed her eyes and let herself sway with the wind, listening to the rustle of the trees and the distant sounds of animals howling. As she opened her eyes, she could see the moon's rays visibly shining onto the flatbed of rock, faintly falling onto a dark figure standing on the opposite side of the ledge. Koba.

Oh for fucks sake! Eve thought, having to stop herself from saying it out loud. Out of all the apes she could have run into, it had to be him. He must have been standing there and staring at her the whole time. Creep. Probably was thinking of pushing me off the cliff.

Koba glared at her, obviously wanting her gone, and Eve considered apologising and leaving but she stiffened her resolve. If he didn't want her near him, he could go. So, planting her feet firmly into the ground, she turned away, doing her best to ignore him.

He rumbled a low growl at that and for a second she thought he was going to shove her, but he turned away at the last minute, throwing an irritated but not outright hateful look. That's an improvement I guess. He loped off into the dark.

As soon as he was gone, Eve felt a rush of guilt and self-hatred. She shouldn't have made him go – this was his home after all. She was the intruder. She should have just stayed home and kept out of his way. Spinning around on her heel, she went to leave when she heard a gentle gurgle and found herself looking into Maurice's kindly face.

Maurice, she signed, not sure if she was happy to see him or not. I didn't know you were still awake.

He smiled at her. Usually, I would be asleep but had too many thoughts keeping me awake. I decided that looking upon the stars would be a good place to reflect.

Many thoughts keeping him awake? Eve could relate.

Why don't you sit with me? Maurice offered. He plopped himself down on a stone and beckoned Eve to join him. She sat on an opposite stone, keeping a polite distance. For a while, they sat in companionable silence looking at the sky and Eve began to feel herself relax. It was quite peaceful, sitting there in the quiet and the dark looking up at the stars.

There's a starman waiting in the sky

He'd like to come and meet us

But he thinks he'd blow our minds …

Eve gritted her teeth, the lyrics whispering through her head. Not that fucking song.

Maurice rumbled quietly to get her attention. You have many thoughts keeping you awake? he asked sympathetically.

Oh no, Eve thought. I thought he might ask that. She made a noncommittal noise and shifted uncomfortably. Maurice let the silence grow until she felt compelled to say something. I suppose so, she admitted reluctantly.

Maurice nodded. Thinking about what was said at the fire?

Eve sighed. Yeah. I feel bad for ranting at Ash like that. It wasn't his fault. I just … I didn't know how to feel about it.

About possibly being the last human?

Eve nodded, her face haunted.

There was another pause. Did you mean what you said? Maurice asked gently. You are happy that humans are gone?

Yes, Eve signed quickly. No. I … don't know. If there any humans left, they're not the good ones. The good ones are dead. She barked a bitter laugh. God, I sound like my father now. He was always such a cynical asshole.

Eve expected Maurice to tell her off for swearing but instead he gave a sympathetic look and leaned forward attentively. You have never spoken of your father. Only your mother.

Eve swallowed. There was a good reason for that. In a way, it was harder to talk about him than Mom. But lately, she'd felt him looming in her mind more than ever. If it wasn't him she was specifically thinking of it was that song. She probably would have liked that song if he didn't have anything to do with it.

She hadn't talked about him in years to anyone, let alone someone she barely knew. But looking at Maurice's understanding and empathetic eyes, she felt comfortable. Safe, even. Maybe it would be good to talk about it after all this time with someone who wouldn't judge her, who didn't know all the things she had done. So she let her guard down.

That's true, she said, he was gone. But not in the way you'd think. He went missing.

Maurice rumbled compassionately. Is that why you do not speak of him? Because the memory is too painful for you?

Not exactly … I was angry with him before he went. Before he left us.

Maurice frowned in confusion. Eve took a deep breath. My Dad had problems. He'd drink. A lot. My brother said that he used to be different. I was too young to remember but he said Dad used to be happier. A lot more … relaxed about things. But then he enlisted into the army. Became a pilot. At the start, it wasn't too bad. He wouldn't be away for too long and he liked feeling useful like he was doing something for his country. But then the war started. The war in Afghanistan.

He changed after that. I wouldn't remember any different, but Danny said he wasn't the same when he got back. They discharged him due to his problems with PTSD so he couldn't be a soldier anymore. So he just used to sit in the house all day. Sometimes he'd go days without talking. Sometimes he'd get angry for no reason. Sometimes he'd drink until he could barely stand up straight. He never hit us or call us names, but it hurt anyway. One minute he'd be fun daddy and he'd take us out with him and buy us everything we wanted. The next, he'd be a dribbling mess on the sofa that could hardly speak. Sometimes he went out for days without telling us where he went. Eve ground her teeth. Or who he was with. Mom deserved so much better than him. She knew what he was doing, that he was cheating on her with other women. I didn't. I just thought he was going out on his 'adventures'. I even thought his drinking was funny because he used to stumble about and say silly things.

She stayed anyway. I think she thought that if she tried to keep us together as a family, it would work out. But it didn't. I think my sister was the end for them. They hadn't planned on having her and when Dad found out she was deaf, he seemed to think it was his fault. He blamed himself for having her too old. It wasn't always easy trying to adjust for Amber, but he just – he never knew what to do with her. He tried, in his own way, but I think the guilt he felt every time he saw her made it too hard for him.

He was like that with me – I didn't really make it easy for him now that I think about it, but he never really understood me. Never knew how to … connect. He always got on better with Danny – guess it was easier for him since he was a boy. I mean, he wasn't horrible to me. He did the usual father-daughter stuff when he wasn't drunk, but I knew something wasn't right. I didn't get it at the time, but I can see now that he was trying too hard. There were barely any times when he was just … calm. He always felt like he had to make up for how shitty he could be. But I didn't care. I just wanted him to love me.

It went on like that for years. We would see less and less of Dad every time. Then suddenly he got sober. After all those years, just like that. It was like he'd come back to life. He was happy again. Healthy. Then we found out why. He'd found a new job at ANSA - the American National Space Administration. He was training to be an astronaut: someone that goes up into space. Eve pointed up to the sky, indicating the black void around them. We thought it was so cool – our Dad, astronaut! He used to call himself Starman, like his favourite song. Eve smiled fondly at the memory, but it faded instantly. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was that he was going to Mars. And he was never coming back.

Eve's jaw clenched and her eyes filled with the same tears of raw rage and grief she'd felt when they'd first found out. Maurice looked at her worriedly, wanting to comfort her, but decided it was better for her to let it all out.

He tried to make out that it was a good thing. That he was making history. It was such bullshit. He just wanted an excuse to leave us all for good and, by God, he found it. He was too much of a coward to divorce my Mom and go off on his own like he really wanted to. He didn't want to look like a bad guy. So does the next best thing and goes on a space mission where he gets to leave the world that he thought was doomed and get away from the 'mindless', 'arrogant' fellow human beings that he despised. And gets his nice little girlfriend to go with him too!

Eve's breathing was fast and hot, and her hands were moving wildly. She stopped, fighting to control herself. She could hear Dad's last words to Mom: "Let me go, Gillian. Don't you see? I'm setting you free. I'm finally setting you all free."

Unexpectedly, all her anger flooded out of her and her whole body deflated. Gazing down at Sky's face snugly tucked inside of her coat, all she felt was sad and tired. "I don't want to be like that," she whispered out aloud. "I don't want to turn into my father. Sky deserves better than that."

I am sure you are not, Maurice said tenderly. I have seen how you care for Sky. You truly are her mother.

Warmth flooded Eve's chest and her throat ached with emotion. "Thank you,"she whispered, meaning every word.

Maurice smiled and they sat quietly together. Can I ask you something? he asked lightly.

Of course.

Where is Mars? Is it one of the stars in the sky?

Mars is a planet. The red planet. If you look over there you see it. It's the red one. She pointed it out to Maurice, and he leaned forward, eyes narrowed intensely, nodding when he finally saw it.

A planet?

Another world. Like ours. It rotates around the sun the same as we and the other planets do. For a long-time people dreamed of finding life on other planets. Especially Mars. Dad was obsessed. He said that ever since he was a kid he was fascinated with space. He taught me all about it. Sometimes he would take me stargazing and he would show me where all the planets and the stars were. He'd try and get Danny and Amber to go but they were never interested. I was the only one that would go. It was nice. Eve grimaced at the wistful note in her voice.

Maurice was enthralled. So there are many planet and stars in space?

Eve grinned at Maurice's enthusiasm. Yep. Sometimes it can be hard to tell them apart. You see that really bright one over there? Most people assume it's a star but it's actually a planet called Venus. It's the third brightest thing in the sky after the sun and the moon.

Venus, Maurice mused. We call it the Wandering Orangutan because of how it can often disappear and reappear in the sky so quickly.

I like Wandering Orangutan better, Eve said. Much more legendary. The only reason it moves around so much is because of its rotation around the sun. It's the second closest planet to the sun so it gets lost in the sun's glare a lot of the time. You see it for a few months when it's at its greatest elongation – when it's furthest away from the sun. This happens … what, every 1.6 years, and you can see it in the morning or in the evening depending on whether its east or west to the sun. Going from morning to evening takes longer than the other way around as Venus travels a longer path behind the sun so it usually takes a year for it to appear in the evening.

She was surprised at how it all came so easily to mind, how detailed it was. Of course, Dad had talked about it in the past, but star gazing hadn't exactly been on her mind in the last few years. It had been an age since then (seven and a half years, her mind corrected). Most people would have forgotten that by now, surely? She was sure that she hadn't been able to remember stuff like that before …

Maurice was impressed. Your father taught you much. He must have spent a lot of time teaching you these things for you to know so much. He must have enjoyed your time together.

Eve chuckled. She knew what he was doing, trying to evoke positive memories of Dad. Yeah. I guess he did. She thought back over those quiet little memories and it was like she could hear Dad telling her about every star, constellation, conjunction, planet, galaxy, and universe as if it were the first time. She felt a pang of longing for him. Maybe it hadn't been all bad with him.

I don't know what happened to him, she told Maurice. They lost contact shortly after Dad's ship entered Mars' atmosphere. She hesitated. It's confusing, she admitted. I hate him. I hate him for what he did to Mom, for what he did to us. For abandoning us. But at the same time, I still love him. I still miss him. I miss the person he was when he was sober. And maybe, in the end, I can understand why he was like that. I've seen too much death not to. I just … I hope he found what he was looking for. I hope it was worth it. As she finished, she practically felt a weight lifting off of her and she could breathe easier. The pain was still there but she felt … lighter.

Maurice nodded, looking away in thought. I think love and hate can make for strange thoughts, he finally said. And you have reason to love and hate your father. But I think that forgiving your father would help you … not to forget but to make peace with him. Make peace with your memory of him.

Eve bobbed her head deliberately and gazed off into the darkened valleys below, unable to meet Maurice's eyes. I don't think I'm good enough for forgiveness, she conceded, but I can accept it for what it is. I can accept it.

A hush fell over them and Eve got up, at last feeling tired out. Looking down at Maurice, she felt a sting of shame that she'd let herself be so emotional and intimate around other person and she apologised for ranting at him.

Maurice shook his head. You should not apologise. I asked and you answered. It feels better to talk about these things rather than caging them up inside. He smiled. Goodnight Eve.

Wishing him goodnight too, Eve went to leave when she stopped. There was one thing she had left out. After everything she had told him, she owed him this. "Evelyn Marie Taylor," she said. "That's my full name." And she turned away and walked home, strangely content, humming the chorus of Starman under her breath.

She didn't notice him watching her that time either.

Notes:

So we've finally found out who Evie's father is! And don't worry, I'm not going to be switching to classic POTA stuff and you won't have to watch it to get it, just thought it would be a nice little easter egg. Its technically canon too since if you rewatch Rise of the Planet of the Apes you'll see that there are hints to Taylor's crew disappearing on a mission to Mars just before Casaer says "NO!" for the first time.
Also, to any classic POTA fans, I don't claim to have written Taylor perfectly as I haven't watched or read much of the classic stuff, so my version of Taylor might as well be OC. I more got the inspiration for Evie being Taylor's daughter from the book Death of the Planet of the Apes, where it explains that Taylor had a family and alcohol problems before he went to the Planet of the Apes. He's not going to be mentioned much anyway.
On the last note, in case anyone didn't know, the song mentioned is Starman by David Bowie. I highly recommend it :)
Anyway, please give me feedback so I know to keep going and stay safe :)