Chapter Two
Her house was filled with police officers, Mrs. Abraham sat next to her on the couch as they waited for the authorities to assess the crime scene and decide what to do about Eva. It was late at night and the little girl kept swaying as she tried to stay awake. Someone dropped something in the distance, which startled the girl and caused her to jump in fright. 'It's alright, Honey,' Mrs. Abraham rested her hand on her shoulder, but Eva pulled away her eyes wide in fright.
'I-i-i,' Eva fell to the floor and tried to scramble away.
'Honey, it's okay. You are safe,' she told her.
Her small, tiny heart was beating like crazy, her breathing difficult as her chest constricted, suddenly she wasn't safe anymore and the man was in their house again. 'Mommy,' she whispered as she began to cry once again.
'Is there a problem,' a tall built officer with blazing red hair appeared when he heard the commotion.
'The bang, it triggered her memory,' Mrs. Abraham looked down at the frightened and curled up little girl.
'I see,' he walked into the living room and towards the little girl. 'Eva, right?'
Mrs. Abraham nodded as she watched the giant male talk to the girl, 'Eva,' she lifted her head up and looked up at the big man. 'My name is Enji Todoroki. I am in charge of taking you with me tonight. I have a son that is your age and three other older children that I think you'll like, but because it's so late you probably won't be able to meet them until tomorrow morning.'
'What will happen to Eva after tonight?'
'We are going to contact child services, they will contact her next of kin and take her with them until they arrive.' He looked over and answered the older woman's concern.
'I see, would you like me to help you pack something for her,' Mrs. Abraham got up. 'If you want, I'll change her out of her dirty clothes and help clean her up.'
'I would appreciate that, thank you,' he watched the older woman come over to them and help the girl up.
'I'll have her back to you soon,' she told him as they began to walk away.
'Damn it,' Tomura cursed as he threw the wooden table across the small stone room. If it wasn't for that damned hunter, he would have gotten his prize.
'Calm down Tomura,' Kurogiri tried to calm the young and enraged male. 'There will be others.'
'No, not like her,' Tomura tried to control his breathing, but found that he was too furious to listen and grabbed that chair that he had been seating in moments ago by the back rest and smashed it down.
'You have her scent, now. It will be easier to find her,' Kurogiri told him.
'Find a seven-year-old in the middle of the city at night,' Tomura asked him sarcastically, 'yeah, that's going to be easy.'
'Not now, but later when she's older,' he answered.
'Before she runs around the city, I'll have to wait fourteen years if she's a good girl, if she's not nine to ten before she rebels and starts to sneak out. I can't wait that long,' Tomura told him. 'There is always the possibility of her being sent away.'
Kurogiri looked at the young man and understood why he was agitated to get the girl back. He could smell her sweet scent rolling off him, the girl would be an ideal pet to keep, and her blood would be nourishing. 'That could be a probability,' Kurogiri agreed.
'Then you understand why I have to find her and bring her back,' Tomura told him.
'You'll have to wait, that hunter will be out there waiting for you and the Master would not see fit to lose you,' Kurogiri cautioned. 'Plus, the sun will be up soon so leaving now would be suicidal.' Not to mention the fact that Tomura was seen by a witness and the police were probably looking for him. 'We'll talk about this tomorrow night, get some rest and calm yourself so that we can clearly plan what we are going to do about your little friend.'
'Retrieve her,' Tomura wasn't going to budge on that account.
'Hello,' Eva was greeted by a medium height woman with long white hair, a soft round face, caring smile and warm gray hues. She had briefly met her last night after she had arrived and before they had brought her to the guest room, where she currently sat up in bed.
'Hi,' she answered in a soft and quiet voice that lacked life and emotion.
'Did you sleep well last night,' she walked further into the room, her husband, Enji, had told her what had happened to the girl last night and was amazed she hadn't woken up screaming in the middle of the night.
She nodded, but it was a lie. She had only been able to sleep a little, but not enough to really count as sleep since she kept waking up to last night's events. She kept remembering the young man that her mother had helped and had later attacked them. Claiming that she belonged to him and that he was going to take her away, but because of the large blonde-haired man he hadn't. 'Do you want me to help you get dressed, so that you can come and have breakfast with us,' Rei asked.
The little girl just nodded, agreeing to her help, 'You know, I have a son that is your age,' she told her as she helped pick out a set of clothes for her to wear. 'His name is Shoto and he's almost as cute as you.'
Eva nodded, 'The policeman told me, yesterday.'
'Enji,' Rei told her his name as she handed her the change of clothes.
'Will I go with him?'
Rei watched her change, helping her when she needed help, 'He is already gone for the day, but we will be meeting him at the station later.'
After they finished getting her ready, Eva followed behind the petite woman down the long hallway. From a distance she heard the sound of people laughing and others arguing over toast and bacon. 'They might seem a little intimidating at first, but they are all very friendly,' Rei told her as they drew closer to the dining room.
Eva stopped a few feet away from the door, 'Natsuo, give me back my piece of toast,' she heard the voice of a young girl that was older than her.
'No,' the boy said.
'You two should settle down and you should give her back her toast,' there was another male voice.
'I already took a bite of it,' Natsuo told him as if that was the perfect excuse for not having to return it.
'You are unbelievable,' the girl said. 'I am telling mom when she comes back.'
'Fine, but without evidence how will she know if I really ate your toast,' he asked her.
'Ugh,' the girl exasperated.
'You all should get along and Natsuo, don't steal your sister's food,' Rei told her overactive children as she looked at them. 'Now we have a guest, and we don't want to scare her.'
'Who is it,' Natsuo asked as he continued to eat his stolen piece of toast.
'Eva, so be nice to her,' Rei looked down and noticed that the little girl wasn't beside her anymore. She looked down the hall and saw her standing some distance away, she turned and walked back down the hall. 'Eva, will you come with me? I promise that they don't bite, they are just a little too loud and energized sometimes,' she smiled down at the timid girl.
The four siblings waited as patiently as they could, but patients was a virtue that three out of four still had to learn. Natsuo, Shoto and Fuyumi had snuck over to the doorway to peek at their mysterious guest. Because of their mother's frame they couldn't make out the person, but they deduced that it was a child their mother was talking too. 'It's a kid,' Natsuo whispered.
Eva heard the toast thief and poked her head from around their mother to see three different heads poking out from the doorway. One was a girl that looked older than her by seven years, her hair was white with red highlights scattered about. Her face was round and soft, like her mother's, and she also possessed the same gray colored eyes. 'It's a doll,' the girl's eyes brightened as she noticed the little girl with long dark hair.
'It's a girl, not a doll,' Natsuo said as he watched the little girl.
The toast thief had white hair and gray eyes like his mother, but unlike his mother and sister he lacked the roundness in his face and softness that the females possessed. Underneath him poking out his head was his little brother, Shoto. A combination of his mother and father, the right side of his head was white while the left was red and likewise his eyes were different colors too. His right eye was gray, and his left eye was turquoise, his face was round because he still hadn't lost his baby fat. 'Look, Dad brought you home a little girlfriend,' Natsuo teased Shoto and his little brother annoyed with the comment elbowed him.
'You're going to frighten her,' Fuyumi told him as she stepped away from them and walked out to meet her. Being in a household that was predominately male, she had always wished to have a little sister to pamper and take care of. Don't misunderstand her, she loved her brothers even if some were more of a pain than others, but having a little sister to look up and admire her was different.
'She looks more frighten of you,' Natsuo pointed out, their mother had gotten up to face them and the little girl hid behind her.
Fuyumi neared her mother and leaned over so that she could look around her at the girl. 'Don't be scared, I am Fuyumi,' she introduced herself. 'Do you want to come and have breakfast with us?'
Freya looked up at the older girl, her smile warm and cheerful, and after a moment of consideration she nodded, 'Nice to meet you, I am Eva,' she answered.
'Oh, my goodness, you are so cute,' Fuyumi told her as she extended her hand so that she could take it.
Cautiously she released the hem of her pink shirt and took the girl's hand. She led her to the dining room where her younger brothers had returned too so as to give her space. There she saw the boy she had heard, 'Eva, I'd like you to meet my brothers. Toya is our oldest brother; he can be a little cranky sometimes but he's nice regardless.'
Toya waved at her in greeting, his hair crimson red and eyes a beautiful turquoise like his father's. However, his face was more welcoming and kinder than his father's hard and serious one. 'The moron to the left is Natsuo. He can be annoying most of the time, so you can just ignore him.'
'Hey,' Natsuo wasn't too pleased with his introduction and was about to throw her a piece of bacon.
'Don't waste food,' his mother stopped him, 'and Fuyumi be nice to your little brother.'
'I sometimes wonder if he really is my brother,' Fuyumi mumbled and lastly introduced her to Shoto. 'And the youngest of us is Shoto, he's quiet until he opens up to you,' she told her.
Shoto looked over at the young girl before nodding, 'You can sit next to him,' Fuyumi led her to the empty chair beside him, their mother serving her a plate and placing it before her.
Eva quietly ate, answering questions here and there when she was asked, but not really wanting to converse. However, she just watched in admiration how they interacted with each other. It seemed that Natsuo, the toast thief was the most active of the bunch since he seemed to love to annoy his older sister a lot. Sometimes he annoyed Shoto or made some off comment to his older brother. Once everyone finished with breakfast, they were sent out to play, Fuyumi took the opportunity to whisk Eva away so that she could go and play dress up with her as well as play with her long dark hair. They had a late start for school today, so that was why she was able to interact with them for so long. Mrs. Todoroki had told her that once everyone was off to school, she would take her to the police station.
Shoto looked over at the girl that road beside him in the back seat, unlike his older sister and the other girls in his class, she was quiet and didn't bother him. His mother had cautioned them not to ask her about her parents and he had wondered why, Natsuo had come up with many ideas as to why not to ask her anything and none of them where good. Since their father had been the one that brought her home, it meant something had happened to them. He would ask her, but sometimes when she thought no one was looking she got a faraway sad look in her large brown expressive hues. It was no wonder his big sister tried to keep her distracted, she didn't look as cute when her rosy lips were turned downwards.
'Here we are Shoto,' his mother announced as she pulled up in front of his school. 'I'll be here later to pick you up okay,' she told him.
'Okay,' he reached down to unbuckle his seatbelt and get his bag. 'Bye Eva, bye Mom,' he said as he opened the door and hoped off, the teacher waiting for him.
'Bye Honey,' his mother told him.
Eva waved at him and frowned as she was now left alone with just his mother. 'Alright Dear, it's time to go and see Enji,' Rei turned her head to look back at the little girl.
When they arrived at the police station, they parked the car and Rei helped Freya out of the car, taking her small hand in hers and leading her to the police station. As they entered, they were greeted by the receptionist, he recognized their captain's wife, 'Mrs. Todoroki, it's a pleasure to see you. Are you here to see the Captain?'
'Yes, would you mind letting us in?'
The police officer leaned over his desk and looked down at the little girl, 'Hi,' he greeted.
Eva looked up at him, 'Hello,' she responded.
'I didn't know you had another daughter, she's very adorable,' he commented and reached down to ruffle the girl's dark locks.
'Umm, no, we are just taking care of her for the moment,' Rei answered.
'Ah, I see. Well, let me call the Captain and let him know that you two are here to see him,' he told her.
Eva squeezed her hand, now that she was here, she knew that they would take her and ask her questions about last night. 'It's okay Sweetheart,' Rei reassured her.
It wasn't okay, but it was nice to have her there when she broke down remembering last night's events and what happened to her mother. However, when she told them that the man had sucked her blood out, they looked at her as if she had an overactive imagination but didn't say anything. They continued with questioning her and by the end of it she was bawling, because she remembered the lifeless look on her mother's face as she came to pass. Once she started crying the lady from child services told them that it was enough, Rei held on to the trembling little girl and rubbed her back as she cried.
Enji, the female officer and the child protective officer stepped out to converse. Later the female officer returned and asked if Eva was calm enough to accompany her to see the forensic artist and get a skit of the person that attacked her. Freya agreed to accompany her after she wiped away her tears, 'I should go with her,' Rei got up and was about to follow them when Enji and the social worker returned and asked her to stay.
Rei looked from her husband to the social worker, 'You want her to stay with us?'
'Just one more night, her guardian is on her way out of state, but she can't arrive here until tomorrow afternoon. I would take her with me but putting her in protective child services after what she's already suffered, it would just seem cruel.'
'She doesn't pose a threat and the kids seem to like her. I don't think that one more night would be too difficult. Enji?'
Her husband looked over at her, 'If another kid isn't too much to handle, she can stay with us.'
'That is a relief, I am sure that she'll be happy to hear that she'll be staying with you two one more night,' the social worker praised.
Eva looked over at the older girl, all afternoon she made it her mission to keep her distracted and active. She also made it her mission to have her sleep over in her room, so now she laid wide awake with Fuyumi resting peacefully beside her. A smile on her face that showed she had no worries in the world and that everything was peaceful in her life. It sadden Eva to see that even if her world broke and crumbled to pieces, the rest of the world, even though it tried to help her, continued to turn. Slowly, she slipped out of the bed she was sharing with Fuyumi and crept out the of the bedroom.
The house was silent, everyone was sleeping and out for the night, so her footsteps weren't heard by the residents as she walked down the hall. She headed to the kitchen where they had the backdoor leading to their patio, which she snuck out and sat down on the cold wooden floor. The night air was crisp and fresh, the sky clear and brilliant with a luminous full moon hanging over head, but because they were within city limits the stars were scares. However, looking up at the night sky was relaxing and helped ease her mind which continued to be haunted by the attack.
It was late, but he had gotten up to go to the bathroom and now he was thirsty. So quietly as to not wake up his parents, he went down the hall so that he could get a glass of water. His throat was parched, he yawned and as he walked down the dark hallway and rubbed his left eye. He went into the kitchen, opened the cabinet with the glasses grabbed one and filled it was water. Once he finished his glass and placed it in the sink, he then turned back to leave, but as he turned and looked back at the glass sliding door, he saw a small figure sitting motionlessly cross legged on the porch.
He walked towards the glass door and slid it open, 'Hey,' he called out in a whisper. 'You aren't supposed to be here. If Mom and Fuyumi find out that you are out here in the cold alone, they'll be upset.'
Eva turned her head to look at the boy standing behind her, reaching out his hand for her to take, 'Come on, let's get inside and back to bed,' he told her.
Eva looked at his hand suspiciously, 'If you need a bedtime story, I can tell you one,' he teased, but he didn't really want to stay up or out in the cold much longer.
She reached out her small cold hand and slipped it into his extended one, 'I don't need a story, just wanted to come out here and think,' Eva told him.
Her hand was freezing, it seemed that she had been out there thinking for a long time. 'It's better if you think inside, behind locked doors,' he cautioned her as they walked inside, he closed the door and locked it.
'Yeah,' she mumbled as he led her back to Fuyumi's bedroom.
'I have a feeling it was probably Fuyumi's snoring that made you runaway,' she shook her head no. 'It would drive me away,' he tiptoed to her side of the bed so that he could help her get tucked inside. Fuyumi less the wiser that she had one more guest in her room.
'Okay, go to sleep and have a good night,' he told her after he got her settled.
Eva reached out and grabbed his hand before he could take off. 'Stay,' she pleaded as her small hand wrapped around his slightly larger and warm hand.
He corked his eyebrow, he was tired, and he didn't want to stay, but there was something about her soft and quiet petition that he couldn't refuse. 'Only until you go to sleep, so go to sleep,' he ordered as he tried to suppress a yawn.
'Thank you,' she gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand.
The morning had been hectic, the Todoroki family was running around trying to get ready for the school day. Eva had been lumped in with them, because she had to go with Mrs. Todoroki to drop them off. Fuyumi and Natsuo were the first to be dropped off, because they were told that Eva would be leaving in the afternoon Fuyumi took longer to say good-bye. Telling her that it was nice having a little sister for a couple of days and that she was going to miss her. That hopefully they would see each other once again, Natsuo told her goodbye as well but unlike Fuyumi, he didn't hug her. Instead, he ruffled her dark locks messing them up and leaving her fixing her hair as she watched the siblings walkway.
'So, you're really leaving,' Shoto asked as they drove to his school.
'Eva's guardian will be here to pick her up later this afternoon,' his mother answered.
'My Aunt,' she clarified although she wasn't really her aunt, she was her mother's best friend and her godmother.
'Is she nice,' Shoto turned to look at the quiet girl that had won over his family.
'Yeah, I just don't get to see her often. She lives out of state,' which meant that she would have to leave her home, school and friends too.
'Oh, that's good,' he studied the girl and wondered what she was thinking. She was always lost in her own little world but would answer and play along with them if she was asked too. 'So does this mean that you're going to be leaving too?'
Eva had no choice, her parents were both gone, and Luz would become her new guardian, she would have to go with whatever Luz decided since she was the adult. 'Yeah, but I promise that when I get older I'll come back and maybe we'll meet each other again,' she told him.
'That will be nice, everyone likes you,' he beamed at her.
'I like everyone too,' she told him as they pulled up to his elementary school and they had to say their goodbyes.
Rei took her shopping and before heading back to their home she took her out to eat. Freya didn't want to admit it, but she was glad that she got to spent time with the Todoroki family, they were all an interesting bunch as well as welcoming in their own way. She really did hope to see them again in the future. At one, after they had finished packing up her stuff, the doorbell rang, and Rei left to go answer it with Eva right behind her. As the door opened, she caught a glimpse of the social worker from the day before and slightly behind her was, 'Luz,' she cried out her guardian's name as she slipped by Rei and the social worker.
'Evangelic,' the petite woman kneed down and opened her arms out to receive her in a warm embrace. 'Oh, Honey, I am so sorry I couldn't make it here much sooner. How are you? Are you okay?'
'Yeah,' she answered as the overwhelming feeling of being able to belong with family finally hit her.
The little girl trembled in her arms as she silently cried, she lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around her waist as she buried her face in the nook of her shoulder and neck. 'It's okay, I am here,' she rubbed her back in order to soothe her tears.
'Don't leave me,' she whispered.
'I won't, I promise,' Luz looked down at Eva and then at the other two woman that were watching them. She had heard what happened to Freya and Eva, how in the attack Freya had lost her life and Eva was left alone with the fear of possibly be attacked again. Since she was the intended target, but what kind of man targeted a little girl? Sure, Eva was adorable, but it was the first time that she heard of a pedophile attacking a family inside their own home. She was just grateful that nothing happened to poor Freya and that someone had been there to help the girl when the situation had taken a toll for the worst.
00000000
A/N: Sorry that it took me so long to update. Had to get a new laptop and it wasn't cheap. On top of that when I went to transfer my files from my hard drive, I was surprised to see that I needed a USB port adapter. However, now I am back up and running so I should be able to update in two weeks. I hope that you all are enjoying the story so far and I'll see you soon.
