As Bill and Peg quietly argued over the events of the following evening Eve sat uncomfortably in silent concern. The son, Kevin who she met along with Bill this morning walked in a huff and planted his rump in the chair across from her, consistently boring his childish gaze at her making her even more nervous then she already was. She found herself restlessly snipping her thumbs across the sewn leather dress she knew so well as she tried to ignore the child and wait patiently.
But it seemed she wouldn't be able to ignore him as he suddenly asked,

"Why do you do that?"

He said it in a bored, uncaring tone but Eve knew she had to answer and after mentally sighing she said in an equally uncaring voice,

"I don't know, I just do."

She continued her snipping with a bit more enthusiasm seeing his unpleasant expression.

After a moment he continued,

"So how'd you become a freak? Was it some kind of punishment or something?"
Okay, that pissed her off, making her angrier then nervous and the girl let herself show it through a cold, piercing stare at the immature boy who dared call her a freak.

He sent a burning stare right back at her and Eve knew exactly what he was thinking. It was the same thing almost everyone thought when they laid eyes on her and her "hands"; how to get rid of her as fast as possible.

Kevin's hateful eyes moved from her scarred features to her bladed fingers, tracing them, touching them. It made her feel sick, being stared at as she always had been, even when she had once been "normal."

The worst part was she knew he was looking at them and not her, so she instinctively folded her blades into her arms like a bird hiding its wings as shifting her weight a bit wanting to avoid any more questions.

"Well," asked Kevin.

"Well, what?" snapped Eve, looking over to the bickering parents, wondering if Peg could shut up her insensitive son.

"What are you?" he asked bluntly.

"I don't know. Why do you care?" replied Eve starting to truly let her anger show.

What was up with him?
"Well, my mom HIT you and you're not dead. Hell, you're not even hurt, so why?"

There would be no avoiding it. She might as well give him what he wanted, and maybe then he would leave her alone.

With another mental sigh she said,

"Okay, I have these chemicals in my body which make me heal fast and age slowly, happy now?"

A sudden spark of actual interest appeared in the boy's gaze.

"Cool! I wish I had some cool chemical in my body like that."

Eve answered his excitement with a bitter laugh saying,

"No, you don't. Could you imagine what it's like seeing all those around you die while you're locked to this world for god knows how long? Kid, don't even bother thinking about it."

Kevin's fondness of the idea faded as fast as it came and he moved back to his menacing state of mind throwing generally mean thoughts and negativity her way.
And Eve almost regretted saying what she did, but her supposed immortality was not something she wished upon anyone.

Meanwhile it seemed the boy's parents "discussion" had come to a conclusion. But the woman felt an interrogation on the way, even though Peg was smiling so sweetly.

"Well, before we start Bill and I wanted to ask a bit of a personal question if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course not," said Eve noticing how somber Peg looked before she continued.

"Do you know anyone by the name of Edward? He had hands like yours."

The woman's eyes widened in shock.

They knew Edward, her dear brother.

"Ye-yes, I know him. How do you though? When did you last see him?" asked Eve her voice desperate.

"He came down from that old mansion on the hill a few years ago and stayed with us."

"So where is he now?"

Suddenly everyone's expression, even Kevin's, became dim.

"Everyone believes him to be dead," said the mother sending a shockwave through the girl.
Please no, not Edward too.

"But…" started peg, her voice becoming a whisper.

"My daughter told us a secret. The neighbors need to think he is no longer alive so this is an imperative secret. In order to keep him alive she lied. He's still up there; at least we're pretty sure."

Relief filled the young woman.

Thank god.

But that meant she had to leave as soon as possible.

Her mind told her to go now, but it sounded like she wouldn't be safe in the light of these streets.

"As soon as it's dark I have to go find him. Please don't stop me. I have to find him before they do."

"Only if you tell us how you know him. He was very important to us."
Eve bit her lip. If they knew her brother and helped him, she could tell them.

"He's my brother…well not by blood but because of what we are-what they did to us."

"They?"

"The leaders of Project S. and the organization- the ones who turned us into freaks and now want to erase their mistake…they burned everything, killed my mother and Joesia and I just wanted to live in peace…start over…"

Peg moved over to sit next to Eve seeing how emotional she was getting, how she was attempting to fight back tears. She placed her hand delicately on Eve's back in hopes of comforting her.

"If it's too hard to say anything you don't have to."

"Thank you, but if you knew Edward I think you deserve to know," said the young woman as she gulped down hateful tears from the memories beginning to tear into her and spoke again,

"It's a long story, fair warning," she started as she briefly closed her eyes forging into the midst of a neglected memory where a world of another life came into view.

"I was normal once like you. I had a family, home, and friends. I went to school and even had someone I loved. I lived only a few blocks from here, though everything has changed."
"What do you mean changed?" asked peg gently.

"Before the developments were put up. I haven't kept track of the years but I think it's fair to say both Edward and I are older then you."

Peg found herself in a bit of shock now as she sat back against the couch.

Eve looked no older than twenty and Edward, dear Edward was the same, but he had the likeness of child about him.

"Because of that weird chemical right?" added in Kevin finally joining the conversation.

Eve nodded and continued.

"Anyway, I especially remember Joe. His full name was Joesia, but only my mother called him that. He was a street kid that my mom and I took in basically."

"You said he passed away?"

"Yes, killed by the same people that wish to kill me and Edward."

"Was he like you?"

"Yes, he had scissorhands too, but like me and Edward he had no choice in becoming what we are now. In fact, back then we were just another pair of lovesick teenagers."

Eve slid into her story and memories of the past, remembering one early morning where she had been sitting in the back garden of her home.

Joe had hopped over the painted wooden fence that separated him and his love. As always he scaled it like nothing, smiling and moved to sit in the waiting chair. Then he stretched over and kissed his girl deeply ignoring the cup of juice waiting on the table for him.

And that's how Eve's mother found them.

She put down the tray of toast and jam she had been carrying and with a motherly cough said,

"Good morning Joesia. I see you found my daughter's lips again."

The boy pulled away immediately, stumbling into his chair, unsuccessfully pretending to be drinking his cup of orange juice, lipstick smeared abouthis mouth.

And after taking a long sip, he wiped the lipstick off saying,
"No disrespect or anything ma'am but her lips taste better…then a ripe apple on a fresh Sunday morning."

Mary laughed at her adapted son's rather pathetic poetic attempt and replies,

"It's quite all right, I was in love once. Now to make up for stealing a kiss from my precious daughter, you now have to tell me the news from the streets."

Eve's mother had always been fond of hearing the news that wasn't in the papers, and Joe was her prime source.

And being as wily as he was, he stood up and politely cleared his throat getting ready to give his daily report as Mary sat down to drink her morning coffee.

"Nothing too big ma'am, unless…you count strange disappearances to be so. Everyone is rumoring about people there being one day and not the next. Some folks think its rival gangs but the people disappearing are good time girls and the homeless so it doesn't make much sense. I can't help but think it's something much worse. Therefore I feel I should continue walking Miss Eve to school everyday."

Mary casually looked to her watch as the minor speech Joe had given-the watch which once belonged to her dearly departed husband and in surprise she noticed how late it was.

"Speaking of that, you too need to head off to school. It's quarter past eight."

Eve practically jumped out of her seat,

"Books! Where are my books?"

"Under your chair, darling," said the older woman handing her daughter the belt of books and giving her a kiss on the cheek while Joe started making his way out the garden gate instead of over it after grabbing his books.

Before he left Mary called,

"And you, Mister Joesia, watch out for my daughter or it'll be the devil to pay."

Eve and her mom walking to the gate and before she went to run off after Joe she said,

"He already has, so no worries,"