Eva stumbled out her room door, slipping on her boots with one foot dangling awkwardly in the air. Her eyes darted everywhere to spot somebody to make sure that she wasn't going to embarrass herself openly.
'This is my life now, isn't it?'
Running her hands down her plain black turtleneck, she breathed out nervously.
It was her first time wearing such clothing that reached her neck. Previously, she had only seen high-collared gowns but this was something completely new to her experiences.
She couldn't say that she didn't like it.
It was extremely comfortable and warm in this freezing weather.
Her feet quickly led her toward the staircase which led up to the roof.
Back in her room, she had avoided glancing at her face but she had abruptly paused when she got a faint glimpse of her skin.
She looked... better.
Healthier.
Better than her old self even.
Her hollow cheekbones were still faintly visible but from a distance, she didn't look like a lifeless skeleton.
Eva didn't know how it happened but it was probably because of the people she was now surrounded with.
Kai's help was paying off.
The girls' information was helpful.
Sebastian's short tips were efficient.
And Theo...
He was quite good at her keeping her frustrated.
At the thought of him, her fingers tingled and she fisted her hands to stop them from shaking so badly.
The roof entrance came into her sight and she stopped for a second, her pale hand on the ebony handle.
If she stepped in, what was going to happen?
Would something change?
For the worse or better?
Was she ready for the changes?
Gulping, she pushed open the door and a cool wave of wind fluttered past her face, making her hair fly behind her for a moment.
Her brows narrowed as she looked around and found no sight of a soul in the vicinity. Her eyes darted around as she stepped forward and caught sight of the marketplace still glowing brighter than ever.
Was he late?
Did he forget?
She might not have known him for too long like his friends, but one thing Eva knew for sure.
Theo never forgot.
It was extremely unlikely.
Unless...
Something happened to him.
A shudder traveled through her spine and down her body making her feel even more nervous. Her feet hurriedly led her back downstairs and she halted in front of his door with her chest heaving up and down rapidly.
Softly, she patted her knuckles against the hardwood and waited.
'If he doesn't answer in under a few minutes, something is wrong. Either he isn't in his room and still outside somewhere...'
Her hand went down to the pendant resting on her collarbone and a sudden thought enveloped her mind with doubts.
What if he went back there?
To that hell of a place, she called home...
Wrapping her fingers around the knob, she pushed open the door and ran inside. Her breath got stuck in her throat when she saw a faint silhouette of a massive structure lying face forward on the bed.
Tangled up in black sheets.
Stuck in his own darkness.
But that was all that she could've wished.
Her hand came to settle on his shoulder but as she blinked her eyes, the haze vanished and so did he along with it.
He wasn't here, she realized with a gasp.
Davina had just left, Gwen wasn't here and Kai had gone to Sebastian to accompany him.
She was alone here, with nobody to contact so that they could find him.
Without wasting another second, she ran into his closet to grab a massive, comfortable, and warm jacket that smelled too much of him. Taking in a deep breath to stable herself, she wore it and then ventured out of the tall building.
Maybe he was late?
Highly unlikely...
A plan had already formed in her head with loopholes she didn't have the time to mend or figure out. It was extremely risky, going out like this and if he wasn't in Eden, then she might just have to go out in the barren lands.
Eva couldn't have been more thankful to Kai for his training and all the times he had made her run as if her life depended on it. Because when her legs increased their pace, his life may just be depending on her speed.
She abruptly stopped, going through all her options to select the most suitable one.
If she ventured inside the forest right now, it could be a waste of time if he wasn't found there. The chances of him being in there were highly unlikely too for several reasons.
If she somehow got lost in there because of her hasty decision, it would mean that she signed his doom with her own hands.
If somebody saw him falling from the sky or heard a crash from the nearby markets, only then would she try to go and find him inside the massive forest. If not, then the last option remained.
He was outside of Eden...
Going out without any person to guide her was similar to suicide— no it was complete suicide. But he had endangered himself enough times because of her. He hadn't thought twice when going to Gleana to fetch her necklace or saving her from that hellhole.
She didn't need to wonder about it anymore either.