When Eva got to the entrance she knocked once and the door opened, showing her, her mother whose worried face could still be seen.
"Geneva..." Mrs Lee trailed and was shocked when her daughter hugged her almost immediately.
Seeing that she was shaken, which was strange of her because the daughter she knew was a tomboy, she slowly dragged her in so that she could close the door.
It was dark outside and no one knew what could be leaping outside, especially when there was news about a serial killer who had been looming around the city.
"Honey, are you okay? Are you alright?" Mrs Lee asked continuously, but when she discovered her daughter's prolonged silence, she let her fumble more in her embrace.
"I...I don't want to work anymore. I don't want to go out anymore, Mum," Eva said, still crying.
Just as she mentioned it, two lanky boys walked inside the sitting room. The one named Eros was taller, he wore a black pendant. He had the same eye colour as Geneva which was rare. People rarely had a different eye colour other than brown and dark brown.
The other, Cupid, had his father's brown eyes.
They were both on the same cyan shirt but different trousers.
They had almost the same facial appearance, however, Cupid had a sharper jaw which was accentuated by his jaw-length brown hair.
"Sister..." They both called at the same time as they walked further into the sitting room where they were.
Though Mrs Lee had not informed her sons about what happened to their elder sister, however, they had been worried when they didn't meet her at home when they got back from school.
Hearing their voices, Eva retracted from the motherly embrace and then rubbed off her tears with the back of her hands. She walked away from her mother and stood in front of them. "Why are you both awake?"
"We were worried about you," Eros, the elder twin answered while Cupid nodded.
"I'm fine. I had a bad day."
"You stayed out too late," Cupid could spot the lie on his sister's face. He was the serious type and mostly the one with the higher grade and something as visible as this could not hide beneath his eyelids. "And your eyes are red, sis. Did anything bad happen to you?"
"Nothing, Cupid. I said I'm fine," Eva answered but still, Cupid was insisting.
Cupid walked nearer to her and then looked at her from up to down. Sometimes, Eva felt small when in front of her brothers because they were far taller than her.
And the fact that she was older than them by eight years wasn't enough to control them sometimes. They always showed her that they were men which was mainly the reason for their unsolicited fight most of the time.
Right now, Eva could tell that Cupid was at it again and she didn't want that right now.
"Sis, you look like you just got out of the gutter. Your clothes are almost torn and you think we believe when you say you are okay. We aren't kids anymore!"
Eva rolled her eyes, her pain now overshadowed by anger.
"Do I look like I am sick? I'm alive and what more? Just get to bed and prepare for school tomorrow!"
"But you aren't fine!" Cupid responded with this, Eros interrupted,
"Hey, just leave her. It's okay."
"It's not okay! She should tell us what exactly happened! I hate seeing her like that. Especially when she lies, she disgusts me by doing so!"
"Mother!" Eva clenched her fist as she glared at Cupid.
"Cupid!" Mrs. Lee shouted which made everyone turn their faces to her. Her noise was the loudest even though she was the oldest. Sometimes, it surprised Eva that she was able to put out that strength from her as old as she was. No, what Eva was saying was that it would have been better if her mother put her strength into something else than causing a headache.
When things like this happened, all Eva always planned to do was to move out. Everyone in the house usually caused such headaches but there were warm times when things went as smoothly as they should be and it was the reason she cherished it more.
"Cupid! Just get inside. Both of you!"
Eros who wanted to pull his brother was shocked when instead, Cupid passed by him, his shoulder brushing his, ruthlessly.
"And you, Eros, I also don't want to see you here!" Mrs Lee noted.
Eros looked at his mother before his face turned to his sister. "Sis, you know he loves you more that is why he is worried. Just be fine!" He also walked away from the sitting room.
Finally, Eva was able to sit on the sofa. She muttered, "Troublesome brat!" She added, "Stupid Cupid, what a rhyme. I hate both of them with passion. Why did you give birth to them, Mother?!"
Mrs Lee walked over to sit beside her daughter, "I am not sure I have a child who isn't a brat. You all took after your father."
"Sure!" Eva responded. She didn't even pray to take after her loudspeaker mum.
"That aside, tell me, what happened," Mrs Lee asked her daughter.
Eva sighed and explained all that happened just like she had explained it to the stranger but this time around, she added the most important thing that made her annoyed with the brats who kidnapped her. "Mum, I was r*ped by two men!"
"What?!" Mrs. Lee immediately stood up, her eyes widened and her fist clenched. "Who are those bastards?"
"I...I can't recognise them, Mum but one of them who raped me had no mask but I think he already died."
"How?"
"You know I told you I was saved?" Mrs Lee nodded. "The man who saved me was attacked but he ended up killing the man." Eva didn't talk like it was a big deal, since she wanted all those men dead. She didn't think killing the man was wrong when it was clearly against the rules. It should be considered self-defence but the law of the city was so upturned.
"We are going to the station right after we come back from the hospital tomorrow," Mrs Lee said. Not knowing what to do.
She wasn't close with her children and because of that, there were some things she was afraid of asking them.
She had been away from her children right after she gave birth to the twins. Their father took them away from her when Eva was thirteen and the twins were five but she couldn't do anything about it because the law was against her. Only after he died two years ago did she stand up to fight against her husband's relatives who didn't want to hand over her children to her.
Sometimes, she blamed herself for having left her children. A good mother wouldn't have to leave her children for a good ten years no matter what.
"Mum, what do I do? What if I get pregnant? And...worse, I contact STDs?"
"It's the same reason we are heading to the hospital tomorrow. None of that would happen okay?"
There was a long silence after.
Mrs Lee had no idea what to say while Eva looked blankly at the wall.
Eva was outrightly saddened. The worst part about the r*pe was the fact that it was forceful even though it was her first time. She cried loudly and they still didn't care!
She wanted to strangle every single one of them and she promised herself she would.
If she let the cops handle the matter, they would just end up in the cell for a few years and get released, however, the number of victims would increase. The thing she was scared of the most was that they might come back for her because she reported them.
Right now, her mind was filled with thoughts until she got jotted up by soft knocks on the door.
With this, Eva and Mrs Lee looked at each other, wondering who could be at the door at this dark hour.