With one hand gripping onto the window sill she climbed upon the window shed of the lower floor successfully facing the window she was supposed to be jumping in. With all force she pushed at the closed glass panels but to no avail, they were locked from inside. Evelyn rapped against the window peeking through the small gaps in the blinds covering the dark room inside. The window was pulled open, the sudden movement startling her causing her to stumble but she was pulled inside. She fumbled on the carpeted floor jumping inside from the window.
Straightening up, Evelyn looked up with a guilty look at the blonde guy staring down at her with his soft blue eyes. Even in the dark his eyes glowed in the perfect feline manner.
"Hi William" she smiled at the sleepy boy.
"What are you doing up again at this ungodly hour" William looked up at the clock yawning that struck 3 am.
"Nothing just looking for ghosts' ' she shrugged nonchalantly, moving away and finding her spot on the bean bag sitting in the corner. She snuggled on it curling upon the soft matter like a cat. William walked over to his side table pulling out a bar of chocolate passing to the snuggled stray cat on his bean bag. Evelyn accepted the chocolate devouring it without a thought as the older looked down at her with questioning eyes.
"You know me too well, Will" she smiled at him in acknowledgement .
"What are you doing here Eve?" It was his way of asking her, 'Are you okay? Did something happen?'
"Don't act like it's something out of the ordinary" She shrugged it off, focusing on her chocolate. The problem with Eve was she was too proud to accept sympathy. Too conserved to accept her own emotions and explain them. And problem with Willaim was he knew her too well.
"Of course how could I forget jumping through windows is your normal daily routine" he deadpanned at her comment who was suddenly more interested in the wrapper in her hand than him. "Now why exactly did you choose this specific day and time to unleash one of your favorite hobbies."
"I was just thinking about the case we solved yesterday," Evelyn replied, folding the wrapper neatly.
"What about it?" he listened closely, his eyes focusing entirely on her.
"The woman we were defending had a child of three years old" she started collecting her thoughts before responding. "And she won't be able to see her kid for at least next eight years, what would happen to her kid?"
"The kid would probably be sent into the custody of the closest guardian" Evelyn already knew the answer before he said it but they both knew that wasn't what troubled her.
"Do you think the kid would resent her mother for…..assaulting an abusive father in defense?" She wasn't sure she felt more pity for the mother or the kid.
"Kids are gullible; they tend to believe what they are told. It depends upon how she is treated in future and what story she is told" Every word that he said was reasonable and it hit every corner of her heart. She stayed silent processing the words.
"What really happened" he easily read the shift in her mood. "Did someone say something?"
"Someone always keeps saying something" she let out a dry laugh. He remained silent waiting patiently for her to continue. "Uncle David didn't really say much but he kept looking at me pointedly with that look. You know. Like he didn't expect much from me either way and then I lost" she admitted it in a small voice staring up at the ceiling.
"What really matters is what you think of it all?"
"I don't know what to think. I just feel guilty for the kid. I don't like how I lost. Like I could have done more, I did what I could, didn't I. We both did. Our defense was so strong yet we lost" Evelyn was handed everything her entire life and the feeling of losing something was new. She found herself in the kid she thought she had failed to protect. She feared the kid would suffer exactly how she had.
"You haven't seen the future Eve. Maybe it was somehow better for the kid. Maybe in the long term this would protect the kid" He reasoned trying to show her the other perspective. While Eve obsessed over the present he saw the farsighted events.
"Protection from her own mother?" she contradicted sitting up ready to debate.
"People don't change Eve. Anger issues don't fade in seconds. She could have abused her kid in the process too" Eve couldn't respond this time to his words she knew he was correct. She knew the woman was given the punishment she deserved. She had fought with all she had for the women to stay out of jail. More for the kid than for the mother.
"Why did I have to get such a hard case? I am pretty sure Uncle David handed it to me on purpose just to make me look bad in front of the company. He doesn't want me to get to the head position of the firm anyways". she mumbled on staring at the wall until William appeared in her line of sight staring down at her holding her from the shoulders making sure she faced him completely.
"Win and loss is a part of life" Evelyn completely silenced, staring straight at him. "You know you did your best then you shouldn't have regrets. You couldn't have predicted the results from the beginning. It's just the start of your career, you have a long way to go. Just trust the process and keep going. I know you are going to become a great lawyer and you will solve great cases, eventually becoming the CEO you wish to be". Evelyn finally smiled fully this time, clearly comforted by his words.
She pulled him down in a hug grinning unlike before. "You just know me too well WIlliam Adler"
Evelyn was hanging from the balcony ready to jump into another one down below, still not over her obsession of entering the rooms from their windows was still far from over. She slightly pushed the glass doors covered in black patterns and the door flung open welcoming her in the cool air of the air conditioner. The dark blue room was darker in the middle of the night and still in her earlier clothes she blended well with the walls. Adam david sat on his study chair immersed deep into his phone music blasting from the headphones he had fitted over his head. She flinched at the volume of the sound that she could clearly hear even standing from ehr position. Instead of walking right over to the oblivious boy still sitting in his college clothes she walked towards the light switch turning them on and blinking hard at the blinding lights.
The boy jerked up from his seat looking around flabbergasted until his eyes landed on his elder cousin waving at him maniacally. He was about to question how she entered but the open window was a clear give away and he was good at joining dots.
"can't you enter normally for once" he grumbled sitting back on his gaming chair.
"What are you doing up so late?" Evelyn casually questioned the youngest member of their family taking a comfortable spot on his bed.
"I could ask you the same question" he squinted at her, removing the headphones from his head.
"That you can't," she pointed out, snapping her fingers. "I am older than you and being older means I can do whatever I want" she rubbed it in his face fair and square. "And being a college student means you should be busy studying right now"
"Last time I checked you weren't my mother so quit acting like one. You may be older but I'd doubt your brain grew up with your size" he mocked her countering with perfect sarcasm only to earn a smack at the back of his head.
"What is your problem?" he pushed her away, mumbling in frustration.
"Nothing I just came to check up on you" she shrugged returning to her position facing him waiting for another retort but it never came.
"I should be the one doing that" he turned all somber, facing her fully. "How are you holding up?" He was younger than her yet he was the only one in her family she had easily clicked with.
"Not thinking about it and distracting" she smiled tight lipped and her smile didn't reach her eyes like usual. "What about you?"
"I wasn't particularly close to him, I just hung around him because the only person I liked in this house was besties with him" he shrugged nonchalantly pushing the matter aside.
"I am flattered" she faked being touched, placing a hand to her heart and fluttering her eyelashes only to be responded with an eye roll from the younger.
"...but it feels weird knowing the person you saw casually walking around your house joking with you is suddenly gone" he continued knowing that was what Evelyn felt too. They sat in silence for a while reminiscing.
"If that's all please leave" the moment was over and Adam had returned to his younger sibling self. The relationship with him was the closest to what Evelyn had felt having a sibling.
"No actually I came to ask you something" she ignored his snide comment for her to leave and began with what she really was here for. "You didn't attend the ball?" she hadn't found him in any of the pictures.
"Are you suspecting me?"
"Everyone is a suspect"