"My Evie..." {A.P.}

°twenty-four

꧁Eve꧂

"So what now?"

I tilted my head back a bit to meet Ajax's eyes as he played with my hair.

"Weems told me about holiday stayers. Orphans, or kids who just can't go back home. She said I'm free to stay here if I have nowhere to go."

Ajax nodded, leaning his head back a bit, a sigh leaving his lips. I adjusted myself, and ended up sitting on his lap as he laid on his back, on his bed.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking down at him.

He shrugged. "It's going to be different, you know? Everything."

I nodded. "But it's fine. Not like I saw her much anyways."

He chuckled, moving his elbows back so that he sat a little more upwards. "Still on for the holidays? My mom asked again earlier."

I smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

He smiled. "Good, because if you leave me alone with a nine year old, I will want to kill myself."

I laughed. "Don't do that. Who'll keep me busy when I'm bored?"

A teasing betrayal hit his face. "I feel lived."

"Feel loved," I laughed, before pulling both his arms, causing him to fall back.

~

*two weeks later*

"Oh, dear! How glad I am you're coming with!" Ajax's mother said in over-excitment. She wrapped her arms around, hugging me tighter than Enid would've.

"Momma," Ajax groaned as he lift my bag into the car.

He closed the trunk, before opening the car door for me. We both got in the back, his parents sitting in the front. He slipped his hand in mine, and smiled.

"So, we're excited you're coming with, so much so, that we wanted you to feel as homey as possible. Ajax told us you don't eat meat, right?"

I nodded. "My Aunt is a werewolf, and the smell of meat completely made me nauseous of it. I can't stomach eating it."

"That's fine," his mother smiled. "We're open to making you separate food. Of course I'd just need your help in the kitchen with that."

"I'd love to help," I smiled.

"Great! And Ajax tells me you're going to spend frequent holidays with us. I'd love to have another girl in the house!"

I giggled.

~

The car drive was insanely long. About four hours in, Ajax and I were sharing earphones, when I fell asleep on his shoulder, and he must've fallen asleep on me.

When we got to their house, it was already fairly dark. Yet, it was light enough to see that they lived in a fairly normie neighborhood. A safe neighborhood.

Ajax's room didn't differ much from his dorm at school. His bed was only bigger, and he had a much larger collection of CD's and DVD's. He was probably really collecting them.

I was allowed to sleep in the same bed as Ajax, and some nights I was surprised at how quickly I was able to fall asleep.

Many days I'd go without wearing headphones. Sometimes I'd sit on his bed with headphones on, but he'd understand why.

His mother was quite talkative, yet she was like Enid. Thoughts straight to mouth. His father was quite quiet though. Barely ever said a word. His mind was also surprisingly usually empty.

His brother was another story. Didn't speak much, but his mind was like a racetrack. Things came and went faster than I could hear them.

So it was quite peaceful when I got into bed at nights, wrapped in the arms of a thoughtless mind. I was at peace for hours.

~
Who knew that Ajax Petropolus rode skateboard? Not me. And he was pretty darn good at it.

About two weeks into the winter holiday, he tried teaching me how to ride, but I'd continue to fail miserably. He'd laugh before even thinking about helping me to my feet. It was embarrassing to be honest.

Yet, he'd still insist on trying to get me to skate.

By about a month in, I manged. I did better than at the start of the holiday. I could ride without his help, and it made feel quite happy.

We'd spend most of our days out. Whether it was walking around, or skating in the skatepark nearby, or just sitting somewhere, we'd be in the cold air.

Sometimes some things had me think of home. Aunt Penny never replied to my texts, and I didn't have Ryle's number anymore. It was truly weird, and Ajax was right. Things changed. Whether it was for the better or not, I wasn't so sure.

~

The next semester cane quicker than I had hoped. But it was also surprisingly good.

Sure, the monster was still out there, but it wasn't attacking as recently.

I got a job at that café in Jericho. It was fun making money and working. I'd go sometimes after school and on weekends. Ajax would wait for me, and walk with me back to Nevermore.

Even though I enjoyed working there, Tyler freaked me out a bit. He was weird and had odd thoughts. I tried my best to stay out of them, and after a while, I managed to block someone's thoughts for a little while.

Enid and I became a bit closer. She had finally wolfed-out during the holidays, and was satisfied when she came back to school. She felt like she belonged. I was happy for her.

Things just became better, and I was happy. I was finally, finally happy.

*second last part*
xxx