3.

They walked for a while, Hayden half considered keeping on walking so as to never get there, but immediately dismissed the thought before it actually made him do something stupid, he stopped in front of the house he knew so well. Lionel stopped behind him and looked to where he was looking.

- Is this it?

Hayden could tell the disapproving tone in his voice, and understood it. The house they were standing in front of was in a bad state, the paint had fallen off and there were cracks in the wall. Hayden jumped to reach for the fire escape stairs and brought them to the floor, then he started walking up to the third floor. He reached the window and opened it, then stepped in. The room was dark, and there was no sound in the house, Hayden walked to the door that led into the small living room, it was dark as well, Hayden walked through the living room, the moon bathed the small place slightly, but it was still hard to see, in the distance, Hayden could only see the shapes of the furnitures, he kept on walking when he saw something move, he walked towards it and he saw it was her by the reflection of the moon in her eyes, he smiled, she breathed in and screamed as she brought a stick to Hayden's face. Hayden evaded it.

- Eve, it's me!

- Hayden?

Her voice sounded startled in the dark. Then the lights were turned on and Eve was standing by the switch wearing her usual pyjamas consisting of her blue boxer shorts, grey tank top and colour patterned socks. She had a bat in her hands.

- Hayden!

She screamed out, smiling as she threw the bat behind her and ran to him. She clung on his neck like she always did and he hugged her hard. The bat hit the wall behind them, Eve distanced herself from Hayden.

- Are you crazy? Jesus, you scared me shitless, you know I live alone! You start creeping in through my house in the dark coming in through the window? What's wrong with you? What kind of person does that? I though you were a rapist or something. Of course it does sound like a lot of work for a rapist, but it could be one with a severe mental illness or something, well more severe than being a rapist in the first place with is pretty ill, but you know not your common ground rapist, actually more of a crazy sociopath or something. You know people call me weird, but that's because they don't know you, I mean what you just did, that is creepy, normal people don't do that. But then again you're hot so nobody really cares if you're weird, you know. They see I'm your friend and they think "hey look, she's got a hot friend she's probably cool" and it's like "yeah no, he's a weirdo creepster that walks in through windows in the middle of the night", but that of course would all happen if I actually had any social life at all, which I don't and all the people that do compose my social life are older than me and really don't care at all wether I have a hot friend or not so, in the end you're really just a weird dude that scares me occasionally. And... I'm rambling, aren't I? Sorry, you know I do that, I get distracted by the things in my head and people run away from me like "waaah save yourselves". And yeah, there I go again.. So… who's this guy?

Hayden was smiling as he often did when Eve started rambling, he could spend hours hearing her talk and actually not being able to keep up with everything that she was saying but just enjoying the view. Hayden looked at Lionel who was standing a few steps behind them, disoriented, not understanding what was going on around him, and the sight of him reminded him of what he'd come here to do. Lionel Rickon looked at Hayden.

- Are we in the wrong house?

Hayden didn't dignify him with an answer, right now, he had to tell Eve about everything. He grabbed Eve's hands, she looked at him and knew something was bothering him. Her big green eyes looked at him, worried. The sight of them broke Hayden's heart. 

- What's wrong?

Eve looked at him, immediately suffering for his worry. Hayden thought of a way to start talking, and didn't speak until he found one. 

- Do you remember what I said the first time we met?

Eve walked to the kitchen and sat on the table.

- When you said you'd explain something that was very important?

Hayden nodded.

- Okay… I actually thought you were kidding when you said that but, okay…

Hayden sighed.

- Oh come on Hayden, you're freaking me out. It's like you're about to tell me that you're an alien or you like to stalk grannies or you killed someone or something.

Hayden laughed slightly.

- Well, not exactly…

- Not exactly? I was kidding, you mean you're a granny stalker?

Hayden laughed. 

- Why that one out of the three? 

Eve smiled.

- Well, I guess because if you were an alien there's no reason for all this dramatic reveal, and out of the other two I'd rather you were a granny stalker.

Hayden smiled painfully.

- I'm not a granny stalker, this is about you actually.

Eve mocked a shocked face.

- I'm a granny stalker?

Hayden chuckled, then looked at her plead fully.

- Eve…

His expression sombre and pained. Eve's heart twisted by the sight of him that way.

- Okay… so, tell me. I can handle it.

She tried to say in the most determined way possible, doubting her own words.

- Well, I'm just going to blurt it out.

Eve nodded, preparing herself for it.

- I work for an organisation that's outside of this world, we are the top power of Ahn, we are fighting a war, and we need your help.

Eve stayed quiet for a while.

- Is that a joke?…

She said doubtfully. - Because you know that I suck at telling when people are joking, but that just sounds a little bit crazy to me. I kind of feel like I'm in a scene of the matrix, and you're morpheus telling me that I'm the one… Are you gonna make me choose between a red or blue pill and ask me if I want to know how far the rabbit hole goes? Because I gotta admit, I've never really known what I would do in that situation, because on one side, I don't like living a lie and my life isn't exactly a multicoloured fantasy, but still I'm not sure I'd wanna leave the people I love behind and also… even though I'm not very picky I wouldn't exactly enjoy having a bunch of tubes ripped out of me, especially the one in the mouth which was disgusting, and also, I don't think I can pull off being bald.

Everybody in the room looked at her like she was crazy.

- You've never seen the matrix?

Hayden and Lionel both shook their heads.

- Oh ok, then I probably sounded nuts right there, but hey, you actually started it so…

Hayden looked at her, a serious expression in his face.

- I know how crazy this must all sound to you, but I'm serious Eve. 

Eve couldn't understand what was going on, she looked into Hayden's eyes, the hazel eyes she trusted so much, the eyes she yearned to see every day, he wouldn't joke like this. But what he was saying made no sense.

- You're serious? How can you be serious? What you're saying makes no sense, I can believe that you believe it, but you have to understand how I cannot believe that.

Hayden looked at her, pain and worry in his eyes that curled her stomach painfully. Lionel burst out angrily.

- Perfect! So the entire fate of Ahn lies in the shoulders of a silly girl who doesn't even know of us! And she's sloppy and weak and stupid and crazy! And Director Nephton thought she would be a better choice than us fighters? Does she know about her? Or have you fooled her? I cannot believe this!

Eve hadn't payed much attention to the boy who had come with Hayden, now as she saw him screaming around she realised how handsome he was, and how lost and hurt he seemed, how angry, how many emotions were exploding of him. Like a boy that wasn't allowed to ever cry. Eve couldn't believe what they were saying, she couldn't believe about this world and these fighters, but she could believe that they believed, and if all that could help them was believing in them, she would believe. But as she thought of this, what she'd dismissed as just a ranter of the black haired boy, was now becoming something else. His voice was rising, so was his breath, and his blue eyes were crazed. He grabbed something on his pocket and threw himself at her, but before he reached her, in a split second Hayden pinned him to the floor. The boy screamed and struggled crazily. Eve watched the scene in horror. His calm Hayden being so violent, the sweet looking boy behaving this way. It frightened her, but at the same time, it made her want to do something about it. She kneeled next to Hayden, he screamed for her to go away but she ignored him. She put her hand on the boy's cheek, his blue eyes looked at her, she could see in them such a mixture of emotions it was hard to lock on one, she stroked his cheek and kept looking at his eyes. LIttle by little the craziness of his eyes started to vanish. The boy's tensed body started to relax. And then he started to cry. 

Hayden let go of him, the boy quickly got up and looked away, he tried to stabilise his breathing, calm himself. But he couldn't. For him, it was as if a mixture of emotions that he'd never allowed himself to feel were now hitting his head, his heart, his stomach, his throat. He hated himself for it, to be crying here, in front of the man he'd admired for so long. Lionel felt a hand on his shoulder, it was the girl, Eve, the girl who'd brought those emotions in him, he hated her for it. He shook her grip away. 

Eve stood looking at the boy, a boy who'd never been allowed to cry, she realised the last thing he would want was to cry in front of Hayden. Eve didn't know of this world, she didn't know what this organisation was, but she did know Hayden, and she knew that in any world, he was intimidating. In any world but hers. 

- So, when are we going?

Both Hayden and the boy looked at her in surprise, the boy's face was now serious, Hayden slightly smiled, Eve could tell he felt pain for her. She smiled at him.

- But I do have a few questions. Starting with: What kind of organisation thinks I'm going to help at all in bringing a war to end? I'm sloppy, awkward, undisciplined and a bit of a nutshow… Tense boy over here is actually right.

Hayden smiled at Eve, she'd never know how it was that he saw her, it was true, she was sloppy, awkward, undisciplined and crazy, but Hayden knew, beyond any doubt, that she was the solution to the world. 

- Yes, it's true, you are all those things, you are sloppy, awkward, undisciplined, crazy, impolite, insubordinate, - Is this your way of cheering me up? Because I have to say, it's not really working… - but… Hayden smiled at her. You're also brave, and strong, the bravest and strongest person I know, and I know my fair share of brave and strong people. I know that what I'm asking is a lot to process. But the people of Ahn need you, I have no doubt that you can do it, I never will doubt, but everybody else will, everybody will think you will fail, all you have to do is prove them wrong. But, even if you doubt yourself, if there are people who need you, shouldn't you try to help? Hayden was looking into Eve's eyes, his hazel eyes stirred her insides, she smiled at him. - You know I will, you knew it when you asked. I was just trying to stress on the fact that it was a bad decision to choose me… Hayden smiled at her, he did know she would agree to help, she would always try to help even if she wasn't asked. He stood upright and got back to business.

- We will spend the night here and leave in the morning. 

Hayden looked at Lionel seriously, his imperative tone proving to Eve what she'd thought from the start, Hayden was intimidating. Then Hayden looked at her and smiled. 

- Ok, I'll go get the sheets, you take out the bed.

Hayden and Eve had done this routine often, whenever he came to visit he slept in the sofa-bed and she slept in her room. From time to time she came to sleep beside him. She loved it, she curled beside him, he hugged her tight and she lay her head on his chest, hearing his steady strong heart-beat, those nights were the few that she actually slept well. After readying the bed in the routine they were so used to, they said good night, and Eve walked to her room. She sat on the bed, and hugged her knees to her breast. Then she lay her back on the bed and curled up. She was afraid. She didn't know what was going on, what they were talking about, the fighters, Ahn… She wasn't afraid of following them in this crazed thought, she was afraid because she saw them hurting, and that hurt her. She was afraid of Hayden's violence when he pinned the boy to the floor, she was afraid of his seriousness, of his pained smiles, she was afraid of the crazed blue eyes the boy had shown, and of the million locked emotions they held, it pained her, to see these two boys suffering so much, it kept her up all night.

Author's Note

Sorry for two things in everything I write: Titles and Chapter organisation.