eve

Eve had always longed for a sense of normalcy, and school seemed like the perfect opportunity to experience it. For so long, they had been kept isolated by Calanthe, their interactions limited and carefully controlled. But when they finally arrived at school, the excitement quickly turned to confusion. The other children were so different from what they expected—small things like how they spoke about their families, the way they laughed, the way they seemed so at ease. Eve didn’t understand why they felt out of place, but they tried to shake it off. But the longer they stayed, the more the differences became impossible to ignore.

Eve began to bond with the other children. Each new friendship felt like something precious, like the world was opening up to them for the first time. They cherished every smile, every kind word, and found themselves deeply moved by even the simplest moments of connection. It was as if these new experiences made them more aware of what love and family meant—things they had always longed for but never truly experienced. Yet, as much as they tried to fit in, there was always a nagging feeling that something was off. Their friends' lives were so different from their own, especially when they spoke of their families. Eve’s own home life didn’t match up, but they didn’t know why.

At home, things weren’t getting any easier. Calanthe was deteriorating, slowly being worn down by something invisible but heavy. Eve didn’t understand it. They didn’t see the darkness pulling at him, the whispers in his head. All they saw was someone they loved, someone they wanted to help. Eve tried to bring him moments of happiness, taking photos of flowers and offering them to him, hoping to see him smile like he used to. But as time went on, the light in his eyes grew dimmer, and Eve’s worry deepened.

Things took a dark turn when Eve stumbled upon Achaia—or what was left of her. The scene should have been horrifying, but their mind couldn’t fully process it. Instead, they saw flowers, broken and scattered, being “put back together.” In a moment of twisted comfort, their mind turned Achaia’s body into something less real, less painful to understand. But something shifted within Eve, and the reality of what Calanthe had done to Achaia—*their mother*—started to sink in. What had he done to her? What was he capable of?

Eve’s own sense of identity began to unravel. They looked at their skin—petals, not flesh. Their blood, blue instead of red. For so long, they had believed they were like everyone else, just a little different. But now, with the truth hovering just out of reach, they started to question everything. *What am I?* The realization that Calanthe had shielded them from the truth of their creation slowly crept in, gnawing at their sense of self. He wasn’t just their father; he was their creator, their maker—and perhaps their jailer.

At school, Eve had always been curious about what made a family. The other children spoke of their parents with love, and Eve began to explore the idea themselves, picking up a camera—just like Achaia had done. But after finding what Calanthe had done to her, Eve’s perception of family became warped. They loved Calanthe, clung to him even as they started to resent him. He called them his “little apple,” and while the name once filled them with warmth, it now felt like a reminder of their origin—a creation, not a birth.

Eve’s physical condition had always been fragile. Their skin, made of delicate petals, required constant hydration. They were tethered to a drip of dyed water, oh how different they truly were. Yet, until now, they had never questioned it. Calanthe had shielded them from injury, so they never saw the difference in their blood. But after discovering Achaia’s fate, they couldn’t stop thinking about it.

They moved through the world with the same curiosity, the same desire to understand, but now it was tinged with fear. Eve’s thought process, always logical and straightforward, couldn’t make sense of the emotions that began to overwhelm them. They had spent their life pretending, immersing themselves in hobbies and friendships to distract from the truth of their existence. But now, the illusion was breaking apart.