Dylan looked at Yve.
“Got nowhere to go?”
“Uhmmm…” Yve dragged out the word awkwardly.
“I don’t…
which brings me to my question…” She hesitated before looking at him.
“Can I live with you?
For the time being?
Just until I get myself sorted and accustomed to the way hum…
to the way our modern civilization lives?”
A smirk crossed Dylan’s face.
“Nuh uh.”
Yve frowned.
“Why not?”
“Got no room.
Don’t like roommates.”
He started toward the car, but Yve quickly caught up and grabbed his arms.
“Please…
please, please, please…”
Dylan looked down at her hands before looking back at her.
“Look…
I’m sorry I hit ya with my car.
Medical bills’re covered.
If ya need medicine, I’ll pay for it.” He pulled out his wallet and took out the cash inside, holding it out to her.
“Here’s some cash.
Go home.
And…
sorry ’bout that.” He pointed toward the wound on Yve’s forehead.
“Get in the car.
I’ll take ya to social services.
They can help ya there.”
Yve frowned.
“Hmpp…
I don’t know anyone here, and you’re the first human I met…”
Dylan looked at her.
There was a brief hesitation in his expression before he made up his mind.
“Sorry.
Hope we don’t cross paths again.”
Yve stared at him, then reluctantly got into the car.
Dylan closed the door, walked around to the driver’s side, and got in.
A few minutes later, he drove her toward the local social services office.
~~~
After dropping Yve off at the social services office, Dylan got back into his car and started the engine.
He was about to pull away when he remembered the way she’d looked at him before going inside.
He stopped, one hand resting on the steering wheel.
A few minutes later, Yve came out of the building with a woman and another man.
She followed them toward a waiting car, keeping her head down as she took in everything around her.
Dylan watched from across the street.
She looked lost.
Pitiful, even.
And, if he was being honest, beautiful.
He sighed and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
Yve climbed into the back seat of the car.
The woman and man got in after her, and the vehicle pulled away.
Dylan watched it go.
Then he started his car and followed.
The other vehicle eventually stopped in front of a local shelter funded by the government.
Dylan stayed in his car as Yve got out and followed the two people inside.
He waited until she disappeared through the doors.
Only then did some of the tension leave his shoulders.
Dylan looked at the empty entrance for another moment before putting the car in gear and driving away.
~~~
Inside the administration office, Yve sat in one of the chairs, the money Dylan had given her crumpled in her palm.
A woman sat across from her with a form on the desk while another staff member stood nearby.
“Full name?”
“Celestia Yve Virellis.”
The woman wrote it down.
“Age?”
Yve hesitated.
“Two hundred for…” She stopped herself.
“Twenty-four years old.”
The woman paused, then continued writing.
“Where do you live?”
“Reefville.”
“Do you have an address?”
Yve nodded and gave them the coordinates.
The woman entered them into the computer.
After a moment, she stared at the screen.
“These coordinates are in the ocean.”
“Yes.”
The two staff members exchanged a look.
“Is there an island nearby?”
Yve thought about it.
“I suppose you could call it that.”
The woman wrote something down.
“Do you have somewhere else safe to stay?”
“No.”
“Family?
Friends?”
“I don’t know anyone here.”
“What happened to you?”
“I woke up in a hospital.
A kind human helped me.” Yve opened her hand and showed them the money Dylan had given her.
“I don’t know what this is supposed to be worth, but he said I could use it.”
The woman’s eyes moved to the bills.
There was a pause.
Then the other staff member looked at Yve.
His expression had changed as he stared at the money, then at her.
After a few more rounds of questions, Yve continued answering honestly, careful not to reveal anything about being a Siren.
Eventually, the woman closed the folder and stood.
“Alright.
We’ll get you settled in.
Ethan, escort her to her room, please.”
A young man standing near the doorway nodded.
“This way.”
Yve followed him out of the office.
As they walked through the shelter, Ethan explained the basic rules and daily schedule.
There were set times for meals, cleaning, activities, and other chores.
Residents were expected to keep their rooms and shared areas clean, follow curfew, and respect the other people staying there.
Yve listened without interrupting, taking in everything around her as they passed through the building.
When they reached the dormitory, Ethan showed her the bed assigned to her and handed her a pillow, a blanket, and a small key.
“That’s your locker.
Keep your things in there.”
Yve looked at the key before taking it.
“Thank you, kind human.”
Ethan paused for a moment, then simply nodded.
“Yeah.”
He turned and left, leaving Yve standing beside her new bed with the key still in her hand.
~~~
Later that night, Dylan closed the medicine cabinet in the bathroom after taking something for his insomnia.
For a moment, his thoughts went back to Yve.
He shook it off and bent down to pick up the towel he’d dropped on the floor.
Something caught his eye.
Just beside the bathtub was a small, dark green object.
Dylan picked it up between his fingers.
It was rough and slightly curved, almost like a piece of something that had peeled off.
He looked around the bathroom, checking the tub, the floor, and the nearby fixtures.
Nothing.
He turned the object over in his fingers, trying to figure out what it had come from.
After a moment, he shrugged and tossed it into the trash.
Dylan left the bathroom and found Clyne sitting in the living room, eating a burger with several notes scattered across the table.
“So she’s gone, huh?”
Dylan nodded and sat down on the sofa.
“You’re too cruel.
How could ya just kick her out?”
“She ain’t my responsibility.”
“You kinda were.
You did hit her.”
“Was an accident.
She came outta nowhere.”
“We know.
Even Mom was startled.” Clyne took another bite of his burger before looking at him.
“Still…
ya could’ve at least helped her find her family.”
“Didn’t have one.”
Clyne frowned.
“Really?
Why?”
“Couldn’t find her identity.
Had one of my buddies run her prints.
None came back.”
“That…
that’s wild.
How could somebody live for twenty-some years and not leave a trace?” Clyne thought for a moment.
“Unless she’s an assassin.
You know, one of them secret agents from the movies.”
Dylan scoffed, reached over, and grabbed a fry.
“You a kid or what?”
“Just sayin’.
She did look strong for someone her size.”
Dylan didn’t answer.
Clyne took another bite.
“And beautiful, too…”
Dylan stood up.
“Oh, we’re still talkin’.
Where the hell ya goin’?”
“Goin’ to sleep.
So shut up.” Dylan walked into his bedroom and slammed the door behind him.
Clyne stared at the closed door, burger still in his hand.
“Alright, then.”
Meanwhile, back at the shelter, Yve waited until everyone was asleep.
She carefully opened the door and peeked into the hallway.
A guard was making his rounds, so she waited until he had passed before slipping toward a nearby window.
She opened it and climbed outside.
The moment she looked down, her stomach turned.
It was much higher than she expected.
“There’s no water…” she muttered.
“Gotta be careful.”
She tightened her grip on the window frame and began climbing upward.
The building had several windows positioned close enough for her to use as handholds.
Yve pulled herself from one to the next, climbing toward the rooftop without much difficulty.
Her strength made the climb far easier than it should have been.
When she finally reached the roof, she looked around.
Then she spotted it.
A large water tank.
“Knew it…” Yve walked over and placed her hands against the tank.
“If my ears are correct…
there should be…” She knocked against the side and waited.
A faint sound answered from inside.
A small slosh.
Yve’s eyes widened.
“Water!”
She looked around the tank until she found the large lid on top.
After opening it, she leaned over and peered inside.
Without another thought, Yve climbed in.
As soon as she was completely submerged, her tail formed beneath her.
She took a deep breath and relaxed as the water surrounded her.
“Thought I was gonna suffocate here…” She floated for a moment, enjoying the familiar sensation.
This was better.
Yve looked up through the opening toward the night sky.
“A year…” she murmured.
“Let’s just hold out for a year.” She smiled to herself.
“Three hundred sixty-four more days to go.”
Then she swam around the cramped tank, perfectly content.