The next morning, the residents woke up as usual.
Yve had barely slept.
The unfamiliar surroundings kept her awake for most of the night, leaving her with only two thoughts to occupy her mind: Dylan, and how she was supposed to survive an entire year while hiding her identity and living like a normal human.
She still had no idea what she was doing.
The staff began assigning chores after breakfast.
Mark approached Yve and told her to clean the bathroom.
Yve nodded, then looked at him.
“How do I do that?”
Mark stared at her.
“You…
don’t know how to clean a bathroom?”
Yve shook her head.
Before Mark could say anything else, one of the residents spoke up.
“I’ll teach her.”
Mark looked between them before shrugging.
“Alright.”
The woman introduced herself as they walked toward the bathroom.
“I’m Lara.
What’s your name?”
“Yve…”
Lara nodded and began explaining what to do, pointing out which cleaning products to use and where everything went.
Yve listened carefully, watching every step.
“You followed my instructions?”
Yve nodded.
“Aha…”
Lara handed her the cleaning supplies and left her to it.
Yve got to work.
The first thing she discovered was that human cleaning products smelled horrible.
She would scrub for a while, hold her breath, then step outside the bathroom for a deep breath before going back in.
Her nose was far too sensitive for the strong chemical scent filling the room.
If anything, it only motivated her to finish faster.
By the time she was done, the bathroom was spotless.
That was the beginning of Yve’s new routine.
The days passed into a rhythm.
For Dylan, work filled most of them.
He’d wake up, get ready, and leave for work, barely giving the strange woman he’d picked up off the road another thought.
Somehow, he’d already managed to tuck Yve away in the back of his mind.
He figured he’d never see her again anyway.
So why bother?
Clyne eventually moved out once construction on the stay-in rooms at the VIRA Complex was finished, leaving Dylan with the apartment to himself again.
As for Yve, every day brought something new.
She kept learning things that seemed completely ordinary to humans but fascinated her.
Laundry, cooking, electric appliances, cleaning, even the basic concept of a dollar bill.
Even something as simple as using a broom could keep her occupied for several minutes as she tried to understand why humans had decided that was the most efficient way to clean a floor.
Whenever she was assigned a chore, Yve would stare at whatever was in front of her and mutter to herself.
“Such primitive ways to do this…”
She wasn’t incapable.
Quite the opposite.
Once she understood how something worked, she picked it up quickly.
Then came the laundry.
That one didn’t go quite as well.
Yve stared at the washing machine as though it had personally offended her.
She mixed up the detergents, put several different colors together, and ended up turning a load of clothes into a collection of entirely new shades.
The staff member who discovered it wasn’t amused.
Yve, however, took note of the mistake.
And the next time she did laundry, she got it right.
Every twelve hours, Yve also found a way to sneak up to the rooftop.
She’d wait until no one was watching, climb up, and find the water tank.
A few minutes in the water was enough to ease the tightness in her chest and refill her lungs.
Then she’d climb back down before anyone noticed.
She kept doing it, day after day, until the water inside the tank began to turn cloudy.
Thin, dark green scales covered the inside walls.
Some clung to the surface while others had settled at the bottom.
Yve never noticed them.
She simply climbed into the water, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.
For her, it was becoming another part of the routine.
Somewhere along the way, Lara became close to her.
She hadn’t asked much about Yve’s past.
Everyone at the shelter had their own tragic story, and Lara didn’t feel the need to dig into hers.
There was something about Yve that she recognized, though.
Maybe it was the way she carried herself, or the loneliness she occasionally caught in her expression.
Whatever it was, Lara decided to befriend her.
Yve didn’t hesitate.
Lara was the first female human she’d ever befriended, and she gladly accepted the friendship.
They began spending more time together, talking whenever they had the chance.
Yve asked questions about humans and their lives, while Lara slowly learned that there was much more to Yve than the strange things she said and did.
At night, when Lara had nightmares, Yve would wake and find her struggling in her sleep.
She never knew exactly what haunted Lara, but she didn’t need to.
She would sit beside her and gently caress her forehead until Lara’s breathing settled again.
Some nights, Lara would wake and find Yve still there.
There was something comforting about having her around.
Something that made the nights a little easier.
One afternoon, Yve was sweeping the hallway when Mark approached Lara.
He leaned toward her and whispered something into her ear.
Whatever he said made Lara clench her teeth.
Her hands tightened into fists, and for a moment, the expression on her face changed completely.
There was determination in her eyes, but something else too.
Something that looked almost helpless.
Yve could only see Lara’s face from where she stood.
She didn’t know what had been said, but something about Lara’s reaction made her pause.
Then Ethan called her.
“Hey, Yve.”
Yve turned around.
By the time she looked back, Lara and Mark were gone.
Ethan stood a few feet away, watching her.
“Can you help me with something?”
Yve rested both hands on the broom.
“Sure…
what is it?”
“I noticed how you seem to be pretty knowledgeable in mythology.” Ethan rubbed the back of his neck.
“I’m making this research paper about what if mythological creatures are real, and I just wanted to pick at your brain for a minute.”
Yve blinked.
“Oh…” She hesitated, then nodded.
“Uhmmm…
sure.”
“Thanks.”
Ethan led her toward the cafeteria.
They found an empty table and sat across from each other.
Ethan opened his laptop while Yve settled into the seat opposite him, watching the screen with mild curiosity.
“So,” Ethan said, resting his hands on the keyboard, “let’s start with something simple.”
Yve leaned forward.
“Well, first I wanted to know…” Ethan paused, glancing at the notes he’d typed.
“I mean, these questions are somewhat more like opinions.
Let’s say, hypothetically, myths are real.
Like, they actually exist.”
Yve nodded.
“Why do you think humanity never fully encountered them before?
If they’re real, then…” He leaned back in his chair.
“Where are they?”
“Everywhere.”
Ethan blinked.
“Yeah, okay.
Sure.” He looked back at his laptop.
“But why?
Why haven’t they revealed themselves to us?”
“Maybe because of what humans did in the past.”
Ethan looked up.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, this is just a theory…” Yve hesitated, choosing her words carefully.
“But what if the witch hunts that happened in the 1600s, where lots of people were killed, were actually Sirens, Nymthe, Mayans, Druids, Jinnari, and other mythological creatures?”
Ethan stopped typing.
“Oh…”
Yve watched him.
“I never thought of it that way.” He leaned forward, suddenly more interested.
“But what makes you think that?”
“Just a guess.” Yve rested her arms on the table.
“I mean, look at it from the perspective of a non-human race.
You go to Earth, try to mingle with humans, share your knowledge and inventions and ways of interacting with nature.
Then humans start accusing you of something you aren’t.
They humiliate you, kill your loved ones, your friends…” Her expression hardened.
“They behead you.
Burn you alive.” She looked directly at him.
“Would you still want to mingle with humans?”
Ethan opened his mouth, then stopped.
He looked down at the laptop for a moment.
“I guess…” He rubbed his chin.
“Not.”
Yve gave a small nod.
“Yeah.”
Ethan stared at his notes, then back at Yve.
“But…
wow.” A grin slowly formed across his face.
“That’s actually an interesting theory.” He looked off toward the cafeteria entrance, thinking.
“But still, that’s in the past.
Humanity’s advanced so much now.
I mean, don’t you think it would be different now than before?”
Yve studied him for a moment.
“If I told you I’m a Siren, how would you react?”
Ethan’s expression froze.
Then he shook his head.
“I mean…
I don’t…” He gave an awkward laugh.
“Heh.
I don’t know.
I guess I’d think you’re insane.
Or delusional?
I mean, I don’t know.”
Yve nodded.
“See?”
Ethan looked at her.
Yve leaned back in her chair, her expression thoughtful.
“Humans aren’t prepared yet to handle the knowledge of the cosmos.
Until then, I think it’s best that other races don’t reveal themselves yet.” She glanced toward the cafeteria windows.
“When the right time comes, maybe…”
Yve paused.
“Maybe the Accord will be lifted.”
“What Accord?”
Yve shook her head.
“Next question, please…”
Ethan stared at her for a second before looking back at his laptop.
“Oh…
uhmmm.
Okay.” He scrolled through his notes.
“How about this?
What do you think would happen if humans actually had an interaction with one of these civilizations?”
Yve leaned back in her chair, thinking.
“Well…
I’m not really sure.
I guess…” She considered it for a moment.
“Just like how any other civilizations started learning that each other existed.
Disbelief, caution, discomfort, first interaction, first dinner…” She smiled faintly.
“Then a peace treaty.
And unity.”
Ethan gave her a look.
“That’s too clean.”
Yve raised an eyebrow.
“I think differently.”
“Okay…”
“If that happens, I think Earth would become a battleground and humans would become lab rats.”
Yve tried to hold back a laugh, but a small chuckle escaped.
Ethan noticed.
“Why?
What’s wrong with my theory?”
“Why do you think that exactly?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged.
“Maybe because Earth has resources.
And there’s lots of people.”
Yve pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh again.
“You think Earth is the only planet with resources?”
Ethan hesitated.
“I’m…
not sure.
But I guess?” He gestured vaguely toward the windows.
“It has trees, and it’s the right distance from the sun.
Not too hot, not too cold…”
Yve stared at him.
“Ethan.”
“Yeah?”
“The Milky Way galaxy alone is huge.” She reached across the table and took one of his pens.
After uncapping it, she pressed the tip against the table, leaving the smallest dot she could make.
“This…” She tapped the dot with the pen.
“This is Earth.” She gestured around them.
“And imagine this whole building as the Milky Way galaxy.
Heck, maybe even larger.”
Ethan looked around the cafeteria.
“It is incredibly arrogant to think that Earth is the most resourceful planet,” Yve continued.
“Even with advanced civilizations, we haven’t explored most of the galaxy.
That’s how vast it is.” She tapped the tiny dot again.
“This is just one planet.”
Yve looked back at him.
“There are literally thousands, maybe millions, of unknown civilizations out there that we may never discover.”
Ethan stared at the tiny mark on the table.
“Why?”
Yve gave him a small, almost amused smile.
“Because that’s how big the galaxy is.”
Ethan stared at her, baffled.
“Wow…
you have strong opinions, huh?”
Yve blinked, unsure of herself.
“Oh…
well…”
“I-I get your point, though.”
“Thanks…” Ethan closed his laptop halfway and studied her for a moment.
“You know, you don’t really look like someone who’s into mythology.”
Because your mythology is my reality.
Yve kept the thought to herself.
“Really?” she asked.
“What do I look like, then?”
“Uhmmm…” Ethan considered it.
“Someone who looks lost…
and lonely…” He smiled.
“Yet still being an absolute delight.”
Yve smiled to herself.
“Really?
Thanks…”
Ethan leaned back in his chair.
“We should eat lunch together sometime.
I don’t think I’ve ever met someone with such strong and unusually odd perspectives as you.
I’d like to learn more.”
Yve nodded.
“Can Lara eat with us?”
“Of course.”
“Alright.” Yve thought for a moment before looking at him.
“What can you do for me, though?”
Ethan frowned.
“Huh?”
“I learned here that when you give something, you must expect something in return.
Like a dollar bill.”
Ethan gave an awkward laugh.
“I…
don’t really have much money.”
“Doesn’t have to be money, you know.”
Ethan thought about it.
“How about I help you find a job?”
Yve’s face brightened.
“Deal.”
They shook hands across the table before returning to their conversation.
~~~
Later that night, Lara came into the room and settled onto her bed.
Yve looked over at her and noticed the tears running down her face.
Lara was pinching her nails into her own skin hard enough to draw blood, seemingly unaware of it.
Yve got up from her bed and climbed down from the bunk, sitting beside her.
Lara looked at her.”You’re still awake…”
“Yeah…” Yve glanced at her.
“I was waiting for you.
I looked for you everywhere earlier, but I couldn’t find you.”
Lara gave her a faint smile.
Yve noticed the bruise on her cheek.
“What happened there?”
Lara turned her face away.
“Nothing…”
Yve studied her for a moment.
“Is Mark bothering you?”
Lara shook her head.
“No…
no.
It’s just…”
She didn’t finish.
Instead, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Yve.
Yve returned the hug, gently patting her back.
“If he hurts you…” Yve murmured, “tell me.
I’ll kill him.”
Lara let out a small laugh through her tears and hugged her tighter.