#sxnsory

After six centuries of detaching himself from anything to do with family, here he was, staring down at the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Maybe it was because Billie was strong enough to bear such a child, or maybe he had the ability to do this all along. But either way...she was here now.

Three years old and safely asleep in the arms of her father.

Billie hardly had to break the news to him at all; he could see it in Evie’s eyes. They were the same color as his, and even so, hers had more life to them. More wonder and humanity and everything he wished he could be. Even so, he had trouble really believing it until Billie actually told him.

This girl, this strange burst of sunshine despite her origins...he never knew he could feel this way about someone ever since Nobody Owens, and after that accident, he was sure he would abandon all parental emotions for anyone. But looking upon the gentle face of his actual daughter--

He could almost feel his heart leap in joy in his chest. Her skin was warmer than his; albeit still pale and her hair dark...like both her parents. But when she smiled, the hounds disappeared momentarily. The sun came out and he wasn’t harmed a bit by it.

His first words to her, of course, were “You’re so beautiful.” And for the first time since he could even remember, he cried, and he cried hard. Never once did he think he could even shed tears, least of all for joy, but there he was.

And here he was now, holding her just a bit longer before he tucked her into bed. Sunrise would be in an hour and at that moment, he loathed the sun so much. How dare it rise and force him to separate from his baby girl for so long, but there was the promise of seeing her again.

He sweetly kissed her forehead before he set her small body down and covered her with a blanket.

    “Goodnight, my darling. I’ll see      you sooner than you think.”

When he finally stood up again, he left her room and closed the door silently. Billie was standing right there, and God if he could touch her at that moment, he would have kissed her that she’d see stars behind her eyelids. But his look said enough, and his smile wavered with too much happiness for him to handle. And instead, all he could say to her was,

“Alright, love. I need to go find you something for dinner. Go set the alarm for two hours and pop in a good film. Okay?” Silas kissed the girl’s forehead and rubbed her shoulders, trying to smile brightly for her.

Evie wouldn’t smile back, but she nodded anyway. “Fine.” was all she said before running off to the kitchen to grab the timer from the table.

“I love you, Evie.” Silas called to her, just as he did every night before he left. “I’ll be back.” He made his way to the door, glancing back at her once more before he left and locked the door.

Silence fell over the apartment for a while, save for the ticking of the timer, and Evie just stared blankly at the door as she sat on the kitchen table with her chin in her hands. She could be helpful, she was almost seven years old! She could do lots of things, probably, like help finding food and maybe picking nice flowers to put around the apartment.

Oh, but if she stepped outside...Papa would be very upset. But if she could prove that she was helpful, then maybe that would help to change his mind.

She hopped down from the table and stepped closer to the door. Hesitation was still strong in her mind, and her hand even reached a few times for the inside lock on the doorknob, to turn it and free herself.

                       It’s not to keep you inside, it’s to keep the bad things out.

After about five minutes of deciding whether this would be worth it in the end, Evie held her breath and turned the lock, then the doorknob. She could do this. She was brave and strong like her parents and she could help. Out into the hall she ran, making sure the door was closed before she crept down the stairs of the complex.

Everything was so exciting and terrifying and foreign and...she wanted more. She wanted to see and feel and smell more. Part of her wanted to find Papa as well, but it would be best if he didn’t see her outside just yet. Not empty-handed.

When she reached the front door of the complex, she had a bit of difficulty opening the big door, but she managed to push it just far enough to slip out, and finally she saw the outside world from a place that wasn’t her window. She wouldn’t go very far, she would still have to keep her home in view so she could find her way back. The coast was clear so far, so it was safe to walk out further.

It seemed like the whole place was completely abandoned, so it was okay to check other places too, right? Other buildings. Surely there must have been something for her. Wrapping her coat around herself tighter, she took her first few steps out, and then a bit more, and her tiny legs took off running to a building across the street. It was big, but that only meant there were a lot of places to check.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have enough energy to rummage around higher than the first two floors, and when she came out with nothing, she sighed. But she wouldn’t give up. There was still a backyard and-- there was a garden!

It was a sparse garden, but there was still a few colors of blossomed fruits and vegetables. More specifically, cherry tomatoes...and strawberries! How lucky was Evie to come upon such a treat! She plucked the ripest one she found to eat for now, and the rest she could save for later. With the utmost gentleness, she placed the strawberries in her pocket, and once they were safe, she left the garden and crept back onto the street.

Home was close now, and she could get back inside without a single problem. Or, at least she could hurry up, considering in the near distance, there was low growling and snarling. She had to hurry home now; how embarrassing it would be if Papa caught her outside face-to-face with the mean dogs!

But when she ran three-quarters across the street, her path was cut off. Huge paws with giant claws and matted black fur pressed to the dusty pavement as red eyes much more sinister than her papa’s eye color stared her down, towering over the little girl.

Not good, not good....oh no, Papa’s going to be so mad!

She tried to back up a few steps, but the hound only pursued slowly, his grey sharp fangs drooling in hunger. As it drew in a deep breath, it roared and pounced, managing to pin her onto the ground. Her tiny arms couldn’t move and tears flowed from her eyes as she pleaded out loud, “Please, Papa! I’m so sorry I should have listened to you! I know why it’s not safe!”

PAPA!

Her eyes only closed for an instant, and the weight of the hound seemed to disappear. Evie opened her eyes again to see another mean dog attacking the one who wanted to eat her, the new dog’s jaws clamping down on the other’s throat, and it twitched before laying completely still. It was then when Evie noticed how much her arms really did hurt, and she cried even harder when she saw her own blood covering the sleeves of her coat.

More hounds would be on their way soon enough, but the one who still lingered stepped closer. Evie was scared that she was gone for good, but this dog only showed its teeth to grab her by the collar and carry her off the street. Evie turned her head after she heard a familiar voice echo of the walls of the old buildings.

                                                                                              “TAKE HER HOME!”

    “PAPA!”

She couldn’t see Papa, but according to the angry sounds of the dogs, he had to be close by. She struggled against the dog who had her, and she managed to slip free for just a moment, but the hound cut her off once again and almost roared at her, nudging her with a giant paw inside the flat complex.

Once the little girl was safe behind the door, the hound ran off without looking back, and Evie took a seat on the bottom step. Her sobbing had quieted a little, and she looked over her scratches. If Mama was here, Evie was sure she would help tend to the little wounds. But what hurt the most was her shame.

She was caught by the mean dogs, and now Papa would be upset. In her own defeat, she climbed up the many flights of stairs back to the apartment and hid inside again.

It was obvious that Silas couldn’t walk in direct sunlight. And with a world like this, where the dust filled up the sky that there hardly was a sun anymore, it wasn’t all that difficult to walk during the day sometimes. Nevertheless, despite that setback, Silas still had one light that he coveted and protected, and that was his little Evie. His Evie, now that her mother was gone.

It was one particular night when the sun had set and Silas had woken up later than usual. By the time the sun set on most days, Evie would come to wake him up, but this particular night, he knew she was a little under the weather. It was the month to get little colds, and especially in a world like this, sickness could sometimes be a little harsh. And though he was late to wake up, he was quick to get out of bed and check on the girl to see how she was faring.

He checked her temperature and made her a can of soup (something he kept around for this specific reason), and he sat by her bedside and rested his hand over her forehead to cool her fever.

Being a cuddler, and since she wasn’t afraid of getting her guardian sick, she crawled out from under her blanket once she finished her soup and rested in his lap for a little while. Her smile only grew when she felt his long fingers gently brush her hair from her face. “I know I like it most of the time when you tell me stories...”

“You want something different this time?” Silas asked with a raised brow in curiosity. “What can I do for you, then?”

She buried her face in his lap. “Can you sing to me? Mama used to sometimes.”

Silas’s hand stilled for a moment, and then a soft sigh escaped him. “I miss her a lot, too. But she’ll come back one of these days. I’ll find her, just like I promised.”

Evie nodded, though her little fingers clutched at his leg. “Do it as soon as you can.” she muttered, “But for now, can you sing?”

“Of course, love.” His hand continued to stroke through her hair as he drew in another breath and smiled.

    “You are my sunshine,      My only sunshine.      You make me happy when skies are grey.”

Evie started smiling as well, and her body relaxed as she started dozing off once more.