cleaned hours ago ! It seemed like Eve had gotten into the bath with her clothes on and didn ’ t dry off afterwards . What was even stranger was that Eve didn ’ t appear to notice how wet she was , or , if she did , she didn ’ t seem all that bothered by it . What truly struck Maia , though , was the expression on her daughter ’ s face . Something in her eyes was … wrong . How can a sixteenyear-old have such a young face , but still look so old ?
The girl didn ’ t seem like she was going to reply to Maia ’ s question , so she put a hand on Eve ’ s forehead . Oddly , Maia felt no high temperature , but there was a concerning chill . “ Honey , are you alright ? Are you feeling sick ?”
Eve swallowed and coughed . “ I … thirsty .” Eve looked up into her mother ’ s eyes and , for the first time in years , looked helpless . “ I ’ m thirsty , Mom .”
“ Okay ,” Maia said hurriedly . “ Okay , I ’ ll get you some water . Just — wait here .”
Maia went to the kitchen without waiting for a response . As she poured a glass , she noticed something on the counter . Was it …? She picked it up and let out a soft gasp . It was Eve ’ s medication , but why was it out here ? More importantly , why was it empty ? Wasn ’ t it just yesterday that they ’ d gotten this bottle ?
“ Eve ?” Maia called . “ Yes , Mom ?”
Maia jumped and turned around to find Eve standing in the archway of the kitchen . She ’ d been so quiet . Eyeing Eve warily now , Maia asked in as gentle a tone as she could muster , “ Eve , sweetie , did you —”
Maia ’ s eyes landed on Eve ’ s limp hands as they hung at her sides . The cuffs of her sweater had slipped up a bit and , for the first time , Maia saw that her daughter ’ s wrists were red . No , they weren ’ t just red . They were … bloody .
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