with the others. I'll call if I need you."
"Yes, ma'am," he said and turned on his heels, sprinting back across the field and into the tunnel. For the first time in awhile, there were no humans standing around waiting to do her bidding. Eve felt alone for a second but she had a job to do: comb the knots out of Amber's hair.
The first stroke caught so much hair Amber screamed. Eve laughed silently. She'd need to be more careful. It really hadn't been that long since she'd had actual human contact. A part of her was still human. This wasn't a shell hiding a monster. At least, not to Eve.
"I'm sorry, Amber, I didn't mean to hurt you," Eve said soothingly. She took her time brushing the hair slowly a quarter of an inch at a time, careful when she met resistance. "I wanted a little girl just like you once. I almost had her, too."
Eve sighed.
She always acted as if she'd just never been lucky enough to be pregnant or have a baby, but she'd come close. It wasn't a planned thing but it had happened and it thrilled her, even though the man she'd had a drunken three weeks with was long gone. It didn't matter and Eve had thought it would've made it all easier. Without the drunken deadbeat musician in her life, she could raise a child on her own. Get her life in order. Stop the partying and cure her depression.
Six months in she'd miscarried and it was such a devastating blow she'd been committed for a time so she didn't permanently hurt herself.
It had been so long ago. If her daughter had lived, she'd be twice as old as Amber, but it didn't matter now. Eve finally had the little girl she'd always wanted. She had a new meaning in her life.
Amber squirmed as her hair was pulled but didn't cry out.
"Wait until you see all of the cool toys and clothes we're going to find you. I think I'll move you up into the offices with me so you can have your own room. Maybe two rooms. Would you like that?"
"When is my mommy coming back?" Amber asked.
"We'll have them build you a giant closet so you can hang all of your pretty dresses. Another area for all the nice shoes you're going to be wearing. Each day we can dress you up and parade you around the field. Everyone will love it. Maybe then they'll see I'm not so bad, right? I think the main room upstairs will be your toy room. Imagine it stuffed with the best toys left? This is going to be so much fun," Eve said and continued to comb the tangles out of Amber's hair.
"When is my mommy coming back?" Amber repeated.
"As soon as she finds you everything your little heart desires," Eve said.
Amber's shoulders began to shake slightly.
Eve turned the girl around and was shocked to see her crying.
"What's the matter, Amber?"
"I want my mommy."
Eve pulled her close and hugged the little girl.
"There, there. Everything is going to be alright. It's all going to work out. You're going to be the luckiest little girl in the entire world," Eve said and squeezed harder.
"I want my mommy."
Eve smiled over Amber's shoulder.
"I am your mommy."
Chapter Nine
Hayden was staring again, this time at the stadium from their vantage point on the docks.
"What are we doing out?" Bri asked again. Even though the weather was nice, a slight breeze off the river and the sun shining, Bri suddenly felt cold.
"I needed to see something," Hayden said without looking at Bri.
She hated when he was so dismissive and rude, which was becoming the norm with Hayden.
"I'm going back to the building. The baby will get sick out here," Bri said.
Hayden laughed and finally turned to look in her direction.
"There is no disease able to penetrate this baby's immune system. You know why? He probably doesn't even have a weakness." Hayden went to Bri but turned his gray eyes to the baby, gently lifting him from her arms and holding him up. "He is a perfect little machine. He doesn't need to feed. He doesn't need to sleep. He doesn't need to pee or poop."
"Then what's the
"Yes, ma'am," he said and turned on his heels, sprinting back across the field and into the tunnel. For the first time in awhile, there were no humans standing around waiting to do her bidding. Eve felt alone for a second but she had a job to do: comb the knots out of Amber's hair.
The first stroke caught so much hair Amber screamed. Eve laughed silently. She'd need to be more careful. It really hadn't been that long since she'd had actual human contact. A part of her was still human. This wasn't a shell hiding a monster. At least, not to Eve.
"I'm sorry, Amber, I didn't mean to hurt you," Eve said soothingly. She took her time brushing the hair slowly a quarter of an inch at a time, careful when she met resistance. "I wanted a little girl just like you once. I almost had her, too."
Eve sighed.
She always acted as if she'd just never been lucky enough to be pregnant or have a baby, but she'd come close. It wasn't a planned thing but it had happened and it thrilled her, even though the man she'd had a drunken three weeks with was long gone. It didn't matter and Eve had thought it would've made it all easier. Without the drunken deadbeat musician in her life, she could raise a child on her own. Get her life in order. Stop the partying and cure her depression.
Six months in she'd miscarried and it was such a devastating blow she'd been committed for a time so she didn't permanently hurt herself.
It had been so long ago. If her daughter had lived, she'd be twice as old as Amber, but it didn't matter now. Eve finally had the little girl she'd always wanted. She had a new meaning in her life.
Amber squirmed as her hair was pulled but didn't cry out.
"Wait until you see all of the cool toys and clothes we're going to find you. I think I'll move you up into the offices with me so you can have your own room. Maybe two rooms. Would you like that?"
"When is my mommy coming back?" Amber asked.
"We'll have them build you a giant closet so you can hang all of your pretty dresses. Another area for all the nice shoes you're going to be wearing. Each day we can dress you up and parade you around the field. Everyone will love it. Maybe then they'll see I'm not so bad, right? I think the main room upstairs will be your toy room. Imagine it stuffed with the best toys left? This is going to be so much fun," Eve said and continued to comb the tangles out of Amber's hair.
"When is my mommy coming back?" Amber repeated.
"As soon as she finds you everything your little heart desires," Eve said.
Amber's shoulders began to shake slightly.
Eve turned the girl around and was shocked to see her crying.
"What's the matter, Amber?"
"I want my mommy."
Eve pulled her close and hugged the little girl.
"There, there. Everything is going to be alright. It's all going to work out. You're going to be the luckiest little girl in the entire world," Eve said and squeezed harder.
"I want my mommy."
Eve smiled over Amber's shoulder.
"I am your mommy."
Chapter Nine
Hayden was staring again, this time at the stadium from their vantage point on the docks.
"What are we doing out?" Bri asked again. Even though the weather was nice, a slight breeze off the river and the sun shining, Bri suddenly felt cold.
"I needed to see something," Hayden said without looking at Bri.
She hated when he was so dismissive and rude, which was becoming the norm with Hayden.
"I'm going back to the building. The baby will get sick out here," Bri said.
Hayden laughed and finally turned to look in her direction.
"There is no disease able to penetrate this baby's immune system. You know why? He probably doesn't even have a weakness." Hayden went to Bri but turned his gray eyes to the baby, gently lifting him from her arms and holding him up. "He is a perfect little machine. He doesn't need to feed. He doesn't need to sleep. He doesn't need to pee or poop."
"Then what's the
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