• “The doctor said that he would be in there for about three weeks.” Marie was spending the night at Eva’s. She had come her almost strait from the hospital. With only a small stop over at her house to pick up some things.

    Eva put another spoon full of ice cream in her mouth. “Oh that’s too bad he is going to go crazy.” Eva laughed but it was a forced laugh. “I know what you really want. You want to know is that what happened during the fight and what punishment everyone will get. Am I right?” She asked Marie with out looking at her.

    Marie blushed with embarrassment, “you got me.”

    “Well Adem has been suspended for three weeks. Jakob and his friends have been expelled.” Eva looked away, “and I don’t want to talk about the fight, ok?”

    “Ok no problem.” Marie said as she finished her ice cream, “it’s good that those brutes will not be coming back to school,” she said as she slammed he spoon in her bowl. Marie looked at Eva’s face. She saw the doubt in her eyes and she knew that Eva wasn’t sure about Adem. “Eva you know that Adem has a temper but he never turns it on anyone normally. But they had him cornered and he couldn’t do anything about it.”

    “Yeah I know but still the whole thing scared me,” she looked Marie in the eyes. “I have never seen anything like that before. I didn’t know that people could act like that,” she shivered at the memory.

    Marie reached out a hand toward Eva, “Eva…?”

    “I am ok. I think we should turn in, ok?” Eva said looking at her dishes.

    Marie looked startled but she nodded her head. “Ok, it is late,” she pretended to look at the clock.

    Eva busied herself with picking up the dishes. She left the room to put them to soak. When she got back Marie was already in bed. Eva crawled in next to her. “Good night Marie,” she said as she turned off the light.

    “Good night,” was the sleepy reply.

    ********************************************************************************************

    The next day Eva and Marie stayed home. Eva’s mother hadn’t come home that night. Eva and Marie weren’t worried about it. It wasn’t that uncommon for Eva’s mother to be gone for any number of days.

    “Are you sure that your mom won’t mind you skipping school?” Eva asked for the millionth time.

    “Yeah she’s cool with it.” Marie had called her mother and asked if she could stay home that day so her mom was cool with it.

    They made there skip day as a day of beauty. They did there hair, nails, and their make up.

    When school let out Rafi came over to pick up Marie. “You sure you are ok being by yourself?” Marie asked again.

    Eva smiled this was the tenth tine she had asked that. “Yeah, I can take care of myself. Besides my mom called remember. So she will be here to night.”

    “Ok, see you at school tomorrow,” Marie smiled as she walked toward Rafi’s car.

    Eva watched them drive away. She closed the front door behind her. She rested her head against the door. She was tired and it wasn’t because she had stayed up last night. She was so tired of having to keep this mask on. “I think I am going to take a bath.” She said to no one. She pushed off from the door and headed to the bath room.

    Where she had been standing stood the girl with the flame red hair. She just stood there and cried quietly and then she disappeared.