(A/N : Just a quick note: The words in italics either describe flashbacks, dreams or events that have occurred in the past. The words in bold depict the important words in the context. If both are applied at the same time, it reflects the keywords in any memory/flashback/dream. I will not be using italics, however, when there is a long sequence of one flashback but I will mention when their starting and ending points.)

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" Your sisters's friends made some bold assumptions about me that day" Blade said to her the next time they met. She cursed inside her mind silently. He had seemingly caught onto their less than appropriate jeers despite her efforts to prevent it.

Instead of shying away or ignoring him like she often did, when she met Blade's eye he was taken aback. She felt a muscle twitch on her forehead. Her assumptions were correct, he had said it with the intention to make her flustered. He really was trying to drive her mad.

"Yes, they did. I don't suppose there would be any other assumption for one to make once they see an extravagant car inside the shoddy suburbs and they see a human woman stepping out of it. It was obvious." She stated monotonously. Anna snorted, recognizing the tone her best friend loved to speak in when she was pissed off. What her best friend said next made Anna stare at her in surprise.

"Which is why I think you should visit Emma directly the next time you want to see her instead of using all sorts of tricks and making me the scape-goat."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Blade narrowed his eyes at her, catching on to the implication. Evelyn stared at him pointedly as she crossed her arms. "I'm sure you realize what I'm talking about." She said in a challenging tone, an action improbable for her usually equanimous self. She was beginning to grow weary from the way everyone seemed to keep things away from her. What affected her even more was the fact that she was actually getting affected.

The world in its current state was not a place for soft hearted or morally righteous people. Turning a blind eye to the despotism and injustices around them was the only way of surviving. There was no place for protesting. If one became too compassionate or benevolent, they would only invite unsolicited despair and misfortune. Evelyn had realized it beforehand and hardened herself accordingly.

For the past three years, nothing had been able to break past Evelyn's barriers. Her life had been peaceful. She firmly believed that curiosity never brought good things, it was a distraction she could not afford. She had seen how people had been slaughtered when they attempted furores. She might as well have been obsessed with her monotonous life.

Ever since Blade's arrival, he had been chipping away at her walls unknowingly. She found it difficult to stick to her routine and instead found herself craving for answers. He had created a turmoil inside her mind with his dubious words and intentions. Shaken off the foundation of indifference she had so meticulously built to protect herself. And the last pillar had been broken when her sister had refused to answer her queries.

She was losing her grip on being indifferent, the one thing she prided herself on. She was starting to become like Emma.

And it annoyed her more than it should have. She felt a sense of déjà vu wash over her abruptly.

It was the first time she had let the things go and the results had shocked the life out of them. If it weren't for Emma's description who had witnessed the incident first hand, she was pretty sure her brain had been playing tricks on her.

"Are you listening ?"

Things hadn't been the same ever since that day though. Her mind was in shambles. She couldn't grasp onto whatever had been keeping her grounded anymore. It had taken her a full week to recover.Things had changed. She could sense it. Feel it.

"Evelyn, are you alright?" She heard the distant voice of Anna, it sounded distorted and weird to her ears. A pair of hands steadied her.

It felt as if her emotional caliber had been uplifted. She felt moodier, felt things with much more compassion than before. It was incredulous to her but she knew deep down she had started liking him. She had noticed the changes in him before Anna had pointed them out.

"What is wrong with her?"

She was drowning. She could not see, could not speak. There was only the feeling of sinking as the thoughts poured into her head at once. She was getting dragged down into the bottomless abyss.

She liked to believe she was practical. Liked to believe it were her mother's final words that kept her going. But she knew deep down she was not humane. She wasn't able to project her emotions like the others. It was as if she had unwittingly placed these mental barriers around herself, shielding her. It was as if something was holding her back.

She could feel herself slipping into the vortex deeper, deeper into the darkness, surrounded by the abstruse thoughts. She couldn't resurface.

Theodoric's death had been the only exception.

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Blade stared down at the unconscious form of the girl before him on the bed.

He hadn't been sure what was happening but something had definitely happened to Evelyn. Apart from her unusual behavior, she had implied something along the lines of him liking her sister; a concept he found repulsive and seeing the way Emma had threatened to kill him last time, he was sure the feelings were mutual. Before he could respond, she had gone pale, eyes glossing over and her expression had became unfocused. They had tried to snap her out of it only for her to faint, similar to what had happened the last time he had tried to bring up her past. Emma hadn't been any better when she had heard that Evelyn had passed out and had demanded to see her at once. Blade had brought her back while Anna stayed behind to take care of the children.

Evelyn stirred and Emma was by her side at once, her eyes tinged red as she grabbed her sister's shoulders.

"Are you alright?" She said concerned. Evelyn stared at her blankly before her eyes sought Blade's. He was taken aback by the sudden intensity and contempt visible in her eyes as she glared at him.

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( 4 years ago)

September 15, 2066: The new ministry has approved of Project Skylab143b, a neoteric and revolutionary space programme designed to connect the earth with other galaxies. A truly ground-breaking undertaking, its initiation-

Evelyn stopped reading. There were blatant praises about the new government, as always. The people on the front page looked smug but their ethereal beauty was blinding and seemed other worldly, befitting of their identity.

Evelyn walked alone inside the , tucking the paper away inside her backpack and trying to be as inconspicuous as possible when she noticed the rather crowded place. "Eve!" She smiled as the familiar voice called out to her. Her best friend Anna came into view with Ethan in tow.

Evelyn, Anna, and Emma had been friends since they were little. They had met each other in middle school after the law regarding education of humans had been sanctioned and they had been inseparable since then. Even though Emma had grown distant to them once she started drinking and preferring the company of her boyfriends to her friends, the duo had stuck together.

"We're seniors already! Aren't you excited?" Ever the vivacious Anna was positively beaming, bouncing up and down. Ethan, the only other friend she had made since joining the university who also happened to be Anna's crush shook his head, amused at her antics but his face turned grim soon.

" What difference is that going to make. It's not like they will ever dispel the inequalities between the two races" Anna's eyes widened as she looked around nervously to make sure no one had heard him before hushing him.

Evelyn silently agreed with him. The education system, after falling under the control of the alien government was not quite how it used to be. Everything was controlled. The books were carefully moderated as well as their subjects. All historical achievements of humans had been erased and instead replaced with the achievements of the Elites. The glories and freedom struggles of humans had been deemed unfit for reading.

"There is no need for that. The new alien government will be the one to lead the earth to eternal glory"

They had said. Even the syllabus of high school had been limited.

A propaganda in the name of spreading knowledge

Evelyn could not understand their reasons behind doing so. It was not like the Elites could not subdue an uprising or rebellion even if the books did inspire someone. It was just petty.

"Look at this ugly wet pig" A rambunctious laughter drew their attention as they came across a frail, human boy being bullied, soaked with water. Evelyn recognized him as Caleb, a boy from her art class. A tinge of sympathy and guilt made its way into her heart when their eyes met. His eyes were pleading for help but the trio merely kept their heads down and walked past them. There was nothing much they could do anyway.

Because the one bullying him was Blade Astamont.

An elite.

His father, one of the entities to lead the assault on humans, held high positions of authority in the new ministry. Considering the lack of laws protecting the humans, bullying was not even an issue to them. Encouraged even. Times had changed.

Blade and his cronies, snickered at the poor boy. Often these humanoid creatures chose to pick on their human counterparts that got on their bad side, bullying them. Some arriviste humans joined them too in the torture of their own race, trying to get in the good graces of the creatures lest they be tortured next. The ones with compassion merely ignored them.

She could not comprehend what fulled their sadistic tendencies.They already owned the world and would soon own the universe from what the daily newspaper seemed to proclaim. There was no need for any more power play. She had heard rumors that it was because of their inherent hatred for humans. Others said it was because of the rigorous training they went under halls of ivy. Either way, they were helpless.

Always helpless.

It reminded her of the dark days towards the end of the war, when humans had been slaughtered and enslaved.

Just like her mother.

But she knew better than to act impulsively. It would only result in a target being painted on the people she loved. She only cared about Emma, Maya, Anna and maybe Ethan to some extent. It was not her concern what happened to the rest of the world. Other people would call her selfish if they heard her thoughts but she was not responsible for the laws or the way things were. She had no intentions of being an hero. Wistful thinking about bringing salvation to mankind and saving the world was pointless when they couldn't even move freely without being monitored. The best thing one could do was to keep themselves alive and stay out of trouble.

So subduing the rage she felt, she bid the others farewell and walked to her art class quietly.

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Evelyn waited outside the music class, her art supplies in her hand, which Anna was a part of. Ethan had gone off to an excursion with the photography club so it was only her and Anna. She tensed when Blade and his cronies stepped inside the hallway she was currently waiting in. People cleared the way for them, not wanting to get on his bad side.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips when they passed in front of her without so much as a glance at her.

"Hey! Did you wait long- ooof!" Evelyn's relief did not last long as Anna, clumsy as she was, bumped right into Blade knocking the papers off that he held in his hands. Everyone paused, stopping midway whatever they were doing and stared at the scene that was about to unfold.

. " I-I'm so sorry!" Anna stammered, pale and frightened as she realized whom she had bumped into. She quickly crouched down and started collecting his papers with shaky hands. As her hand reached for the paper in front of his feet, a boot clad foot stomped down on her hand. Anna shrieked in pain, trying to pull her hand back but he only put more pressure on it, eyes merciless as he stared down at pitiful form.

" You stupid girl, do you think a simple apology will suffice?''

Hearing Anna's loud cry of pain, something in Evelyn snapped.

Without thinking she marched right up to him and smacked him with her canvas. It did not hurt him and her canvas only cracked before breaking in half but it certainly drew his attention. The audience gasped loudly. Blade's face whipped back towards her, the shock and disbelief evident on his face. Slowly it morphed into an ugly sneer as he glared at her murderously. If looks could kill, she would be six feet under the ground. Anna wailed as he stepped off of her hand and stared in fright as he stalked over to her best friend, menacingly.

"You really shouldn't have done that"

(End of flashback)

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"You, you were Anna's bully, not mine. I remember. It was on the first day of final year. Anna bumped into you and you broke her wrist!" She gasped horrified."I can't believe she still talks to you!" Blade stared back at her, at a loss for words.

"Evelyn" Emma tried to calm her down but she shrugged her hand away.

"And then I interrupted. But I can't remember more. Why can't I remember more?" She grabbed her head tightly, to physically stop the memories from fleeting. They disappeared before she could reach them.

How could she forget? How could she forget her own life? She was not even aware of the fact that she had lost memories. There was no void in her mind or blurred memories. Everything was crystal clear and in order. The memory that had been thrust onto her felt out of place. Did it actually happen? Had she been hallucinating?

She was going crazy.

Her memories were playing hide and seek with her, inside her own mind. They were taunting her to catch them and the minute she reached out for them, they were harshly pulled away from her grasp by invisible strings. There was a foreign force inside her mind, swallowing up her memories, barring her from seeing them.

She was going crazy.

There was also something else. She was forgetting something. Someone. She had seen it flash across her mind before she had passed out.

"Evelyn please" Emma's hoarse but gentle voice broke through her inner turmoil and she finally turned her attention to her sister. She softened slightly when saw Emma's tear filled eyes. She noticed the way Emma's hand shook. Her sister did it ever so often when she was miserable and on the verge of breaking down. She had forgotten how worried Emma tended to get when something happened to Evelyn.

She tried to calm herself and focused on breathing regularly. She could not break. Not after the years of hardships she had endured.

A survivor.

She could get through this. She just needed to rein in her psyche and think with a clear head. Not let emotions overrule her. She could still feel the tremors in Emma's hand as she placed them on Evelyn's shoulder comfortingly.

Apathetic. Phlegmatic. Practical.

"I'm fine'' Evelyn said after a while when she was sure she could speak again.

"I lost my memories, didn't I?" She couldn't help the bitterness that slipped into her voice.

Emma sighed. "Yes, you did. Maya said they would never come back. I'm not sure why this happened. But you cannot stress your mind. It will affect your mental health even more." Evelyn nodded to sooth her aggrieved sister.

She would most definitely not let it go but Emma didn't need to know that. She couldn't deal with a hysterical Emma when she was a mess herself. She looked at Blade. He looked paler than usual and seemed conflicted. She did not spare him a second glance as she turned away from him, the memory of him stomping over Anna's arm fresh in her mind.

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A/N : I know these chapters might make no sense and seem boring but they will make sense later on. Also, I think people are going to dislike Evelyn after this chapter. She's selfish and cowardly but honestly, if you were in her shoes would you blame her? Evelyn is not quite the savior.Yet.

Character development is essential. I do not like making characters martyrs or heroes from the start (even though I am guilty of doing it lol) Realism in main characters is a sorely underrated trope.