Eden

     A hotel in northern Delaware was our home the first couple weeks after we left. Running out of money was my biggest fear at first. I kinda knew no enemies would waste their time coming after us, the kids. Kieth suggested taking up a job, so we both went looking. He ended up getting hired as a bagger at a grocery store, while I had no luck. The problem was mainly my age, but obviously minimum wage wasn't enough to pay for food, clothing, and shelter. I still tried, looking the papers and online. Then I came across something interesting. There was a web ad I noticed that was written in code. It was an unusual one; I didn't see it used often, but I recognized it from the time I spent with the Siblings. When I decoded it, it turned out to be from a runner, seeking help from someone who knew how to deal with Proxies. And it payed. In cash.

     I contacted the runner, trying to sound as mature and professional as possible. Unfortunately, they wanted to meet me in person. I couldn't exactly say no...I mean, this was a job that paid and that I was capable of accomplishing. Probably. I did end up meeting them, and even though at first they weren't convinced I was serious. But when I shattered their windows with my gun and they changed their mind. That was taken from my pay...

     My job was to track the thing down and try to kidnap it. If I couldn't, I had permission to kill. Kieth had his own work, so I went alone. Only took two days to figure out he was using the church not so far from our hotel to hide. In fact, the bastard even disguised himself as the priest. I went in to the next sermon, waiting until it was over to do what I was told. So I followed that plan, snuck into the side doors, and was about to confront the target when he pulled aside a young boy, whispering something in an angry tone. "Hidden...dagger..." Then laughter, from the both of them. He could be another Proxy. The two started walking out the sides when I sprung at them, mainly going for the priest. Then the boy jumped up and caught my hair while he yelled for the other man to run. "Fuck! He's getting away! Do you know what he is?! Let me go!"

     "A little girl should not be playing with guns, young lady." I could not believe this guy. "If you knew what I was, what I could do to you, you'd be running just like that guy," I sneered when he released me. He'd already grabbed the weapon from my hands and thrown it into the river right next to us. "What do you mean, little girl? Wait! Omigosh! Are you a serial killer?!" By then I could kinda tell this guy wasn't a Proxy. "Of a sort," I replied, and pulled out an extra handgun. "Please don't make me report you, sweetie! Please put that away! Help!" I shoved my hat in his mouth, kept the gun pointed against his torso, hidden behind my jacket and said, "If you don't want to get shot, come quietly with me."

     I brought him to the hotel and tied him up on the bed, which didn't look too good to Kieth once he got home. "Eden?" I pulled the gag from his mouth and he told us his name. His parents are super religious and force him to attend church then help clean up after. He swore he knew nothing of Proxies or what that "priest" really knew, and listening to him talk, we both agreed he was telling the truth. "Now he knows, though. We can't kill an innocent person...right?" Kieth gave me a look when he saw my hand on the gun, but I just shrugged. "I don't see a problem with it," I said. "People do it in movies all the time."

     "But I don't think we should..."

     "Well then what? Until we find a way to erase his memory, we can't just send him on his way."

     "Then he can stay with us."

     We already had enough to pay for, plus I completely failed with the help of that idiot, so I really should've said no, but I didn't. So we bought a bigger hotel room, but he still had to share a bed with one of us. Kieth said - can you believe this? - that he couldn't share a bed with Eden because it was "gay". I dunno where he got that idea, but he just would not agree to it. Therefore, for an entire month I had to share my bed with a Spongebob underwear-wearing baby who hogged all the sheets and snored and kept me up almost every night. He even had the nerve to ask me for a fucking bedtime story, so I made him sleep on the floor. Tough luck, bastard. I have a gun. Don't ask me stupid questions.

     Eden helped a bit at least, since he did have a job working at a novelty item shop downtown. Still it was a rough time, paying for three people. Soon four. But then I found out the guy was a total nut job...an animal necrophiliac. We were driving in his car one day when he pulled over next to a limp piece of raccoon roadkill, and picked it up in his hands, dumping it in the back seat in a cardboard box. "You've been collected animal corpses for three miles, Eden, what's your problem?" He just smiled and hugged the bloody thing and said, "This one's name is Henry."

    Remind me never to have children.