The night that Eve would never forget. Eve couldn't comprehend what Otto had done. Was it a fantasy or reality? Eve was sitting on the bleachers in the playground. Everyone passing by her felt worried. Eve's eyes were completely empty; she couldn't understand what had happened, or how.

"Eve... Eve... can you hear me?" Otto shook Eve as he said these words.

"Oh... sorry... I was a bit lost in thought."

"I think you were thinking about last night... I'm sorry I forgot to tell you about my device."

"It's alright."

"Here... I think this will give you some energy," Otto said as he handed Eve some candy.

"Oh... thanks... sigh."

'This candy... it reminds me of the past,' Eve said to herself, and she began to think about what had happened to her.

********

Just before dawn, there was a man walking in the forest. He was wearing a jacket and carrying camping gear.

"Sigh... I won't be able to camp if I don't find a suitable spot," the man said.

He was walking in the mountain forest at the foot of the mountain, passing through trees and shrubs, until he reached a railway track.

"Well... I think this place is good... wait, I saw something between the trees up there... where are my binoculars...?"

The man started searching for his night-vision binoculars in his bag. When he found them, he began looking through them to see what he had spotted.

"Where is it? ... Wait... I see it... it's... a bag?! ... Sigh... it seems someone dropped it... wait... there are candies in it... I'll try to knock it down."

The man prepared a slingshot. Even though it was pitch dark, he was a good shot and relied on his instincts, even at night.

"Alright... here we go." He launched the shot and hit the bag.

"Oh... wow... did I hit it?"

The shot hit the bag, and it started to fall down the slope. But there was the sound of something heavier rolling down. The man moved towards the bag beside the railway track, and when he was about to pick it up, he spotted a girl unconscious on the railway track, bleeding from her head. It was Eve.

"Oh my God... could it be... Miss?"

He knelt on his knees and started shaking Eve to try to wake her up.

"Wake up... wake up," but to no avail.

"I think this... is this girl's bag... oh my God... what have I done... I have to take her to the hospital." The man picked up Eve and took her to his city's hospital.

********

Eve slowly opened her eyes and began to see her hands as she lay on the bed, as if she had never had hands before. She quickly lifted her head to find herself in a hospital room. Eve started looking right and left, up and down. Her features showed signs of astonishment; she didn't say a word. Eve's state was like that of a newborn. She heard the sound of someone knocking on her room door, and she felt confused, so she didn't open the door.

"Miss... are you awake?" The voice sounded like someone in their thirties.

"Ah... ah."

"I heard a mumble... I'll come in, please."

Eve felt a little nervous when the doctor and the man who saved her entered.

"She would have died if you hadn't saved her from the train."

"Well," 'Actually... I just found her by the railway track... I lied so they wouldn't blame me,' the man said to himself.

The doctor turned to Eve and asked, "Alright, young lady... do you have any pain in your head?"

"Yes... a little."

"Okay... do you remember anything before this happened to you suddenly?"

"No... no."

"Is this annoying man next to me your father?" the doctor asked sarcastically.

"What?" the man replied angrily.

Eve began to laugh, "No, actually... oh... I'm sorry."

"It's alright," the doctor replied kindly to Eve.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"So... you don't remember anything?"

"I'm very sorry, sir... I don't remember anything."

"Alright... young lady... we found a bag with you... and we found a paper in it with a word... I think it's your name... it has the word 'Eve' written on it. Do you know anything about this word?"

"No... actually..." Eve answered nervously.

"Okay... this girl suffered a head injury... it seems like she fell on her head or something like that... naturally... we don't know if she has a family or not... so... she needs to stay in the hospital for a week," said the doctor as he flipped through Eve's record.

"Doctor, after she is discharged... she won't have a shelter... and I don't know her family... what should I do?"

"Adopt her."

"What? I can't afford my own living expenses... how can I afford to support this girl?"

"Hmm... alright... so, young lady, would you like to know your name?"

"Uh... yes."

"Okay... we assume this is your real name... and it is... 'Eve'."

A sigh of confusion from Eve. "Eve."

"Alright... we can change the name if you want..."

"No... I mean..." Eve said, interrupting the doctor.

"Okay, no problem... if that's what you want."

*******

At ten o'clock, Eve was with the man who saved her, heading towards the town center. The man was holding Eve's hand tightly. Eve didn't know where they were going until they arrived at an orphanage.

"Sir... are you going to leave me here?"

"No choice... sigh... I can't take care of you."

"Okay," Eve replied coldly.

******

"So you're the new girl... what's your name?" the matron asked Eve. The matron was in her forties, somewhat large in build, wearing casual and slightly modern clothes.

"My name is Eve."

"Alright... come with me."

Eve followed the matron. She took her to the bathroom.

"Alright, Eve... I'll help you with your bath..."

"No... it's okay... I can bathe myself."

"Alright."

********

"Come, change your clothes, Eve."

"Alright."

"Your clothes were strange... a coat with tattered clothes... were you homeless?" the matron asked as she helped Eve put on her new clothes.

"I don't know... didn't the man tell you about this?" Eve asked, puzzled.

"No... the man didn't tell me anything... I thought he was your father and wanted to leave you here, so I didn't ask... why?"

"That's strange," Eve said, confused.

*******

In the restaurant, there was a group of children her age sitting with her.

"Welcome to our group, Eve... from now on, we'll be like family. My name is Emma," said a girl with short, tied-up hair, wearing glasses.

"Alright... alright, Emma... enough of that... the important thing is... tell us your story, Eve," said a boy with white hair.

"Don't be nosy, Alex... that's rude... forgive him, Eve... we haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Kate... and he's Alex," said a girl with short hair.

"I'm Leo."

"And I'm Anna... and this is my brother," Anna said as she put her hand on her brother's arm.

"I'm Adam... Anna's brother."

"And I'm Alice... and I'd be very happy if we became friends." Alice was a girl with silver hair and gray eyes.

"Oh... alright... maybe... I'd be happy," Eve said with hope, wishing to find happiness.

********

"So, dear children... meet the newest member of your family... Eve... she is about ten years old... so I ask you to treat her kindly, alright?"

"Yes, matron," the orphanage children replied.

"Alright... now, Eve."

"Oh... I'm happy to meet you all," Eve replied coldly.

********

Alice began to get closer to me little by little. We would clean together, walk together, and talk from time to time. I started to bond with her; we played together, shared and ate our food together. I won't lie to myself, Alice kept me company when we were scolded together, and I comforted her when she was afraid.

"I think... I've made a new friend... someone who pulled me out of my loneliness... but."

**********

At night, Alice and I were sleeping in our room. I couldn't sleep, so I got out of bed to ask Alice to sing me a lullaby. But when I went to wake her, I couldn't find her in her bed.

"Alice... Alice... where are you?"

*****

I searched for Alice, but I couldn't find her. I informed the matron and the others about this, and we kept looking for her for an entire month. We notified the police about it. After a long investigation, the police concluded that this was not an abduction, but a case of disappearance. This case was old, and I didn't know about it, as there were many rumors about children disappearing in the sixties. However, in this time, no one cares about these cases anymore, and some of the records related to them were erased for reasons I really don't know. But I didn't care anymore because after her disappearance, the children started accusing me of making her disappear.

*******

I started hearing the children whispering among themselves.

"Don't go near that girl."

"I think she's a witch or something."

"That girl... she's crazy."

"Crazy... crazy... crazy... crazy... crazy..."

The children began to hate and avoid me, and I realized that my moments with Alice would never return. Until the day they came.

*****

"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Addis," the matron greeted them.

"Hello, we want to adopt a ten-year-old child who is proficient in reading and writing," Mr. Addis said.

"Don't worry, sir. We teach the children reading and writing."

"That's good," replied Mrs. Addis.

******

"Alright, I have gathered all the ten-year-old children in this room for you."

"Alright," said Mrs. Addis.

"Thank you," said Mr. Addis.

Mr. and Mrs. Addis walked around the room, looking at the children. Suddenly, they noticed a girl with completely empty eyes, looking depressed. She was in a pitiful state. That girl was me.

"What is wrong with this girl?" Mrs. Addis asked.

"Oh... she's a bit depressed... I'm not sure why she's so sad... but I heard that the girl who was kidnapped was her friend."

"So, little one... what's your name?" Mrs. Addis asked me.

"Eve," I replied coldly.

*****

"Bill... I want to adopt this girl," Mrs. Addis said to her husband.

Eve was surprised by the woman's decision and stood up, astonished.

"But... why would you want to adopt a crazy girl who brings bad luck... besides, I... I don't know anything about myself... I've lost my memory for a while... you will suffer from me and my bad luck, so why... you won't be able to handle me at all...?"

"Eve... don't speak like that," the matron said.

"You know, Eve... I had a child your age... and he was like this... so... I won’t have trouble raising you... so... won’t you hug your mother now?" Mrs. Addis said, interrupting the matron.

Eve slowly approached Mrs. Addis, and when she got close, Mrs. Addis hugged her. Eve felt a familiar sensation; the woman's hug was like Alice's hug.

'Perhaps this could be a new and good beginning for me,' Eve thought to herself.

*****

Mrs. Addis was holding Eve's hand as they were leaving the house. Eve turned to look at the orphanage; everyone was staring at her from the windows.

"Eve... aren't you going to say goodbye to your friends?" Mrs. Addis asked.

"Huh... they were actually... waiting for me to leave," Eve said with a smile on her face.

*******

Eve turned to Otto, then stood holding the candies. She said, "Otto."

"Yes," Otto replied.

"I will do whatever you say... and I will help you with your goal."

"Really... you will?" Otto said, surprised.

"On one condition," Eve said, raising her hand and pointing with one finger to emphasize the condition, adding, "You must tell me what happened to Lily in the end... It will be a winning deal... in the end." Eve finished her statement with a devilish smile, as if her words were those of an adult. Otto felt a shiver from her words, as if a demonic aura surrounded her. Otto's thoughts drifted for a moment, then he said, "Consider me, Eve... agreeing to this deal."

Eve had no other choice; she needed to know why her friends had disappeared. So Eve began to show her other side to find out if she had any connection to their disappearance. Eve suspected that her nightmares might have a tangible effect on those who come near her. If her suspicion was correct, her nightmares could be a sign of something even more terrifying. Now, all she had to do was wait for that session.

"Alice... Lily... if I am the reason for your disappearance... I will make things right," Eve said to herself, but this time, she was serious about it.