"Your nail polish is cracking." Sirus pointed out, his voice carried a implication in it that I was missing. And it frustrated me. Eva just nodded in agreement, stretching out her fingers in his hands, looking at the cracked dark blue nail polish. "Make sure you re-do it tonight." He whispered, it was clear from his tone it was an order. I bristled, and looked at Eva, expecting the same reaction from her. After all, she had chewed me out for alot less when we dated. But she didn't react, instead she nodded, like an obedient little girl that I knew she wasn't. I was floored, what happened to my Eva?

Sirus glanced at him, his green eyes narrowed in dislike. I could imagine my face wasn't any different. I didn't know the guy, I'll admit, but just from the way he's treated my friend thus far, makes me want to throttle him. Sirus ducked his head, and quickly kissed Eva. She leaned into it a bit, but before it went any further he had pulled back and was walking away. She sighed softly, some sort of whispery, love-sick sound that I just couldn't identify with my hard ass Eva. She turned to face my disbelieving stare. 

She was so different. Before she left for her little study abroad trip she had been the classic girl-next-door. Hair always up, no make-up, jeans, and whatever t-shirt had been on the top of the clothes piles in her room. More often than not, she was barefoot. I was pretty sure she owned fewer than five pairs of shoes. She never carried purses, though she did own one, for "special occasions". Which translated to the days that her mother wouldn't let her out of the house without selecting her clothes first. Eva was just one of those girls that was comfortable being comfrotable. Now...I couldn't say I recognized the woman in front of me. From the moment she stepped of the plane, it was like she was a completely different person. She was in a skirt for god's sake!! And heels!! And she was wearing make-up! Her hair was styled, it's wavy strands calm and smooth down her back. 

And that wasn't even the start of the changes. The comforting innocence that had radiated around her was gone. Absent. It was replaced by this...calm. Stillness. It was severly creeping me out. 

"What happened to you, Eva?" I croaked out, she tilted her head to the side, a sad expression crossing her features. She raised a hand, and placed it on him cheek. Her cracked blue nail polish glinting in the weak light out of the corner of my eye.

"Am I so different?"

"Yes." I replied instantly. She closed her eyes, and her hand dropped. 

"Some things are unavoidable. This change...is one of them I guess."

"Unavoidable? Why?" I questioned, she shook her head.

"It isn't something I can tell you. If this change is so revolting to you...I'll not inflict the same on you." If it was at all possible, the darkness of the night around us, deepened.

"Quit sounding so mysterious. It can't be that bad."

Her eyes opened and met mine. One of the few things that hadn't changed, her eyes. They were the excat same shade of storm tossed ocean blue I remembered. They still held the glint of her sharp intelligence and sarcasm that had made for such an interesting an viotal friendship. But there was something new, an addition to her gaze. 

Pain. So much pain. 

I recoiled in horror, breaking the stare. A hand went to my chest, because I was gasping for air, my heart beating wildly underneath my palm. She looked at me, sadness touching her face again. 

"W-What?"

"I would if I could, my friend. But some secrets are not to be shared."

"You'd share them with Sirus." I spat, recovered somewhat. Wry humor flickered across her features now.

"More like he shared with me."

"Then tell me."

"No." She replied shortly. I ground my teeth.

"Then I'll ask him."

"You won't see him again."

"I find that highly unlikely. You're head over heels for him, I'm pretty sure you'll stick by his side." Her head bobbed in agreement, not at all affected by my less than polite tone. 

"True, true."

I felt like I was missing something important. I went over my words in my head, and with a jerked start realized what she was implying.

"You're leaving?!"

"Tomorrow."

"For where?!" I was shouting now, she didn't nothing to quiet me. Just stood there calmly and answered.

"Europe for a while, then back to the States, the west coast, spefically."

"Why?!"

"I have my reasons."

"Reasons you're unwilling to share?"

"Secret." She said with a shrug. Her unflappable behavior was really beginning to piss me off. She was so flippantly talking about leaving her home, friends, and family behind. And for what? Besides Mr. Tall-Dark-Handsom-Brooding-Jackass. I glared at her.

"Tell. Me. Now."

Eva smiled at me sadly once again, drifting close to me. I wanted to back away, but couldn't. Her eyes holding me where I stood. She put both hands on my face, cradling my head between her cool palms. 

"I would if I could. Gods, I could have been so content here, with you. Had this secret never been reveiled to me, I would have happily settled here, lived here, loved here. And even now, I leave part of me right here, in you. It's something I'll never get back, so please, take care of it for me."

"What are you talking about, Eva?"

She pulled me down a bit, I was still quite taller than her, even with her heels. She rested her forehead against mine, her eyes closing. I watched, entranced as beads of salty water leaked from behind her closed lids to trail down her cheeks.

"Nothing, Ian. Nothing of consequence. Just know that I love you, alright?"

The sight of her tears, had made all my anger fizzle out faster than I thought possible. I nodded, not trusting my voice quite yet. She leaned up and kissed my cheek, then released me and backed away. 

"I have to go now...good-bye, I guess."

I could have laughed, there was my Eva. That uncertian tone, the gangly angle of her shoulders as she shifted from one foot to the other. She didn't give me a chance to reply, she just suddenly turned on heel and was gone, fading into the shadows. There was a moment, a split second, when I almost let that be that. Let her walk away with out anything further. But my own stubbornness rose up with a vengence and I was hurrying down the sloping path after her. I passed a cropse of trees, and came around a bend when I found her again. She didn't hear me comeing. 

She suddenly raised one hand over her head, arm straight, index finger pointing at the sky. The tip of her finger glowed bright blue. Then she brought her hand down, quickly, slashing the air, and the blue followed, like a line of glowing neon in the air. She spun in a circle, finger still pointing, electric blue lines still tracing in the air. Her eyes, which were closed, snapped open. She opened her mouth, said something that was lost in the sudden rushing noise. I could feel something comeing, something happening. Her eyes suddenly found my wide ones, she stared in surprise, and then, was gone. 

She had vanished completely.