15 : Too private

**Evelyn :**

The sun was that woke me up from my sweet sleep.

Just as my mind began to wake up, I immediately noticed a bright light behind my closed eyelids. I was finally ready to get up because I remembered something strange, although now everything was shrouded in fog. My head hurt excruciatingly and I thought for a moment that remembering the previous times, I woke up with a headache every time, and I started to dislike that fact.

The last thing I remember was that Raphael and I were at my grandpa's house and he was telling a story how we met.

*So... where then...*

My eyes popped open and I immediately regretted it. Immediately closing my eyes, I thought I was going to go blind but after a moment getting used to the light, I opened them again, only to see the familiar bedroom where I had already woken up a few days ago.

Stunned, I tried to remember what had happened and then the whole revelation came to me like broad daylight.

I remembered my previous life? But how and why?

It was interesting that I had been named Evelyn before too but that I had an old life before was something new. The feeling was quite strange, too unreal to be believed.

Maybe I'm crazy and it's just an insignificant dream that doesn't make any sense?

My head was already hurting from questions because now my life consisted only of the unknown. I didn't know what was true and what was a lie. When will it ever end?

Slowly getting out of bed, I realized I was crying because I felt the wetness on my cheeks. After going to the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror and saw a completely different girl in the mirror.

**She had blood instead of tears.**

Yelling, I backed away in shock and because that I wasn't looking where I was going, I slipped on the tile floor only to fall backwards. Hitting the edge of the tub, I screamed again but this time from the pain that shot into the back of my head so badly that I started to cry again. With my head in my hands, I slid to the ground and began to scream even more with all my might.

"STOP, PLEASE STOP! DON'T TORTURE ME LIKE THAT!" after shouting with all my might in the quiet room, I started to regret that I got into this mess because when I met Raphael, I started having problems, one after another.

I didn't realize or wondered if this was real because I couldn't be what I saw in the mirror.

"Evelyn? What happened?!" I was snapped back to reality by a low male voice with a worried, panicked tone.

Sensing him approaching, Raphael crouched down next to my shaking body. Grabbing my shoulders to sit me up, he scooped me up to put me in his lap, only to hold me close to him. I began to cry even more, my strength already running out.

"Let me go! It's your fault, it's all your fault!" I screamed, I tried to get away, but in vain.

"Sssh, shh, shh, calm down, baby," his hand gently caressed my head and again, like every time, I relaxed into his embrace. I didn't know if he was doing it on purpose but his burning touch made me feel safe and protected, like no one else could hurt me.

After continuing to cry quietly, close to his neck, I noticed that the Phoenix's body had been tense for a while. I was about to move away from him when his hands tightened on me when I heard the dark tone of his voice.

"You're bleeding."

*Huh?*

Frowning, I was stunned for a moment but then I remembered that moments ago I fell and hit my head on the edge of the tub. Thinking about it now, I felt pain in my head when I felt him touch the area where there was obviously blood. I grimaced at that.

"Yeah... I'm clumsy and I fell. It's okay, it's okay now," I tried to comfort myself and him, it must have been a lie because as soon as Raphael leaned away from me to look at me, a black fog flashed past my eyes.

*Well, not again! How many times do I have to experience this in one day!!*

I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting to push the feeling away because I wasn't going to pass out and fall asleep again in the presence of someone, especially in the presence of a mighty God, no matter how absurd it sounds.

"Stay awake, Evelyn. Listen to me," the Phoenix was on the verge of anger now but more emotion was devoted to not being able to help me but of course trying to comply for my own sake.

"Don't worry, it will pass," I smiled weakly, waited for a moment when I really felt better. When I finally opened my eyes, I was met with two orange flaming ones already watching me intently. Like a hunter who has caught a deer and is watching to see if it will run away.

My breathing stopped for a moment when I saw Raphael's face close to mine.

Deja Vu again.

But of course I had to spoil the moment.

"Uhhh, you better not want to drown in this blood. It's even worse than when my period starts," after trying to convince him to let me go, the man just rolled his eyes and then smirked.

"You're something Evelyn. You better listen and get up. I'll take care of this. Just promise you'll be more careful next time," he didn't give me a chance to fight back and argue about it so I could only nod as I saw the warning in his eyes.

"Good girl," I smiled as I let him pick me up and go with him to the sink to clean my head wound. All the anger and sorrow are gone as if they had never been.

When I looked at myself again in the mirror, everything was the same as before, it was me with tears, not the girl I saw before as she was crying only blood.

****

''What are you doing here again?'' Raphael's voice took on a scary tone when we were both in the kitchen eating dinner but it wasn't me he was talking to.

His brother Luke had arrived. Again.

His eyes showed interest as he looked at me, seeing the girl again for the second time at Raphael's house but it quickly disappeared as he smiled guiltily in his brother's direction.

"Just dropped in to say hello. Can't I visit my favorite sibling?" Biting his lip in a pout, I barely stifled a laugh at how cute his expression looked. Of course, this was noticed by Raphael who pursed his lips in a straight line, turning back to his uninvited guest.

"Somehow I don't remember you visiting me so often in the last three years. You usually only come to me when you're in trouble and you want my help while you're at it. So what it this time?" the Phoenix's eyes criticized him from where he sat.

Luke's shoulders slumped and his smile disappeared,"It's not like that, you know that."

"Is that so?" one eyebrow rose in response, not believing a word he says.

Meanwhile, I... Yeah, I continued to eat in awkward silence, as if I didn't know what was going on but as soon as my fork passed the tomato I was about to stab, I grimaced at how loud it clanked across the plate when it slipped my grasp, and all four eyes looked up to me.

*Well shit.*

Raphael's brother immediately turned away from the previous topic, finally remembering that he and his brother had a presence that was me as his smile bloomed again. With one eye on me and the other squinting at Raphael, his gaze became intrigued.

"By the way, Raphy, who is this lovely lady? Why haven't we been introduced yet? I didn't know you kept women for more than a night," he smirked knowingly as I watched the Phoenix's jaw twitch in anger.

"Keep your nose in your own business and better stay out of mine, get it?" the words conveyed venom, as if they could poison his brother somehow.

Luke only became more curious,"Aha, now it's clear. She's special to you, if you don't even want to introduce her to your brother," blinking my eyes, I could only swallow hard when suddenly the Phoenix's eyes darkened and he hit the table with his fist.

"I'm giving you one minute to disappear out of my sight. So there's no trace of you here in my house. You better listen otherwise I don't want to know the consequences that await you and I don't want you on my bad side. As a family member, I'm going to ask you to leave ,” snarling menacingly, Luke paled for a moment but did not continue to annoy his brother. Stepping back, he took another look at me and then at Raphael, nodding his head as a show of respect.

"Yes, as you wish," with that, he turned and disappeared from our sight as if he had never been here with us in the first place.

When I turned to the owner himself, I could only gasp when I noticed how tight he is holding his glass which threatened to break into pieces if he squeezed it tighter.

"What was that?" my whisper must have startled him when suddenly the glass shattered in his hands, the shards of glass cutting into his skin, and I screamed for a moment as I watched the blood run down his hand.

Before I could get up and go to his aid, Raphael quickly stood up and without me even blinking, he disappeared from my sight, leaving me still in a state of shock.

*What just happened?*

Sighing heavily, I got up, picked up all the dirty dishes from the table to go wash them. Having done that, I also cleaned the table and finally, after washing and wiping my hands, I looked around until my gaze went to the clock on the wall.

**06:36PM.** It was already evening.

Time flew faster than I wanted because when I went to the window, I noticed that it was raining again.

The whole beautiful garden visible from the first floor window gave me a view of beautiful greenery and flowers.

Through all of the emotions and Raphael's brother's visit, I hadn't noticed at all that the weather had changed, knowing that there was a beautiful sun in the morning.

I guess it's because of Raphael's anger.

After laughing at my thoughts, I went in search of the troubled man to find out what was really going on.

It not for him, I wouldn't be even here. Why not use it to my advantage?