Chapter 1: Green Eyes

"If an Evolved Human is after you, don't run." But I was running.

They managed to trespass an area of the city, and there was chaos.

"Over here, Marien!"

My friend and coworker Marcus Castillo guided me to lose our pursuers through an alley. Some Evolved men found us, although they were running somewhat slowly. It seemed as if they were playing hide-and-seek.

The group of evolved beings passed us by except for one who was further back. He went into the alley, following us. I was exhausted, and my breathing was already painful. I was about to give up; I had no one left after all. They had finished my family off. Maybe there was nothing else to fight for...

My coworker pulled my hand and forced me to run faster. Simultaneously, the EH grabbed my hair without catching me, taking a few with him and making me cry out of pain and despair.

"I won't let you down!" my friend yelled at me. He sounded as exhausted as I was.

We had made a bet to care for our health during our studies. He couldn't get sloppy with his diet because he'd gain a few pounds immediately. If we left safe and sound from this, he would undoubtedly go on a new diet.

Marcus was at my place at the moment of the attack. It was early in the morning, and we were about to go to the laboratory and continue our research. We analyzed a highly toxic, natural substance that could function as a biological weapon to kill Evolved Humans.

After what happened to my parents, I found that research as a reason to continue. I didn't know if it was revenge I was seeking or just contributing to my species. I had only known that I needed to continue.

We were about to go to the lab when we noticed the alarms and a group of evolved beings attacking our people. Public safety agents went after them, shooting them non-stop. It was all chaos.

My friend pulled from me again to accelerate the pace, but another Evolved appeared by surprise from the side, ramming him. He bit his arm immediately, making my friend scream and swear. I screamed desperately. The EH, coming after us, jumped on the other, separating him from Marcus and beginning a fight for their prey.

We took our chance to flee again, but my friend was hurt. Those savages had a powerful jaw. They could tear out muscle and skin if they wanted to. However, my friend's wound didn't seem too deep or severe.

"Let's break apart. I'll distract them."

"No way!"

"Don't be silly. My blood will attract them. You must..." We suddenly stopped when we realized the alley had ended there. We were cornered. We turned around, and the two beings stood a few feet away. I could see them eager to jump on us.

"Well, this went better than I expected," said one. He showed his fangs in a smile.

"I saw them first. Go away." The other man got ready to leap over us. I could see the strength of his muscles tensing under his torn clothes. A low roar began to sound from his chest and came through his teeth.

Yes, they could growl and roar, too. 'Anything else, Mother Nature?'

It was the end. I grabbed Marcus's arm, ready to have at least a quick death. The EH ran toward us, and I closed my eyes in terror. Marcus wrapped me in his arms, squeezing me tight. Everything would be over soon.

But suddenly, shots rang out. I opened my eyes. Security Ward had reached us and taken down the being that would attack us. Meanwhile, the other was still fighting until they shot and brought him down.

I was breathing profusely. I backed up until I hit the wall behind me and slid to the floor, hugging my knees. The security officers took care of us.

***

We took refuge in a State building, waiting for all the beings to be captured. One of the staff members insisted on returning to the lab as soon as possible because they had captured an EH, and they wanted me to study him because he had some different features. Wow, something different, huh? They already were a problem; we didn't need another mutation or a new feature.

Once the order was restored and people resumed their 'almost' lives, I returned to the lab with Marcus. I headed to the room where the EH, whom everyone couldn't stop talking about, waited. Despite having escaped those things, I still felt a little tormented about the day of the attack. I believed they couldn't be considered human even though they could reason the same as one.

"I hope you're using an excellent sedative," I said, alarmed. Like wild animals, these Evolved Humans were lethal, usually taller and more muscular. It would be fine for me if they just disappeared. However, that desire was less likely than the possibility of eventually being killed by one of them.

I came in so distracted, remembering what had happened, that I didn't notice. The people surrounding him stepped aside.

"Oh..." I stopped.

There was a regular boy. He was wearing a hospital gown and was tied to the stretcher. The straps held him tightly. He was my age or a little younger. Dark brown hair that perfectly matched his white skin. He was handsome, and I had to admit it. He looked at me with bitterness, and I noticed his eyes of vivid green color. However, in my view, he was still human. He was an ordinary young man.

"We have done many tests on him. Everything seems fine, but I still don't understand..." the doctor debated among his doubts. "I could swear he was one of them," he added, tormented.

"Then release him. What are you waiting for?" I said, shaking my head in disapproval. I approached the young man, who looked at me quite surprised.

"That won't be possible," Marcus replied. "Not until we have the DNA results."

"He is a human," I confronted him as I untied the straps on his arms; he still looked at me. "Evolved Humans can't hide their features, especially the big iris and cat pupils. Also, if he were one, he'd already have broken these straps and killed us all in minutes. They basically can't control that." He had no claws, nor was he a muscular mastodon.

"Well, we don't know if they have evolved or mutated in any way..."

"Yeah, sure."

We turned to look at the boy who had just answered suddenly. His voice was deep, elegant, and silky. It was one of those imposing voices that'd give you goosebumps. A voice like that was not common. Evolved Humans had a voice like that, but many humans did too; therefore, that detail was dismissed from studies. Having our attention, he continued.

"Do you really think evolution takes place that quickly in nature? I already told you that you waste time. I'm not one of them."

"Don't lie," muttered the doctor recklessly. "I saw you; I can't be mistaken. You pushed me and..."

"And you hit your head," said the boy politely.

"But I saw your eyes...!"

"I saved your life," he pointed out with a stern expression.

"Leave this to me," asked Marcus and read something on his phone. "Quid quaeris?"

The boy blinked, confused.

"Evolved people don't speak Latin anymore."

"Oh, yeah? How do you know?"

"Gentleman," I spoke. "Marcus, everyone knows that. Besides, did you just translate that on your phone?" I sighed. "How did you catch him then?" I asked the doctor.

"After the blow, I lost consciousness, but he was next to me when I woke up. A wooden beam had fallen over him. I thought he was dead, but he wasn't, so we brought him here."

"He has gone through X-ray and all kinds of analysis," said Marcus. "He appears to be intact. That's weird, and we can't take a risk. Even if he doesn't have the regular appearance of an EH, he will have to stay here until we get the DNA results."

I couldn't help feeling sorry for him. It was very likely he was here by mistake. How far had our paranoia gone? I looked at him again, and he also looked at me. His eyes were beautiful. His irises' green was quite intense, like the color of the leaves under the sunlight. That contrasted perfectly with his very dark eyebrows. Marcus took some papers and began to read aloud. It was difficult for me to take my eyes off him and look at my friend.

"The person claims not to remember much of his past before being brought here. He is twenty years old, responds to the name of Jonathan Anthony, and says he was going to college, but we haven't found documents or information to prove that..."

So he was four years younger than me. However, he didn't seem like that. I applied earlier than the average to the university and was accepted for having excellent grades since I studied like crazy because of the evolved people. That's why I had already carried on with the investigation at the age of twenty-four.

"I am sorry for everything," I told the poor guy. "I will ensure all this doesn't get worse for you."

Marcus cleared his throat, glaring at me. He frowned and dragged me by my arm, taking me out of the room.

"What are you doing? He's suspected of being one of those killers! And you start bonding with him?"

"I've studied those beings well enough. He's a normal human, can't you see?"

"There's something off with him. I don't like him."

"Hey guys, everything's ready for your stay," another worker interrupted. I was surprised; I didn't know I would stay here.

"We knew that the army forces destroyed your houses in their effort to protect the city," he hastened to explain. "However, the staff got some of your belongings, and we already have... Well, just come with me."

The man led us to another hall of the lab while I was still mortified by the thought of losing my only house. They had arranged our rooms in the big offices in the east wing of the building. They showed me my 'office/room .' It was pretty acceptable —a bed in the middle, a dresser, a desk, and clothes in the closet.

"Enjoy your stay," the man said and then left.

I sighed and couldn't help remembering those deep green eyes. Where would they make him spend the night?

"Marien!" yelled a young girl and ran to hug me. Rosy García, my assistant. This girl, full of joy, was my dose of daily relief. And despite strained things, she and her inappropriate but refreshing comments kept us sane. Maybe I would never know if she was aware of the situation or if she was just ditzy. "I was anxious for you when I knew you had been in the attack zone! Why didn't you call me?"

"Sorry, I didn't know you had heard and—"

"Hey!" she interrupted me, clearly excited. "Have you seen the guy that Julio captured?"

"Uh, yes. He suspects he is—"

"He is so hot!" she interrupted me again. I looked at her, surprised. "Forget about what they think! Even if he's an evolved man, I don't care if he takes me with him. Besides, they must be wild in bed..." I smiled at her without believing what I had just heard. That girl with dark curls was unbelievable. "Well, I'll get ready to sleep. Get some rest." She went back to her room as fast as she came.

I breathed deeply.

I couldn't help my curiosity, so I went to the hallway and returned to the lab area. The western wing was locked, but I had the keys because I was part of the research team. I strolled, trying not to make any noise. Although, in the case he was an EH, being careful would've been pointless due to his sharp hearing sense, as he might have already noticed my presence.

The door was half-opened, and I peeked just to make sure. I still couldn't believe that I was trying to spy on him. I felt like a teenager. But soon, all my thoughts vanished, and I was stunned.

He looked through the window at the waxing moon illuminating his face with a dim light. His side face was charming, but I could tell he was sad, and the first thing I noticed and the reason for my surprise was the bright, single tear that ran down his cheek.

Why...?

The door creaked, and I jumped, startled, while he turned to look at me, completely surprised. He wiped the tear with his forearm and walked to a chair in the room.

"Sorry, I didn't know you would come to do another test." He was frowning, no longer wearing the hospital gown. Instead, he had a white shirt and jeans on.

"No, no, sorry. I was doing some routine inspections. No more exams."

He looked at me uncertainly, perhaps because he did not expect to hear a woman's voice. That meant he hadn't known who was watching him when he was in the dark, further proving that he couldn't be an EH.

He stood up and approached, stepping near me, and I couldn't help feeling nervous to see how he rested his hand on the wall next to me. I soon realized that he had done it to turn on the lights. The room lit up completely, and I could see his deep green eyes staring at me. He was much taller than I thought.

Anthony showed a half-smile.

"Hi. I thought you had already been punished for talking to me," he murmured in that pretty, deep voice. I smiled because, apparently, I was not the only one who thought that Marcus had made a big deal out of nothing. "Do you want to go against your friend's judgment?" He studied me with his eyes, and I could see he wasn't sad anymore. He returned to the chair, turned it around so that the backrest looked towards me, and sat down, resting his forearms on it. "So?" He pointed to the bed. "Please take a seat... I don't bite..."

***