Chapter Two: The Return

Lily could hear their laughter from where she sat. Loud and careless just as they should be. The kids ran after the bubbles the women blew and tried to pop them. One of them managed to catch it in their hands, but it popped on its own after a second or two.

Lily took her eyes off them to look at her friend. Her tears had just begun to dry. Janette stopped venting about half an hour ago. They've been silent ever since. Janette pulled out her phone from her pocket and typed in her password. She had to change it later. Keeping his birthday as her password wouldn't help her feel better. Lily commented on it. Janette replied with a hum. She changed it after she scrolled through her texts.

"The pictures too?" She asked.

Lily shrugged, "Only when you're ready,''

Janette pocketed her phone. She leaned her back on the bench and stared at the sky. A gentle breeze blew the stray strands of hair that poked out from her braid. She watched the clouds move with a tender look in her eyes. And felt as if the world had betrayed her simply because of the way things looked. She could have enjoyed the spring weather if it weren't for him. Now he was all she thought about. But not in the way she had done before.

Lily looked down at her intertwined fingers. She tried her best to put her thoughts aside and be there for her friend, but that was easier said than done. She didn't need to place her hand on her chest to know that her heart was beating fast. And the crumbling feeling in her stomach reminded her of a terrible day. When she was still a foster kid. Her story reached a climax when she was eight years old. It was that wicked man who started everything.

It was summer and the air conditioning had just broken down. They had their big fan running. And the sun had just begun to set. Lily watched the old man look through his mail. Her eyes followed his weak, trembling fingers as they tore the envelope open. He dropped it on the floor and read the contents of the paper inside. Lily reached for it, the name on the back tempting her. She didn't receive many letters. And she certainly didn't know anyone that wrote them. She was about to read the sender's name when she heard the man shout. He began limping around the house, trying to look for his daughter. They had a quiet discussion after, then never spoke of it again. Lily couldn't help but wonder.

Curiosity might have killed the cat, but Lily lived and that was controversially worse. That same night, she sneaked into the old man's room in search of the letter. She knew where he kept his papers. But he was a light sleeper. He caught her before she could get to the drawers. The old man dragged her by the arm and mercilessly threw her into the attic. She was thin and light enough for a man of his strength to carry. She screamed and begged to be let out. He refused.

Lily shivered, rubbing her arms and feeling the goosebumps. She could still hear him cursing. All she had to do was close her eyes in a darkened room. Then she could make out his voice perfectly. It was cold. And it crawled beneath her skin like a snake. What kept her from going crazy that day was the small window that offered the tiny amount of light she needed before everything went into a black blur. She watched with terror-ridden eyes as the shadows danced and snickered from the corners. Their movements were swift and unorganized like flies. Finally, she closed her eyes and grasped her head tightly between her hands. It felt like it was about to burst. Her heart, too.

The woman must have heard her screams. For she came running to let her out. She wasn't pleased with what her father had done and felt responsible for what had happened, especially when Lily's nightmares didn't stop. But that wasn't everything. Sometimes, she would stare into people's faces for hours, frightened and yet, full of wonder. People found it creepy. They told her foster parents to take her to a priest -others a doctor- but even with all the appointments they booked, the voices didn't vanish. However, the longer they remained, the better Lily understood the phenomenon. She could read people's thoughts. All she had to do was look them in the eye.

She was terrified.

The therapy sessions helped with the nightmares. But Lily concluded that there was little they could do about the rest. So she didn't mention it. Still, Lily didn't accept it with open arms. Lily just gave in to it.

Lily was placed in another foster home and then another. That was when she met Susan. She was sweet and gentle. Hardly ever raised her voice and seemed to know exactly what Lily needed. Susan liked her too. Three months in, she asked Lily if she would let her adopt her. Lily said yes.

"Hey, you ok?" Janette's hand hovered on top of Lily's shoulder. She pulled away when Lily met her gaze.

"Do you think he knows?" Lily asked.

"Couldn't you tell?"

"He wouldn't look at me long enough, "

"Hm, " Janette nodded, thinking hard.

"I'm going to call him," Although those words flowed casually out of her mouth, she was still debating.

"What? Why would you do that?" Janette almost shouted.

"If I just stay quiet and pretend nothing happened, who knows what'll come next. He knows where we work, Janette. I don't think there's a way out of this," Lily explained. Janette looked at her like she had grown a second head- mouth open and everything. Lily gave her an apologetic smile.

"You're so dead,"

* * *

Lily hissed. She held her bleeding finger between her lips while she rummaged through the kitchen drawer with her other hand, looking for the bandages. She grabbed one in a hurry and ran to the sink. She washed her finger and wrapped a bandage around the cut. That was a lot of blood, but it couldn't be that deep. She did not doubt that it would heal after a day or two if she took good care of it. She took a deep breath, glancing at the cucumber she had yet to finish chopping. She walked over to it, but the sound of the bell ringing made her stop.

"The door, Lily!" She heard Susan yell from the shower.

She struggled to take off her apron and walk at the same time. She was excited. But most definitely nervous. She looked through the small hole, and once meeting the deformed shape of a familiar man's skull, she opened the door and spread her arms around him. He might not have known it, but after so much overthinking she needed a hug.

"Oh," She heard him say.

She pulled away and raised her brows, laughing, "Don't make this weird, John,"

"Me? Never,"

She rolled her eyes. When their voices settled back to silence, they found themselves observing each other. Lily got taller, no doubt. But his head was only a few inches from the door frame. His black hair was tied to the back in a neat bun. She was sure that if he were to untie it, it would reach just below his shoulders. Well, if he hadn't cut it after their last video call. It took her a while to spot the things that hadn't changed. Like his dimples and the freckles that decorated his face and neck. His eyes appeared to be darker than she remembered. But it could have been an illusion. His rented apartment back in  Ohio had a few hundred windows. She only noticed the slight tan recently.

He dragged his suitcases inside. Lily watched him silently before she asked, "You sure you're him?"

"Unfortunately, yeah," He replied, "But what about you? Did you get hit by a truck or something?"

She pretended to sigh, "And to think I just welcomed your sorry ass back home after, like, five years?"

John was going to reply when his mom came running out of the bathroom. Susan wore a green dress that still had a tag hanging below her armpit. She hadn't even found the time to comb or dry her hair. However, it didn't stop John from returning the hug she offered. She was a tall woman. John didn't need to bend down like he had done when he hugged Lily.

"Hey." She smiled. Although she pulled away, her grip on his shoulders remained. It looked like she was resisting the urge to embrace him longer.

"Hey," He tried to contain his smile, but he couldn't help it. The time he spent away from them made him appreciate his family more, especially his mom. He nearly burnt the pot the first time he tried to make rice. And he didn't know what to do when his faucet broke after only one week from settling into the apartment. His roommate, Malek, did most of the labor, but he learned a few things from him.

"Can we eat now?" Lily interrupted. If she were to leave them like that any longer, surely one of them would cry. That was the last thing she wanted.

"Right, you must be starving, " Susan tried to let go, but she couldn't just yet. She hugged him again.

"Mom," He chuckled.

"Yes, yes, I know. But I just need to make sure you're here," She said that as if it were a joke, but Lily knew that wasn't the case. Susan quickly changed the subject, "Anyways, I made all your favorites. Lily made the pasta and I made-"

"Um, why don't you do your hair while I set the table?" Lily asked. "And John could use a shower, he stinks,''

"I-"

"No, she's right. Get going,'' Susan laughed. John frowned, sniffing his armpits after Susan turned around to leave. Lily laughed at him.

"You're the worst," He told her.

Lily shrugged. She took one of his suitcases and walked it to his room. John followed, trying to take all three of them at once. When he got there, he dropped everything and stood near the door, gazing at the dust around the room like it was gold. Lily felt the need to explain even if he didn't seem to mind it as much.

"She couldn't even look at it if she weren't to cry,''

"And you?"

"Shut up, I had terrible cramps," She scolded. She wanted to hide the fact that Susan instructed her to clean it and since she already had so many things on her mind, she forgot all about it. Maybe after dinner, she'd help him with it. He rolled his eyes.

John took a seat on his bed, examining the art that he had hung on the walls when he was younger. They had taken hours of hard work to make. He would always blast music every time he painted. He said it took him places, places he wanted to be when he drew. He used it to escape, to explore the world he briefly created. Lily stood near the door frame, waiting for his eyes to accidentally meet hers. She planned on teasing him with whatever it was that he had on his mind.

John had always seen her as some sort of wonder woman. Only she didn't need a lasso to know the truth. Susan, however, took a much logical route when she found out. She was speechless at first, but it quickly turned to curiosity. As a psychologist, she felt the need to understand it. Lily, who had never thought of exploring her abilities before, had been overjoyed when Susan asked to study the phenomenon. It gave her some control over it. Susan tested just how far Lily's ability allowed her to go and the limits she shouldn't cross. But to Lily, that was nothing compared to the constant threat that loomed over her. Then there was the burden of knowing things she shouldn't know. Sometimes, it ate her up.

"You look distracted." He noted, breaking the silence.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Just thinking about Janette," She lied. She probably shouldn't have brought her up, but it seemed like the most believable thing to think about right now. Besides, the news would have reached him eventually. He was good friends with Abina. She didn't talk much, but if John asked how everyone was doing when he came to visit, she wouldn't hesitate to spill the tea.

"Why?" He asked.

"She got dumped."

"Oh,"

"Anyways, since we're talking about relationships..." Lily's previous expression was replaced by a mischievous one.

"We're not-" John knew where the conversation was heading. And he hated it.

"How's Malek?" She teased, raising a brow.

John covered his blushing face with his hands and mumbled, "Damn you,"

"Come on, John. Don't be boring," She pleaded.

"Fuck off."