A Spy's Home---Book 3: A Friend I've Never Met

Chapter 23

Luke's point of view

I went to the kitchen and slammed the door shut; I saw Lilian, who was sitting on a stool with her back facing toward me, flinch. I winced, not meaning to scare her that badly, but I knew she needed to be talked to.

"You've gone too far, Lilian. Why would you try to kill Zylina? They're on our side!" I exclaimed, walking in front of her. I saw that her face was red with tears, and she had her eyes glued to her feet.

"How do you know? You didn't see what she did." Lilian tried arguing.

"Neither did you!" I countered, a little louder than I intended. Lilian lowered her head lower, and black hair covered part of her face.

"Lilian, just because it seemed like Zylina put the bomb in the file, doesn't mean she did. The bomb was most likely placed there in case someone, like us, tried to steal it." I pointed out.

When Lilian didn't respond, I foolishly decided to keep pressing, "I know adjusting has been a pain, but you can't just take it out on everyone you mee-"

Before I could finish, Lilian shot up from the stool, and yelled, "You forced me to adjust!"

Confusion filled me as I processed the words. "What do you mean?" I asked her; I had an assumption of what she meant, but I didn't want it to be true.

"You dragged me away from our home the same night I had to watch our parents get shot-down. May I remind you that they were your parents too, but you didn't even shed a tear over their death. You didn't let me mourn for them for even a moment; you just dragged me to your truck and drove me away. Y...You...." Lilian broke into a sob, and fell to her knees.

The words she spoke cut deeply in my heart, and for several long moments I was frozen watching Lilian sob on the wooden floor. I shook away the shock, and knelt down in front of Lilian, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. However, I was at a loss of words, not wanting to make this whole situation worse, so instead of saying a single phrase, I embraced my twin.

Lilian has always had a silent sob; there was no noise as she cried on my shoulder, but I felt her shake and fidget. I wrapped my arms around her more, and let a few tears slip down my cheek.

"I'm so sorry...." That was the only thing I could muster out, before letting Lilian rest herself against me; soon, I felt her fidgeting slow down, and heard take in a couple of sharp breaths.

I kissed the side of her temple, knowing she needed it, and pushed her upwards so we could face each other. Her eyes were red-shot, and her entire face was a rosy color; I kept my hands planted on her shoulders, because I knew if I removed them, Lilian would probably fall right back on me.

"I miss them Luke," she mumbled, still not looking me in the eyes.

"I do too, and I'm sorry if you felt like you were dragged into this madness, but you need to understand that Zylina and Rory weren't the ones that killed our parents. We'll find the true traitors and get justice for mom and dad." I told her.

Lilian looked up at me with her eyes glassy, and gave me a small smile. "Do you think I can call Zylina and apologize?" she asked me. I clenched my jaw as I thought about it; Rory would most likely be angry, and probably didn't want Zylina to talk to us for a while.

"How about we wait a couple days, and let them calm down a bit." I answered, after a second. Lilian's smile slipped back down to a frown that was laced with guilt, but I saw there was understanding in her eyes.

I helped her to her feet and sat her down on the stool she was originally sitting on. I knew Rory and Zylina were probably almost out of the city since they had left right before I came into the kitchen.

"Do you want some tea?" I asked, knowing that would help her feel better. Lilian nodded, and I strolled over to put the tea-pot on the stove.

"Lemon Ginger, right?" I gave Lilian a bright smile as I asked the question; I needed to lighten the mood somehow.

Lillian gave me a small smile back, and nodded her head; Lemon ginger was her favorite, and Mom would always make it for her when she was sick or sad.

Just as I turned on the stove, and finished filling the tea-pot with water I heard a knock on the front door. Instinctively, I turned around to face the kitchen door, and saw that Lilian was partially turned around on the stool with a nervous look in her eyes.

She turned back to me and gave me a pleading look; I put the tea-pot down and started walking out of the kitchen to answer the door. It's most likely Zylina or Rory coming back to forget something.

I gave Lilian a reassuring pat on the shoulder, trying to mentally tell her to stay there, and to not be scared.

I opened the front door prepared to answer Zylina's or Rory's questions, but Zylina and Rory weren't the ones that answered the door, and nothing could prepare me for what happened next. 

TBC....