One Last Butterfly

Chapter 2

In the Principal's office

Lily

"Mum, what happened?!", I cried as I rushed to her side. I had never seen her like this before! Was it something I did? Was it something I said? Did I disgrace our family? My heart was paper, and someone had mercilessly torn it apart, I wondered, was it me who did so?

She looked up at me with bleary eyes and I felt myself recoil. Her skin was pale, paler than usual. Almost as white as Grandmother Scuru's hair. Her mascara was running down her cheeks, and it appeared her whole face was wet.

"C-Chadd! He's-!", she started, but ended up choking and coughing on her tears.

As the awkward-looking woman thumped my mother's back, Principal Lukta turned to face me.

"I am very sorry that such news should come to a soul as young as you", she started. "However, I regret to inform you, your father, Chadd Freud has passed away."

There was a very pregnant pause. I chuckled, although my heart started to beat erratically against my chest.

"This has to be some sort of joke, correct? I mean, it's a month away from April, late April Fools are still valid!"

But Principal Lukta's face showed no sign of it. It was as if the sharp-jawlined face was carved into stone.

"I am afraid not, Lily. Your father was found dead today, a mere hour before now, laying on the floor. The hospital bärares are now currently inspecting the body."

Glass was shattering inside me. My ears couldn't listen anymore. Since when was the world a desert? Since when did I need glasses? And since when were my eyes cosplaying as waterfalls?

"I am deeply sorry Lily, but your father is gone."

And then everything broke.

A whirl of colours swirled around, dimming and turning to black and white. A flurry of snowflakes assembled around me, landing on my skin and freezing me to the core, puncturing me with a frostbite to kill. The grey floor under me cracked, and it gave. My stomach sank deep, deeper, and deeper until I felt like it had parted from me. Memories of him kept flashing around. Us licking ice-cream. Me tormenting him with questions. Both of us crying to some weird soap opera. Me crying in his arms as he comforted me. Me running away from home and him begging me to come back. Me running back. Both of us promised to never leave each other.

hE bRoKe ThE pRoMiSe

tRaItOr

Go away!

tRaItOr

Stop!

tRaItOr

Shut up!

hE lEfT yOu AlOnE wItH nOoNe To ReLy On

...

A shower of whispers fell around me and words flashed around.

hqR rQ wvxuW...

hqR rQ wvxuW..

hqR rQ wvxuW...

Gibberish...

My fall quickly came to an end as I landed painfully on ice-cold water. I sunk, deeper and deeper. I couldn't breathe. Fishes came out and began tearing my body into pieces. I couldn't hold back a screech of agony. With the screech, something smooth and slippery forced itself up my throat, erupting up, leading to another one following it. As I opened my stinging eyes, I saw my broken pieces of a paper heart floating in the midst of red. Gently, I laid down on the floor and closed my eyes.