Forever lost

10

Flashback Lilly's Age: 5 years old.

Today is Christmas, and something tells Lilly that today is the day. She doesn't know why, but she feels that when she goes down the stairs, her mother will be there with a stack of gifts, gifts just for her. Or at least that's what she dreamed.

It's also what she asked Santa for. Last year, and the year before, and the year before that, Santa didn't bring her gifts because they got lost. But this year she only asked for one thing: her mother. It's not a difficult thing, and to make up for it, Santa will surely bring all the past gifts.

That's why as soon as a tiny particle of sunlight enters her window, Lilly jumps out of bed. Without waiting for the others, she runs down the stairs and into the common room, where she expects her long-awaited gift.

At five years old, Lilly discovered disappointment. In that common room, not only were there no gifts at all, but there was no tree, no stockings, and certainly no mother. Like the past few years, Santa must have gotten lost, only this time the disappointment was greater. So much so that Lilly slumped against the wall and, unwittingly, began to cry for her mother. All she wanted for Christmas was a kiss and a hug from her mother, to tuck her in at night and to hold her hand on the street, like she saw other children.

---

December 25th

"Shut up, idiot, you'll wake her up," Ethan whispers to his brother. Both twin brothers have been assigned to watch over their sister while the rest of the family finishes preparing for Christmas morning.

Today is Lilly's first Christmas with her family in over eight years, and everyone has been preparing everything until the wee hours of the morning to ensure that the moment does justice to their little girl's Christmas. Currently, Alex and his parents are filling the common room with colorful balloons, as Lilly mentioned how much she loved some big balloons she saw on TV the other day.

"Well, it's not my problem that Mom and Dad are taking so long. I swear, I'm going to grow roots waiting for them," Apollo retorts to his brother, earning a cuff from him. Quickly, Apollo turns to his brother, trying to return the blow, but to his dismay, Ethan is faster and stops the blow, leading the two twins into a silent scuffle.

"But are you two idiots?" an annoyed Alexander whispers as he walks down the hallway followed by his parents. All three are wearing colorful Christmas sweaters with reindeer and Christmas trees printed on them. It was Jane who insisted that the sweaters were essential for a magical Christmas morning.

"Okay, let's wake up my baby," Robert says with a big smile of excitement on his face. Slowly, he opens the door and could be said to be acting as a human shield, as everyone jumps on him, clearly seeking the privilege of waking up their little one.

Lilly's room is dark, illuminated only by a small lamp that Lilly always keeps on at night. The little girl's room already seems to have more life, and Lilly's personality is giving it to her, her collections of books now resting on the shelf, her clothes piled on the desk chair, small toys scattered around the space, and a small Christmas tree in one corner.

Jane gently sits on Lilly's bed, while the men choose to stand, watching the scene with wide smiles.

"Lilly, sweetheart, wake up, it's Christmas, Santa has come," Jane says softly as she lovingly combs Lilly's hair.

The gentle movement of Jane's fingers in her hair makes Lilly wake up, at first grateful to have been pulled out of that nightmare but then confused to see her whole family dressed alike and in her room.

"Why are you all dressed alike?" Lilly can't help but ask out loud.

"Because it's Christmas, silly," Ethan replies, adopting his clear role of teasing brother.