Time To Fade

BUZZZZZ!!!!

The last bell of the school day echoed down the corridor outside. The entire class immediately stopped everything they were doing and packed up their things as fast as humanly possible, Lillith Crystal rushing to close her sketchbook and stuff it in her binder with the rest of her papers. Mr. Carew glanced up from his desk and smiled. "You may go."

The class spilled out of the classroom and the scents of lemon cleaning supplies tickled Lillith's nose as she stepped out onto the cold dark tiles of the ground floor of Wooded Lane High. Bright clear lights dangled on long grey cords from the high ceilings that illuminated the hallways of yellow-cream walls filled with blue lockers as Lillith allowed herself to be swept up into the river of students rushing to finally finish the first frantic day of the week, and on their way home.

Fresh smells of early spring air greeted Lillith when she exited the building into a cool breeze. She was just turning to go home when she stopped up short. Jake Thompson was standing mere yards ahead of her, half turned away. Now, she thought. Now's the time. The spring dance is coming up soon, and- no. No. Mother would never have approved. She hadn't wanted Lillith to date until she was 16, and she wouldn't be until a week after the dance. Lillith turned away, and began her walk home.

"What was that all about?" said a voice from just behind, and Carol pulled up beside her. Carol was a stunning girl of 16, and the only friend Lillith had at Wooded Lane since she had moved here 3 months ago, soon after...

Lillith swept her long black hair over her shoulder and looked devoutly at the binder in her arms while fiddling with the ends of her black sweater. "Nothing." she replied after a moment of silence.

"Nothing?" Carol tossed her curly golden brown hair down her back and folded her arms in front of her, slowing down her lanky legs to match Lillith's stride. "Didn't look like nothing to me." Lillith was saved from having to respond to those piercing blue eyes as they arrived at the gate at the edge of the school yard and split off in opposite directions. "Well, see you tomorrow, I guess."

Lillith smiled and they went their separate ways. Lillith walked left, towards the now familiar landscape of this tiny part of northern California. Familiar, but never home.

***

As usual, Lillith stopped outside the gate of her uncle's manor. Not hers. Never hers. The large white and cream house rose dauntingly above her in all its majestic beauty. She pushed open the gate and walked up the long pebbled pathway past the sculpted lawn to the front door.

Inside, everything was soft. Fluffy pure white carpets, and dark brown mahogany sculpted furniture. Lillith walked quietly through the front room, past her uncle's glass office doors where she could hear him on a call, up the grand staircase, and into her bedroom. Unlike the rest of the house, Lillith's bedroom was a mish mash of furniture, sky blue walls, and a beautiful set of shimmering patterned black drapes framing glass doors to a balcony. She had one plain wooden desk with lots of drawers, a carved queen sized bed, and a book self. Oh, and a walk in closet too. Lillith had never had this kind of thing at home. She dropped off her backpack in the corner, and went into the restroom.

As she was washing her hands, Lillith was confronted by a mirror, and studied herself in it. She was 5 foot 6, with long, thick, straight, black hair and pale skin. She had a small nose, long, dark eyelashes, and soft pink lips. Just like her mother. "Except for your eyes" her mother would whisper. "You've got your father's eyes". But that didn't matter now. He had left them. And now her mother had died too, struck suddenly by the remnants of a plague that had hit the US 10 years ago in 1995. She needed to draw something.