Heirs: Code Lilith

Guilt Trip

When we arrived at his house, something felt strange. The grass in their lawn was much greener than the rest of the neighborhood's. I smirked when I noticed the difference and looked at Silas, who immediately looked away in embarrassment.

I hadn't been in a real house in eight years, I almost forgot how pleasant it felt to be surrounded by people who didn't want to kill you. Their house was lovely. Flowers and other potted plants were stuffed in every nook and cranny, every bookshelf, every table, and every empty space. It was like walking into a greenhouse.

"Sorry about all the vegetation..." his mother said. "Archie's a botanist. Bit of an obsession, if you ask me."

"No, I think it's gorgeous," I said, looking gawking all of the different flowers and plants. The air inside smelt of dirt and flowers. I smiled at Silas, but he immediately left the room. I rolled my eyes, and sat down on the couch.

"Silas, where are you going?" she called up to him.

"I'm going to play my game, Mum," he called back from upstairs.

"No, you are not," she said, marching up after him. "Help me clean out the guest bedroom, please."

"Do you need my help?" I asked.

"No, no, no!" she said absolutely. "You stay here, we'll do all the work, I promise. You don't have to lift a finger!"

"Alright," I said to myself.

As I looked around, gaping at how many plants were in the house, his father appeared with a pair of leather gloves on. "Would you like to see the garden outside?" he asked with a proud grin across his face.

"Sure!" I said, jumping from off the couch to follow him outside.

I quickly looked around, seeing if any of the plants were dying in my presence, but thankfully, they were not. He opened the back door to what seemed like an emporium of plants! The outside wasn't really outside. The backyard was only a greenhouse that connected to the main house via the back door. The yellow glint of the sunlight caught on every dew drop and every highlight of the many plants. He had four, long and wide table-boxes filled to the brim with every kind of herb, vegetable, and fruit you could ever imagine! He walked me down each table, pointing out every different species of plant and their respective properties. It was fascinating to watch him ramble off facts about the most obscure herbs in the world.

"Oh, sorry..." he realized, stopping himself suddenly. "I'm probably just boring you!"

"No, no," I assured him. "Please, go on."

His eyes lit up, and he readily obliged.

We had gotten about halfway through the second table by the time Silas's mother called both of us back in. She told me that she had cleared out some things from the guest bedroom so that it was ready for me to stay in. I thanked both of them profusely for letting me stay with them for the time being, but they both brushed it off like it was no big deal.

Silas was standing on the staircase, watching me intently. Finally, his mother noticed, and scolded him for staring. He tried to escape upstairs, but she pressured him into coming down to chat. Everyone was sitting in the living room, looking at me.

"So, how long have you been on the streets, Kiara?" his mother asked.

"Not long," I said. "About three days."

"And may I ask, why did your father kick you out?" she asked.

"Oh," I said, trying to think of something quick. "He was just a lowlife that spent all his time gambling and drinking that he decided I was too much to pay for, so he kicked me out."