✔️| [2] Straight On 'Til Morning

☆ Chapter 3 ☆

Lily's suspicions were right after all. 

After only a month and a half of seeing us, I see the all familiar sight of my mother rolling her dark green suitcase to the car. I would usually feel sad to see this scene again but I feel nothing. I don't feel sadness, I don't feel dread. The only thing I feel is anger, but I know this is not the moment to blow up. Not while Lily's tears are only recently dried. 

Dad stood by the car door and gave Lily and I a slight smile. Lily sniffed and ran up, wrapping her arms around him with such force I thought he would tip over. But he stayed stable and returned the hug

He rubbed her back. "You two be good, okay?"

"But why can't you stay, Papa?" Lily asks, still clinging tightly to his side, "You're not a doctor."

He shakes his head, "No. I'm not. But I am your mother's lawyer. She needs me."

"But why can't you stay like you used to?"

 I roll my eyes. He answered the question already. I want everything to be done and over with, but Lily persists.

He sighs, "Lily, sweetie, I have a big job to do with your mother. I'll be back before you know I'm gone, okay?"

Lily nods, "Okay." He gives her a kiss on the forehead and loosens her grip on her.

He glances at me.  I notice a look of pity in his eyes and I look away. 

He walks up to me and gives me a hug. I stiffen but exhale. "Take care, Val."

I sigh, missing things like this in my life. "You too."

I watch as my father gives us a wave goodbye before my mother honks her horn, making Lily jump.  "We're going to miss our flight!" she yells at my father. I put my arm around Lily's shoulder and walk up to the door. We see them roll away and I close and lock the door.

"You tried," I tell her, rubbing her shoulder with the one hand I have around it.

"Yeah, but it never works," She mumbles, pulling away from my grasp to fall onto the couch with Luna.

I take my phone out of my jean pocket and begin to text both brothers. "Hey. Cheer up! The gang is coming over! You'll have more people to talk to."

"And more people to annoy you."

I playfully roll my eyes, putting my phone away. "Yeah, yeah. Now, get to cleaning."

She raises her eyebrows. "Only if I get to clean mom and dad's room."

"And that means I get the guest rooms."

"Yep."

I ponder for a little while. Lily hasn't gone in the guest rooms for a few weeks now and I want to keep it that way. But that means I go in.

I sigh and shoo her away. She grins and starts to run up the stairs where my parent's room is. "Remember to activate Mini-Max just in case you get hurt!" I call after her, but she only responds with a 'yeah, yeah'.

I trudge up the stairs much less enthusiastically than Lily did. I arrive at the second floor and turn right. There at the end of the hallway are the grand doors of the master bedroom and two doors on both sides of the hallway. The guest rooms.