Ptar: Ceilus and the revolution

3. Barbara

Ceilus had finished changing clothes and left the locker room to find Lily waiting outside, "are you sure you want to go today, it's already half past six?"

Lily shrugged and waved him in as if to say "Let's just go already!"

Ceilus followed Lily to the Academy's front gate, where they were authorized by a security guard to leave, "You are free to go, just remember to return by the recall, at half past nine. Dinner is one hour from now, return by then if you intend to eat at the Academy" he said as he wrote down Lily's and Ceilus's names and the time at which they were leaving.

"Thanks, Jody," Ceilus said, as he and his friend walked out the gate.

"Just don't return late this time kid" Jody, the guard said.

"I'll make sure I don't" Ceilus promised.

Barbara's place was two blocks away, about 10 minutes of walking, and silence. For some reason spending time alone with Lily made Ceilus uncomfortable, anxious. "So...How are you?" Ceilus asked, not being able to come up with anything else to say. Lily shrugged. "God damn it you give me nothing" Ceilus thought. What to say to someone who didn't engage in dialogue?

"You seem off," Lily said, putting it bluntly.

Ceilus hesitated before saying "humn...yeah, I guess I am a little off", his line was followed by silence. "Aren't you going to ask me what happened?"

"You'll tell me what happened if you want to tell me what happened" Lily answered.

This made Ceilus feel comfortable, safe. He then engaged in monolog, explaining the day's events and how his mind was in disarray. Lily didn't interrupt, but she did nod from time to time to show she was hearing him and understood his point of view. When Ceilus got to the part the part that had shaken him the most, his conversation with Roven, Lily grabbed his hand, looked him in the eyes and showed a slight smile, as if saying "I understand, and it will be ok". This made Ceilus calm down. Somehow, even though she didn't talk, he was able to understand the girl better than he did anyone else.

They reached Barbara's doorstep. The residence was one in a series of identic houses, every one of them being painted white, having three big windows on the front, two in the first floor and one more at ground level, on the right, and a door on the left. The houses' rooftops were triangular, connecting with each other and this way forming a zig zag pattern throughout the whole street. Though the house was a clone of so many others it was always easy to identify it among its equals. Barbara's house had not been maintained that well. The painting had lots of worn down spots, the front yard was filled with weeds and the window of the right side in the first floor was broken.

Lily rang the bell. Ceilus heard footsteps.

"Who is it?" a loud voice sounded from the other side of the door.

"It's us, Ceilus and Lily" Ceilus shouted.

Barbara rapidly opened the door. "Hi Lily, you can go right ahead and come in" Barbara said in a sweet voice before turning to Ceilus. There was something in her eyes that told him "I 'm going to kill you".

Lily padded Ceilus in the back and giggled, as if to say "good luck, you'll need it", then she walked inside leaving Ceilus alone, unprotected, with Barbara.

Ceilus had first met Barbara in his first year in the academy, and it had been nothing short of a terrifying experience. Ceilus was peacefully walking down the street when he heard a crack and, suddenly, Barbara appeared, a tall, muscular, scary woman, and bellowed "Kid, you've got a lot of nerve!"

"What?" Ceilus was confused.

"You broke my window, you rascal!" Barbara yelled, her left hand pointing at her window and her right clenched in a fist.