DNA

Chapter Seven

The car ride lasted a while. It was already one in the morning. They were out of Tokyo. Veta was driving nervously and Akira was trying not to stress him out even more so she hid her tears. Lilium could see them, though.
She looked over at her sleeping sister. Kiki looked even younger when she slept. Maybe Lilium looked younger while she slept as well...
The car suddenly stopped.
"Damn! One mile from a gas station, too!" Veta yelled for the first time since the phone call, "come on, let's push the car."
Akira went to get out but Veta stopped her.
"Not you, Akira. Lilium can help me."
Lilium got out and instantly shivered from the cold. She helped Veta push the car half a mile before the pain still in her stomach stopped her. Veta sighed and helped Lilium back into the car. He sat in his own seat and slammed the door. It was two thirty.
A couple minutes passed in silence before Veta picked up his phone and dialed a number. He seemed suddenly ecstatic.
"Hello? Felix? Hi, this is William. Can we stay with you? The house burned down, we have to get out of town."
Veta was talking to someone he knew. How did he know this person? If he was asking to stay with him then they must be close.
"Okay, we'll find an airport. See you tomorrow? Okay, bye."
Veta jumped out and pushed the car on his own. They made it to the gas station at around four. After the car was filled they sped down the highway for a few hundred miles to an airport.
"Honey, what're we going to do? Are we really staying with your brother?" Akira asked as they woke Kiki and walked to the entrance.
"Yeah, don't worry. He said he doesn't mind."
Lilium realized that she had an uncle. What if he had kids? Did she have cousins as well? Or no? Could she go to school there? Veta answered these questions as she thought of them.
"This is good, Lil. You can meet your uncle and cousin. He's about fifteen and his name is Cale. You can go to school with him when we get there. Isn't that exciting?"
Lilium yawned and nodded. They paid for tickets and got on a plane at eight that morning to London. Veta explained that he lived in Wales growing up. His brother moved to London and had a big manor in the outskirts of the town. He had a huge yard and plenty of space for them. The bonus was a garden.
Lilium felt sick and scared in the plane. Akira told her that it was air sickness. It's not like Lilium cared what it was. She just knew she had it.
They arrived at around seven. The manor was huge, even bigger than she had imagined. A butler answered the door to let them in.
"Master Felix, they're here."
Lilium couldn't believe how beautiful the manor looked. The entrance was a snow white and the staircase had a deep red carpet stapled to it. There was a grand piano; a white one with golden keys. Lilium's fingers twitched.
"Dear brother!"
They turned and saw the man approach them. It was Felix.
"Uncle Felix!" Kiki yelled as she ran to hug the man.
"Kiki! You're twelve already! Go upstairs to your cousin's room. Your gifts are under his bed. Take a peppermint on the way," Felix instructed her. Kiki smiled and rushed up the stairs taking a mint. There was a big bowl on the counter beside the steps.
"Felix, I would love for you to meet your other niece. This is Lilium."
Lilium looked up at the man after a second. She was still star struck from the piano.
"Hello, young lady. You're very interested in that piano, aren't you?" Felix questioned.
"Yes, sir."
"Why don't you try it out ?"
Lilium smiled and looked at Veta for approval.
She slowly and gently started hitting keys. There was something natural about her hand movement. Maybe it was because she was a genius due to experiments or she really did have a natural talent. Both were possible.
After a few minutes she jumped back up and Veta called the local high school. She'd begin the next day.
Lilium got ready for bed and the night once again began.
This time when she woke up Veta had a surprise for her.
"Lilium, you're growing up. It's time for a phone." He handed her the same kind of phone Kiki had. She smiled and took it happily.
"Really? Thanks dad!" Lilium hugged her father and got ready for school.
She looked down at her white dress shirt and black plaid skirt. It was put together with a black tie and black stockings. Lilium combed her hair back into a messy bun and ran down the stairs to find Veta.
Standing next to him was a boy who looked around her age. This boy must have been Cale.
"Hey," Lilium said. Cale looked at her with a shy smile.
"Hey. I guess I'm your cousin. Do you want to walk to school with me?"
Lilium nodded and the two started the short walk to school.
Middletown High was a popular high school filled with average people. All the stereotypes fit in here. What was Lilium even considered though?
Cale showed her around and helped with her schedule. The bell rang and she went off to Study Hall.
Lilium sat in the front. A couple more students walked in every twenty seconds or so. They all looked at her and whispered to each other. She sighed and got up. She decided to sit the back corner. The bell rang. The teacher allowed them to do whatever. Lilium looked at the teacher shocked. What was Study Hall anyway?
She looked down at her folded hands. The door opened. The class didn't notice this but Lilium did. A boy wearing a black beanie snuck in the room. He slid to the back of the room by Lilium and sat beside her. She didn't understand why but she couldn't stop staring at him.
He had jet black hair peaking out from the beanie with light golden eyes that were almost similar to Aluca's. He was skinny. Almost too skinny. He wore a grey t-shirt with a black and orange striped hoodie. His faded black jeans showed just how slim he actually was. The boy looked over at Lilium. He seemed freaked out at first but smiled at her.
"Hey. What's your name?"
Lilium thought for a moment. What was her name...? She lost it. Then she remembered.
"Oh, hey. I'm Lilium. Lilium Veta."
The boy smiled even more and reached out to take her hand.
"Nice name. My name is Noir. Technically it isn't my real name but I personally hate my real name anyway. Here, I'm sort of a freak," he explained.
"I'm a freak everywhere," Lilium replied. Noir seemed to think for a moment.
"Why? I think you're... cute."
Lilium felt her face turn red so she looked down.
"You should hang around with me, Lilium. We could be great friends. I'll show you my twin sister, too!"
They spent the rest of class talking about their schedules. Out of the seven classes they had five of them together.
When the bell rang Noir brought her to her next class and went off to his.
The teacher introduced her this time.
"This, class, is the new girl. Her name is Lilium Veta. Please go take any seat you like."
Lilium nodded at the teacher and sat near the back again. Noir wasn't in this class. She was alone again.
This time the other students began  to tease her and laugh behind her back. Lilium felt so out of place. It was only second period.
On her way out of her Math room a kid grabbed her hair. Pulling her back he called her a freak and walked off.
Third period passed. She was alone in that class too. The same things happened. This time two kids taunted her during their five minute break.
Fourth period had to be better. Noir was in the rest of the classes as well.
Lilium sat in the back where Noir already was. Her hair wasn't in a bun anymore since the kid from before pulled it out. Noir noticed this.
"Why'd you take your hair down? It made you look pretty. Well, you're still pretty... I'm not trying to be weird!" He quickly stated, obviously embarrassed.
"I didn't."
This seemed to trigger a thought that she was bullied. He looked at her and gave her a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry. If anyone else bothers you I can deal with them."
The rest of her classes passed easily with Noir. She never got to meet his sister. Maybe she would another day.
Lilium decided to go upstairs to use the bathroom before meeting her cousin to walk home. She headed to the door when she heard someone yell to her.
"Freak! We got a surprise!"
She turned to see a couple boys from her class walking towards her. One took her arm and pushed her against the wall as the other pulled out a pair of scissors.
"How would you like a hair cut? That's some weird ass hair, isn't it?"
Lilium tried to break free, kicking and yelling. The kids shut her up and started cutting her hair. Tears were threatening to spill and she lost motion in her arms. She gave up.
Only seconds later she heard footsteps running towards them. 
"Leave her alone!"
One boy got slapped down and the other helped him up. Lilium looked up at her rescuers. They were Noir and Cale. Did they know each other?
The guys who were taunting Lilium ran away. Noir pulled Lilium off the wall and looked at her hair. Cale walked over to them and let out a sigh.
"Your dad is going to kill me..."
"Are you okay? What the hell were those guys thinking?" Noir yelled and then began to curse under his breath. Lilium sighed and broke from his grasp. She ran out of the school. Cale and Noir followed close behind.
If this was school, she didn't want it.