Lucas ✔️

Sixteen

"Lilith," his voice was smooth and empty like it was echoing in a room where it shouldn't be. It didn't sound anything like how I remembered it, which made me nervous. 

"What?" I asked angrily, stomping my foot in annoyance. I didn't need another lecture, in fact, I hated it. If he wanted to lecture me, he should have done so when he was alive, not by visiting me in my dreams. 

"Baby, don't be like that," Dad said, stepping closer, his face frowning. His skin was smooth and clean, completely different from the ripped skin and bulging eyes I had been asked to identify.

"What do you want?" I moved away from him. I hated these dreams. They always felt so realistic, right down to my shitty personality.

"Please don't."

"Don't what?" I asked, looking back at him. His blue eyes pierced me, as though they could see right through me. I felt a nagging in my brain like I was missing something, someone, as though I had the box, but the inside was empty.

"Don't-" his voice and my dream were cut short by my phone ringing. I let out a sigh of relief and sat up in bed, rubbing my hands down my face. Of course, a shitty dream was just what I needed. 

Thanks, Dad, can't even give me a break even when you're dead. 

I ignored the phone, deciding I wasn't in the mood to talk to whoever had decided it was a good idea to call me early on the weekend. I made my way to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, cringing at my haggard appearance. I should probably stop skipping so many meals. 

"Please don't."

His voice echoed in my head and I paused slightly, before letting out a large groan and deciding I wouldn't let some dream get to me. I jumped in the shower and decided today was the day I washed my hair. I definitely needed to start eating a bit more. I could see my ribs poking out and made a mental note to wear loose clothing near Janie. She would kill me if she saw how much weight I had lost recently. 

I got dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of jeans and rugging myself up in a nice hoodie. This one was washed at least and wasn't as ratty as the ones I had been wearing to school. As much as I wanted to dress nicely, just in case I saw him, it was still freezing outside, and I cared more about being warm. 

Plus, he had seen me in ratty clothing the other night - dressing up now wasn't going to make any difference. I dried my hair quickly, wearing it down in long, red waves. I hadn't worn it down for a while since it was usually dirty and unwashed, so I shoved it into buns. My red hair was a gift from a mum I never met, something Dad had loved. 

The phone rang again and I let out a loud sigh, stomping over to grab it. As much as I hated the dream I had been having I still wasn't that pleased about being woken up. I dug through the blankets and pulled out my phone, noticing the battery was nearly dead. 

"Hello?" I grumbled into the phone, making my way out of my bedroom and towards the kitchen. My socks collected piles of dust as I stomped down the steps ungracefully. I guess it had been a while since I had really cleaned anything.

"Lil! What are you doing?" Janie's chirpy voice cut through my thoughts as I stepped into the kitchen. 

"Just getting some breakfast," I said, trying to hold the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I grabbed a box of cereal and tried to pour some into a bowl.

"Breakfast?" She asked as three measly pieces of cereal dropped into the bowl unceremoniously. I swore quietly as I shook the box, looking inside, wishing I could magically make it not empty. "It's nearly dinner time!"