After a grueling week, Lilly was on her feet again, and she had finally been able to convince her aunt, who wouldn’t let her out of an eight-pillowed bed and fluffy carpeted floors, to let her go for a walk. Lilly was looking for answers, so she went to the only place she might find some.
She limped down the street, it was sunny out. She could see the forest, but stopped, and turned left. It was a longer way she knew, but she wanted to visit her home. No one was on the road, it was silent, but Lilly didn’t notice, she wanted to go home. She wanted to walk in the door and be greeted by her little brother, followed by her dad. She wanted to watch a movie with them while mom was upstairs. Lilly smiled as walked up onto her porch, she twisted the doorknob. Locked.
She frowned as her reality once again caught up with her. She could knock but no one would answer. No one was home. Then it came to her, the spare key! Lilly stepped off the porch and into the garden; she picked up a little sign nestled in with the flowers. “Welcome to the Kromes!” She read before flipping it over, revealing the key taped to the back. Taking the key off and placing back the sign, she unlocked the door.
Time seemed to slow as she stepped into the dark hallway. A house she had grown up in felt oddly alien to her and she felt like taking off her shoes would be a bad idea. Her aunt’s old sneakers squeaks magnified with the houses emptiness. Lilly looked to her left, the living room.
“Lilly” peeped out young Jake from across the couch
“Yes?”
“Your name rhymes with chilli.” He smiled
“Yeah I guess it does” laughed Lilly
“I learnt rhymes in kindergarten” He announced proudly. “Lilly Chilli” He said again.
“What rhymes with Jake?” Lilly tested. Jake thought for a moment.
“ Cake!” He shouted excitedly over the movie they were watching, waking dad up from his slumber.
Lilly snapped out of the day dream, her eyes watering. She turned away from the living room and decided to start up the stairs. The thought of maybe trying to turn on a light never crossed her mind. She took a sharp left from the top off the stairs and down another hallway. The first door. Jakes room. She looked at her brothers door, which was covered in pictures of batman the two siblings drew. Her eyes watered and she walked in.
The room was dark almost if it wasn’t for the nightlight on the wall that stored electricity in case the power went out. Her brothers messy batman bed made her want to cry. Who took you Jake? She thought before another memory drifted into her mind.
“Who has cake?” joked their dad.
“I am cake!” Giggled Jake
“Then who am I?” Asked dad
“A dad!”
“I’m a cake eating dad!” He replied before scooping his son up and started to fake eat him
“Nom nom nom!” Dad said and Jake screamed with joy. “Time for bed cake” He said swinging Jake over his shoulder. Jake whined a no, but he was already on the stairs. He waved Lilly to follow, and she did. When she got to his room, dad was on his way out for Jake was tucked in.
“Bed for you too.” He smiled.
“I know dad”
“I love you.” He said giving her a hug.
“I love you too dad.” Lilly said as dad walked into his room. She turned to face Jake, who was holding his batman action figure.
“Are you sleeping with batman?” She asked
“No, I’m just saying good night, he has to go back to the batcave” The batcave is what he called his side table drawer.
“Good night Jake” She said as she hugged her little brother tightly
“Night Lilly” he smiled. Just as she was about to close the door she heard Jake whisper.
“Lilly?” He said with a yawn.
“Yeah Jake?”
“Chilli is my favourite food. I love chilli.” Lilly smiled.
“I love Cake.” She said softly as little Jake drifted off to sleep.
Lilly sniffed back a sobbing cry. She had her head in Jakes pillow.
“I miss you baby brother.” She said aloud. Lilly stayed there for a long time before she sat up, her face red, wet, and puffy. She thought for a minute before she reached over to open the batcave. Empty. Confused, Lilly just thought her head was swimming. She got up and gently closed the door like she always did with Jakes room. Lilly headed into her bright pink room on her left and lay on the bed.
Lilly headed from Jake’s room into her own and sat on the bed reading, when suddenly her mom came in. It was unexpected. Her mom never came out of her office, and when she did, it was to get her pills refilled. She had gotten them refilled just yesterday when Lilly and Jake were on their last day of school
“Lillian” Her raspy voice choked out.
“Y..Yes mom?” Lilly had always been uncomfortable around her mother. She was scared of her when she was young, but now she knew just to go along with what she said and did. Her mom smiled. Lilly didn’t.
“Will you be starting school tomorrow?” She asked
“No mom, it just finished for summer” Her mom threw her hands in the air in disbelief. Before holding her tightly, Lilly couldn’t escape her grip, she had strong arms. She leaned into her ear.
“I’ll protect you from them tomorrow. I promise” She whispered.
“Thanks mom” She said before her mom left. Lilly noticed she had cut her own hair again.
Lillian shivered, her mother’s babble scared her at times. She remembered her mother’s office. She hadn’t been in there for six years so she wondered what could be in it now. She got off her bed and walked into the hallway. There, at the end of the hallway was the dark door that only her mother had ever really been in. She passed her parents’ bedroom and turned the door knob to her mother’s office. Locked. Lilly cursed under her breath. Who knows where that key was? Lillian sighed. She decided her questions wouldn’t yet be answered here.
The confused girl walked with her head down through the lonely streets she once called home. Passing houses with people she called her friends. It all seemed so distant now.
