"Hngh." Lillian groaned as we are treated to the scene of him asleep in his bed with the sunlight shining upon his sleeping face. He tosses and turns in his bed, deep in his dreams. After tossing and turning, Lilian stopped and slowly opened his eyes. He sits up and rubs his eyes still half asleep. He blinks to clear his eyesight and as he does a stretch with a large yawn that removes his sleepiness.
"Hmmm." Lilian let out a groan as he runs his hand through his bed hair. He starts to take in his surroundings and realizes that he is in his bedroom.
"What happened?" Lilian grumbled to himself. After sitting up still half asleep for a few moments, his eyes suddenly widened and his sleepiness completely left him as he remembers what happened the previous night. He quickly checked his clothes and his body. He discovered that he was in his pajamas and he didn't have a single wound, bruise, and anything on his body. He gave off a small sigh in relief but it was quickly replaced with doubt.
'Was it all a dream?' Lilian questioned himself as he kept thinking about his and Stephanie's entire adventure. But the more he thought about it, the more questionable and fake it is all to him. After thinking about it, Lilian gave off a sigh as he had enough and decided to exit to get some breakfast. And when he got this thought, his stomach rumbled which only made him want breakfast even more. He got off his bed grabbed the bedrobe hanging near his bed and exited his room and went to the dining room.
When he finally arrived at the dining room, the atmosphere was a complete shift from the usual happy and warm version. It was all gloomy and still as silence filled the air, with only the sound of the utensils against a plate can be heard. There was his father seated and instead of him in his bright and cheerful mood, he silently ate his food with a look of worry and nervousness plastered on his face with Kylia standing beside him in silence looking at him with the urge to just comfort him. The sound of the large doors opening quickly caught their attention and when Emman saw Lilian, the gloom and sadness in his face disappeared as the spark of joy and his cheerfulness returned.
"Lillian!" He said happily. He got up from his chair and hugged his son. "Good Morning Dad," Lillian said while hugging him. His dad hugged him even tighter and even longer, Lillian upon noticing this decided to tighten his hug. After a few more moments, Emman let go of his son and a look of relief appeared on his face with a small tear starting to form. He quickly noticed his son looking at him questionably and the tears forming.
"Sorry about that, a lot of things happened last night," Emman said while wiping the tear away. "I'm just glad that you're okay." Emman smiles at his son, Lillian seeing his dad smile can't help but do the same.
Emman then stood up and let out a deep breath of relief. "I'm sure you're very hungry, Kylia already cooked up her special dish: egg fried rice, and chicken. Come on Lillian." Emman said as he sat Lilian down and sat back on his own. Kylia approached Lilian with his food on a tray. The food was egg fried rice with the rice having a golden color and the creamy egg smell mixing with the faint smell of pepper and other spices with green onions decorating it on the top, and on the side are two pieces of chicken that are cooked to near perfection, the chicken had a golden skin that is covered in powdered spices which are topped by a sauce mixed with honey.
Seeing this sight of savory foods, Lilian couldn't help but open his mouth as his stomach rumbled again. He quickly closed it before any saliva dripped out and thank Kylia for the food and started eating his breakfast. Lilian enjoyed the food and let out a few satisfied "mmm~".
Upon doing these, Lilian couldn't help but be embarrassed as Emman and Kylia laugh at his childish attitude. When Lillian finished his food, he couldn't help but let out a small burp which made him turn red. After a few moments of enjoying the aftertaste, he then turned towards his dad to ask him something.
"Hey, dad?" Lillian asked his dad. " Yeah, Lillian?" Emman asked as he leaned in slightly onto the table to listen to his son.
"Last night at the party, there was this...girl," Lilian said while being a bit embarrassed with the topic. Emman then now raised his eyebrows while listening to his son. "A Girl?" He asked, "Well, what's her name?"
"Her name's Stephanie."
"Stephanie? You mean Stephanie Midnight right? Isn't she the one who usually helps Mrs. Cindy in the Greenhouse?" When Emman said this Lillian nodded.
"Yeah, and I was just wondering if...." Lillian didn't finish his sentence, whereas Emman finished it.
"If you want to visit her?" Lilian then looked at his dad. "Yes, can I dad?"
When Lillian said this question, he had a troubling feeling that his dad would surely say no. " Well it is a Sunday so, sure you can! You just have to visit her with Oliver accompanying you. I mean to be fair, you were both found together inside the Hedge Maze, maybe next time if you wanna play or hang out with another kid just make sure you don't hurt both of yourselves." Emman said with a smile on his face. Upon hearing his dad's answer, Lillian had a large smile on his face and stood from his seat. "Really?! Thanks, Dad." Lillian said giving him a hug which Emman gave a warm laugh. Lillian then starts to leave the Dining Room and go to the Bath Room, but before he exited the room, Emman called to him.
"And Lillian." Lillian turned to his dad. "Yeah?" Lillian said with a face waiting for his reply
"I Love you." When Emman said this a small smile crept onto Lillian's face. "I love you too Dad." Lilian then exited the dining room. But when he was out of his father's sight.
*
Lillian is now in his room going through his closet finding clothes that would be perfect for him to wear. He then settled upon a new shirt that his dad bought him last week it was a white shirt with light blue stripes. He also took out a dark blue jacket was had inner pockets and was stretchable and was way larger than the others, and paired with his outfit is a pair of black jeans and old sneakers that he always used.
After putting on the selected pieces of attire, he then stood in front of the large mirror and looked at his outfit. "Looking great Li." Lillian complimented himself boosting his confidence. But then a thought entered his mind. He then started to search through his room, he turned over some of his pillows, opened some of his cabinets, and search through his tables and under the furniture, he even searched through his last night's suit. "Man, I really messed this suit up," Lillian said admiring the suit's condition. Upon seeing its state, the doubt in his head increased. 'Was it all really real?' Lillian thought but another one entered his head. " I just need to find those gems, and maybe the pollen, then If I find them, then that'll answer it all," Lillian told himself while sitting on the floor after looking under his bed.
Suddenly Lillian remembers the whole point of him being dressed as he fixes his hair and quickly went out of his room. Outside of the mansion was Oliver in his Dad's Chevy Chevelle waiting for him. Oliver wore a long-sleeved white polo shirt, with grey pants that are held up by a black belt in which he stood tall and waited beside the car.
"Thanks for taking me to Stephanie's Oliver," Lillian said. Oliver gave a small smile at the young boy. He opened the passenger door letting the boy in. "Well Sir Emman told me too, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it," he said while entering the driver's seat.
Oliver starts the Chevy and they both drive down the path and go into the town. The Chevy had a custom built-in sound system and while driving, Oliver opened a playlist and tapped the screen playing some Jackson 5 songs which Lillian, Oliver, and Emman would listen to where Lillian and Emman would sing out loud together. The radio was playing the song I Want You Back in which Lillian would nod his head to the beat. He tapped his fingers and softly sang the song. Oliver would glance upon Lillian and seeing him jam out to the music, he couldn't help but slightly bop his head to the beat of the song.
They drove through the town, which was even livelier than last night. Many townspeople wave at Lillian. When they passed by Erin's Ice Cream store, Erin was seen serving a few customers some ice cream, she spots the Chevy and did a finger gun, and a wink at Lillian who returned the gesture.
Oliver and Lillian finally arrived at Stephanie's house. Oliver parked the car on the side of the road. He then got out of the car and went to the other side, opening Lillian's car door and when he stepped out, Lillian stopped and looked at Stephanie's house.
Stephanie's house was a bit further away than the rest of town, her two-story house stood firm and tall. The red brick walls had vines crawling with flowers blooming under the sun. Outside, their garage was open with their white van parked and seen. Oliver then walked towards the door, he walks onto the house's pavement but notices Lillian just standing still.
"Lillian," Oliver called out in which Lillian snapped his attention towards him. "What are you waiting for?" Lillian replied with "nothing." and caught up to Oliver while walking on the pavement as flowers bloom in the Midnight's yard. Oliver knocked on the door, upon knocking steps can be heard on the other side of the door. While waiting, Lillian noticed an empty bottle of beer near the door which was slightly covered with dirt from the garden.
The door opened and in the doorway is a woman who is in her early 40's wearing a blue buttoned tight shirt with black jogging pants as she greeted both of them in a happy and tired voice.
"Good Morning there, how can I help you both?" The woman said while looking at both Oliver and Lillian.
Her hair was in a messy bun with faintly visible eye bags under her eyes. It was all probably from the party and based on her sober look in which Lillian assumed that she got a bit carried away last night.
Oliver greeted her with a polite smile as he stepped forward. "Good Morning to you too, Mrs. Midnight. I'm Oliver and this is Lillian Willows." Oliver said as he stepped aside and gestured towards me. Mrs. Midnight then looked at Lillian with a surprised look which was then replaced with a look of familiarity. "Lillian," Mrs. Midnight said with a faked surprised tone that was covered with exhaustion. Lillian then slightly waved at Mrs. Midnight with a small forced smile sensing her apparent dislike for him.
Oliver then quickly stood back in front of Mrs. Midnight catching her attention. "You see Mrs. Midnight, we are here for Lillian to visit Stephanie. Lillian really wants to see her and her condition, is it fine if I drop Lillian here? I'll be picking up some flowers from Mrs. Cindy's Garden. I'll immediately pick him up if he ever did something inappropriate, I'll be back in around 15 minutes." Oliver reasoned to Mrs. Midnight.
Mrs. Midnight then glanced at Lillian who was standing behind Oliver staring and examining her garden. She looks back to Oliver with his polite smile which slightly creased his face. Mrs. Midnight let out a sigh while slightly shaking her head, she then replied.
"Alright, but the moment he becomes a nuisance, you better pick him up." Mrs. Midnight said to Oliver whose smile slightly became wider. " I will Ma'am," Oliver said with assurance.
Mrs.Midnight then looked at Lillian who was still looking at her garden. "Well, come on in then." She said to Lillian who didn't seem to hear her. "Lillian," Oliver said while placing his hand on his shoulder. Lillian slightly jumped from Oliver's hand as he at him. Oliver tilted his head to Mrs. Midnight who was at the door with an impatient look on her face.
Lillian quickly approached Mrs. Midnight who let him into her home. The moment Lillian entered the home, he felt a feeling of warmth enveloping him. The house was just like its outside appearance which was slowly being taken over by nature, the inside was neat and appealing to the eye. The floor was made of sturdy wood which had the color of chocolate. the walls were made of bricks, but unlike the outside ones, the brocks that made the walls were a darker shade of red and were polished for it to shine as light engulfs them. The ceilings were made with the same wood as the floor but the color was brighter, unlike the floor which is constantly being stepped on. The furniture in the living room was simple yet seemed to be professionally made. The design of the house was simple which brought out its charm. There were plants in the living room and flowers that hung from the ceiling. The plants gave life to the house as they gave natural beauty to the man-made room. The house had many windows that had black bars that are shaped and molded to give the windows a gothic style of design. The countless windows let the sunlight enter the house giving it a cozy and bright atmosphere letting you breathe out a breath of serenity and calm. The house gave off a warm and homely feeling. unlike Lillian's mansion which gave the feeling of Awe and amazement, the tiny house gave a feeling of comfort and the feeling that you can just let go of everything and just relax.
Lillian took a deep breath and breathed out now feeling a bit calmer. Lillian then sat down on a chair and just admired the tiny house. Outside the sound of a car driving away let Lillian know that Oliver has now left him and he is now alone in the Midnight house. Mrs. Midnight closed the door with a sigh as she walked towards the living room. She looked at Lillian who stared back with nervousness.
"You have comfy chairs," Lillian said while patting on the red couch he sat on. Mrs. Midnight looked at Lillian and was distracted as she scratched her forehead. "Stephanie's room is upstairs, the second door to the right." Mrs. Stephanie said while grabbing an apple that was on a small table near the wall.
"Thank you," Lillian said as he stood up from the couch.Mrs.Midnight stared at him with a piercing glare of suspicion as Lillian walks to the stares. Lillian nervously walks towards the stairs, he wanted to quickly run but he had a gut feeling that if she did he would only annoy Mrs. midnight who continues to stare at him.
He finally makes it to the stairs. Lillian internally sighed in relief as he reached the stairs. But before he could get on the first step, Mrs. Midnight called to him. "And Lillian." Lillian quickly spun towards Mrs. Midnight. " If you lay a hand or mess around with my daughter upstairs, I will know, and trust me, you don't want to test me." She said now with a menacing air around her which gave Lillian the shivers. "Y-yes Ma'am." Lillian stuttered as he now quickly got up the stairs.
Lillian got up the stairs panting, not from running but from the crushing aura from Mrs.Midnight. Lillian then starts to look for the door that she mentioned but observed the floor first. The 2nd floor unlike the 1st one was more wooden. It had fewer details and decorations but it still had a homely feeling to it. A window was placed at one end of the hallway letting in the sun rays which illuminated the floor. The walls were covered in old beige wallpaper which was still in good condition despite its age. There were a few potted plants that had flowers that bloomed under the sunlight. The floor had 4 doors with 2 on each side. Lillian arrived at the door, it was old just like everything on this floor with its worn golden-colored knob shining under the sunlight.
Lillian knocked on the door, a voice could be heard on the other side. "Come in.". Lillian then slowly opened the door with nervousness and a bit of anticipation about what could be on the other side. "Hey mom, you can just place the fruits over on-." Stephanie was talking but she immediately stopped as she sees Lillian.
"Hey," Lillian said. There was silence between both of the kids. The silence went on and on, it was quiet enough that they can faintly hear the footsteps on the 1st floor from Stephanie's mom.
"So you really came to see me huh?" Stephanie was the one to break the silence she rubbed the side of her cheek with her finger in embarrassment. She never really had anyone go into her room, especially someone beyond her family. She then looked at Lillian who clearly seemed to be nervous. "You don't need to be that nervous, why don't you sit down?" Stephanie said as she pointed to her study desk. Lillian then pulled out the chair and sat down facing her.
"You have a nice room," Lillian said while looking around Stephanie's room. Her room was any other type of room. it had pink-painted walls unlike the beige ones outside. Her room was neat and tidy and not like the rooms that Lillian imagined. The floor had a large Olympic Blue rug that was soft under the feet. The white ceiling had patterns that were shaped like birds. There wasn't much in her room aside from a few toys and items that were placed on her desk and her bed. A large window was adjacent to the door which let in the sunlight into the room. There were no posters on the walls but around Stephanie's bed hung Christmas lights framing her and her bed. A large dresser was placed near her desk, filled with different objects that are all arranged except for the top which had boxes filled to the brim with random stuff. But aside from the whole room, one object stood out from the rest. There was a large dresser that sat in the corner near the door. Its size immediately caught Lillian's attention and its eye-catching designs. It was painted white which made it shine under the light. The silver designs from its knobs to its carvings made it shimmer and the sides and panels had birds carved into its wood and different sceneries with the avian creatures.
"Thanks, although it is pretty embarrassing letting someone else look at it. Well aside from my mom." Stephanie said while pulling the covers up. "No, your room is nice, it's very pretty," Lillian said.
"I'm sure your room is way much better than mine." Stephanie said."Well, the thing is that I can easily lose something, and a lot of maids and butlers just enter my room which can get pretty annoying." Lillian said while unconsciously rubbing the back of his head. Stephanie just looks at Lillian with an envious face while whispering under her breath "Rich kids."Unknown to her, Lillian caught her faint words. He felt a little mocked but decided to let it go.
"Anyway, how's your leg?" Lillian asked. "It's alright, the doctor just said that I just got a sprain. It's painful but I could manage." Stephanie said while patting the place where her injured leg is. Lillian then had a troubled face. He looked down at the floor while twiddling with his thumbs. He had a question in his mind but he just seemed to be second-guessing himself if he really should be asking this. Stephanie on the other hand had a troubled face as well, she bit her lip as she had something on her head.
"Hey, Steph?" Lillian said which caught her attention. "I just have something to ask you..." Lillian said as he debates if he needs t ask this question. He took a deep breath and continued. " During the party do you remember anything like uh us going into the maze, or maybe like see a lot of fireflies, or...a door?"
The moment that Lillian mentions 'a door'. Stephanie's eyes opened wide, she quickly sat up straight moving her leg. "Ah!" Stephanie said as she holds her leg. "Are you okay?!" Lillian said as he stood up from the chair as was about to approach Stephanie but was stopped as she waves a hand. "I'm fine I just moved my leg, I can manage," Stephanie said. Lillian sat back down worrying for her.
Stephanie then sat upright now placing her full attention on Lillian. A surprised expression all over her face was mixed with a bit of gladness. "So it wasn't a dream." She said with a pondering tone, but it was then quickly replaced with an excited grin that she had as if she just discovered something new, and it isn't far from the truth.
Stephanie looked at Lillian who now has wonder in her eyes. "So the forest, a-and the flowers, do you remember them?" She quickly asked Lillian who nodded at her with wide eyes and a small smile as they start to rant away with their bizarre adventure that seemed like a dream. "So it was all really real!" Lillian exclaimed.
But after talking for a while, they started reaching the dark memories of their adventure, and the wonder and giddiness they had were slowly being replaced with sadness and grim. The light of the room starts to dim despite the sunlight from the window. Their memories of walking down the Blue Bell road, and the different wonders and creation that were impossible all rifted away as they now remember, the beast that almost killed them. And worst of all, they start to remember the root that was stuck in Stephanie's foot and the pain she went through just to get it out. Stephanie unconsciously held her right leg as she remembers the pain and anguish that she felt at that time.
Silence returned to the room with both kids filled with gloom. But through the quietness, another thought enters Lillian's head. "Hey." He said.
Stephanie then looks at him as he approaches her bed. Lillian sat at the edge of the bed which slightly embarrassed Stephanie, but Lillian didn't notice it as he was focused on something else.
"During the forest, we were in a pond and when we placed the flowers on the water we received gems," Lillian said as he scoots closer with determination and seriousness in his voice. "Do you still have your necklace?"
"Oh yes," Stephanie replies. "They should be in..." Stephanie pauses before continuing to speak. "I...I don't remember."
Stephanie then places her hand under her chin as tied to remember. " Ok," Stephanie says which earned Lillian's attention who was doing the same thing. " So Just to make sure that we weren't dreaming and that our stories align, why don't we review everything that we can remember."
"And maybe, we can find the Ring and Necklace," Lillian says as he raises his index finger. "Oh, don't forget the Pollen too," Stephanie says as she snapped her fingers. The Pair of kids then started brainstorming all of what they could remember. The kids shared with each other what they could recall with Lillian pacing in front of Stephanie's bed as he thought.
"And there was this flower that had, this kind of pollen that basically healed my back wound," Stephanie says. Lillian then stopped walking in front of her. " By the way, how IS your wound?" Lillian asked curiously.
"It's fine now," Stephanie says as she unconsciously rubbed her back."And after that, we got thirsty and you got the stupid idea of going out of the path." Stephanie says with a bit of sass of the last remark.
"I do not remember being the one complaining about water." He replied back with crossed arms. "And Besides, didn't that get us some water from that spring? And get us the ring and necklace?" Lillian said with a smug look.
"Yeah and I'm guessing the panther was part of it?" Stephanie retorted. A silence then entered the room as the kids were reminded of the monster. Lillian took a deep breath as he was reminded of the moment the monster was on him when the monster held him down with its paw. Lillian hugged his arms as if he was slowly covering his heart.
"A-anyway, after that, we continued to walk, and then we found the door," Stephanie said, quickly changing the subject. Lillian focused on something else and now continued. " You pulled out a key, the door opened, we felt tired, and we got back." Lillian finished the story.
He then leaned back on Stephanie's desk. "Now the question is, what happened next?" Lillian then looked at Stephanie. " So you really can't remember where you placed the necklace?" Lillian asked to which Stephanie shook her head. " I even asked my mom and the teenagers that helped us out."
Lillian then raised his eyebrows. "Teenagers?" He asked. "Yeah, I was barely conscious when I started to call out for help, then after some time, a couple helped us out, and possibly brought us to your home," Stephanie explained in which Lillian balled one hand into a fist and brought it down on her other hand's palm. "Alright, now that we're here together, let's find The Flower and accessories," Lillian said with some determination.
Shaniah then stares at the determined boy with half-closed eyes, as she slowly shook her head from his action. "Ok? But where do we start?"
As if to answer her question, the kids hear the sounds of a car stop