That night, Ezekiel dreamed again.
He was back there — in the chaos, the smoke, the moment everything went wrong. He saw Nathaniel. Heard his voice. Felt his hands slipping away.
"No… Nathaniel—!"
Ezekiel woke up with a sharp gasp.
"Nathaniel!"
His chest was tight. His room was dark and quiet. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to remind himself where he was.
Home.
He got out of bed and poured himself a glass of water. As he stood there, he glanced toward the window. Through the curtains, he could see the garden.
Lily was outside.
He was jumping around like a child, dancing, smiling to himself. So happy because he was finally going to start school.
Ezekiel shook his head lightly. "Still so cheerful," he murmured. "He really is a Lily."
Before he could think any more about it, a knock came at the door.
"Ezekiel," Jeremy called. "It's already midday. Come eat. We're worried about you."
"I'm fine," Ezekiel replied. "I'm coming."
Downstairs, Lucas was already at the table, eating happily. Jeremy sat beside him. Lucas had food on his lips, and Jeremy reached over, wiping it away with his thumb.
"You still eat like a kid," Jeremy said. "You'll never grow up."
Then he popped the bit of food into his own mouth.
"Ew," Lucas laughed. "That's gross." He handed him a napkin. "Wipe your face."
They were still laughing when Ezekiel walked in.
"Brother," Lucas said brightly, "come eat."
They sat together. For a while, no one spoke.
Then Jeremy asked quietly, "So… what's your next step?"
Ezekiel paused. "I don't know. I'm just tired. I just want to rest for a bit. I don't know where I'm going next. I just want to breathe."
Silence fell over the table. They all understood that feeling. The weight of their father's name, their past, their expectations — it was heavy on all of them.
Lucas tried to break the mood. "I'm still hungry," he said, calling for more cake.
Jeremy let out a small laugh.
Lucas stared at him. "Wait… you can smile? I've never seen you do that before."
Jeremy looked away. "Don't you have class?"
"In the afternoon," Lucas replied.
Ezekiel glanced at Jeremy. "You still haven't told her, have you?"
Jeremy stiffened. "It's not right," he said. "It's a sin. It can't happen."
Ezekiel raised an eyebrow.
Lucas looked between them, confused. "Wait, wait. What are you guys talking about? Do you have feelings? For who?"
"Eat your food," Jeremy said flatly. "And go to class."
Lucas pouted but obeyed.
And just like that, the moment was gone.Lily — stood in front of the mirror, fixing his clothes again and again. He wanted to look neat. He wanted to look right.
His uncle walked him to school.
The moment Lily stepped through the school gate, something inside him broke open. He looked around like he couldn't believe it. The buildings. The students. The noise. He smiled… then his eyes filled with tears.
"I've never felt this happy before," he said, laughing and crying at the same time.
His uncle shook his head. "You're too emotional. No wonder they used to call you Lily."
Lily wiped his face. "I know, Uncle. But this feels like a dream. I promise I won't let you down."
"I know you won't," his uncle said, leading him to the office.
They did the paperwork — where he'd stay, his classes, everything. When it was finally done, Lily walked out feeling lighter than air.
That was when he accidentally bumped into someone.
"Hey— sorry!" Lily said quickly. "I was just really happy."
The boy laughed. "Relax, bruv. You're good."
"I'm Lily."
"Ruckus."
They started talking right away. Ruckus joked about school being a dump, and Lily argued that it was heaven for learning. Before long, they realized they were the same age — both nineteen, both about to turn twenty — and in the same class.
Ruckus introduced him to his friends — Graves, Pannier, and Bridget. They talked about football and video games, and somehow Lily already felt like he belonged.
They even went out to eat together. Lily said he didn't have much money, but Ruckus waved it off. "We've got you."
And just like that, something new started — a real friendship.
Later, Lily was walking home, still smiling to himself, when a car stopped suddenly in front of him.
"Hey— sorry!" the driver said, stepping out.
It was Ezekiel.
Lily froze.
"Are you Lily?" Ezekiel asked.
"Yes, sir."
"It's been a long time. Where are you going?"
"Home."
"So am I. Get in. I'll give you a ride."
Lily sat in the passenger seat as they drove.
"How old are you now?" Ezekiel asked.
"Nineteen."
"Wow. A lot's changed."
Lily smiled. "I guess so."
"How was school?"
"I just got enrolled. It was… good."
"That's nice," Ezekiel said. "If you ever need anything — for old time's sake — you can call me."
"Thank you, sir."
The rest of the drive was quiet.
When they reached the post office, Lily asked him to stop. He got out, thanked Ezekiel again, and ran the rest of the way home — still smiling, still feeling like his life was finally beginning.
Ezekiel couldn't get Lily out of his mind.
How could someone so small still look so bright?
So alive.
It confused him. After everything he had lost — after Nathaniel — he hadn't expected to feel anything warm again. And yet, there Lily was, laughing like the world had never hurt him.
When Ezekiel got home, Mae told him he'd missed a call. His father wanted to speak with him.
He went to his room and called back.
"Are you alright?" his father asked.
"Yes," Ezekiel replied. "The journey was fine."
"I'm sorry about your friend," his father said quietly.
Ezekiel swallowed. "It's okay."
Then came the question he had been avoiding.
"So… what's your next step?"
The silence that followed was heavy. Ezekiel didn't have an answer. He stared at the floor, feeling empty.
"I don't know anymore," he finally said.
His father cleared his throat. "Why don't you leave the army and come work for the company? Jeremy can make room for you."
Ezekiel shook his head. "I don't want to interfere in Jeremy's life."
"It wouldn't be interfering. He'd be happy to have you."
"I'll think about it," Ezekiel said.
The call ended.
Ezekiel sat there long after, shoulders slumped, shaking slightly. Everything felt too much.
Across town, Lucas was with his friends when he heard a woman's voice.
"Lucas, my boy."
He turned and froze.
"Lucas," one of his friends whispered. "That's your mother."
"No," Lucas said. "I'll meet you later."
He walked toward her.
"What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.
"I just wanted to see my son."
"You're not my mother," Lucas snapped. "My mother left me. My son died the day you abandoned me."
"I don't want your money," she said softly. "I just want you."
"Leave," Lucas said. "Get out."
"I may have lost you once," she cried, "but I won't lose you again. I love you."
"Go!" Lucas shouted.
She walked away.
Lucas collapsed onto the pavement. The years of pain he'd buried finally came crashing down, and he broke.
Not far away, Lily was walking home from school when he noticed someone sitting alone, crying.
Lucas.
Without thinking, Lily ran to him.
"Hey," he said softly, kneeling beside him. "It's okay. I'm here."
He helped Lucas to his feet and gently led him away from the staring crowd, into a small quiet restaurant nearby.
Lucas wiped his eyes. "I'm fine."
"You don't have to pretend," Lily said. "You can talk to me. We're not strangers. We were friends."
Lucas looked at him. "You're right. You're not a stranger."
He changed the subject. "What were you doing near my school?"
"I just started at a government school nearby," Lily said. "I was walking home from work."
"You work too?"
"Yeah. I have to."
Lucas smiled softly. "When's your birthday?"
"In a month."
"Then don't worry about anything till then."
Lucas paid for the food, stood up, and headed for his car.
"Go home safe," he said.
As Lily watched him leave, he felt something strange in his chest.
A mix of happiness… and fear.
Because something important had just begun.
There is a memory that never leaves Lucas.
His mother standing in front of him.
Telling him to go with his father.
Turning away.
That was the moment everything broke.
Ezekiel and Jeremy were never really his brothers by blood. Lutece was the son of Ezekiel's best friend — a man who died in an accident. After his death, the boy's mother couldn't bear the child anymore. So she gave him away.
Jacob took him.
Not out of duty, but out of promise.
A promise to a dying friend.
A promise to love his son as his own.
That was the first time Lutece felt what it meant to be wanted.
But it also became the wall between him and his mother.
In this story, everyone carries pain. But Jeremy's pain is quiet and deep.
He grew up feeling like he didn't belong. Like love was something that skipped him. His own mother left his father to start a new family. And when she left, she didn't take Jeremy with her.
She chose another life.
That hurt more than anything.
So when Lutece came into their world — broken, small, abandoned — Jeremy gave him all the love he had been starving for. Maybe too much. Maybe in a way he didn't even understand himself yet.
But love is strange like that.
It grows in the cracks.
And then there is Lily.
Lily is different.
He is the wind that doesn't break, even when storms try to tear him apart.
He is the boy who smiles even when he shouldn't.
The child who still believes in tomorrow.
He carries a pain no one can fully see. A history no one understands. Yet when he hears his name — Lily — his heart still fills with light.
Because even roses have thorns.
But Lily…
Lily is the bloom that rises from dust.
A quiet miracle the world almost crushed — and failed to destroy.