Novels2Search

Volume 4 | Chapter II - Bonding

Chapter II - Bonding

The day she appeared in front of that gate in broad daylight, my mother’s heart melted. She basically forced my dad into an adoption. Lillya was happy, crying tears of joy and fitting into the family almost immediately.

“Lillya!”

I hugged Lillya tightly, giggling happily. We had known each other for two months, but I already considered her my best sister ever. She always played with me, she always listened to my stories and she always respected me. She wasn’t like the others – forced by either pity or duty to spend time with me. Even Ferya was able to breathe since Lillya came into my life.

We were sitting on my bed, as I was playing with my stuffed toys with her. She played along all the time, even though it was clear that she wasn’t really interested. That made me like her even more...she really did want to see me happy.

“And the prince kissed the princess! And they lived happily ever after! The end!” I put the two teddy bears together. “Did you like the story?”

“Yes. Truly romantic.” She nodded. “You really like romance, don’t you, Nelya?” She chuckled, caressing my arm slowly as her eyes were glued on mine.

“Yes! I wish that one day, a prince comes and makes me a princess.” I nodded happily. “I like this boy at school but he’s not a prince...and he doesn’t even know me.”

“Hm? Who is he?” She asked me.

Lillya and I attended the same class even. We both helped each other with homework. She was very smart for her age, and had always the best grades.

“It’s a boy from another section and he’s a year older.” I blushed, looking down. “I don’t wanna tell you! It’s embarrassing.”

She giggled happily, shrugging. “Fine then. Just make sure to choose wisely.” She leaned closer to me, almost as if she was telling me a secret. “Men can be very, very bad.”

“...huh? Why?” I looked at her with a puzzled expression.

She opened her mouth to reply, but she immediately closed it thereafter, sighing. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Come on, tell me!” I grabbed her arm...its coldness never changed.

“Men can easily hurt you.” She plainly said. “That’s all. I want you to be happy.” Her hand ran down my hair, her eyes fixed on mine.

I didn’t understand anything of what she was saying, so I simply nodded and shrugged.

“Come on, let’s play outside now.” I got up, holding her hand. “I wanna play hide and seek!”

“Hide and seek it is, then!” She gracefully chuckled, letting herself be dragged by my energetic hand.

----------------------------------------

I woke up in the middle of the night. It happened really often, and I wasn’t really bothered by it. I felt rather thirsty that time, and so I got up to drink some water directly from my bathroom’s tap.

I carefully closed the door like Satomi taught me to and I was heading over my bed. Then, I heard some knocks at my door. I turned towards it, feeling a little uneasy.

“Who is it?” I asked, holding my chest with my hands.

“It’s me, Lillya.”

I immediately opened the door, smiling at her. “The door wasn’t locked, silly.” I giggle. “You can come in anytime?”

“Oh really?” She chuckled, walking inside right away. “Why don’t you lock it?”

“Well...I don’t have to. I’m safe here.” I replied simply, shrugging.

My simple mind of the time merely thought she was just trying to know me better. But all those questions...they all were part of her big scheme of things.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

She sat on my bed, sighing. “Nelya…I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?” I asked her, holding her hand after sitting beside her.

“I am afraid of sleeping alone. Can I sleep with you...just tonight?” She asked, making a very sad and ashamed expression.

“Of course! Yes!”

I jumped on my side of the bed right away, pulling the covers and patting the empty, small space at my side. She quietly lied down putting the covers over us herself.

We looked at each other in the dark. We both smiled.

“Hehe, it’s nice.” I giggled.

“Yes. It is.” She nodded.

Her cold hand rested on my cheek, her thumb caressing my skin slowly.

I fell asleep to that touch, oblivious of the fact that I would have never been able to sleep again without it.

----------------------------------------

The following morning. We were having breakfast before school.

“Mommy, Lillya and I want to share one bedroom!”

“Eh? Why?” Mom was puzzled. We were a rich family, after all. A big mansion with all these bedrooms...and we wanted to cram ourselves into one?

“Because we like to sleep hugging!” I replied. “And she is afraid of sleeping alone.”

“Awww! They’re so cute!” Gale laughed. “Mom, you can’t say no. C’mon!”

My parents looked at each other as my siblings all reacted with a different, but loving reaction.

“We do have a canopy bed in a room we don’t use.” Dad shrugged. “Why not? They’re both girls. Nothing harmful.”

“I don’t know. Won’t you get a little distracted from school?” She asked us.

“No! We’ll be good girls, right Lillya?”

“Of course, Lady Rondart.”

“Call me mom...sweetie. It’s been months now.” She sighed, caressing her hair.

“Sorry, mom.” Lillya nodded, a blush on her face. “So...can we?”

"Well, okay. Okay.” She sighed. “I’ll have Satomi and Ferya clean that room up today. Make sure to study well and behave in school, alright? Both of you.”

----------------------------------------

“It’s beautiful!” I yelped, jumping around our new room. It was ready for the evening. “Thank you!” I hugged Satomi, Kruz and Ferya, squeezing them all between my small hands. “Now Lillya won’t be afraid anymore. Right?”

“Yes…” Lillya trailed her hand across the beautiful canopy bed.

“Very well then. Have a good rest of the evening, and a good night.”

The servants bowed and left.

“Ahh!” I laid down my big bed. “It’s huge! I can spread my arms and legs! Look!”

“Yes, it’s very big.” She chuckled. I scooted away a bit, making her lie down with me.

She suddenly hugged me, burying her face in my shoulder. “I’m so happy…” she muttered, squeezing my body with her cold arms.

I felt weird. I felt like something weird was growing inside me.

But I was way too young to understand what she was doing. I was way too innocent to realize that I was playing her game all along.

----------------------------------------

Many other months passed. My daily life with Lillya was stable, happy and normal. We both were doing great at school, I was thanks to her, and she was thanks to herself.

I played with my stuffed toys as Lillya did something I was very against of at the time...reading a book. She sat on her side of the bed, reading through it slowly.

Curiosity grew, and so I cut my stuffed toy’s life by dropping him on the bed and crawling near her.

“What is this book?” I asked her.

“A beautiful book.” She simply replied. “Wanna read it with me?”

“Uhm...sure.” I shrugged. “I kinda hate books, but maybe I like this one because you like it!”

She cleared her throat, reading a piece of it aloud.

> “What is life? a tale that is told;

> What is life? a frenzy extreme,

> A shadow of things that seem;

> And the greatest good is but small,

> That all life is a dream to all,

> And that dreams themselves are a dream.”

“W-What? Hahah! It doesn’t make sense.” I giggled at the stupidity of whoever wrote that scrambled piece of words.

“Really? It makes a lot of sense, actually.”

“Life is a tale...I understand that bit. But then...it becomes confusing.” I shrugged.

“I can’t tell you. It wouldn’t be right. You’ll have to decipher it by yourself.” She closed the book, leaning against me. “Let’s play outside now.”

She suddenly got up, running out of our bedroom while giggling. I grabbed the book and stared at the cover...feeling something in my heart.

I placed it on her bedside table and rushed out with her.