Nathan...

Becoming more depressed and on the verge of tears, she turned off her phone.

Nathan...how did things turn this way...

As she began tearing up, she began to reminisce.

You were such an innocent person...before everything...

Lilith recalled her days in middle school. When she first met Nathan. A younger Lilith was having a snack as she sat under trees, protecting her from the sun.

While she was eating, a trio of boys approached her.

"Hahaha, Lilith! Are those braces!?" One of the kids said as they began to tease her. Lilith quickly covered her mouth, her face red with embarrassment.

"Train track teeth! Magnet mouth! Tinsel Teeth! Hahahaha!!!" The children relentlessly teased her to almost the verge of tears. Right before crying, however, one of the boys was drop-kicked out of nowhere, stunning everyone.

That boy was a much younger version of Nathan. He landed on the ground like a superhero.

"Hahaha! Are you okay, little one?" Nathan brightly asked Lilith. Lilith was stunned at his expression and couldn't respond immediately.

The boy that he drop-kicked had got up back in a mix of anger and tears. "G-Get him!" He ordered his friends.

"Ha! I'll beat the crap out of you for bullying that poor girl!" Nathan declared, clearly playing the part of a superhero he likely saw on television.

Nathan proceeded to fight all three of them by himself, with Lilith watching in surprise. Although Nathan had been beaten up, he beat them badly enough for them to run away.

"W-We'll get you for this!" The boy that Nathan drop-kicked declared as he and his friends limped away. Nathan simply stuck his tongue out at them. He then turned to Lilith.

"T-Thank you..." Lilith expressed.

"Don't worry! What's your name?" Nathan asked.

"M-My name's Lilith Ashley."

"I'm Nathan Hayes!" He brightly responded with a smile. "Let's be friends, and I'll always protect you!"

You were my first real friend.

Nathan and Lilith quickly became close throughout their years in middle school. They found numerous similarities, such as video games, anime, and movies, which they'd spend a lot of time watching and playing together.

Those were the best and most peaceful two years of my life...and then we moved to high school.

"Lilith? Is that you?" A teenage Nathan asked with an excited expression.

"Wow! We're going to the same school!" Lilith responded, matching his excitement.

Their friendship only became closer as they went through high school. Nathan had retained his protective personality towards Lilith and would be hostile towards anyone even slightly bullying her but would be pacified by Lilith, as she feared for him being punished by teachers.

One day, Lilith approached Nathan with a cake.

"Ooh! Where'd you get that?" Nathan asked, his eyes gleaming at the cake.

"It's chocolate cake! I made it in cooking class today." She responded. "Try it!"

"Don't mind if I do!" He said before taking a slice. After chewing for a bit, he nodded in approval. "Mhmm...this is good!"

With a smile, she said, "Right!"

I was excited that I found something new...and that you liked it. But that was the last time in a while I've felt happiness.

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

Another day in high school, Lilith noticed that Nathan was absent. She decided to message him.

"What's up, Nate? Why aren't you here?" After messaging, it didn't take too long for Nathan to respond.

"Oh, I'm not feeling well."

"Oh, hope you get better soon!" Lilith responded.

"Thanks."

However, he didn't 'get better'. He continued to miss more days, which worried Lilith greatly. She messaged him frequently, but he kept giving the same vague answer. When she pressured him further, he started to ignore her questioning altogether.

She quickly became bored at school and very concerned for Nathan until one day, she saw something on the web that brought light to Nathan's absence for her.

"Tomas and Anna Hayes, convicted of murder and treason, sentenced to death." An article on the news section of the internet is outlined.

I remember feeling like my heart had sunk...after all, I knew that those were the names of your parents, Nathan.

Lilith broke out in a sweat and hesitantly clicked the news article.

"Tomas and Anna Hayes, who were known social activists, were arrested and convicted for the murders of several US soldiers, along with the attempted murder of Sergeant John Walker. Evidence against them conspiring to wage war against the military has also been brought to light."

"W-What...?" Lilith said in disbelief. She immediately dialed Nathan and called him.

"Please pick up...please pick up..." She begged.

"...Hello?" Nathan eventually picked up, and in a depressed tone, he answered.

"Hello...Nathan...I-I heard your situation," Lilith admitted. There was silence on Nathan's end as she revealed that. "Could we meet up...please?"

After contemplating, Nathan agreed, so they met up at the lounge of a coffee shop. Nathan had arrived first. When Lilith arrived, she was immediately concerned at Nathan's visibly befuddled expression.

Now that I think about it, our meeting up back then was kinda similar to our recent meeting.

"Um, hey, Nathan." Lilith greeted as she sat beside him nervously.

"You said you understand why I was absent...?" Nathan, not beating around the bush, responded.

"Um, yeah...your parents..."

"So, what do you think about it?"

"Um...well, I don't think your parents would even want to wag--"

"I never saw the reason," Nathan interjected.

"What?"

"I only know that they're sentenced to death. I don't know what for, nor do I care to know because I know my parents would never do anything to warrant them getting sentenced to death."

"...I understand," Lilith said compassionately.

"No, you don't! My parents were the nicest people in the world! Why would this happen to them!" Nathan said as he raised his voice. "My parents always wanted to do good for the world, so someone has to have it out for them! But why, my parents were such go--"

Suddenly, Lilith hugged Nathan, surprising him.

"I understand, Nathan." She repeated. "I'm sure there's been some kind of mistake and your parents will be freed, so please, don't become angry and depressed...I don't like seeing you like this."

"...You sure they will be released?" Nathan asked in a hopeful tone.

"Of course! I'll also be with you the whole time, so you won't feel lonely!" Lilith assured him. His anger had subsided because of Lilith's words.

"Y-Yeah...you're right, plus my parents wouldn't want me missing school this much." Nathan assumed. "Thank you, Lilith." He said with a smile.

Even though you were going through a difficult time now, I was determined to be there for you so we could return to the old times. I even worked on my cooking skills harder than ever. How wrong was I for thinking things would go back to normal...

As time passed, Nathan returned to school, and he quickly received attention from bullies. Word of his parents being 'murderers' and 'traitors' quickly spread around the school, which people would use to grossly mess with him.

"Oh, hey. It's the son of the murderers!" A classmate said to Nathan, which caused other guys to jump in and laugh. That quickly infuriated Nathan.

"What the hell did you say?" Nathan looked at them with bloodshot eyes.

"Just...ignore him, Nathan," Lilith advised him.

"What? Are you gonna murder us like your parents?" The same classmate continued to mock him. I a burst of rage, Nathan responded by delivering a straight punch to his face.

"No! Nathan!" Lilith shouted, but Nathan was too annoyed to listen.

It very quickly broke out into a fight, which resulted in Nathan being sent to the principal's office and receiving a warning.

It didn't stop, however, as the more his classmates and/or schoolmates insulted him and his parents, the more fights he got into. He would receive several suspensions.

It seemingly got worse and worse. Everyone would pick on you for no reason other than to upset you. You'd slowly lose the joyful and hero-like personality you used to have, Nathan.

Well, not that any of that compared to what you'd witness on the thirteenth of October...your sixteenth birthday...

Nathan and Lilith were walking to school together. Lilith was very concerned about Nathan's visible depression.

"Nathan...cheer up, I made some of your favorite food!" Lilith begged.

"I see...thanks, Lilith," Nathan said, faking a smile. Lilith could tell that his smile was not genuine and did not feel any better. Suddenly, they heard a commotion nearby, like the sounds of an angry mob.

"What...what the hell is that?" Nathan wondered.

"I-I don't know."

"Let's check it out." Nathan decided.

"But what about school?"

"Anything is better than going to that damn place right now," Nathan remarked.

Yeah, Nathan. Anything would have been better, I agree, anything except for what we had seen.

Nathan had run toward the source of the commotion.

"Hey, wait up!" Lilith pleaded as she followed him. Since Nathan had arrived first, he had reacted to the scene. A look of pure horror flushed his face. Lilith had also reacted in the same way upon arriving.

Before their eyes, were Nathan's parents being brought up to a gallows, surrounded by the civilians who were cheering.

I hate this memory.