The next day, Lily woke up with a sore throat and a fever. Vanessa offered to stay home and take care of Lily, worried it might be a serious infection. But Lily insisted on going to school, being eager to go to school.
In school, Vanessa was so worried about Lily that she heard nothing in class. At lunch break, as she sat on a bench in the school yard, she hardly heard John and Jamie walk up to her, still preoccupied about Lily’s condition.
“Vanessa. Vanessa.” called John.
Vanessa looked up. She murmured an apology and shifted to make space on the bench.
“Are we disturbing you?” asked John as he sat down.
“Not at all. I was just thinking.” replied Vanessa, nervous.
“You look pretty worried about something. Care to share?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Don’t you eat lunch? Everyone is in the cafeteria.”
“I prefer not to eat at the cafeteria.” replied Vanessa quickly.
“Oh well, we don’t know if we can eat there yet, so here we are.”
“Umm… you can, actually. It’s just that… you have to pay for your food.”
“Oh, really?”
She nodded. The real reason why she wouldn’t eat at the cafeteria was that she couldn’t afford to, but of course, she wasn’t going to tell them that.
“Is there a library in the school?” asked John.
Vanessa, who had started to think about Lily again, did not hear the question. John asked again. At that moment, a girl showed up.
“Vanessa!” she called, but she paused suddenly. “What have you boys got to do with Vanessa?” she asked, suspicious. “You’re not from this school, are you? You aren’t wearing any uniform.”
As she spoke, she came closer to the twins. When she was less than half a meter away, she stopped.
“Whoa, calm down. We’re just asking Vanessa some questions. We’re new to the school– well, we’re writing the entrance exams today.” replied John. “Nice to meet you. I’m John, and this is my brother, James.” He offered to shake her hand.
The girl looked at the hand for a while, then decided to ignore it. Before Vanessa realized that something was going on, the girl spoke again.
“Why ask Vanessa of all people?”
“Ethel, it’s alright. They’re the new neighbors I talked about.” replied Vanessa.
“Oh, I’m very sorry.” The girl apologized quickly, rubbing her neck. “I’m Etheldred, Vanessa’s friend. Some people like to pick on her, so…”
“It’s alright. I can understand that. By the way, is there a library in the school?” asked John.
“Yes. That building over there is the library.” said Etheldred, pointing to a two-story building in the distance. “The top floor is for story books, and the lower floor is for textbooks and other books we use for research.”
Jamie nodded, impressed.
“Looks like someone would find their haven here.” said John, elbowing Jamie.
“Stop it, John.” protested Jamie.
“I know it’s stupid to ask, but you’re twins, right? What’s the difference between the two of you?” asked Etheldred.
“A tiny mole on the right side of my mouth, see?” said John showing her the mole.
“And you are?”
“John.”
Etheldred nodded comprehendingly. Jamie spoke up.
“Uh, how’s your foot, Vanessa? Mom told us the story.”
“I’m okay.” replied Vanessa.
“Eh? Am I missing something?” asked Etheldred.
“No. I just hurt my foot.” answered Vanessa.
The bell rang. Etheldred literally dragged a limping Vanessa to class, while the twins went to write yet another paper.
After school, Etheldred, Vanessa and the twins sat across from each other in the bus. Etheldred bombarded the twins with a lot of questions. When they reached the local supermarket, they stepped off the bus, and started walking in direction of their homes. Etheldred leaned over and whispered to Vanessa in French.
“You’re so lucky, they’re so damn handsome.”
“Etheldred!” replied Vanessa, blushing.
“Ooh, someone has a crush!”
“You speak French?” asked an astonished John, who overheard the whisper.
“Yeah, we do.” replied Etheldred.
“Jamie’s been learning French for a while.” said John.
“John, stop.” said Jamie.
“Who’s Jamie?” asked Etheldred.
“James. We call him Jamie to avoid confusing him with my father.” replied John.
“Oh really? Tu trouves le Français difficile?” asked Etheldred, turning to Jamie.
“Uh… Un peu?” replied Jamie, unsure of his French.
“Oh, that’s pretty good. Not bad at all!” exclaimed Etheldred, literally jumping up and down.
“Where did you learn French?” John asked Etheldred.
“My family and Vanessa’s are Canadian. We used to live in Canada before I moved here with my family. Vanessa’s moved here two years ago, and my parents suggested they come to our neighborhood.” replied Etheldred.
Conversations bloomed among the high schoolers, but Vanessa’s mind traveled farther up the block to Mrs. Jefferson’s house. She quickened her step, leaving the group behind.
She ran up the porch and rang the bell. Through the glass door, Mrs. Jefferson offered a warm smile. “Oh, Vanessa. I’ll get Lily.”
When Lily appeared, her face was dangerously flushed with fever. Vanessa dropped to her knees, frantically checking her little sister's eyes and pressing two fingers to her rapid pulse. Lily remained entirely silent.
“Lily? What is it?” Panic flared in Vanessa’s chest.
“She hasn’t spoken a word since she got back from school,” Mrs. Jefferson said gently. “She’s been writing everything on a scrap sheet of paper. Says it hurts too much to speak. I think it’s strep throat, dear. My late husband had it once. You might have to go down to the clinic and get some antibiotics.”
Vanessa nodded quickly, her face etched with worry. Before she could take Lily home, Mrs. Jefferson asked her to complete a few heavy chores around the house while the little girl rested on the living room sofa.
While working, Vanessa happened to look out the window. Across the street, John was mowing his front lawn. He paused, lifting the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Vanessa’s ears burned pink, and she quickly looked away.
By the time she finally left Mrs. Jefferson’s house, the sun was sinking, bleeding brilliant shades of orange and purple across the sky. Lily, who usually sang songs about the beauty of sunsets, walked in absolute silence.
John was still out front, just turning off the lawnmower. "Vanessa!"
Vanessa pretended she hadn’t heard him, but Lily tugged firmly on her arm, pointing toward their neighbor. John approached them, his skin damp with sweat and stray strands of dark hair sticking to his forehead. He stopped when he saw Lily's pale face.
"You alright, Lily?" he asked.
Lily offered a tired nod. John stared for a moment, looking puzzled, before shrugging it off. "My dad wanted to invite your family over for dinner. He cooked tamagoyaki this evening."
Lily smiled weakly but shook her head. Vanessa fidgeted with her hands, her throat tight. Before she could formulate an excuse, Michael poked his head out of their apartment door up the block.
"Vanessa, you're late! Did you help—" He froze, locking eyes with his youngest sister. "Is Lily okay?"
"She's fine," Vanessa cut in quickly, her voice sharp with nerves. She turned back to John. "May-maybe another time. We have to go home now."
John nodded, sensing the wall going up. "I'll tell her. And hey, Lily, thanks for your help today."
As John turned back toward his house, Vanessa hurried Lily up the steps. Michael was waiting at the door, his brow furrowed. "She looks terrible, Vannie."
"I'm fine," Lily croaked out. She immediately winced, clutching her throat as tears pricked her eyes.
Headlights swept across the apartment building complex—their mother's car was turning the corner. Michael pushed his sisters inside the house and slammed the door shut.
"Mom's home. Set the table quickly, Vanessa. I already made the mac and cheese."
Vanessa rushed to the kitchen, hurriedly setting the table. They had just sat down and scooped the food onto their plates when the front door clicked open, and Melissa walked in.
She looked round at the children sitting at the table. She put down her bag and sank tiredly into a chair. Her shoulders sagged and her eyes were hazy with fatigue.
“Lily. Are you feeling okay?”
Lily nodded, her face still flushed from the fever. Melissa looked at her for a while, and decided to drop the issue.
“Anyways, does any of you have anything to tell me?” she asked, no hint of anything in her voice.
“Um… no?” replied Michael.
“Then would you like to explain to me why you were outside at this time?”
“Were we? I mean, we had just sat down to eat when you entered. We couldn’t have been outside.” Michael was being cautious.
“Vannie.” Melissa set her piercing gaze on Vanessa. “Mind explaining?”
“Um… um… Mrs. Jefferson asked me to help with some heavy chores, and when we were coming home, John invited us for supper over at their house.” Vanessa spoke with a low, resigned voice, shrinking in her seat.
Melissa sighed, exaspereated.
“How many times have I told you to come home early? I told you that if you’re doing something for Mrs. Jefferson and it gets late, apologize and leave. Do you know what can happen if you stay out late? Have you any idea how many thugs exist in this world? What if… what if…” Her voice faltered, but she forced herself to continue. “What if he had found you? He’d come here at night…” She shuddered. “Well, you know what I mean. Don’t stay out late.”
They nodded, a sinister memory resurfacing in each head. Dinner was eaten in silence, and Lily decided to go to bed early that evening. Vanessa, deeply worried, accompanied her upstairs and tucked her in. Long after Lily fell asleep, Vanessa stayed by her side, watching over her like an eagle. Around 11 pm., Melissa saw the dim light in Lily’s room on her way to her own bedroom. She went to check on Lily and found Vanessa still awake, covering Lily's forehead with wet towels and stroking her hair.
“Go to bed,” she said. “I'll watch over her.”
Vanessa was about to protest when the doorbell suddenly rang. Unsure, mother and daughter stared at each other in the dim light of the room.
“Go check, Vannie. I'm not wearing proper clothes.”
“But I'm wearing pajamas too…”
“And I'm wearing an almost transparent nightgown. Please, Vanessa.”
The bell rang a second time, followed by a sharp knock. Vanessa crept downstairs into the dark as her mother hurried to her room in search of better clothes, her chest tightening.
“Who is it?” Vanessa’s voice was low and laced with fear.
“Vanessa? Is Melissa home?”
Startled by the deep resonance of a man's voice, Vanessa bolted back upstairs. Her mother panicked, asking what happened.
“A-a-a… a man… Is it him?… He… He's at the door…” she replied, shaking violently as tears pricked her eyes.
Melissa’s face went completely pale. Adrenaline taking total control, she abandoned the clothing hunt, rushed into the dark kitchen and grabbed a heavy iron frying pan. Pan raised above her head and still entirely dressed in her sheer nightgown, she approached the door with careful, silent steps, Vanessa hidden in the shadows behind her. She raised her voice, thick with fury and barely masked fear, and spewed the filthiest words she could ever have thought of.
“I swear to God, Jason, if you touch this door with your filthy paws, I'll butcher you like the goddamn piece of shit you are, you child-killing motherfucker! I'll make sure you die and rot in hell… I-I’ll crack your fucking skull wide open, and—”
“It's James from next door,” the male voice interrupted through the wood.
Shaking, Melissa looked through the peephole. When she saw their neighbor standing there, the air rushed out of Melissa’s lungs in one massive, shaky exhale as her hand dropped the frying pan to her side. She unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open.
“James… I'm so sorry, I just… What brings you here at this hour?”
James Snr stood under the porch light. A deep crimson crept up his neck as, in his embarrassment, blood rushed to his face. He immediately looked off to the side to give her privacy, carefully keeping his eyes away from her body. He didn't comment on the frying pan or the death threat.
Taking the hint, Melissa looked down to her own shoulders. Her breath caught. She instantly turned beet red. In her blind panic to defend her children, she had completely forgotten she was still wearing a near-transparent nightgown.
“Oh, great goodness! Please excuse my unsightliness, I—I wasn't thinking… it was just… I’m so sorry…” she stammered, trying to hide behind the door.
“It's quite alright,” James said quickly, his eyes wandering somewhere above her head. He held out a plastic grocery bag. “John told me Lily looked quite sick today. Grace came home pretty late from her shift, and she insisted that I come over with these, in case you need them. I didn't want to come at first, but I saw lights in your window and thought I might try. They're just painkillers and anti-inflammatories, nothing more. You can check the labels if you’d like.”
Melissa accepted the bag, murmuring a small, choked thank you.
“Grace said to make sure you take her to the doctor tomorrow, just in case it's something serious.” James added, his voice turning warmer. “Also, since your classes don't start until around noon, I can take Lily to school in the morning. Melinda goes to the same school, so it’s no trouble at all.”
Melissa, still red, nodded and went back into the house, closing the door quickly as her face burned with intense embarrassment.
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGz65sFelI
The next morning, the medicines had worked like a charm. Lily woke up with her fever completely gone and her throat almost entirely relieved by the anti-inflammatory medicine. She smiled, swallowed her breakfast, and laughed with Michael.
Seeing her daughter running around, Melissa let out a massive, quiet sigh of relief. She said nothing about it, entirely content to let Grace's warning go unaddressed now that the crisis seemed to have vanished on its own.
Melissa felt deeply embarrassed around James when she saw him outside later, but she forced herself not to avoid him, determined to maintain a polite neighborly front.
Michael, who had been asleep, had just laughed at the matter. Vanessa, however, was a complete wreck. The sheer embarrassment of the night before kept her entirely tongue-tied.
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XGgpBL1mR
Lunch break at the Marie Curie School found Vanessa still so mortified she couldn't speak. She sat on a wooden bench in the school yard, staring intensely at her sneakers, her mind filled with memories of the night before. Her stomach was twisted into tight, painful knots. She just wanted to disappear.
A shadow fell over her. She looked up to see John and Jamie walking up to her.
Vanessa’s ears instantly burned hot, turning a bright, telltale pink. She shrunk back, her social anxiety flaring up worse than ever. She couldn't even look them in the eye. Before they could even sit down, she blurted out her confession in a tiny, choked whisper.
“I'm sorry,” she squeaked, gripping the edge of the bench. “I'm so, so sorry for last night.”
John and Jamie stopped in their tracks. John rubbed the back of his neck, his own cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
“Oh, uh... you don't have to apologize at all,” John said quickly, shifting his weight awkwardly. “My dad told us what happened. He just said things were... really protective over there. He told us he respects your mom for being so fierce.”
Jamie nodded shyly from behind his brother, keeping his hands jammed in his pockets. “Yeah. Said a mother's instinct is nothing to be ashamed of.”
Vanessa bit her lip, still completely mortified and unable to find her voice. She felt a strange, fragile sense of relief that the twins were so respectful, but she remained entirely frozen, too embarrassed to strike up a normal conversation.
The bell rang, saving her from the awkward silence. As she walked back to class, she chose to trust her mother's judgment, entirely unaware that the quiet bacteria was already multiplying inside Lily's bloodstream, beginning the silent three-week countdown toward her heart.
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