Even though she could remember everything and could hear Rose, she couldn't believe it because she believed she didn't deserve this.
'How can I be here?' Lily acclaimed.
Somewhere in the meadow under a tree, both of them were lying down. The smell of fresh grass is faintly touching Lily's nose. Lying on a soft silk cloth was the first time in 18 years.
A torn dress, dirty bedsheets, thrown away chair, the table was everything. The colors to paint were expensive. Coal was the only thing that was an inexpensive color. A mere mistake turns Everything into Nothing on the canvas. Those paintings were not even worthy besides the colorful full one. If someone can think them monetarily worthy, then they would buy them in exchange for two bread worth money.
'It's real, Lily! You maybe couldn't recall after being born. I waited for your return for a whole 1 year. Why couldn't you remember?' Rose asked.
Lily was confused, 'I don't know. I only remember I was in pain..so much pain...'
All was blurry and as she could remember, she felt like she was burning in hell.
To her belief, she had committed a grave sin. So the fire of hell was surrounding her. The orphaned life was harder.
Living on the alms was easy but they didn't choose them like the other kids in the orphanage. They worked as much as possible. But fate had always tested their patience. Pox, fever, cholera didn't spare them. All they could do was endure. But their heart too had a limit to the enduring.
"Mother" is the most precious person in one's life, the only person who would love their child unconditionally.
Sometimes a mother would do anything for their child.
But how can the world possibly feel the helpless feelings of a mother, who is unable to feed her child, or the feeling when she keeps her child starved for days!?
That pain Lily could still feel as well as the cruelty she had done to an innocent child.
A male voice was reading out a poem that seemed really familiar to her.
"I be free to goo abrode,
Or teäke ageän my hwomeward road
To where, vor me, the apple tree
Do leän down low in Linden Lea."
Lily felt familiar as the poem was being readout. She heard this before.
She asked Rose, 'Isn't it a poem?'
'Yes! Father always reads poems when we come here.' Rose answered in a joyful expression.
Lily was listening to the poem while she thought, 'We have a father?'
They now have grandparents, a father, a mother, and a big brother. They now have everything.
The previous life they spent as orphans, was now being erased with this beautiful poem. Lily's heart began to ache to hear a pause. She couldn't control her tears and cried out loud.
'Oh my! Why is she crying? She never cries.' the maid said in surprise.
Lily didn't cry when she was born. Everyone thought she was a stillborn but her beating heart was the proof to them that she was alive.
A maid was about to approach in a hurry as she never guessed the possibility of her crying, but before the maid could, Lily's full-body floated up in the air. Lily was so surprised that she forgot to cry. She looked in front of her and saw a man in his late twenties was smiling. Eyes were just like what Rose has now. Yellow hazel eyes.
The similarity of the face was recognisable too with Rose. When she reached towards that man, he took Lily in his lap and made her sit on his lap. He then wiped those tears away looking at those baffled eyes he smiles.
'What happened to you?! Did the poem make my daughter sad?', he asked.
Lily has no idea who this man was.
Rose told her, 'It's Father! Our father. Tao Xin."
Lily was so perplexed that she forgot to stop looking at the handsome and kind man. She feels like crying again now that she has a father. They were abandoned when she was very little due to poverty. But in the orphanage, that wasn't better either. When they grew up they were told to take care of themselves. So nowhere was safe. The sudden sense of being safe now makes her heart feel even tighter and the tears fall nonstop.
Tao hugged her seeing her cry.
Tao could not hold his surprise, he was talking to himself assuming Lily won't understand anything,' You didn't cry when you were born, didn't even cry when your mother couldn't tend you because of her work, you did never cry while hearing my poems before. What made you so upset today?'
Lily mumbled, 'Pa..pa!'
Tao stopped patting on her back for a while as he was very surprised. But answered with a smile,' Yes!'
'Papa!' Lily again called out to him.
'Hmm, Tao Xin replied again.
'Papa', Lily couldn't help but repeating that word. She felt like she was really a baby
He answered every time she called out to him. She could feel the love this father has for his daughter. She knows that her tears were staining his shirt yet she didn't stop. Today, Only today she wanted to cry her heart out. Rose was teary too. Tao noticed and took Rose on his lap too. The girls were adored by their father.
Both of them woke up late at night.
'Rose? How are we talking to each other like this?' Lily was curious.
Rose answered,' I don't know! I could always read you.'
' I don't remember anything being born again.' Lily tried to recall.
'Really', Rose found it hard to believe as she could remember,
Rose told her that they were still in London. Their father is a merchant. She told her he has come here from China just before they were born. He also said the girls were lucky for them as their business went very well.
'What about our mother?', Lily wanted to know about her mother.
Rose explained to Lily, 'Mother is busy as well, she handles the military as a commanding officer.'
Lily smiles,' Wow! So we are rich!?'
' Very!', Rose gave a sweet smile while answering.
She remembered how Tao made her float in the air. 'How did he make me float?'Lily asked.
'I don't know, these people can do many things, like making you float, appearing out of nowhere. Then they can heal you when you are hurt. It's like we are in a different world.' Rose was not sure while saying that.
Lily mourns for her baby wishing she was there. Rose consoles her saying maybe one day when the time comes, Daisy will return as Lily's daughter.
Rose sighs and then says inside Lily's head,
"Let's focus on growing up now."
Lily noticed they were not talking through vocal sounds. The questions were answered when she asked Rose how they were talking like that without moving their lips. She told her how she can talk like that with anyone without being out loud.
She was trying to read Lily when she understood the fact that she can read others. When she couldn't, she thought maybe she was not her sister. She started hearing her voice saying something like how can she be in heaven, then Lily recognised Rose's voice and said her name. She then knew it was Lily. Rosa felt like crying. She cried in a low voice as she thought she would be alone in this unknown world.
' I have a sister but she wasn't you, so it was hard on me.' Rose cried.
'Silly! Why would it be so hard on you?' Lily couldn't understand why Rose was crying,
In this world, nobody loved Rose more than Lily. They were each other's solace.
Lily again says, 'You are so silly Rose! How can you trust me when I was the one who killed you?'
Rose assured her saying that she gave her permission to kill Rose so she wasn't at fault. She would have died if Lily were the only one to die with Daisy. Rose thanked Lily for not leaving her behind. Dying was easier than living helplessly alone. Lily was surprised that she could read Lily's inner self too.
Rose assured her, 'I can. Even when it's not directed to me.'
Lily wondered why she was not able to read her. Rose was surprised after knowing Lily can't hear anything from her.
Rose was surprised,' But you are also talking inside my head.'
' Ok! Let's see if I can hear when you are not talking with me.' Lily proposed.
Rose agrees.
Rose turned back and talked about something else to experiment. She apologized to Daisy, hoping she could forgive her mother as she was so much hurt that she can't even apologize to Daisy. After thinking, she looked back again at Lily.
Rose asked, 'Tell me what did I say?'
Lily frowns then says, 'I don't know. I can't hear you.'
That baffled Rose, 'Is something wrong with me?'
'Silly! You are perfect.' Lily said with a smile. Lily adores her sister very much.
They both talked about many things till morning. How big their house is now, how many servants they have or the delicious foods Rose can eat every day now. But Rose was not content that Lily wasn't there to share. She fell asleep while saying how glad she was, now that she has Lilly.
Lily felt sleepy too. She saw someone coming near to their cradle. She couldn't see clearly as her eyelids were unable to keep her eyes open. But she could hear that person talking, 'Oh! You are still sleeping? Don't you want to play with your mother today?'
'Mother!?', Lily thought and tried to look at her.
'So you are my mother. I want to see…" she thought to herself then fell asleep. The lady who was standing kept standing there. She touched Lily's cheek and hair while saying, 'Your father said you cried today. You didn't cry when you were born but your heart was beating so fast. Strangely enough, it has a steady pace now. What happened to you, Siya?'
Lily answered mumbling, 'Hm..'
'Are you feeling secure now, Siya?' she asked again to Lily as the mother saw Lily was sleeping holding Rose's hand. Lily couldn't understand what the lady was saying. She falls asleep, in peace.