"This is the most boring home I've ever seen in my life," he said, forcing a smile that was anything but genuine.
Liliana shot back, her tone laced with irritation. "Sorry that not everyone's house is as grand as a mansion!" She pointed toward the door. "Leave."
Cyrus almost choked on his words at her response but managed to speak up. "You wanted my opinion, and I gave it. Now you're so upset that you want me to leave after barely being here for three minutes? What kind of logic is that?"
Liliana turned her back to him, puffing out her cheek in a childish gesture. "Fine, you can stay. But if you say one more thing about my house, I'll kick you out myself."
Cyrus sighed in resignation. "Alright, alright. I won't say another word."
As she walked toward the kitchen, Cyrus muttered under his breath, following her. "So annoying…"
From the kitchen, Liliana's voice came back, sharp and clear. "I heard that!"
Cyrus, his irritation rising, snapped back, "I truly don't care!"
Liliana opened the fridge and glanced back at him. "So, what do you want to eat? Since you'll be staying for three hours?"
Cyrus, with his hands in his pockets, casually responded, "I'll eat when I get home, so don't worry about me."
Liliana studied him for a moment, her silver and black eyes piercing as she did. Then she shrugged. "Is that so? Well, do you want to play upstairs?"
Cyrus put his hands behind his head and shrugged. "I'll do whatever."
Liliana's face showed a mix of slight annoyance and amusement as she flashed a wicked smile. "You were never invited to a friend's house, were you? Wait... did you ever have friends?"
Cyrus's eyes widened, a slight blush creeping onto his face. He spoke in an embarrassed tone, "Is it really that surprising that someone like me was never invited to any of my classmates' birthdays or to their houses? It's not like I care. I'd rather be alone anyway. Why does everyone always look so sad when someone doesn't have friends? Maybe some people just prefer being alone."
She turned her head to him, a low, amused tone in her voice as she struggled to hold back a laugh. "Look at him, trying to make excuses for why he's never had friends until now. How pathetic."
Cyrus's usually pale face, as white as snow, turned slightly red with outrage. "I'm not making excuses, nor am I pathetic! If all you're going to do for the next three hours is make fun of how no one at school wants to be friends with me, then I can leave, you know?"
Liliana burst out laughing, unable to hold it in. Cyrus's face twisted with annoyance as she laughed so hard that tears formed in her eyes. The sight made his face, previously flushed with irritation, turn even pinker as he blushed. Liliana wiped her tears, still chuckling, and said, "Sorry... sorry, Cyrus. Please don't leave. I didn't mean to offend you, but if you've never had any friends... I suppose that means I'm your first and only friend."
She placed her hand on her chest, pointing to herself with a confident grin.
Cyrus sighed, running a hand through his brown hair. "Alright…"
She closed the fridge and walked out of the kitchen, with Cyrus following her. As they reached the living room, he watched her climb a few steps toward the stairs. She glanced back at him and said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Follow me!"
As he followed her up the stairs, he asked, "To where, exactly?"
She sighed, continuing to climb. "To my room, dummy. When you're invited to a friend's house, this is where you usually go to play. Did you already forget what I told you in the kitchen?"
As they walked through the hallway, they passed the first door on the right. Just as Cyrus reached for the handle, Liliana hurriedly grabbed his hand. "I know you're a guest, but don't think you're permitted to go everywhere," she said firmly.
They stood there for a moment, still holding hands, and Cyrus sighed as he pulled his hand away. "Alright, sorry."
Liliana walked to the second door on the right and opened it. She waved at him, who was still standing in the hallway, and said in a mocking tone, "I know you've probably never entered a woman's room before, but please, make yourself at home!"
Cyrus shot back with annoyance, "How do you know if I've never been in a girl's room? And since when are you a 'woman'?"
As he walked into the room, Cyrus immediately noticed how typical it was for a girl her age—plushies and toys scattered around the room. In the center stood a console and a TV, with a small wardrobe next to them. On top of the wardrobe was a family picture, framed carefully.
She turned to face Cyrus, her tone confident. "So, what do you think of my room?"
Cyrus lingered for a moment, his eyes scanning the space before he replied slowly, "Boring…"
Her mouth dropped open in shock for a moment, then she lowered her head. When she lifted it again, a smile spread across her face, though her expression was one of childish anger. "Well, of course you find everything about my house boring. You're boring yourself... takes one to know one, I suppose."
He walked to the center of the room and said, "Maybe I am boring, but at least I'm not feeding myself delusions and useless crap like all those fools in class."
He sighed and added, "Anyway, what kind of games do you have?"
She lingered for a moment before saying, "Well, I do have this street combat game... we can play together if you like. Oh, let me correct myself, Cyrus..."
Cyrus's eyes widened as he looked at her, awaiting her response.
"I can annihilate you if you want!" she finished with a grin.
Cyrus's face tightened with slight annoyance as he responded, "You know, I'm the best at every competitive game. If I'm not lying around in a flower field enjoying nature, I'm at home practicing my combos for hours."
He said it with confidence, but Liliana looked at him with a surprised expression. "Oh…"
Cyrus nodded, continuing, "Exactly. So if you really—"
He was cut off by Liliana, who interrupted with a mocking tone, "How sad…"
Cyrus stared at her, shocked by her response. They stood in silence for a few moments, Liliana clearly holding back laughter. Finally, he broke the silence, pointing at her and asking, "You want me to beat you up or what?"
***
Nearly two hours had passed, and Liliana was on a losing streak.
"Come on, I have to get at least one win against this loser who... the only quality he has is being good at making people dislike him!" she complained.
Cyrus clearly took offense to that, and in response, he defeated her again with two quick combos. Liliana jumped up in shock, but in her haste, she almost made the wardrobe topple over. The family picture fell to the floor, and the glass cracked. It landed near Cyrus, who quickly picked it up and handed it to her.
She let out a sharp gasp. "Damn, I'm not lucky today, apparently... it cracked."
She gazed at the picture, her expression turning pained. In a low voice, she murmured, "Dad's gonna be angry..."
She placed one arm down, gently resting it on her bruised leg, then sighed before carefully setting the picture back where it belonged.
Cyrus got up as well, his tone content. "That's what you get for not staying in place..."
Liliana remained fixated on the picture, her expression full of pain. Cyrus watched her carefully, then sighed. "Does your father work late?"
Her eyes seemed to snap back to reality. "Um, yes, but he'll be home soon. He should be on his way now..."
Cyrus ran a hand through his brown hair, then said, "I noticed when you were talking about your mother, you spoke about her like she's a thing of the past. Is she not around anymore?"
Liliana let out a small giggle, teasing him. "How insensitive of you to talk about someone else's mother, Cyrus."
Cyrus's eyes widened, and he quickly apologized. "Oh, sorry. If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine. It's just something I noticed, that's all..."
She shook her head, holding the family picture gently in her hands. A soft smile graced her lips, though it carried a trace of pain as she gazed at the photo.
"No... no, it's fine," she said quietly. "Besides, I think it would be nice to have someone my age who can understand, to listen to my... story."
She blinked and said:
"My mother and big sister... They died one month ago now. My mother was like a sun for my father and me. They were on their way to a concert, but someone hit them while driving drunk. I didn't have that much of a relationship with my sister since she was so much older than I. So she was not home since she had an adult life. She apparently didn't have a great relationship with my mother since she didn't believe in spirits or could see them like my mother and I. They were going to start anew by going to a concert together... but they died. And it's taken a big hit on my father. He couldn't bear to still be in the same house where my sister and mother once lived. So we left, and that's when I arrived at this school. My mother, like all her elders, was a medium. She loved people and always tried her best to make sure that families could speak to their loved ones one last time. I was quite a pessimistic kid, so her being so optimistic about people made me want to believe in her, you know?"
Cyrus's eyes became softer as he looked back at her:
"I can believe that..."
She took a small glance at him and said in a gentle tone,
"I know you can..."
She sighed and continued,
"Except for you, I've never had a real friend who could understand me. Most of the time, they were either fake friends or they just straight-up bullied me because I naively told them that my mother and I could see ghosts. I mean, it was to be expected; people always bully those who stand out from the rest."
"I never was interested in anything other people my age find interesting. I sound like a grown-up, but it's true. They all seemed so ignorant to me. They bullied me because their minds couldn't understand something that was out of their comprehension. That's why I thought they were cowards..."
Then she turned back to face Cyrus.
"The only person who ever truly understood me was my mother. I was lucky to meet you just a month after she passed… but even though she was gone, a few weeks later, she came back to visit me as a spirit. I cried so much that day. Some days she would visit, and some days she wouldn't. One day, she told me she'd come see me soon and left. It's been two weeks since I last saw her.
I don't really talk about my father because…"
She sighed, looking at Cyrus with a gentle smile. Her voice trembled, laced with something that could almost be called fear, but Cyrus chose to listen quietly.
"…Because I don't like him all that much. He's not even my real father. Apparently, my biological father died when I was only two years old. He doesn't believe in spirits, mediums, or anything like that, and he didn't want my mother to continue being a medium.
From what I've heard, he had a great relationship with my older sister. They were really close. But every time I told him that Mom was right there in the room with us as a spirit, he got angry—angrier each time I mentioned it. So eventually, I just stopped talking about it."
They then heard footsteps coming from the stairs below.
"It's him…"
Liliana forced a smile as they both stepped into the hallway. When they reached the top of the staircase, they saw a bald man with a brown beard. He looked visibly tired but managed a small smile as he addressed his daughter.
"Well, hello, Liliana. Did you have a good day at school? I see you've brought a friend. It's great that you're making friends so quickly."
Liliana nodded and placed a hand on Cyrus's shoulder.
"Yes, I made a friend at school a few days ago. His name is Cyrus; he's in my class."
Cyrus gave a simple reply.
"Hello, sir."
The man nodded, gripping the stair railing with one hand.
"Nice to meet you, Cyrus. Please feel free to visit my daughter more often. Now, if you'll excuse me…"
He climbed the last few steps with a gentle smile and opened the door Liliana had told him never to open.
As he passed her, Liliana kept her head low, avoiding his gaze. Cyrus noticed her tense posture and how her father gripped the stair railing tightly when he saw them standing in the hallway.
They stood there in silence for a while before Liliana broke it with a gentle smile.
"Well, it's been almost three hours since you got here. Don't you think it's time for you to go home?"
Cyrus lingered for a moment before nodding.
"I think so, too. My grandparents and mom are going to bombard me with questions if I come home late. I should get going."
Liliana nodded back.
"Let me walk you to the door."
He agreed, and the two of them walked down the stairs to the living room and then to the front door. She opened it for him, and as he stepped outside and started to descend the stairs at the entrance, she called out in a nervous tone.
"Wait, Cyrus…"
He stopped and turned back, looking at her with an annoyed expression.
"What now?"
Liliana blushed, hesitating for a moment before speaking in a nervous voice.
"Well… you know, in two weeks, there's going to be a ball. And I thought maybe we could go dancing together… you know, when the day comes."
Her silver eyes, streaked with black, looked at him with anticipation. Her silver hair danced in the breeze as she waited for his response.
Cyrus thought to himself for a moment.
I mean, it'd be better than standing in the back of the room with no one to talk to. I don't even like dancing, but going to a party just to be alone? What's the point in that? She's the least annoying of them all, so I guess I should at least give her that.
"Sure, why not," he said in a nonchalant tone.
Liliana's face lit up with a bright smile.
"Really? Thank you, Cyrus! When the day comes, I'll have my dad buy me a red dress. I'll look so beautiful—like the most stunning rose—and you'll cry from my beauty!"
As Cyrus walked away from the door, he waved at her with a playful grin.
"Never happening," he said teasingly.
Cyrus walked away from Liliana's property, the house growing smaller and smaller in the distance as he made his way toward his own mansion. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the streets, and his thoughts wandered.
Why is my heart beating so damn fast?
As he mulled over the strange sensation, he could have sworn he heard the sinister voice of a woman whispering close behind his neck.
"What a tragic memory you have here, foolish bug…"
His body froze for a moment, and he quickly turned around, but there was no one there. The street was empty, eerily quiet.
Shaking off the unsettling feeling, Cyrus continued down the dimly lit road toward his mansion, his thoughts now a tangled mess of confusion and unease.
chapter forty-nine end