5 Ch. 5

"Hey Lilac!"

"Hey Cloudy!"

Every day, Adler and Lilac would meet at the willow tree where they first met. Some days, they would go looking for bugs in the tall grass, other days, they would play in a small pond that they found in the meadows. And sometimes, they would just sit under the willow tree and chat while dozing off for a afternoon nap. There was no time in this paradise of their's, the sky was their only clock.

One day, while chatting, Lilac asked Adler a question.

"Cloudy, what is your real name?"

"Adler."

"Oh... Is it okay if I still call you Cloudy?"

"Of course." Adler says, grinning. "We promised on our index fingers that you could."

Lilac laughs. Suddenly, she reaches over and stretches Adler's cheeks into a smile.

"Cloudy, smile more. I like it when you smile. You look so cute!"

Adler blushes as he smacks her hand away. "Okay... I will."

________

Later at dinner, Adler sits with his family, his dad, mom and older brother.

"Wow, the food tastes really good!" Adler says as he hungrily eats the food. He smiles at his parents as they watch this scene.

"Honey..." Adler's mother says.

"Darling..."

"I can't believe our son is smiling and making conversation, it's incredible!" They say to each other at the same time.

"What happened to you Adler? Why are you so happy all of a sudden? What do you want from mom and dad?" asks Adler's older brother, Ruben, suspiciously.

"I'm just trying to be happier Ruben. Leave me alone." Adler says, smiling at him.

"Ugh." Ruben rolls his eyes. Why can't he have a normal family!

________

Lilac goes home to eat dinner as well. She happily skips to her mother's room to greet her. She opens the door and walks next to her mother's side...

...to see her mother coughing hard, blood splattering the white bedsheets. Lilac stares in horror as she sees her mother clutch her chest while nearly vomiting blood. Her mother sees Lilac out of the corner of her eye.

"Lilac... Call Lawrence!" She gasps as she coughs more and more blood.

Lilac stands frozen as she watches her mother shakily turn around to face her.

"Call... Law-" Her mother says as she suddenly coughs blood and splatters Lilac's face.

The warm and sticky liquid knocks Lilac out of her shock. She runs over and screams Lawrence's name over and over, even after finding him. As Lawrence quickly runs into the room, Lilac runs out as she runs faster and faster through the night. She runs into the meadow and all the way to the willow tree, where she stays huddled up and frightened for the rest of the night.