Night of Trials

Chapter 16: Finishing For Good

"So why are you here?" I asked as I walked closer to her.

"Isn't it obvious? I felt bad about not letting you dream about me, but don't worry anymore because I'm here now."

"Oh. Honestly, I was wondering if this would happen, but now I guess I don't have to. I guess now I can see how you'll be able to wake me up since I'm still confused about what my brother and Mother were talking about." I replied, relieved to finally have a dream about her.

Lily's calm expression turned into a look of confusion as she looked at me and tilted her head a little to the side.

"So....you're saying you want to be woken up now?" She asked.

"No! No, it's fine. So Lily....my Mom and brother were talking about you, but did you die?" I asked.

Lily got off of the tombstone and moved to the side, almost as if beckoning me over.

"See for yourself." She said as she pointed a finger to the tombstone she had been sitting on.

I gave her a strange look as I walked over to it, but I turned my attention to the tombstone. I bent down and started to read what was on it, but there wasn't much written on the tombstone.

All that was written was this:

Lily Kesher.
October 30th, 2003-October 31th, 2019.
Beloved daughter, friend, and sister.

And that was all.

I'll admit that this seemed a bit strange. Shouldn't there be more on Lily's tombstone?

I guess not. Most tombstones are like this anyway.

I stood back up, turned from the tombstone, and walked away from it. I looked back at Lily.

"So....how did you die?" I asked.

"I don't know for sure, Piper. It just happened." She replied as she shrugged her shoulders.

"So then was it a heart condition?"

"No."

"Then what was it? Why aren't you alive?" I asked.

"Piper, did I ever tell you and Aaron that I was sick?" She asked.

"Sick? I don't think so. But what do you mean by sick? Did it get worse over time?"

"Sort of." Lily said as she pointed to her hair.

I was confused, but she must have meant that her hair had something to do with it.

"Did your hair show your sickness?" I asked.

Lily nodded.

"I know that might be confusing, but let me explain." She said as she sat back on her tombstone.

"I've been terminally ill for a long time now. I don't even know if I was born with it. Whatever I had, I seemed to develop it when I got older, or it was lying dormant in me and got stronger as I got older. No one, including doctors, knows what it's called. It doesn't have have name. When I got older, the doctors starting saying that I wouldn't live to be seventeen, and guess what? They were right." Lily said.

"I get it now, but you didn't explain what your hair had to do with it." I said.

"Actually, it's more about my hair color." Lily said.

"Oh. So you dyed it, right?" I asked.

Lily shook her head.

"No. Actually, this hair color is natural....sort of. You see, my sickness started to get worse over time and it showed up in my hair. You know my hair used to be brown, but over time it slowly started to turn white until it was permanently white. It was a sign that I wasn't going to get better." Lily said.