MIRR/OR/ED

|Chapter 3|

I shake my head to her, letting the valid point sit on me. How are we supposed to know that was real? And not some type of setup...

"We don't, that's why Tom has Troops questioning him now. Trying to get an idea of what the hell is going on, considering we're all lost." I trail off a bit, not confident in myself.

Tom's conversation is still left heavy on my mind and I wish to tell Lilly everything but I know it wouldn't be the best, especially right now..

"You think it was really her?" Lilly's voice is soft beside me, showing her real age through the squeak in the question. Her hesitation represents the vulnerability she feels, and I can see that hurt inner child inside her glossy eyes.

I reach deep down and try to uncover the true answer to that question...

'Do you think it's really her?' my mind echos to itself.

I nod in reassurance to the thought, and Lilly. "Yeah, I feel like it is. Somewhere deep past the want for her to be here I really feel like she's somewhere out there wanting to come back." My arms unfold and I grasp the edge of the table at the ache in my words.

All I wish is to know she's safe and happy. Not knowing is the harshest part of it all, I know that's the key reason I still hold onto the hope she will come back.

Memories of me as a child shine bright in my mind's eye, praying each day that the next city we went to, she would be waiting for us. The emptiness that followed each move is still a fresh wound to heal, and I can't help but wonder if Lilly has those same wounds...

I often question what reminisces of our childhood she remembers, especially of our mother. She wasn't even four when she left, and like almost all of the others, we had no real idea why she left or where she had gone. One day she was brushing our teeth and tucking us in and the next we woke up to an empty spot in the bed. Everything from there was a blur...

Tom caught word that our mother was gone and found us, at that time I knew him as the nice man that helped my mom when we were hurting for food. After all he was the main reason my mother was able to afford a home where she was, he was always there to help when she was out of work at the farm during turn of seasons or didn't have any goods to sell.

My memories of her are faint but are still very real in the emotion they hold, I would trade anything to go back to the innocence of those days. Mother getting Lilly and I dressed in matching dresses and taking us on a picnic, and the songs she would sing as we'd hum along.

The pause between us continues for a moment longer before our attention is drawn to the doors as they burst open with force. Blake comes rushing in and his curled blond strands are pressed to his brow with sweat, his hands are gripped tight to both doors as he holds them open.

"There you two are, Fuck!" He shouts, the volume to his voice reverberating through the building. "Dad sent me and some Troops to look for you two before closing and then the runaway showed up, everyone took him back while I kept looking. I just got the call from dad. When we got word someone was running I thought it was you two..."

His voice is huffed as he makes his way across the room, throwing his arms around the both of us. The weight is familiar and the unpleasant smell of the dog brings a brotherly love to my heart. As soon as that enters it exits, remembering the energy that's left between us.

Blake is Tom's only son and my only other sibling-like relationship I have. He seems to see it in a different light though, he demonstrated that when he tried to kiss me a few months back.

It really unraveled our relationship, before it was so natural and now it feels like there is a cog in the energy we once shared. The thought makes my heart twinge at the break in our bond.