[old] hexes for exes, briarville girls (1)

二十三。死亡的翅膀

Livia let out a soft sigh. She had no idea where her mother had gone, and the house now felt oddly empty without anyone else in it. For a moment, the girl considered turning on the music. After a bit of thought, Livia did just so, letting the beat take over the silent house, her body swaying to the melody (as much as she could, considering she's sitting on a couch anyways).

It was much too big. It still felt hollow, but it was better than before. Livia was too lazy to try anything else anyways, so she stuck with that position.

For a bit, that was all Livia did. After she finished her article, she laid down on the sofa and stared at the ceiling. She didn't know how much time passed. She didn't care how much time passed.

And then: a knock.

Maybe knocks would be the better way to describe the frantic drumming against the front door, as Livia frowned. Quickly turning off the music, Livia walked towards the front door, opening it. Before she could bother seeing who it was, she asked, "Who's there?"

"Uh..."

"Oh, it's you."

James McHill in all his opulent glory. Livia frowned, leaning against the doorway. "If you're here for something useless, please go away. If you're here for Pamela, she's out. If you're here for my parents, they're not home either."

"I can't be here for you?"

Livia rolled her eyes so hard her whites were showing. "Don't kid yourself, McHill. What do you want?"

James shied away from her gaze. "If that's how you're going to act, I don't think I want to tell you anymore."

James was upset, Livia could tell that much. And now, he's baiting Livia. Fine. Two can play this game.

"What do you want?" Livia asked once more, tapping her fingers on her phone, growing more and more impatient. "Let's get this done with, shall we?"

It's probably another attempt to rile her up. Maybe James wants to borrow something. Maybe this is about Melody.

What came out of James' mouth was not what Livia expected.

"Remember my grandpa?"

"Maternal or paternal?"

"Maternal."

"The one in France?"

"The one in France."

Livia knew which one. She had visited them with the McHills once, years ago, when they went to Paris for a short trip. Grandpa Durand was absolutely wonderful to her.

"What happened?"

"He died."

Livia froze. She hadn't expected that. She was expecting something like "he's coming to visit and he wants to see you again!" Not that the man is dead.

By this point, James had his eyes shut, swallowing. "He's gone. Gone forever. He died in his sleep."

Livia stood there for another moment, before nimbly pushing open the door. James recoiled, obviously surprised by the act. He had not been expecting Livia to let him in, to even talk to him. He probably thought Livia would slam the door close in his face.

"Come in. I'll make you some tea."

For the next few minutes, Livia led James into the living room, pushing away her things to make room. She then made him a nice cup of Chinese tea, handing it to him carefully.

"It's hot," she informed him. James nodded in thanks, accepting the cup. Livia could still tell that he was numb- or just surprised, she couldn't tell. She didn't bother trying to.