*EDIT 12/20/18* This story is edited and beta'd by exaigon on both Fanfiction.Net and on a03 but I'm too lazy to update each and every chapter for this story on here so if you want to read the superior less flawed version go there if not enjoy the original unedited version I wrote. I may update this story with the newer version at some point if I do I'll remove this note.
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"Are we there yet?"
A bouncing little brunette girl asks with excitement in her voice from the back seat of her dad's car.
"The answer hasn't changed since the last time you asked me five minutes ago sweetie." Her dad answers.
"I know you're excited about spending the summer with your grandmother but remember patience is-"
"An important skill to develop, I know but I'm eight patience is practically a non-requirement and can wait a few more years." She basically quotes as her father sighs, "That's your mother talking."
The girl shakes her head, "No dad mom's not here I was talking!" She says smartly.
"You know what I mea-" Not letting him continue she once again asks, "Are we there yet?"
"Lillian!" He practically shouts in frustration.
"It's Lily!" She stops bouncing and shouts back after all shouting is all she's heard lately so she may as well do it too.
He glares into the rearview mirror, "Don't yell at me young lady I can always turn this car right back around and leave you with your uncle Sam this summer instead."
Dark eyes grow wide at the threat as she quickly shakes her head, "No! I'm sorry!", looking down she mumbles "but it is..."
Apologizing wasn't something the little girl liked but it was so much better than going to Uncle Sam's house he collected nasty dead bugs and hung them around his house... he was weird!
A few minutes later the little girl known as Lily is still pouting and playing her handheld when her dad speaks, "Look Lilypad it's the Santa Carla sign."
"So... we're here now?" She asks, and he sighs, "Almost," At that she unbuckles her seatbelt and moves to her knees to get a closer look out of the window as her dad hollers at her to put it back on, "Ohh lookit," she points, "someone wrote on the sign, they're not supposed to do that are they?" She tilts her head curiously while looking out the back window as they pass it.
"No, they're not just like you are not supposed to unbuckle while the car is moving! Now get your seatbelt back on this instant!" His tone was irritated and knowing better than to keep pushing him she listened.
"Oh okay." She exaggeratedly flops back down and does as she's told while mumbling to herself, "I'll just have to take it off again in a second so why bother?" Her father pretends not to hear her while glancing at the rear-view mirror to make sure she's actually doing as he said.
Once she's back in the uncomfortable seatbelt she grabs her recently discarded handheld from beside her, "Wouldn't you rather look outside than play that thing?" Frowning without letting her eyes leave the screen she answers, "Not if I can't get a good look there's no point." He sighs again, "Never should've bought you that thing."
Ignoring him she pets the puppy on the screen with her finger, it's the closest she can get to actually petting them most days since her daddy was allergic though truthfully, she just thought it was an excuse he told her so that she couldn't have one, what he was really allergic to was fun she thought to herself.
Feeding the dog on screen she a thought occurs to her.
"Does grandma have a dog?"
"No, she doesn't." Is the instant reply.
"Why not?" The girl tosses the fake dog a bone, "Same reason we don't."
The small girl doubted her grandmother was allergic to fun like him but didn't say so, "But you said you never lived in grandpa's grandpa's house where grandma lives now so why not?"
"Because." She hated that answer, it was a non-answer and probably the reason him and mom fought so much.
"Because why?" She asked despite knowing she was annoying him mostly she didn't care that she was because he was annoying her too.
His voice wasn't very happy sounding as he answers, "Because your grandmother has better things to do than look after some mangy mutt."
Glancing up at his tense form she quietly mumbles, "Wouldn't be mangy if you loved it..."
In her mind she couldn't help but question if he even still loves her, after all the reason she's so excited to go to a grandmother that she's only meet a handful of times is because lately all he does is yell at her to go to her room, so he can yell at her mom though mommy yells back still... he started yelling first usually.
Her thoughts are interrupted as he starts to speak again, "Besides you don't need a dog to play with you'll have your grandmother."
Yeah but she's old and probably sleeps a lot is what she thinks but instead of saying that she counter with another question.
"Does she have a cat?"
"Lillian!" He says in exasperation.
She mutters under her breathe, "It's Lily..."
It's really not that hard to remember she contemplates but lately he calls her by her full name all the time.
A few minutes later they pull into the drive but before the car is completely stopped her seatbelt is off and the car's back door is open, "Lillian!" He calls but she ignores him and jumps out of the slightly moving car yelling, "It's Lily!" Before running for the front porch where her grandma is waiting.
"Grandma!" She runs up and hugs her around the waist, "Do you remember me?" Lily asks while looking into her grandmother's laughing face.
"Of course I remember my favorite granddaughter."
"I'm your only granddaughter!" She laughs as well, "Well then how could I possibly forget!" The older woman states happily.
"Lillian!" Shouts her father as he storms up the steps, said girl squeaks and hides behind her grandmother's skirt before he reaches them his face is doing that changing color thing again she knows she's in for it now.
"You little lady are grounded! What did I tell you about waiting until the car completely stopped before jumping out of it?"
Not saying anything she hugs her grandma's skirt some more while peeking out to look at his angry face, "Oh, come now Chris it was hardly moving she's fine."
He starts doing his breathing exercises that his young daughter recalls the doctor telling him to start doing recently because something about blood and sugar... adults are strange is the only thing that the girl can come up with from that. Before he finishes her grandma speaks, "Why don't you head on inside, I made some cookies they're in the kitchen I'll call you out before he leaves so you can say goodbye." Before the words completely left her mouth the girl was taking off.
"Mom you'll ruin her appetite if you feed her junk food and she hardly needs the sugar she's already got too much energy."
Hiding just inside the door the young Emerson girl presses her ear to the door to eavesdrop, "Chris I know you're stressed right now but try not to take it out on Lily this must be hard on her too." His mother says consolingly, she can practically hear his pacing.
"Lately she's just been acting out and back talking me I'm sure it's her mother's influence I know it sounds paranoid, but I think she's trying to turn her against me." Lily almost opens the door to yell at him for saying that but knows better than to give away the fact that she's been listening, so instead, she bites her tongue.
"You aren't paranoid just... under a lot of pressure, I thought the counseling was helping the two of you?" The question is asked in a kind tone, "It's complicated..." No, it's really not he's just not trying anymore, neither of them are, but he gave up trying to understand her mom first from the young girl's point of view.
"But you are taking the counselors advice right... I mean that's why I'm watching Lily so that you and Beth can work things out this summer?" She thought he just wanted her gone but if it's to spend time with mom maybe things will be okay...
"I don't think there's anything to work out... I'm pretty sure this marriage is over." The girl's brown eyes get misty as she quickly moves away from the door not wanting to hear anymore she knew it! He's not trying to make things better, he's the worst!
Wiping her eyes with her arm she moves through the hallway and into the living room completely forgetting about the promised cookies in the kitchen, the walls are made out of wood looking around she gets the feeling of being in a cabin instead of a house like the one she grew up in. The walls have a few family pictures scattered around but mostly they're empty except for the large noticeable cross taking up half of one of the walls.
The television is small and so is the couch in front of it, actually, it only has two seats, so it was a loveseat, not a couch she realizes. Then looking to the far right there was an old music thing against the wall, but she wasn't sure what it was called having never seen one outside of old movies it also seemed to be broken upon closer inspection as she walks up to it and touches the damaged parts.
Moving away from the vintage music maker Lily wanders further into the living room it was big, open, and felt kinda empty despite the few pieces of furniture, mostly though it felt boring. After a few minutes she decides to go look upstairs, once there she finds the bathroom also boring with no style whatsoever but that was old people for you. Next there was a couple of bedrooms, they don't look like they've been used for a while there's not much in them either just some old posters and a lot of dust, one even has a bunch of dead stuffed animals in the closet so she decides to use the other bedroom's bed to lie down on, it seemed newer or less dusty than the other one anyways plus no dead things in the closet.
Facing the wall her excitement and energy from earlier have all but dried up and Lily finds herself drifting off to sleep, at one point she hears her grandmother's voice calling her from downstairs to come say goodbye to her dad, but the little brunette just moves the pillow to block out the noise not wanting to go see him.
The next time she comes to is a short while later when the door opens, and her grandma shakes her shoulder but getting no response, she leaves her whispered words of how tried the ride must have made her barely reaching her ears as she drifts off once again.
All the while not noticing that she wasn't alone.
When she opens her eyes next the room is much darker than it was the last time they were open, she looks around the darkened room in confusion for a moment before remembering where she was.
"I'm at grandma's house..."
Running a hand through her long messy bedhead to try and tame the tangled curls she quickly gives up when her stomach lets out a growl that could be mistaken for a monster or a bear both of which where things she was scared of and makes her come to the quick realization that she missed lunch. After a quick bathroom break, the girl heads downstairs just in time to smell something delicious coming from the kitchen, "There you are, I was just about to come wake you up for dinner." Her smile is contagious and causes Lily to grin too and ask happily, "You made spaghetti?"
"Your father said it was your favorite." At her words, the girl's smile drops, "Something wrong?" The elder woman asks seeing her granddaughter's expression, "No..."
She doesn't buy it though, "Oh you probably miss your dad," Not really, she thinks but heads to the table in silence, "well don't be sad he did come say goodbye, but you were sleeping so soundly that he didn't want to wake you."
She puts a plate in front of Lily and starts to serve them both as she continues, "he said he'd call regularly, speaking of he brought your things upstairs to the room you were sleeping in. Oh, and your cell phone should be with it," Sitting down she frowns and swats lightly at the girl's hand, "Not yet we have to say grace first."
"Right..."
Dad had said that grandma was religious and she vaguely recalled them saying grace when her grams came to visit but she couldn't recall any words in particular as at home they never really ate together or at the same times that and her mom called religion 'a crazy acid induced dream someone had before they even had acid' whatever that means.
"Why don't you say grace tonight?" Her face must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights, "Umm..." Her grandmother sighed, "Your father does say grace when you sit down to eat does he not?"
"...When he's home..." It was only a half lie, he used to when he was home but that was a long time ago, she hardly remembers that time and lately anything that her parents don't agree on just doesn't get said until she's in her room it's like they think closing a door means that she can't hear them.
"Alright I'll say it tonight and then it'll be your turn tomorrow how's that sound?"
She nods her head in agreement glad to be spared for the night and prepares to listen so that she can copy the words for tomorrow but just as her grandma opens her mouth to start saying grace lights start flashing through the kitchen windows and the sound of engines and laughter started. Her grandmother grabs at the cross around her neck and jumps up from the table before closing the blinds forcefully and yelling something about them not being welcome here and doing a thing she's seen in movies where a person uses their fingers to touch their forehead and shoulders, it's supposed to be a cross thing right?
A way to scare off demons but those were only in movies, movies she wasn't supposed to watch but having caught a few on light night tv when her parents' voices kept her from falling asleep and she wanted something to do.
She doesn't get this though people ride bikes all the time in the city where she lives, though not usually so close to her house or at night as far as she knows. Still, it wasn't scary enough to pray over, was it? It's not like it was a bear or a monster cause mama told her those weren't real and her mom knows everything. Not wanting to eat her food cold the girl sneaks in a few bites while her grandmother stands at the window still saying a few prays under her breath and clutching her cross.
By the time it stops, and the girl's grandma returns to the table looking far too pale and distracted to notice that half of her granddaughter's food is gone or that her face has the evidence of her crime displayed in the form of the sauce on it. Instead, she quickly and quietly says grace, something about being grateful for bread or something even though they don't have any bread, garlic bread would've been nice with her spaghetti though the young brunette thinks.
After a few minutes of silence, she asks, "Grandma?" getting no reply, she speaks louder, "Grandma Star?" This causes her to look up from her food startled, "Oh yes what is it?" Her hands are twirling her food the little girl notices that she has barely taken a bite, "Are you okay... it was just motorbikes don't be scared."
"They can't hurt you unless you stand in front of a moving one." The granddaughter helpfully supplies.
Grimacing she lays her fork down, "I have to ask you something, Lilian." The little girl barely bites back the automatic response of 'It's Lily.' Instead, she asks, "What?"
"You know better than to let in strangers, don't you?" Her dark eyes stare straight into a younger set of very similar looking eyes as she asks, "Of course I am eight, I don't talk to strangers or answer the door for them."
Her grandmom smiles slightly, "I'm glad, that means if you hear someone ask you to let them in you say no." She nods, "Even if you don't see them if you hear or even feel them you tell them 'no' or 'go away' and they'll leave you alone because they won't have any power over you." The young brunette looks confused, "I don't get it... what do you mean not see them and how do you feel someone if you can't see them?"
The older graying brunette sighs, "You don't have to get it just think of it as 'house rules' and don't let anyone you don't know inside no matter what alright?" The girl slowly nods but then her hand is grabbed and squeezed hard, "No matter what understand."
No, she didn't but her head nods faster and she answers the opposite, "I understand."
"Good now let's finish eating and call it a night early I'm exhausted and I'm sure you could use some more sleep after that long drive." She wasn't tired but decides not to say so, with that the two eat their cold spaghetti in silence.
Not long after the two were in the room Lily spent most of the day sleeping in and the graying woman was tucking her in, "No then let's pray, just repeat after me okay." Nodding she folds her hands in the same way as the older woman and closes her eyes too, "Now I lay me down to sleep," the girl parrots the words, "I pray the Lord my soul to keep," the girl copies, "If I should die before I wake," her granddaughter goes quiet and opens her eyes to look at the older of the two before saying, "But I dunno wanna die."
She sighs and opens her eyes to look back at her, "You are perfectly fine so that shouldn't happen to you anytime soon, so let's continue." After thinking she's pacified the little brunette she closes her eyes again, "But..."
The elder woman cuts her off sternly, "Let's continue."
Frowning and looking at her grandmother's closed eyes she lays her hands on her lap and grumbly replies, "Okay..." Still watching her grandma's face, she crosses her fingers in her lap, "If I should...die before I wake."
The little girl smiles at getting away with it and uncrosses her fingers in case the other's eyes open, "I pray the Lord my soul to take." Once again, the young girl doesn't continue,
"What if I want to stay here?" She whispers, funnily enough, she feels eyes on her, but her grandmother's eyes are still closed.
"You don't want that, now finish the pray please." Her wrinkles are more prominent now that her face is upset even more so than when they were downstairs but even though she didn't want to make her angry she didn't want to die or lose her soul either because that was scary and so she told her so.
"But I do, I don't wanna die!" Her voice was shaky as she was getting worked up the girl did not want to think about death.
"Lilian please finish saying the prayer," It was a demand, not a plea the girl knew the difference but didn't care. "We will talk about this tomorrow, just say the last line!" The older woman was also getting worked up at the younger's refusal.
"Nope, goodnight." With that she rolls over and pulls the covers over her head, her grandmother's upset voice is drowned out by her hands covering her ears like she does at home sometimes, the covers are pulled off of her face, but her eyes are closed, she hears something about her 'childishness' but then the door shuts and her hands leave her ears and she sits up sticking her tongue out at the door.
Seeing a cross laying next to her on the desk beside the bed she picks it up and tosses it to the floor.
"She's just like daddy..."
Tears start to form in her eyes, but she brings up her arm and wipes them forcefully to keep them from falling. She didn't want to talk about death or think about it because doing so made her picture him... her little brother, he was so very still and quiet. She didn't want to be that still or quiet not ever it was wrong and scary.
Not dwelling on it any longer she got out of bed and pressed her ear up to the door she didn't hear anything, so the girl opened the door and peered outside of it. Seeing no one she quietly walks into the hallway and then makes her way to the stairs noting that all the lights downstairs seem to be off but just to be sure that the cost is clear she takes slow steps as she sneaks down the staircase.
Pausing every now and then to listen she finally makes it to the bottom and looks around, it was hard to make out anything in the dark but somehow the dark-haired little girl makes her way to the living room couch.
It takes her a minute to find the remote in the dark but when she does she turns on the tv set, it doesn't take long to find out the old tv only has a few channels so mostly she just channel surfs as it's something to do and takes her mind off of things she'd rather not think on, after about her third time going through them something glowing catches her attention out of the corner of her eye but when she turns towards it she doesn't see anything other than that big old broken music box.
Her curiosity is peeked though so she drops the remote on the couch and walks up to it only for it to suddenly start playing, it makes her jump startled before the young Emerson girl stares at it with amazed wide eyes. The music is not quiet, but she momentarily forgets about her sleeping grandmother, the song isn't familiar but sounds nice enough and it has lights on it too so the little girl is entranced by it but how is it playing she wonders. Maybe it was the light that she saw before but as if someone heard her thinking that another glow appears at the corner of her vision.
Turning towards it she's surprised to still see it there, it looks like the tip of a cigarette and now she can smell it too.
Does grandma smoke? She didn't think so but who else could it be then?
"Hello, Lily..."
A voice whispers it sounds almost like the wind if the wind could speak that is.
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." She whispers back only just now realizing that the loud music should have drowned out the words she'd just heard but despite the sound, it was a clear voice if somewhat unusual. A chuckle comes from behind her, but turning around she sees nothing and no one behind her it sounded like the voice from before but the glow from the cigarette hasn't moved, "We're not strangers, why I'd say we're practically family."
The girl whirls back to face the light of the cigarette where the voice is coming from, "We're not family..."
"Your grandpa Michael was practically our brother, so I say that makes us family."
"You knew grandpa?" Lily asks curiously, "Yes."
"Who... who are you?"
She didn't realize she had walked closer to the glow of the cigarette until it disappeared, and she only had the faint glow of the tv and the music box behind her. The smell of cigarette smoke was suddenly much closer, and she could feel someones breathe on her ear, "I'm David."
Another voice, a different voice speaks then, "Nice to meet you, little sister." It sounded like the wind too.
"Sister?" As soon as the words left her all the light and sound left the room, everything cut off and then suddenly the light was turned on and her grandmother was there.
"Lilian what are you doing?" She asks in a warmer voice than she had when they were both up in her room earlier, Lily doesn't say anything just looks around for the people she was speaking too but all she sees is the same boring living room, it was exactly the same as it was before aside from the big cross right above her head, "Grandma did the cross always look like that?" She asked pointing up at it, her grandmother's gasp came from behind her.
The cross was cracked in half and covered in moss and mildew nothing like it's pristine white image from earlier.
The young girl had no idea something could get so dirty so quickly and it wasn't broken before, was it?
"Lilian what did you do!?" Her grandmother asks horrified, looking away from the cross Lily's eyes widen as she turns away from the cross to look up into her grandmother's face and she can see it in her eyes, she thinks it's Lily's fault. The girl in question does what any other little girl would do and denies it by throwing a mini tantrum upset at being blamed, "What do you mean, I didn't do anything!"
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review! This version is a bit more updated than the Fanfiction.Net one currently but I plan to fix that once chapter two is ready to be posted.