‘Isn`t it a good day to forget something special?’
‘Racy, you should find a new joke for the next year. This one seems quite old-fashioned.’
‘I know, but a new purple friend will make you change your mind.’
‘Are you kidding? Racy, it`s too expensive.’
‘I hope it worth it`s cost.’
‘He looks so gorgeous.’
‘Have you just called a cactus he? Are you visiting your psychologist today? Don`t forget to tell her that.’
‘Thank you so much. I wish I could give you the same awesome prize on your birthday.’
*School bell rings*
‘Again? Mrs Kent is going to hate us.’
‘Go without me, Lily. I have to check something.’
Lily was running and as it usually happens she fell off right on a boy.
‘I am so sorry. I didn`t mean to do it.’
‘Lily Gilbert. Is that you? I`ve heard a lot from Tony about you. No surprise you were about to kill me. Now excuse me, I shouldn`t be late for the biology class.’
Lily quickly put up books and went to the class.
‘Well well well. Who is standing here? Mr Connor and Mrs Gilbert late again. Will you ever come in time? I think I must give you an extra project. Maybe it will teach you how to be punctual. If you don`t do it till Thursday I will have to go to the head teacher. The project will be “Changing of the temperature in winter for 5 years and how it’s connected to ecology”. Quite hard but not for 2 people.’
‘Do I have to do it with the girl?’
‘Yes, Vincent that is how the project works.’
‘He is not guilty of that. I was running and knocked him down. That all my fault.’
‘I don`t care. You are both late and that`s the only thing that I should know. Other is your problems. Now take your seats and let me continue.’
The confession was quite hard for Lily. Of course, she can accept when she is wrong but when it comes to teachers, she can never argue with them.
‘I am sorry, Vincent…’
‘You didn`t mean it. I have already heard it today. Do you have some news for me? Otherwise, go away.’
‘I can do the whole project myself, and we will tell Mrs Kemp that we were doing it together.’
‘Yeah, and when she will say what do you prefer a bad mark for you or a truth. What will you choose?’
‘The bad mark.’
‘Sweet little liar. We`ll do it together at my home at 3 p.m. and I don`t care if it`s unsuitable for you.’
‘May I ask for an address?’
‘Ask your sister.’
Suddenly it seemed like he was going to laugh at Lily when someone who does it every day appeared.
‘This orphan isn`t my sister. She is just a weird stupid sick child.’
‘Morning, Tony. You look gorgeous today.’
‘Have I ever looked in other way, Vincent?’
‘No, I am sorry for giving you an opportunity to question it.’
‘Orphan, my dad has asked you to come home earlier today. He said it`s connected to dead people.’
‘What dead people you are talking about?’
‘Your parents, silly. I`ve tried to say it carefully, but you are too mindless.’
Lily could say nothing. She has never heard anything connected to her parents since the crash. After school, she was running so fast that was close to be killed by a car, but it did not stop her.
‘Lily, you came faster than I thought. We were about to finish our own present, but I think you might have it after work as it is far from being ready right now.’
‘I… Tony told me that it`s connected to… my… my parents. Is it true?’
‘Yes, you see when a police officer searched your old home he found something interesting. It was a box with number 17 and “To our daughter” on a letter. And I think it belongs to you.’
Lily was trembling, her hands could not take anything. She became pale, and it seemed like she wasn`t listening to Mr Gilbert. It is a mix of terrified and interested person. She opened the letter.
"Hi, Elizabeth, I hope you still have that name. Something bad is coming on us, so I don’t think, that we will be alive till your 17th birthday. I am sorry if we died so early, but we needed to do this. Later you will understand this. I just want to say: If you feel, like something changed in yourself, open the book. But before that don’t even touch it. Hide it. But you should wear the necklace and never take it off. Even for sleep or taking shower. Please.
With all our love,
Keven & Nicol Page"
Lily`s eyes was full of sadness. She nearly started to cry, but she wore a necklace and ran to Vincent`s house that he had sent her in a message.
‘How did you get my phone number?’
‘Are you friend with Grace?’
‘Yes.’
‘We are in the same “book club” if you know what I am talking about.’
‘I got it. Let’s start the project. I need to write your full name. Can you tell me?’
‘Vincent O'Connor. "O" doesn’t mean my second name. It’s just a double surname.’
‘I understand. I am not that silly.’
‘Weirdo, I have to ask you one question. You have no right not to answer or there will be some new rumours about you in the school. Are you free?’
‘Firstly, my name isn`t weirdo. Secondly, why does it even bother you?’
‘I have to control rumours. And if a girl I talked to for an hour has a boyfriend and I don`t know it, my reputation will go down.’
‘I don`t have a boyfriend.’
‘Why I wasn`t surprised?’
Lily was making some searches for a project while Vincent was looking on the wall.
‘You have made a mistake. We do not write like this. It`s better to rephrase this sentence. Give it to me.’
This way he made a half of the project till 5 p.m. when she ran to the café. It was maybe the only place she wished to be in. The café is a great place to get rid of unwanted thoughts and finally concentrate on something important.
‘Are you here oldy?’
‘Evening, Lucas. What are you doing down there?’
‘Here it is. Happy Birthday! That’s the best present you have ever had in your life.’
‘Don`t be so confident.’
‘It`s a small but a very special notebook for you. It has many sections like for drawing, mood tracker and even some stickers in the end. And the best thing is that it`s the only one existing. No one will ever have the same. As it was done by me. My brother, who works on a factory, helped me with printing but everything else is done by me.’
‘Lucas, it`s so great. I really love it. Thank you so much.’
‘It`s a pleasure for me to finally see you happy.’
Lily has never got so many presents in her life and the other one was waiting to her at home according to Mr Gilbert`s message.
When she came home, she saw a dirty kitchen and 2 kids with tired and happy eyes staring at her. They were singing a song Happy Birthday and someone behind them was getting closer. It was Mr Gilbert who was holding a purple cake with pink letters saying “For Lily”.
Unfortunately, the good story couldn`t last forever, and it was ruined by Tony.
‘Why are you shouting so much? I cannot concentrate on my homework!’
‘Tony, it`s our sister`s birthday.’
‘Do we have a sister, little Jace?’
‘I have only one sister, and it is Lily!’
‘Jace, stop. Apologize to Tony!’
‘But that is the truth. She was never with us since mum became drunker. I remember it from an early childhood.’
‘John, Jace, stop and apologize. It isn`t right to say like this. She is your sister and so am I. However, it is up to her to decide whether I am a family for her.’
‘And I have decided that you are the main problem. Dad have to pay for your psychologist, for your education and so on while you are not even his daughter!’
Mr Gilbert hated when someone said things like that, so he could hardly control his emotions.
‘You`d better to calm down and go to your room, Tony. Now!’
Tony turned back and went on the second floor where she loudly shut down her door.
‘Lily, I am terribly sorry for her.’
‘You don`t have to, Mr Gilbert. I should talk to her.’
Lily went upstairs right to Tony`s door.
'I am terribly sorry for that. They are just kids. They don`t know what they are talking about?'
'Even John? He is 14. And dad. He always takes your side because he fell sorry for you. You use him all that time no matter that he isn`t your dad.'
'I think you are wrong. But I cannot change your mind about me. Just be kind to children. They are going to love you. Please, understand that not all your problems were made by me.'