If you were to ask Liliene how to get to her former home, she would confidently say she remembered it. Reality wasn’t as kind. Liliene learned that your brain often makes you think you’re smarter than you actually are.
“Nex?” Liliene called, perched in a tree and looking far away. “What am I looking for again?”
Thankfully for Liliene, the sun had all but set already, painting a small corner of the horizon with a dim, orange glow.
“Lights,” Nex answered, turning a crude map over in her hand, one she had drawn years ago. “We shouldn’t be too far from the village… I think?”
Maybe Nex should have sworn to be a compass instead of a blade.
“Are we lost?”
“No,” Nex answered, her voice higher than usual. “Are you sure you don’t see a mountain in the distance?”
She wouldn’t miss a mountain. Liliene looked again just in case. “Just trees…”
Nex nodded to herself and made a decision. “There’s a chance it’s this way,” she said, pointing straight ahead.
“I think I see smoke. There!” Lili said, pointing in a completely different direction.
Nex had just enough time to change her guess and point in the same direction as Liliene. “Told you, we were on the right track.”
Liliene jumped back to the ground. “You really can do anything!” Her eyes shone as she looked at her big sister, Nex.
“Y-Yes…”
They secured their backpacks again, mostly filled with clothes, and trudged deeper into the forest. Nex led the way, eyes open for any kind of trouble as they walked toward the source of the smoke.
Smoke likely meant humans, so they should be on guard. But humans so deep inside the forest… “Do you think they could be brigands?” Liliene asked, her eyes full of wonder for some reason.
“I hope they are…” Nex wished. Anything for her to restore her honor.
After half an hour of fighting, unfortunately for Nex, only against vegetation, they came upon a small opening between the trees. A campfire burned, and rabbits skewered on spits turned above it.
The smell hit Liliene before anything else. “I’m hungry!” she said, dashing away.
“Lili, wait!” Nex rifled through her bag for her shawl and ran after Liliene.
The three men around the campfire froze when the girl emerged from a bush. Twigs and leaves were knotted in her long blond hair, but she didn’t seem to care as she waved at them. “Hi!”
“Hello?” one of the men answered hesitantly. “We’re quite deep in the forest. Are you lost?”
Liliene shook her head confidently. Nex said they weren’t. “No, I’m looking for my Laura.”
Nex caught up and playfully bonked Liliene on the head. “Think, Lili, think. Why would they even know her?”
Nex quickly scanned them: relaxed, burly, with no weapons in sight save for two axes. Disappointingly, they were just lumberjacks.
One of the men, with a wide build and a wider beard, chuckled. “Little Laura? Redhead Laura? The girl from the trinket shop? She should still be in the village, I think?” he said, asking the one sitting next to him for confirmation.
Nex’s eyes went wide, unsure whether the universe was pulling a giant prank on her or was just being very generous to Liliene. It actually worked…
“Eh, I think. When was she leaving again? Was it after the festival?”
“When’s the festival?” Liliene asked the men. “And what’s a festival, anyway?” she asked Nex discreetly.
“That’s a gathering of celebrating humans.”
“That’s certainly a definition,” the bearded man said with a chuckle. “It should be happening quite soon…” He looked up and, seeing the sky dark, added: “Like… Now.”
Panic overwhelmed Liliene as she turned toward Nex. “Nex! We need to…”
“Would you kindly point us toward your village?” Nex asked with a light bow. “It would be much appreciated.”
“Oh, sure.” One of the men, skinnier than the other two, worried his beard. “I think the simplest way would be to go straight downhill from here. You’ll find a river; it’ll be quite hard to miss. Then you keep following the river downstream.”
“Thanks!” Liliene waved at them energetically, spun on her heel to hurry to the village, then turned back again to face them. The impromptu ballet left them perplexed. “Hm… Can I have a bite?”
That sentence would be much scarier if only they knew what she was. But the bearded man only laughed. “Go ahead, girl. Take a leg for your journey.”
Liliene rushed to the river while munching on her spoils. It wouldn’t do to meet Laura only for her stomach to make noises. Once at the stream of water, she slipped out of her dress. She also couldn’t meet Laura looking that dirty. The red dress was her best choice, the only fancy one in her bag. Besides, Luna had sewn this one herself. She then tried to arrange her hair. Or at least, evict the parts of the forest hitching a ride.
“How do I look?” she asked Nex, spinning around.
“You’re beautiful, Lili. A real princess.” She meant it. Like a mother preparing her daughter for her first ball, she fixed Liliene’s hair behind her ears and tightened her dress. “You know she might not—”
“I know.” Liliene looked at the ground, twirling a lock of her hair around a finger. “We were just kids, I know that. Just… Let me dream. Please.”
Nex sighed and gave Liliene a gentle smile. “Alright. Leave your bag with me. I’ll catch up.” She pinched Liliene’s cheek once. “Now fly, you romantic fool.”
What if Laura was human? If she could make her Liliene shine that brightly, she could be a dog for all she cared. And if Laura forgot about Lili… Nex would follow the trail of pieces and fix Lili’s broken heart herself. And this time, she wouldn’t share the pieces with anyone.
***
Laughter and music entered through Laura’s window, filling her room with the festive ambiance before she even joined her friends. But did she even want to join them?
She had put on her good linen dress, white, embroidered with little blue birds, and arranged her hair in two simple braids, with a few unruly strands taunting her like pieces of grated carrot. She wished she had foundation like the noble girls; her freckles covered her everywhere, from her face, her décolletage, down to her toes, really.
The girl looking back at her in the mirror was just… plain. She wasn’t radiant like the blond girl who still lived in the frame.
Laura’s gaze drifted toward the frame on her desk. It hadn’t moved an inch since the day Luna gave it to her. She wondered what Lili was doing, where she was, or if she was even still alive.
“Laura!” Her mother's exasperated voice came from downstairs. “You’re late. Tommy has been waiting forever!”
“I’m coming, Mom,” she said, probably not loud enough to be heard.
After one last look at herself and a sigh, she walked down the stairs. The door downstairs was already open; Tom stood on her porch, dressed in clean pants and a white shirt.
“Laura… You look beautiful,” he said, reddening as his gaze fell on her.
“Thank you, Tommy. You look…” Nice? Clean? “You look good yourself.”
Her mother emerged from the kitchen and nodded with a satisfied hum upon seeing Laura. “That dress is perfect on you, sweetie. Now out! You youngsters have fun.”
Laura accepted Tom’s arm, and they walked in the direction of the plaza. Before they went too far, Elise's voice shouted behind them.
“And you’re not spending the night out! Not before marriage, you hear me?”
“MOM!” Laura turned, her cheek a deep shade of red. “Tommy’s just my friend. Nothing’s going to happen!”
Her mother laughed, seemingly satisfied with herself, and closed the door behind her.
“Don’t mind her, Tommy. She just wanted to embarrass me.”
“No, I… It’s okay. We’re friends.” He forced a smile.
After reaching the center of the plaza, where a stage had been put together for the weekend, they greeted some mutual friends and started the night with a mug of ale.
Laura looked around: to the children playing, more numerous than when she was their age, to the adults drinking, already raucous. Finally, she looked at the small group of friends her age, who lived awkwardly between the previous two.
In just a few days, she would be in the capital; she couldn’t wait. There was nothing here for her. By now, she knew every trinket in her parents’ shop, and they were just that, trinkets. She wanted to study, to delve, to uncover more.
Red.
“Hm?” Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a figure standing in the shadows, between two buildings. Someone wearing a fancy-looking red dress. She couldn’t tell the exact color in the night, but her hair looked light brown, or maybe blond. “That… That can’t be, right?”
She turned and gave her mug to Tom. “Keep it warm for me. I need to check on something.”
“Laura?” His call fell on deaf ears.
Laura gathered the front of her dress to ease her steps and rush to where she thought she had seen the figure. Standing on tiptoe, she looked left and right and tried to peer into the darker streets.
“Lili?”
She felt so stupid. Why did she say that? There was no way it was her. Yet, a tiny thread of hope worked its way into her heart.
And then, a figure emerged between two buildings, and it couldn’t be human. It was a girl with long, straight blond hair, so pale it was almost white, so thin it caught against her parted lips at the smallest breeze. They were fuller now, her lips, especially the lower one. She was taller also, her features so much sharper than they had been; yet she had that sort of idiot baby face still. Unmistakably her Lili. Her finely made red dress traced a lean, wiry figure; more angles than curves. Laura finally met her eyes; they were the color of blood.
“Lili?” Laura repeated, her lips trembling.
“Hm. Hi, Laura.” All of her earlier confidence had evaporated. “I wanted to say hi earlier but… You were already taken.” Lili chewed on her lip. In her hands were three small, white flowers she had picked along the way.
“Taken?” Laura turned around, and from their spot, she had the perfect view of the stage and the bar nearby. Tom sat with his friends, glancing their way now and then. “Oh, no. Tom is just a friend.”
“Oh.” Hopefully, the night would hide Liliene’s cheeks. “Then… I brought them,” she said, presenting the three flowers to Laura. “For you.”
Laura took them, and for a moment, they were nine again. She slid their stems into her left braid, spacing them evenly. “How does it look?”
Lili had no idea; her gaze couldn’t leave Laura’s green eyes. “Very pretty.” Liliene took a tentative step toward Laura. “What are you celebrating?” she asked, glancing just once at the plaza.
“It’s just everyone’s coming-of-age. Mine, Tommy, and the others.”
“Hm?” Liliene tilted her head. “What does it mean?”
“It doesn’t really mean anything. It’s just a party for everyone who became an adult this year.”
“Oh, so you’re an adult now.” Liliene had no idea what that meant, but nodded sagely anyway. Nex said a festival was a human thing, so it was probably a human concept. Was she also an adult herself? She should check with Nex; maybe it was different for vampires, demons, or whatever she was. Both?
“Do you want to join us?” Laura asked, fiddling with her fingers.
“I… I’d like to, but… I’m not sure it’s a good idea. Last time…”
Laura bit her lip but found no rebuke. If someone recognized Lili, they would surely panic.
“I promised Tommy a dance,” she confessed, her voice low. “Will you wait for me? I swear I’ll be quick.”
Liliene’s lips pushed together in a pout she was convinced was subtle. “Hm. O-Of course. You promised, after all.”
Laura’s feet were rooted to the spot. That first step away from Lili took more willpower than anything else she had ever done. But she managed. One step at a time, she joined her friends, turning every now and then to check if Liliene had moved.
“Laura? Who was that with you?” Tom asked.
“A long-time friend.”
Laura's response left Tom speechless. He had known her for a very long time. He had seen her sad, angry, or joyful. But never bashful.
“Tommy,” she said, holding his gaze. “Do you want to dance?”
“Y-Yes!” He stood rigidly. “With pleasure.”
They headed to the stage. The orchestra struck up a lively traditional dance with simple choreography. They linked arms, twirled, and switched which arms were linked.
The dance stopped before Laura got truly out of breath.
“Laura,” Tom called her as she was already turning away. “I was thinking… I could move out to the capital, too. I could support you with your studies.”
“Tom…” Laura looked at him with something that was barely a smile. “We’re just friends.”
“We don’t have to be. We can—” He looked at the ground. “Sorry. You… Even during our dates, you were never really with me, were you?”
“I’m sorry, Tom.”
She turned without looking back. Laura’s heart sank; the quiet spot between the buildings was now empty. Liliene was gone. Panic almost got to her before she remembered. She rushed home.
“Laura? Aren’t you with your friends?” her mother asked as Laura stormed into the store’s back room.
“I’m borrowing the music box!”
She darted away before her mother could protest. The way to the clearing was dark, the moon not reaching that deep under the canopy. But it was a path she knew by heart.
Standing in the clearing, bathed in the moonlight, was Liliene, her face lifted toward the stars.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Liliene didn’t answer and instead looked at Laura, then huffed. The sight made Laura snort. “Are you pouting?”
“I’m not,” Liliene lied. “I just… I felt weird watching you. I didn’t like it.”
Laura simply put the music box onto the ground and pressed the button. Slowly, with careful steps, she approached Liliene until she stood right beside her.
“Then… will you dance with me, Lili?”
Liliene finally turned to look at Laura’s inviting hands.
“How does it work? I’ve never…”
Laura held one of Liliene’s hands in hers, then guided the other around her waist.
“It’s simple. We just turn and follow the music. Preferably without stepping on each other’s feet.”
It was the same tune as when they first talked, with the same grating sound. When the unknown female voice started singing, they moved.
“See? Easy.” From up close, Laura realized she now had to look up to meet Liliene’s eyes. “Do you like it?”
“Hm.” Liliene nodded, deep in concentration on her own steps. “It’s nice.” After finding a rhythm she thought she could keep without looking down, she finally met Laura’s gaze. “I… I thought about you. A lot.”
A faint blush dusted Laura’s cheeks as soon as their eyes met. Liliene was unfairly pretty now. “I also… I missed you.” She tentatively rested her head against Liliene’s shoulder. “You’ll have to tell me everything. I want to know what happened to you, where you were, everything.”
Liliene nodded and slowly let her cheek rest against Laura’s head. “Hm. I will. Promise. You’ll also have to. How’s your mom?”
“Fine. Still the same.” Laura curiously looked around. “Are Nex and Luna with you?” She didn’t miss the jolt of tension running through Liliene’s body.
Just silence. Liliene said nothing for a while. “Can we… talk about it later? For now, I think I like dancing with you.”
There was no need for words for a while, only two girls twirling under the moonlight.