Lilly opened her eyes to find the sun shining in her face. For once, she was happy about it.
“Hello, Mr. Sun. Isn’t it a beautiful day!” She jumped out of bed and quickly brushed her hair. She skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Birthday Girl!” Juliet said setting a big plate of pancakes in front of Lilly. “So this morning I was thinking that we could go and get your license.” Lilly almost did a spit take with her milk.
“Yes!” she exclaimed jumping up and hugging Juliet. “Thank you so much!” Lilly ran upstairs to get dressed, then they drove to the DMV. The place was packed. She sat there for three hours waiting to get her license. When it was finally her turn, she took a deep breath and walked to the car.
Juliet was sitting in the waiting room, nervously bouncing her knee. She thought of Lilly as her own daughter, but that was not true. She was asked to protect her and she took her job very seriously. Now that Lilly was starting to ask questions about her real parents, she didn’t know how long she could keep it a secret.
“Mom! Mom!” Lilly ran up to Juliet. “I got my license!” She waved the plastic card in her face.
“That’s great, honey,” Juliet said and they walked out to the car. Juliet drove them to the grocery store to pick up Lilly’s cake, then they went back home. Lilly opened the front door and turned on the light.
“SURPRISE!” Her friends popped out from behind the furniture. Lilly almost dropped the cake.
“Oh my gosh,” she said, covering her mouth with one hand. Tears started to well up in the corners of her eyes. “This is so sweet. Thank you guys so much.” Juliet took the cake from Lilly and set it on the table.
After the party, Lilly and Juliet were washing dishes.
“Okay, Mom,” Lilly said. “Now I am going to ask my questions. Remember, you promised to answer them truthfully.”
Juliet sighed. “Fine, but first let me go get something.” Lilly heard her walk upstairs. She had just finished washing the dishes when Juliet reentered the kitchen. Juliet was carrying an envelope. They sat down at the table and Juliet handed Lilly the letter.
“It’s from your parents,” she said. Lilly slowly opened the letter.
Our dearest Lilly,
Today is your 16th birthday. You must be so grown up. We wish we could be there with you. You are the most precious thing in our lives. We just wanted to let you know that we love you very, very much and we never wanted to give you away. We only did it because we knew that it was the best thing for you. We only had your best interests in mind. We love you so much and we hope that you are happy.
Love,
Mom and Dad
Tears ran down Lilly’s face as she read the last line. She looked up at Juliet who smiled.
“Now, what are your questions?” She said.
Lilly took a deep breath. “First of all, are they alive?”
“Yes,” Juliet nodded. “As far as I know.” Lilly’s heart swelled. They continued talking deep into the night. Lilly walked up to her room, too excited to sleep. She pulled out her computer. She thought for a second, then typed one word into the search engine. Magic. Dozens of sites appeared on the screen. Lilly skimmed through the links, finally clicking a review called “The People” by some psychologist. As Lilly read the essay, it talked about how fairies could speak any language, they were short, and they had the ability to heal.
What if I’m a fairy, she thought. No that’s stupid. I can’t be a fairy. But why do I have some of these same abilities. Then it occurred to her.
“What if one of my parents was a fairy,” she said. She decided to talk to Juliet about it. Lilly walked down the stairs and towards her mother’s room. She started to open the door, but she heard voices. She pressed her ear against the wood and listened.
Juliet looked at the computer screen. Her big brother, Butler, had a look of concern on his face.
“Is everything alright, Juliet?” he asked.
Juliet put her head in her hands. “I don’t know how much longer I can go, Butler. Lilly has started to ask questions about her real parents and it is killing me to lie to her. I wish I could just tell her that her parents are some of my best friends.”
“I know it’s hard,” Butler said, wishing that he could wrap his arms around his sister. “But it’s better this way. Lilly is much safer not knowing who her real parents are.”
“You’re right. As long as she stays far away from Dublin, we won’t have to worry about her meeting her father,” Juliet said.
Lilly slapped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from crying out in horror. Juliet had lied to her. She knew her parents personally and she never told her. Tears ran down Lilly’s face as she raced to her room. She grabbed her suitcase and started throwing clothes in it. She grabbed her laptop, laptop charger, and phone charger.
Lilly walked over to her closet. She opened the door and moved aside a loose board. Sitting in a shoebox was $3000 she had been saving to buy a car. She quietly walked to the kitchen and snatched the keys to Juliet’s car. Lilly threw her suitcase in the backseat and raced off down the street.
Juliet said goodbye to her brother and turned off the computer. She sighed and went to check on Lilly. She slowly ascended the stairs and looked around. The room was empty. She checked the bathroom. Nothing. Then, something caught her eye. On the bed was a note with Lilly’s handwriting on it. Two words covered the page.
YOU LIAR!!!!
Juliet gasped and ran down to the kitchen. She dialed Butler’s number. The phone rang twice.
“Hello.”
“Butler, she’s gone. She overheard me talking with you,” Tears were streaming down Juliet’s cheeks.
“It’s okay. We’ll find her.”
Juliet nodded even though Butler couldn’t see her.
Lilly knocked on the maroon door. After a minute, the door opened to show a confused Lexie on the other side.
“Lilly?” she asked. Lilly looked up and Lexie could tell that she had been crying. Her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh.” She pulled Lilly inside and they walked up to her room.
“Okay,” Lexie demanded. “What happened?”
This brought on a fresh set of tears. Lilly explained about how Juliet had lied to her about her parents. “Apparently, my father lives in Dublin, so that’s where I’m going. But, would it be okay for me to sleep here tonight?” Lexie nodded.
“I can take you to get a cab tomorrow.” Lexie wrapped her arms around Lilly. “I’m gonna miss you.” Lilly returned the hug. They dozed off in Lexie’s bed, clutching one another’s hands.
The next morning, Lilly was waving goodbye to her best friend from the window of a cab. The taxi took off and Lexie slowly disappeared. Lilly sighed and turned around. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Juliet.
Your car is at Lexie Martin’s house. -Lilly
Lilly stared out the window. The landscape rushed past. Lilly plugged in her headphones and leaned against the back of the seat, closing her eyes. It took about 7 hours to get to Stranraer. She paid the taxi driver and walked to the dock. Her suitcase dragged behind her as she tried to find a ticket booth. She finally found one at the opposite end of the dock. Lilly walked up to the counter.
“Can I help you?” the attendant said, a bit surprised to see a teenager with a giant suitcase.
“Yes, I need one ticket to Belfast, please.” Lilly held her head and shoulders high, trying to look more grown up.
“Okay, that will be $115.” Lilly raised her eyebrows at the price, but she shrugged and fished the money out of her purse. The woman handed her a ticket. Lilly got out of the way and read the information.
“Oh crap!” she yelled as she started to run down the dock, her suitcase trailing behind her. Her boat was leaving in five minutes on the other end of the dock. Just as she arrived at the boat, they started to lift the gangplank.
“Wait!” she screamed, frantically waving her hand above her head. The boat boy looked up and was surprised to see a girl running towards the boat. Lilly threw her suitcase onto the boat and jumped. Her feet slipped on water on the edge gangplank and she started to slip. The boat boy grabbed her hand just as she was about to fall and pulled her on board. They sat on the deck panting.
Lilly smiled and looked at the boy. “Thanks. By the way, my name’s Lilly.” She extended her hand towards him.
He shook her hand and smiled back. “Nice to meet you Lilly. My name is Tyler.”
“Hello, Mr. Sun. Isn’t it a beautiful day!” She jumped out of bed and quickly brushed her hair. She skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Birthday Girl!” Juliet said setting a big plate of pancakes in front of Lilly. “So this morning I was thinking that we could go and get your license.” Lilly almost did a spit take with her milk.
“Yes!” she exclaimed jumping up and hugging Juliet. “Thank you so much!” Lilly ran upstairs to get dressed, then they drove to the DMV. The place was packed. She sat there for three hours waiting to get her license. When it was finally her turn, she took a deep breath and walked to the car.
Juliet was sitting in the waiting room, nervously bouncing her knee. She thought of Lilly as her own daughter, but that was not true. She was asked to protect her and she took her job very seriously. Now that Lilly was starting to ask questions about her real parents, she didn’t know how long she could keep it a secret.
“Mom! Mom!” Lilly ran up to Juliet. “I got my license!” She waved the plastic card in her face.
“That’s great, honey,” Juliet said and they walked out to the car. Juliet drove them to the grocery store to pick up Lilly’s cake, then they went back home. Lilly opened the front door and turned on the light.
“SURPRISE!” Her friends popped out from behind the furniture. Lilly almost dropped the cake.
“Oh my gosh,” she said, covering her mouth with one hand. Tears started to well up in the corners of her eyes. “This is so sweet. Thank you guys so much.” Juliet took the cake from Lilly and set it on the table.
After the party, Lilly and Juliet were washing dishes.
“Okay, Mom,” Lilly said. “Now I am going to ask my questions. Remember, you promised to answer them truthfully.”
Juliet sighed. “Fine, but first let me go get something.” Lilly heard her walk upstairs. She had just finished washing the dishes when Juliet reentered the kitchen. Juliet was carrying an envelope. They sat down at the table and Juliet handed Lilly the letter.
“It’s from your parents,” she said. Lilly slowly opened the letter.
Our dearest Lilly,
Today is your 16th birthday. You must be so grown up. We wish we could be there with you. You are the most precious thing in our lives. We just wanted to let you know that we love you very, very much and we never wanted to give you away. We only did it because we knew that it was the best thing for you. We only had your best interests in mind. We love you so much and we hope that you are happy.
Love,
Mom and Dad
Tears ran down Lilly’s face as she read the last line. She looked up at Juliet who smiled.
“Now, what are your questions?” She said.
Lilly took a deep breath. “First of all, are they alive?”
“Yes,” Juliet nodded. “As far as I know.” Lilly’s heart swelled. They continued talking deep into the night. Lilly walked up to her room, too excited to sleep. She pulled out her computer. She thought for a second, then typed one word into the search engine. Magic. Dozens of sites appeared on the screen. Lilly skimmed through the links, finally clicking a review called “The People” by some psychologist. As Lilly read the essay, it talked about how fairies could speak any language, they were short, and they had the ability to heal.
What if I’m a fairy, she thought. No that’s stupid. I can’t be a fairy. But why do I have some of these same abilities. Then it occurred to her.
“What if one of my parents was a fairy,” she said. She decided to talk to Juliet about it. Lilly walked down the stairs and towards her mother’s room. She started to open the door, but she heard voices. She pressed her ear against the wood and listened.
Juliet looked at the computer screen. Her big brother, Butler, had a look of concern on his face.
“Is everything alright, Juliet?” he asked.
Juliet put her head in her hands. “I don’t know how much longer I can go, Butler. Lilly has started to ask questions about her real parents and it is killing me to lie to her. I wish I could just tell her that her parents are some of my best friends.”
“I know it’s hard,” Butler said, wishing that he could wrap his arms around his sister. “But it’s better this way. Lilly is much safer not knowing who her real parents are.”
“You’re right. As long as she stays far away from Dublin, we won’t have to worry about her meeting her father,” Juliet said.
Lilly slapped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from crying out in horror. Juliet had lied to her. She knew her parents personally and she never told her. Tears ran down Lilly’s face as she raced to her room. She grabbed her suitcase and started throwing clothes in it. She grabbed her laptop, laptop charger, and phone charger.
Lilly walked over to her closet. She opened the door and moved aside a loose board. Sitting in a shoebox was $3000 she had been saving to buy a car. She quietly walked to the kitchen and snatched the keys to Juliet’s car. Lilly threw her suitcase in the backseat and raced off down the street.
Juliet said goodbye to her brother and turned off the computer. She sighed and went to check on Lilly. She slowly ascended the stairs and looked around. The room was empty. She checked the bathroom. Nothing. Then, something caught her eye. On the bed was a note with Lilly’s handwriting on it. Two words covered the page.
YOU LIAR!!!!
Juliet gasped and ran down to the kitchen. She dialed Butler’s number. The phone rang twice.
“Hello.”
“Butler, she’s gone. She overheard me talking with you,” Tears were streaming down Juliet’s cheeks.
“It’s okay. We’ll find her.”
Juliet nodded even though Butler couldn’t see her.
Lilly knocked on the maroon door. After a minute, the door opened to show a confused Lexie on the other side.
“Lilly?” she asked. Lilly looked up and Lexie could tell that she had been crying. Her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh.” She pulled Lilly inside and they walked up to her room.
“Okay,” Lexie demanded. “What happened?”
This brought on a fresh set of tears. Lilly explained about how Juliet had lied to her about her parents. “Apparently, my father lives in Dublin, so that’s where I’m going. But, would it be okay for me to sleep here tonight?” Lexie nodded.
“I can take you to get a cab tomorrow.” Lexie wrapped her arms around Lilly. “I’m gonna miss you.” Lilly returned the hug. They dozed off in Lexie’s bed, clutching one another’s hands.
The next morning, Lilly was waving goodbye to her best friend from the window of a cab. The taxi took off and Lexie slowly disappeared. Lilly sighed and turned around. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Juliet.
Your car is at Lexie Martin’s house. -Lilly
Lilly stared out the window. The landscape rushed past. Lilly plugged in her headphones and leaned against the back of the seat, closing her eyes. It took about 7 hours to get to Stranraer. She paid the taxi driver and walked to the dock. Her suitcase dragged behind her as she tried to find a ticket booth. She finally found one at the opposite end of the dock. Lilly walked up to the counter.
“Can I help you?” the attendant said, a bit surprised to see a teenager with a giant suitcase.
“Yes, I need one ticket to Belfast, please.” Lilly held her head and shoulders high, trying to look more grown up.
“Okay, that will be $115.” Lilly raised her eyebrows at the price, but she shrugged and fished the money out of her purse. The woman handed her a ticket. Lilly got out of the way and read the information.
“Oh crap!” she yelled as she started to run down the dock, her suitcase trailing behind her. Her boat was leaving in five minutes on the other end of the dock. Just as she arrived at the boat, they started to lift the gangplank.
“Wait!” she screamed, frantically waving her hand above her head. The boat boy looked up and was surprised to see a girl running towards the boat. Lilly threw her suitcase onto the boat and jumped. Her feet slipped on water on the edge gangplank and she started to slip. The boat boy grabbed her hand just as she was about to fall and pulled her on board. They sat on the deck panting.
Lilly smiled and looked at the boy. “Thanks. By the way, my name’s Lilly.” She extended her hand towards him.
He shook her hand and smiled back. “Nice to meet you Lilly. My name is Tyler.”