CHAPTER 3: SEPARATION

I woke up after the worst nightmare, my heart pounding in my chest. My eyes darted around, and I found myself inside my room. A wave of unease washed over me. Without wasting a second, I rushed outside to find my mum, but the entire house was eerily silent.

“Mum! Mum!!” I called out, but there was no response.

Swallowing the growing fear, I walked to her room and knocked. No answer. With trembling hands, I turned the doorknob and pushed the door open—only to find an empty room. My breathing grew shallow. Something was wrong.

Panic set in as I ran upstairs to find Michael, but his room was empty too. My chest tightened. Everyone was gone. I was alone.

“Mum! Dad! Michael!” I screamed, my voice breaking as tears blurred my vision.

Then, I heard it—footsteps approaching. My entire body froze. Slowly, I turned around, and there she was—the lady in the red dress. She stood in front of me, laughing like a maniac. The sound of her laughter echoed around me, growing louder and louder until it drowned out everything else.

I gasped, struggling to breathe.

Then suddenly—

"Lily, Lily, wake up."

Michael’s voice pulled me back. My eyes shot open, and I found myself trembling. My brother was beside me, holding me in a firm, reassuring hug. I clung to him, trying to steady my breaths.

"It’s okay. It's just a dream. Stay with me," he murmured, his voice gentle.

I nodded, waiting for the terror to subside.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked, concern laced in his tone.

I hesitated, but the words spilled out. "In my dream, I couldn’t find Mum, Dad, or you. I was all alone and scared." The memory of it sent fresh tears streaming down my face.

Michael tightened his hold on me. "It’s okay. I’m not planning on leaving you. You’re stuck with me forever."

I buried my face in his shoulder, unwilling to let him go.

Later, we left, searching for a way out of the city. Michael stopped at a convenience store, stocking up our bag with snacks, soft drinks, and water. I gripped his hand tightly, refusing to let go. I couldn’t lose him too.

We walked for a while before finally taking a taxi.

Michael's POV

"Tragedy as the family house of Mr. Anthony was set ablaze. According to the investigation by the police, the fire wasn't an accident. So far, two corpses have been found by the police, but they weren't easily recognized, given that..."

I quickly grabbed my headphones and covered Lily's ears before she could hear more of the news. She looked up at me with questioning eyes, but I forced a smile, pretending everything was fine. She was still wearing the same dress from before—we needed to change so we wouldn’t draw unnecessary attention.

When we got to the store, Lily stood there, unable to pick anything. I helped her choose a few clothes, making sure they were plain and inconspicuous. After changing, she hesitated, holding onto the dress as if it were the last piece of Mum she had left.

“We have to leave it,” I told her firmly. “We’ll come back for it later.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she nodded and wiped them away. I felt a pang of guilt, but we didn’t have the luxury of holding onto sentimental things right now. Survival was all that mattered.

As we walked down the street, I felt her grip tighten around my hand. Even after changing into casual clothes, we were still drawing attention. Too much attention.

Mostly from men in black suits.

Something wasn’t right. The way they watched us, the way they moved—I knew immediately that we were being followed. And from the way Lily stiffened beside me, she knew it too.

I didn’t wait to confirm. I grabbed her hand and started running.

At first, she hesitated, confused about why we were running. But then, she saw them. The men were after us.

Damn it. I should have noticed them sooner.

They were after us because of what was inside the backpack I had given Lily. Everything our parents wanted us to keep safe was in there, and these men knew it. And if they caught us…

They wouldn’t let us go.

We were outnumbered, and it was only a matter of time before they caught up. I had no choice. I had to get Lily to safety first.

I scanned my surroundings, searching for a place to hide her. Then, I saw it—a school bus packed with children. She could blend in there, stay hidden until I came back for her.

"Lily, I need you to listen to me," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the chaos around us. "You need to get on that school bus and blend in with the students. Don’t come out until I come for you, okay?"

"Michael, what are you talking about? We’re supposed to stick together, remember?" she argued, panic filling her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Lily, but you have to go."

"I don’t want to! I’m not going to leave you behind like we did to Mum and Dad," she cried, shaking her head violently.

Hearing her say that nearly broke me, but I had no choice. If we stayed together, they would catch both of us.

Keeping her safe was my only priority.

With a heavy heart, I pushed her onto the bus, making sure she was seated between the other students. Her tear-filled eyes met mine one last time before I turned and ran.

As long as she was safe, nothing else mattered.

I didn’t care if I got hurt. I didn’t care if I got killed.

I just couldn’t let anything happen to her.

Lily's POV

I watched as Michael ran away, and those men went after him. I was scared and shaking in fear. After a while of sitting and waiting for the school bus to move, I decided that I wasn't going to lose my brother like I did with my parents.

I got up immediately and walked towards the exit, but the door was locked as the driver informed us to all sit down. I stood there, wishing and hoping that Michael would come for me.

I walked back to my seat as I wiped the tears off my face. I looked out the window as I wished that my life would be a little better. I was still considering what my next step would be if Michael didn't come for me when I saw a black car obviously following the school bus.

"Who is that idiot, and why is he following my bus?" The driver lamented before he packed on the other side of the road. I knew immediately I was in trouble. I hid under the seat as I was thinking of an escape plan.

"I am sorry, but we are looking for a child that is not supposed to be on this bus," I heard them say to the driver.

"I am only doing my job, and that is getting the children to school, so kindly come to the school and lay your compliance if you have one," the driver replied.

"Either you let us search the bus or we do it the hard way."

"If I were you guys, I would be on my way since I already called the police. Do you really think you can come here and take any of these kids away?" I peeped my head out to know what was happening, only to see them backing away.

I took a deep breath before I relaxed. When the bus drove into the school compound, all the students exited as they ran into the school. I was confused and scared. I didn't know what to do. I know Michael told me to wait for him, but what if those scary men came back?

I walked around for a while, looking around the school patiently, waiting for Michael, until I saw the same black car again. It was driving towards me. I panicked and ran out of the school compound. I couldn't lose or outrun a car with my little legs.

I knew I was going to get caught if I continued running along the road, so I decided to run into the woods. I ran as fast as my legs could go. I was getting tired every minute and second. I didn't know where I was heading until I ended up on top of a cliff. Down the cliff lies an ocean.

It was a dead end. I was breathing so fast that I could hear the beating of my heart ringing in my ears. I turned around to run back into the woods, but those men in black suits were standing just right there in front of me."Hey little girl, we don't want to hurt you. We are here to help. Your brother told us to come get you, so please step away from the cliff." The one that looked scarier than the rest said.

I knew he was lying; tears ran down my face at the thought of what they had done to Michael. Looking down the cliff, I felt dizzy at the height, but I would rather jump into the ocean than be in the hands of strangers.

Making sure my backpack was tightly locked around me, I jumped. I didn't think of the fact that I hate heights or the fact that I don't swim. I just thought of my mum's voice when she told me that she loved me.

I thought of the things they wanted me to keep safe and made it all that mattered. I just hoped that somehow I would survive this. All I needed was a second chance.