Lily's POV:
The stairs creaked from beneath me as I descended. My shaky breath filled my ears. It had never been this hard to just walk down a few flights of stairs before.
My hands tightened around the railing as my legs trembled. The cold feel of the wood kept me grounded. I closed my eyes, recalling everything my Brother had done for me today. He reached out to me. He waited for me. He wiped my tears away when no one else would.
But most importantly of all, he told me he loved me. He said that he would always be there for me no matter what. That was more than I could have ever asked for.
I let go of the railing and lightly slapped myself on the cheek with both hands. My face was flushed with a tinge of warmth—but it was nothing compared to the one my Brother gave me. With his support, even though my legs were still shaking, I continued downwards with confident strides.
I eventually made it to the bottom of the stairs for the second time today. It looked so much different now compared to how it was this morning. For starters, the morning warmth was replaced by the chill of the night. At the center of that chill, my Mom was found sleeping on the sofa.
My body immediately tensed upon the sight of her. What do I do if she wakes up? What's going to happen to me? Will she try to kill me again? These thoughts rushed through my mind, but for some reason… they felt less threatening than before.
I looked up at the ceiling in the direction of my room, and my body relaxed when I did. That's right… There's nothing to be afraid of now.
My gaze slowly descended until it locked onto Mom. She looked… different now compared to how she was in the morning. But I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I could've been here while safely mulling it over in the distance, but that wouldn't have solved anything.
I quietly shook my head and steadily walked towards where she was sleeping. The chill air seemed to part as I closed the distance between us. The moment I reached my Mom, nothing but a sense of stillness remained.
I looked down at her pale body. Nothing should have changed in just one day, but Mom seemed skinnier. Her cheekbones protruded from her already sickly pale face. It was like her skin had been drained of its life. My once ferocious-looking Mom all of a sudden seemed… vulnerable.
Was… this the person I was so afraid of?
A soft chuckle escaped my lips.
My parents have always felt out of reach in my entire life. Like, no matter what I did, they would always be one step ahead of me. But for the first time in my life, she looked almost… human.
My eyes widened as that thought came to my mind. Of course, they're humans; what else would they be? My Brother's words from earlier in the day rang in my ears once again. I didn't get it at first, but now—I understand what he meant.
You… knew it all along.
***
"Then, why don't you fight for your place?"
"What I mean is, if you're scared of not having a home to go back to because you're scared of Mom, then fight her for it."
"Fight… Mom? How am I supposed to do that? She's… my parent…"
"...Okay? And? So what?"
"Wh- What do you 'so what?'? I can't just go against my parents!"
"Okay? What are they, gods? Lily, you're 15 years old now; you can make your own decisions."
***
It's so easy to forget that my parents are no different from me. All my life, they have been the ones to tell me what to do—what was right, and what was wrong. How could I have thought of going against them when I practically revered them?
But it's different now. I'm not a kid anymore. I'm becoming my own person. My parents aren't the only ones watching over me; my older Brother is too. I can't let people, parents included, tell me what to do forever. It's time for me to grow up.
I put on a pure smile and firmly stared at my mom. It's okay if she isn't awake to hear this now; I can always just tell her again later. No, I will tell her later.
"Mom, thank you for raising me. I don't think I would be where I am and who I am today without you, and I can never thank you enough for that. But… I'm growing up now. I can't stay scared of you forever. I can't stay in your shadow forever. So, I will fight you with everything I have if that's what it takes."
Mom should not have heard any of this, and yet—her eyebrow twitched slightly. My grip on the sofa tightened. That's good. I'm glad my words reached you one way or another.
With that, I slowly turned around and left Mom's side with firm steps. Nothing should have changed in just one day; I should not have changed either. But a heavy weight felt like it had been lifted off my shoulders.