"Who are you?" she asked him with confidence and boldness. "I would have said you were my daddy, but Mommy said that my daddy has my purple eyes and hair—and I've seen his pictures too, so I know what he looks like. So who are you?"
'Bold,' he muttered to himself, still staring at her in astonishment, not speaking a word.
"Mister? I asked who you are," Lilith repeated, not getting a reply the first time, nor this time.
Without speaking, she stood from her bed and walked to her door to open it.
"Where are you going?" the man finally spoke. His voice sounded so rhythmic that little Lilith was enchanted by it. His words were as if he were singing, carrying a soothing melody.
But that didn't make Lilith forget why she was at the door. "I am going to tell my mommy that you are back, so she will tell me who you are since you have refused to tell me anything."
"Hahaha," he burst into laughter. His laughter was even more enchanting than his words. It sounded more melodic than the songs of the chirping birds at her balcony every morning. "That will not be possible, Lilith."
"Why?" She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Because your mommy cannot see me—only you can. And you know why?" She shook her head. "Would you like to know?" She gave him a nod. "Well, it's because I am your friend," he said with the sweetest smile ever.
"My friend?" Lilith was surprised and excited at the same time. "You are really my friend?"
"Sure. I know of your kind-hearted liking for me, and I have come to make those feelings mutual."
"Mu... chu what?"
"I mean that I know you like me, and I like you too." He just now understood she was only five and wouldn't comprehend him easily.
"I don't like you," she denied. "I don't even know who you are. Tell me who you are, mister!" She raised her voice a bit.
This time, he decided not to talk. He only stretched his hand toward her storybook shelf and took out her favorite book, *Gorgor*. He flipped through the pages as Lilith watched with all her curiosity. He flipped until he stopped at the exact page illustrating where Prince Andreas was pleading to his father, King Radia. He chuckled a bit at how the images were represented with stick drawings, then drew the seat from the table beside him and made himself comfortable before he spoke.
"This is who I am," he showed her the book and pointed at the drawing of Prince Andreas.
"No," Lilith shook her head. "That is Prince Andreas, and he is my favorite character in my perfect storybook. Give me that." She snatched the book from him and held it tight to her chest. "You don't even look like him, because Mommy said the people of Gorgor don't look like us. But you are the same as me. You have two eyes, a nose, a mouth, two hands, and two legs. You are not Prince Andreas." She remained firm in her belief while returning to her bed and covering her legs with her sheets.
"Lilith, it is I, Prince Andreas," he tried to convince her, offering his hand. "And your mommy is right—I am an alien, not from this planet. My world came from a blue star in the east of the galaxy, so we are not from your world. And as for my looks, I am not the same as you. The people of my world don't have ears, and that includes me."
Lilith's eyes widened. "You don't have ears?!" She immediately looked at the sides of his face and realized he was right. He really didn't have ears! "You don't have ears! How then are you hearing me? Mommy says we hear with our ears."
"That's very right, smart girl," he applauded. He admired her intelligence. "We don't hear like the people of Triven, your world, since we don't possess the same organ for hearing. But we have this chip at the back of our neck that helps us hear."
"Can I see it?" Lilith pulled her bedsheet away and knelt on the bed, waiting for his response.
"No, because it is invisible." He lied—it wasn't invisible at all, but he refused to show her because it wasn't a pretty sight for her age. They were all born with this chip, which looked like a carved tattoo of their world's symbol, a phoenix blazing light around it. He wasn't sure how she would react to seeing a tattoo of that sort on a person's neck, considering how young she was.
"Oh, okay." Lilith sat back down in disappointment. She had really wanted to see what his chip looked like. "But that's the only difference you have with me, right?"
"No," he shook his head. "My eyes might be the same number as yours, but they don't have a distinct color. They consist of all the colors of my world's rainbow—which is twenty-four colors. That is why they are multicolored, and so is my hair." He bent his head for her to get a clearer view of his long, straight hair.
She was amazed by his hair color and couldn't resist touching it. It felt so soft and smooth, making her comb it with her fingers as she buried them into it until she felt his skull. Before she knew it, she buried her face into it and inhaled its scent. She couldn't say exactly what it smelled like, but she was certain it smelled really nice.
"I can see you love my hair," he smiled at her as he raised his head after he was sure she was done feeling it. "So, do you now believe that I am Prince Andreas?"
"Okay, I do!" she squealed as she hugged him. "And I agree that I am your friend."
Andreas froze at the hug. He had never been hugged before and couldn't tell what it felt like, but he was sure it felt great—and he liked it, even though her tiny hands could not reach his back.
"Tomorrow morning, I am going to show you to my mommy, and I am sure she will be very happy to see you. And our neighbors too! Oh, and you will come with me to ranger school tomorrow. I am sure everyone will be excited to meet Prince Andreas in person." She now drew away from the hug, but her beautiful smile still stuck to her face.
"No, Lilith," he objected.
"But why?"
"I am not really here—I am still stuck in a star with the rest of my world."
"But I can see you here," Lilith was confused.
"That's only because you have me in here," he touched her head.
"My head?"
"No, Lilith, your mind. I am not real; your mind only makes you see and feel me, while no one else can. So you can't tell anyone about me, else I will not be your friend no more."
Lilith wasn't getting him at all. The only thing she understood was that she must not tell anyone about him—not even her mommy. She had never kept anything from her mom before, but she intended to start now because she liked Prince Andreas and wouldn't want to lose her friendship with him.
"Okay," she blurted. "Come, let's lie on my bed, Prince Andreas." She made space for him to lie down.
"Just call me Andreas."
"Okay, Andreas, you are my friend now. Come, let's lie on my bed together."
He hesitated a bit but gave in because her cute face was irresistible at the moment. He got on her cute purple bed and lay beside her. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her head on his chest. Now he was regretting taking the offer. No! She was just five, and his brain knew that, he had to allow her live her life a bit before using her to actualize his goals. She already accepted him as a friend so instead of taking her captive now, he might as well stick by her side and make her willingly want to assist him. And if that did not work, he could still go option A— taking her captive.
"Andreas?" she called in a sleepy voice.
"Yes, Lilith?"
"Please read me Gorgor. I would love to hear it."
"Oh, Lilith, why would I read a book when I can tell you the real story?"
"Really?" Lilith was very excited, even with her heavy eyes.
"Of course. We are friends now."