Chapter 2: Meeting Lily Jenkins

I spied into Lily's bedroom from her slightly opened door. It was dark outside but the little girl was bathed in light from a small lamp on her bedside table. Lily's back faced me as she lied on the carpet. She silently read a book. Other old books lied on the carpet near her. They had titles like Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Othello. Her little hands and little fingers delicately pressed against the edge of a page just before she flicked it over and began reading the next page. Her petite and pale hands, so small and youthful, rested against the pages, against the wise and mature words of Shakespeare. Lily had positioned herself on the carpet in such a way as to maximize the amount of moonlight on the pages. The moonlight floated in through the bedroom window and illuminated strands of hair on the surface of her head. Her head was like a light bulb reflecting the moon's rays into golden clouds of light that hovered over her hair.

I stood where I was. Even though I never made a noise, Lily's head turned towards me suddenly as if I had made a noise. It was like she could sense me. Her beautiful face stared at me. I looked back at her. Her face had sadness all over it. Her moist eyes became apparent. She kept looking at me as if she wanted me to do something. I started to get anxious.

My eyes cut contact with hers and I walked away. A little while later I found Ella's room. She sat on her bed with a discman. Black wires extended out from both her ears, converged, and connected to the discman in her hands. Her head rocked back and forth rhythmically. When her eyes detected me, her fingers pulled out the earphones. She asked me why I took so long in the toilet.

I spoke. "You have a little sister?"

"Yeah." Ella smiled. "She's really, really weird. If she ever tries to annoy you, just ignore her. That's what everyone does to her anyway. She belongs in a nuthouse."

"What's wrong with her? Is something bothering her?"

"She's been strange ever since Dad died."

"Maybe she misses her father."

"She's just homesick. Our family moves around all the time and Lily doesn't like moving."

"Do you miss your father?"

"Not really. He was always working so I didn't really get to know him."

"Your father's death doesn't bother you?"

"No, I don't care. I'm glad he died." Ella didn't seem to like being questioned. "Do you like your father?"

"Sort of. Not really."

Ella changed the subject. "You know, Keith, you're really tall."

I shrugged my shoulders. My mum often told me this. I always felt good when a girl told me I was tall. I didn't want to seem arrogant though. "I've seen taller people my age."

"Back in Sydney, when I was, like, seven or eight, there was this little boy in my class." Ella laughed. "I always used to, you now, push that kid around... 'cos he was so small. And about ten years later, just before I left Sydney, I saw him again and he was really, really tall." Ella's eyes widened. "I was like, wow! I used to push this kid around and now he's really massive..."

"What does this tall boy do now?"

"I think he's in the police now... not sure. That'd make sense though because policeman are usually tall. Short people shouldn't work in the police."

"Hmm, okay."

What followed was a long and uncomfortable silence.

I walked over to the window. "I'd better be getting back."

"Alright, it's been nice talking to you. If you have any hot friends, tell 'em about me."

I climbed back out her window. Walking on the tree branch the second time around seemed a lot easier. It was getting late and I was getting tired.

Back in my bedroom, the computer hummed in the corner. I never bothered to turn the machine off because it always took so long to load up. Since I didn't pay the electricity bills, I could afford to leave it on all the time. The moon was about to descend outside. Inside, the lights were off. The only source of light came from the computer monitor, which illuminated the Google webpage. The monitor seemed so white contrasted against the darkness all around it.

In my mind's eye I could see Lily's long, smooth dark brown hair. I took a mental image of her. Dressed in her pink pyjamas, she was lying in her room reading a book. I took the image and imagined how she'd look without any clothes on. I saw her smooth, thin, and pale body so fragile, fresh, and delicate.

I lied in bed staring up at the ceiling. Like a drug invading my bloodsteam a warm feeling took over my body. My mind could not hold any thought for too long, as all thoughts were overcome with emotions. I fell asleep when Lily's silky smooth and hairless body started to fade from my mind.

Mum woke me up the next day and told me to get ready for church. I had a shower, dressed up, and went downstairs to eat breakfast. Dad was at the kitchen table eating scrambled eggs with a fork in his left hand while his right hand tried to hold open a broadsheet newspaper.

My mum stood near the stove and prepared scrambled eggs for me. She looked at Dad fumbling with the large newspaper and started laughing. I sat down opposite my dad, keen on talking to him.

"Dad, can I talk to you about my birthday?"

"Go ahead." Instead of putting the newspaper aside, he kept reading.

"You know how I wanted to get an exercise machine? Well, I don't want that anymore."

"What would you like instead?"

"Maybe you can buy me a piano."

"Why would you want a piano?"

"My music teacher said I was really good. I want to practice on my own piano, maybe take private lessons."

"If you play too much piano... maybe you'll have no time for schoolwork."

"Playing piano is my schoolwork, Dad."

"But what for? Why do you want a piano? A piano is really expensive. It's a waste of money."

We heard knocking from the front door. It was odd because nobody ever visited us during the morning. Mum told me to go see who it was. I walked over to the front door slowly, adjusting my tie along the way. When I opened the front door, Nancy Jenkins stood there by the entrance of the house. Nancy was, in my opinion, plain ugly, as most mothers with children were. She had a bulging belly and unkempt blonde hair that reeked like the sewers. Judging by the appearance of her two children, she must have been attractive in her younger years. Something disastrous must have happened after childbirth.

"Is your mum home?" she asked. "I need to talk to her. It's an emergency."