Pinpoint Conviction
Chapter 4: Lilian's Secret
Wanting an argument to start just to satisfy her own spite though smart enough to keep her thoughts to herself for the meantime, Lilian quietly unpacked whatever belongings she had and set them into her dresser. Purposely refusing to make eye contact with Caren who casually laid on her bed with her arms outstretched above he her head, Lilian finally pulled out a small picture frame and set it delicately on top of the dresser. Catching her attention, Caren didn't move her head but allowed her eyes to roam over to what the picture had shown. Therefore she was surprised to see that the picture was of a young woman with short amber hair holding the hand of what was clearly a much younger and far happier Lilian than the one sitting on the bed. Though she knew that Lilian had been in the facility much like everyone else, she didn't know that she had a family before then. Part of Caren wanted to ask about it but discarded the thought, believing that now was perhaps not the right time to discuss it. More than likely Lilian would only see her question as an attack.
As for herself, Caren hadn't seen her own mother in a long time and had no idea if she was still living in the same place as before or if she was even alive right now. It had after all been several years since she'd seen her and unless Orlana had somehow managed to contact her, the last time she would have seen her two daughters was right before Orlana took her to live with. Then again, even if Orlana did manage to contact their mother, it wasn't like she could express good news to her.
The picture only showed the woman so it made the Turkish Diclonius think of Lilian's own father and the kind of person he was. For herself, her father had left before she was born and her mother had refused to remarry after that, finding better joy in raising her two daughters. The more she thought of these questions, the more curious she became but still opted to cease any inquiries until later.
Having finished unpacking, Lilian finally brought out a small object and flipped it carelessly though always managed to grasp it no matter how much it nearly slipped out of her fingers. Her face took on a more passive expression, as if she could become lost in merely turning the small object around her fingers without a care. It was nothing special from what Caren could see out of the corner of her eyes, and by the time she went to get a better look at it, Lilian had already put it in the dresser. With the silence getting to her, Caren jumped up and found the remote, turning on the television and then propping her head against her pillows. To be honest, even before she was captured, she had never watched much of television outside those in other establishments. Her family never had a television, not that they weren't capable of getting one in the first place though.
She thumbed through the channels carelessly, not even sure what she'd assume would be good to watch. Once she passed over the whole list twice, there only being about 80 channels total, she threw the remote over to Lilian's bed, the girl whom gave her a quick glare but still took up the remote to flip through the channels again. Lilian had seen television before as a very little girl before she was captured but much like Caren, she too found it relatively boring when compared to real life. Plus, fake entertainment sometimes became inadequate when one had multiple hands for their own amusement. She stopped on the first channel, a specialized one in which the broadcast was directly related to the happenings of the educational facility. Words passed over the screens, simple things like the rules as a computerized voice spoke, obviously for those who could not read. It was awfully monotonous and boring and so she decided to flip to the next channel and keep it there regardless of whatever it was.
Hearing the door open, the two girls perked their heads over, expecting Elrya but instead Miriana walked in, her face a little red from blushing about being in such a place and bringing her bag inside. As Carentorzulan already knew that Miriana would be staying with them, her appearance didn't surprise her. But she knew that Lilian was going to bring up something so she pushed herself up and sat at the end of the bed.
"What are you doing here? Bringing Elrya more of her stuff?" Lilian asked coldly. Miriana shook her head.
"Actually, I'm staying here with you."
Clearly having misunderstood, Lilian shook her head this time and asked for clarification. "What exactly are you talking about?" Caren answered in Miriana's stead.
"Miriana…that is right?" She asked quickly to make sure she got the name right whom the young multi-haired girl nodded politely. "…Is going to be staying with us in our dorm while helping out with facility." Much as Caren expected, Lilian threw an unnecessary fit over this.
"That's stupid! We don't need her in here!"
Clearly crestfallen, Miriana lowered her head shamefully. "I don't mean to be a burden, and I promise I won't do anything to upset you. I just want to help my friend Elrya Alya and help out here whenever I can." Her hands folded in front of her, she walked over to the last bed which was roughly pushed by Lilian's invisible hands further away from her. Still feeling as if she had done something wrong, Miriana continued to apologize much to Caren's annoyance as she knew the girl had no reason to be sorry. She threw a retort at Lilian for her behavior.
"What's your problem Lilian? Miriana hasn't done a single thing to you and you should stop treating her like that."
"Why should I, she's just a…"
"What!" Caren articulated though not enough so that she was yelling, merely a strong rise of her voice. "Human? What about that picture then over there, of that woman?"
Once mentioned, Miriana looked up at the photograph situated on her roommate's dresser. "That woman is very beautiful, who is she?" Lilian glowered at her but answered nonetheless. "..She's my mother alright! It's the only picture I have of her."
"Oh? If I may ask, what about your father?"
This time Lilian looked away, facing the wall. "Who cares about him, he left me and my mother when I was only three years old anyway. The only thing he left was this little thing." The object she had placed in the dresser was taken out, holding it out in her outstretched palm. "Stupid little thing really, but my mother said I should hold onto it so I have, just for her."
"May I see it?" Because Lilian didn't have much pride in the object as she did her photograph, she used her vector to pass it over to Miriana's outstretched hand and dropped it lazily in her palm.
"AH!" Her suddenly outcry caught both Lilian and Caren off guard as Miriana dropped the object on the floor and hastily picked it up. "S-Sorry about that I just…" Lilian, only imagining that the girl had done something stupid ignored her and turned her head back around. Caren meanwhile noticed that Miriana's face had gone strangely white, as if fear had gripped her, a sudden realization that passed through her veins and left her shaking. Having to be of support for everyone, she quietly asked Miriana if something was the matter.
"I'm fine it's just…ummm, Lilian. What's your…surname?"
"Surname?" She asked.
"It means last name." Caren said monotonously.
"I know what it means, stupid. It's…" She didn't finish, the door opened up as Elrya stepped in, happily hugging her best friend once she saw her. "Miriana! I'm glad you're here now. You look a little pale, is something wrong?" The black and yellow haired girl held her palm out for Elrya to see who jumped back though not as much as Miriana had done.
"Isn't that…" How could she not have known what it was, she had seen it more than once before, a minute silver coin. It was mostly unmarked, even its edges undented and the only symbol was of a strange insignia that showed two circles overtop each other as two lines struck between them horizontally on both sides of the coin. But it was certainly the same type of coin that she had seen used many times in the past, the dangerous trump cards used by the Assassins.
"What are you people getting so worried about? It's only a little coin that my father gave me." She explained, still finding the seriousness of the situation deplorable.
"Hey, girl…ummm, Lilian right? Who was your father?" Elrya asked nervously. Perhaps it was just coincidence and this coin merely looked like one. Lilian moaned but answered nonetheless. "I don't know…" She mumbled untruthfully as if she just didn't feel like saying it though continued on anyways. "He never visited around much even after I was born but my mother kept on saying how good he and how he had provided many of the goods for us. He looked big, even if I was young and he always smiled. Stupid amount of blonde hair on him also, don't know how he even saw through it all."
!
This time, true nervousness did pass through Elrya and Miriana.
"My mother insisted I have his last name also. It wasn't even a good last name either, simple really…Cents." She finally answered, spitting the name out and then rolling back so that she laid on her back, looking up at the ceiling while Elrya and Miriana stood their transfixed. Miriana kept giving her best friend passing glances, perhaps hoping she'd have an answer to this while inside her head, Alya exclaimed.
"Are you telling me, she's…?" She couldn't even finish it and Elrya was as stumped as the others were. But unless there was a huge coincidence here, then there was no denying it. The name, the coin, the very description, it all lead to the same place. And that same place was so impossibly unlikely that it even now she wasn't sure if it was true. But again, she couldn't deny what was given to her.
Elrya was looking over at the one and only daughter of Vladimir Cents.
This time Miriana posed another question. "Excuse me Lilian, what kind of person was your father?"
"Gah! More questions huh? I already told you I didn't know him that much though for some reason my mother always told me how much she loved him. He provided a lot of things for us I know, food and other necessities but then the last the last day I saw him was when I was three years old. I can't remember much of it, I was young after all. Only that he left this coin with me and that my mother said he loved me very much. He didn't even spend a lot of time with me, he wouldn't even be home for months at a time but still. I at least loved my mother and it's the only reason I keep this with me.
And after he left, that's when things went to hell. Those facility bastards came in, my mother didn't even put up a fight and well, that's the end of that tale. Please tell me there's nothing else I need to talk about.
The pregnant Diclonius had to insist to herself that Lilian was talking about a completely different person at this point. The Vladimir she and Miriana knew was a cold hearted, murderous individual who found nothing but pure glee in making others suffer. She still had nightmares after all about Yin's death because of that sick bastard. The idea of Cents loving anything other than himself and his own cruel intentions was beyond her. There was absolutely no way that same man who made hundreds of thousands suffer for his own sick amusement could possibly have ever done anything kind?
"Let me have my coin back." Lilian demanded but Elrya held it tightly. She knew how dangerous these things could be and with her point blank refusing that Vladimir could be anything but nice; she wanted to get this thing checked out. "This thing might be dangerous, let me…"
"Dangerous? Are you dumb or something? It's just a stupid little coin, give it to me."
"No, you don't understand, Cents was a monster." Elrya began.
"Oh get off of your high horse! My father was a bastard I'm sure, not even being there when we needed him the most. But I trust my mother and if she said she loved him then I see no reason why he would be a monster. My mother would lie to me after all! Now give my coin back, it belongs to me!"
Still Elrya held it back. "You don't get it at all do you, your father didn't love you nor did he love your mother! I know that for a fact!" The tension, already high before the conversation had started, had hit a new boiling point when Lilian jumped up from her bed and tried to snatch the coin away which Elrya quickly swung her hand back, forcing Lilian to catch stale air instead. Caren got up as well, trying to quell the situation.
"Both of you, stop this right now!" But Lilian was far too furious to listen to Carentorzulan.
"You little bitch, what the hell do you know about me or my family? Don't act like you know me or my mother, I trust her with everything I had. What the hell do you even know about my father anyways? It sounds like you're just a stuck up girl who doesn't know when to shut up."
Stamping her foot down, Elrya laughed mirthlessly. "I can't believe how stupid you are! Vladimir Cents was a bona-fide monster from the day he was born. The only thing you are to him was probably some pitiful rape victim."
This time, Lilian was positively seething. "My mother was not raped, you sick little bitch! I already told you my father might have been a bastard but he certainly never raped my mother! I'm not that kind of girl you insolent little…" Again Elrya laughed coldly, still unable to believe that Lilian could believe all these lies. Cents was after all the master of such deceit.
"You truly are an ironclad fool I swear. Your father probably raped your mother and then put all those screwed up lies inside your head. That monster knew nothing but how to make people suffer! He tortured my best friend and then he went and the utter nerve to kill my lover right in front of my eyes! The fucking bastard laughed too, he didn't love anyone, not your mother and he certainly didn't love you!"
*BASH!*
Having hit the breaking point, Lilian lashed out with her vectors, hitting Elrya so hard she slammed into the wall and dented it, earning a few yells from the girls at the other end. "E-Elrya!" Miriana shrieked, coming to her friend's aid before Caren released her vectors, attempting to deal with Lilian. The girl however didn't attack them but walked up, grabbed her coin and put it inside her pocket. She hatefully scowled at the fallen Elrya before grabbing head over to the shower room as well.
"Like you know anything about me!" She said as the door closed behind her.
Hurt but mostly confused, Miriana helped her friend up while Elrya looked over at the door, trying to find out where she had gone wrong. Caren, retracting her vectors came over to them. "Please try not to make this a daily thing Elrya, you were both out of line right there and I'm still in charge of keeping things steady in this place. Still, what was with you and the girl's father? Did you know him or something?"
Alya came in, letting the startled personality of her friend regress back into her mind so that she could take charge. "You have no idea. You should be shocked as well too after all. Vladimir Cents after all was the one who killed your older sister." This time Caren did express her surprise at that comment. Alya brushed herself off, then said, "That man knew nothing but how to be evil in his life. He kidnapped Miriana and made her go through terrible things just to amuse himself. He had this horrible fixation on me as well, always blathering on about desires and then he killed Yin."
"Yin?" Caren inquired.
"I was released outside of the facility under the impression that if I found Lucy, I would be released. Instead Garder, the bastard who ran the place, only let me out as a way for others to kill me instead so he didn't have to dirty his own hands. He's the reason Cents came after me in the first place. At some point I met a young human man who treated me far differently than any other human did, along with Miriana. We grew so close together and we're even going to get married until the dreaded day. I saw his own brains get blasted out of his skull and the monster that did it, laughed. Even Roy could vouch for me on this one, there's no way that girl knows anything about her father."
But Carentorzulan wasn't thinking about that, even at the beginning she had always thought that Elrya's weight issue seemed oddly strange. At the mention that she had once had a lover, it made her think though of course that couldn't be it. But still, she gave a half exasperated comment that she expected to be laughed at. "I can understand, the man you loved must have been very special. There are times if I didn't know any better, I'd actually say you were pregnant Elrya Alya." She waited for the snickering, but instead Alya lowered her head so that her hair obscured her eyes and her lips remained pursed.
"Ummm, did I say something wrong? I didn't mean it as an insult I was…just…" Caren tried to apologize.
"Well, yeah about that…" Alya whispered, now growing very red in the face. Carentorzulan blinked twice then gave a small look at Miriana who likewise looked at Miriana as if to make sure it was alright then nodded her head once. The look on the Turkish Diclonius' face was priceless, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape with bottom lip quivering. She kept looking over at Alya whose head still remained bowed and Miriana who only smiled with both innocence and nervousness.
"Are you telling me…" She began slowly. "That you're…actually…you know…like…pregnant?" She finally ended.
"…Can you keep a secret, I mean don't tell anyone else?" Alya asked, turning around so that her side was facing Caren.
"I guess…" It was Caren's only answer and not exactly the kind Alya wanted to hear but she replied. "Well apparently I'm also a Queen. I didn't even know it myself, nobody said anything about it so I was just as shocked as you were. Anyways a few months ago I found I was, you know…" She pointed at her rotund belly with a strained little smile. "…and that I'm probably going to be giving birth at least in the next three months or so. Once I do, Roy is going to help take care of my child while I'm learning here. Please don't tell anyone, people will never shut up."
Caren still seemed to be lost on the first fact that she was now living in the same dorm as a Queen Diclonius. "What about Lilian then? Should I tell her?"
"No!" She exclaimed wildly. "She doesn't even like me anyways, the stupid girl. Imagine what she'd think if she knew. Hell she'd start blathering to everyone. Besides she's the one who needs to get her priorities straight." Alya spat, crossing her arms indignantly.
"Actually, I think you should go and talk to Lilian and you know, maybe even apologize to her." Miriana finally said in a quivering voice.
"Excuse me?" Alya's reply was dumbfounded. "Why should I have to apologize to her? We're talking about the same man Miriana, we both know there's no way in hell that murdering bastard could ever have been a good person to her. She's the one who needs to wake up and get a grip on herself."
Her best friend looked away, her eyes expressing a deeply saddened look. "I know that, I know just as well as you do the kind of man he was. But for Lilian, for some reason that's not the same. She doesn't have that same view we do and I think you really hurt her feelings back there. Please, for me, talk to her."
"Bah, I won't like it, but I'll do it for you Miriana." Alya finally gave in, getting up and heading to the door. "But if she hits me again, I'm throwing her out the building." She added closing the door behind her and leaving the human and Diclonius alone.
Lilian grabbed the towel and stepped into the furthest stall, hoping the rushing water and conversation from other girls around would drown out her sorrow. She glowered angrily at the floor as warm water and tears dripped down her face, plopping quickly to the wet floor only to be replaced by more tears. Softly she sniffed, frustration and sadness gripping at her as she leaned against the wall and gripped her body as if afraid she would fall into a million pieces.
What did they possibly know about her or her life? They didn't know her! They didn't know her mother or her father! Hell she was sure she knew more about them then any of those fools! The very thought of her father raping her mother was sickening to her, especially with how much her mother had praised her father.
"Please remember this, my dear Lilian-chan. Daddy may not always be here. But he's always loved you and he'll do anything to make sure your life is happy." Even when she was being taken away and her mother did nothing, she whispered into her ear with the warmth of a true mother.
"Lilian-chan, I don't know if I'll ever see you again. I want you to take this; it belonged to your father. Hold on to it with care and never lose it." Here hand gripped the small coin, remembering the day she got it as well as the last day she ever saw her mother. Her fingers caressed the edges, finding a small amount of joy in the neat little symbol that had no other meaning to her besides apparent love. At this point she didn't want to head back to that room, not with all of them smearing her family's good name around like that. Would she be able to get a new room, she definitely hoped so but probably wouldn't be able to until at least tomorrow. She'd rather sleep in this stall than have to back in there. Once again, her sorrow over took her and she covered her mouth to block out the whimpers, not wanting the others to hear her saddening gasps.
"…Ummm, is that you…Lilian?"
That voice, was that girl going to besmirch her even more? Lilian growled under her breath. "Wh-What are you doing here anyways? G-Going to keep insulting me and my family a-are you?" Elrya stood outside the stall, hands folded against her front with her head leaning against the door. She made no mention of it of course, but knew that the girl had been crying. It made her have an oddly different disposition of the girl.
"…Actually, about that. I may have been a…bit out of line back there." Lilian tilted her head up but said nothing, instead opting to cover her tear filled chokes that Elrya could already here. "I shouldn't have said those things about you, your mother…or your father." She added the last ones with a bit of a strain in her voice.
"…Wh-Why would you say those things then?" Lilian inquired directly.
Elrya had to think for a moment on how to answer this question. Clearly as Miriana said, Lilian's own perception of her father was vastly different than their own. It didn't even make sense to Elrya that the man who was renowned as a world-wide mass murderer and responsible for creating a devastating war was actually a loving father.
"Lilian, you said you didn't know your father that much. When he was around, what did you think?"
"…He smiled, a lot. It was warm and fatherly. I know he would lift me up and put me on his shoulders and since he was so large it felt so high to me. Sometimes on nights when he was around, he'd tuck me in bed and tell me stories. I may not have known him much, but he certainly wasn't the kind of person you said he was." It certainly didn't sound like the same Vladimir Cents that Elrya knew. It sounded like a completely different person, one even she would have enjoyed meeting. In short, everything that Lilian said described Vladimir perfectly with the exception that at no point did she make a point of her father being cruel.
"What was your father's full name?"
"...V-Vladimir Cents. My mother s-said he was from a far off country in the west."
Sure enough, Elrya had hoped that maybe all that Lilian said was merely coincidence. But with the full name said there was now no doubt that Lilian was definitely talking about the infamous man himself.
"I see. I'm…sorry for what I said." What right did she have tell this girl how to feel. What if someone told her that Yin had actually killed thousands of people in his life and even gave irrefutable proof of it? She'd certainly despise them for the same reason that Lilian despised her for speaking ill of her family. As much as she hated to admit it, the Vladimir Cents that Lilian knew was completely different from the one she knew.
"…Thanks…" It was just barely loud enough for Elrya to hear. Again, it gave her a different impression of the bossy girl from before.
"Y-Yeah. Another thing, could you be a little nicer to Miriana. Even though she's human, she's the first real friend I ever had. She's really innocent, practically too innocent really, hates violence and stuff like that. She had an accident a long time ago that severely burned her body and because of that, many people made fun of her and pushed her away. You wouldn't believe how desperately she wanted to be friends with me, I don't think she even knew I had horns the first time she saw me.
I owe a lot to her, so, please treat her a little more kindly."
…"Alright…" After a few seconds, just as before the small whisper which was barely audible reached Elrya's ears. With nothing left to say, Elrya left, leaving Lilian to soak in the water for the next few minutes.
"Elrya, how did it go?" Miriana questioned, waiting outside in the hallways for her friend. She gave a shrug of her shoulders and answered. "Better than I thought I guess. You were right Miriana, I should have apologized. Hopefully she'll be in a better mood when she comes back."
"That's good to hear. Still, it makes you wonder doesn't it?" Miriana said in her soft voice.
"…Yeah. I'm going to sleep, I need to rest." Elrya moaned, shaking her head and yawning deeply. There was still more she wanted to know but with her mindset, it would be best to ask such things later.
Miriana nodded solemnly. "I'm going to get a quick bath myself." Elrya too bowed her head. "That's fine, be careful in their also, since the other Diclonius I'm sure don't know about you either." Then again, it wouldn't surprise her if Miriana attempted to befriend many of them herself. That was just the kind of person he best friend was after all. Yawning, Elrya left for her room as Miriana took to the stalls, grabbing a towel and entering just as Lilian left her own and returned to her room. Elrya was already on her bed, covered raised and her head resting on her pillow with her eyes closed. Carentorzulan was away, most likely on duty with the other Alpha Diclonius and Miriana was also gone. She looked over at the latter's bed which she had violently pushed out of the way. Of course not asleep, Elrya heard the scrapping of Miriana's bed as Lilian pulled it back to its original position.
Character Bios:
Elrya Sandersas: The main heroine of the "Pinpoint" series, Elrya is a young 16 year old Diclonius and, though much to her own shock, a secondary Queen Diclonius. Having once lived her live in misery at the facility, her life went into a spiral until she at last found the peace she had always wanted. She is currently pregnant with her child and thus, is still trying to keep it a secret from most of the people around her.
Alya Sandersas: Elrya's main Diclonius personality and best friend after Miriana. Because of her biology, Alya has the innate desires to kill humans but due to the love of them, has managed to suppress her own urges. Often cocky, she still cares greatly for her friends and family.
Carentorzulan Zeruda: A young Diclonius from Turkey, Carentorzulan is the youngest sister of former Cents member "Orlana Zeruda" of whom she had a deep connection with. Having been captured right in front of her sister, Caren was broken both physically and mentally, even going as far as to loyally serve Director Kakuzawa until she snapped out of it. Incredibly gifted and intelligent, she utilizes the same Clock Stopper that her sister used. She has a particular dislike in people shortening her name to "Caren" not that it stops most people.
Miriana Kusoku: A human girl who suffered under a tragic accident that scarred most of her body, she is the best friend of Elrya Alya Sandersas. She has a deep sense of peace and friendship, hardly even able to grasp the idea of violence and feeling sick when around such things. As one of the nicest people around, Miriana is willing to befriend anyone.
Lilian Cents: Lilian is a young 17, going on 18 year old Diclonius living together with Elrya/Alya, Caren and Miriana at the educational facility. She originally comes off as rude and cruel, criticizing others and having little regard for Miriana herself although deep down she holds a much more emotional viewpoint. She is the estranged daughter of the infamous Vladimir Cents whom for some reason, does not view her father the same way other people do. In fact, she may be the only person who has ever viewed Cents in a positive light.
Author's Note: Another chapter done as we learn a rather surprising secret about the girl Lilian which only adds to more questions of her past and that which surrounds her. So what will happen next time on "Pinpoint Conviction?"
As usual, keep reading, feel free to leave a review or even add some critique if you feel like it and most of all, I hope those who are reading it are enjoying the story.