"No reason, except she's my favorite daughter in the world. - Mommy" Paul read on a small card as Lila ripped off the expensive looking wrapping paper from a large box that had just recently arrived. Lila opened the box and grabbed at the excelsior that surrounded the china tea set, leaving it on the table.
"Oh!! It's gorgous!! Just ever so beautiful!!" Lila smiled brightly as she took out one of the small teacups from the box and examined it. Paul smiled at her happiness.
"Oh, honey, make sure you throw this excelsior in the furnace," Paul told her as Lila picked up the large box under her arm with her other arm supporting it and walked towards the back door.
"Okay Daddy. May I go outside? I'd like to pretend I'm hosting a garden party," Lila smiled. Paul nodded, and Lila made her way to the back porch. Still standing, Lila set up the tea set on the small white whicker table, then sat down on another whicker chair.
Ceaser poked his head over the bushes he was trimming and scowled when he saw Lila. Not meaning for Lila to hear, Ceaser smirked and muttered something along the lines of "I know what you've done, and soon everyone else is too." Lila turned up her nose.
"You're such a silly man," she snapped. "Don't you threaten me again, or I'll get my papa," Lila narrowed her eyes. Ceaser rolled his eyes.
"You're stupider then I thought. If you do that, then I'll get the police and tell them what you've done!" Ceaser finished, teasing her tiny mind, although he didn't mean a word of it. A quick look of panic flashed in Lila's eyes, then quickly left. She glared at him.
"You don't know diddly squat," was all Lila could say.
"On, but I do. You hit that little girl with a stick. It broke, then you decided to hit her with your little Mary-Janes with the metal plates on them," Ceaser BSed, watching her squirm in her seat
and enjoying it.
"I don't have any shoes with metal plates on them," Lila lied.
"Of course you don't, because I heard them clattering down the insinerator. You intended on burning them because you were afraid the cops might get to them and see the blood on them!! They may be scorched but there's pleeeenty of blood left on them!! Well, you can't have them back now, even if you wanted too!! Because I've got them little shoes! And you'd better be treating me pretty if you don't want the cops to find out!!" Ceaser finished, and laughed loudly to himself. He was enjoying this. Lila gave him a blank look.
"Give me back my shoes please," Lila said patiently, keeping her eyes on her tea set. Ceaser laughed in reply, which meant a no.
"I want my shoes back. They belong to me," Lila stood up and lowered both her eyebrows, beginning to lose patience. This humoured Ceaser.
"Oh noooo! I've got those shoes, and ain't no one gonna take them away from me!" Ceaser laughed and pointed at her. Lila started towards him, and almost yelled.
"You give me back those shoes! They belong to me! You give them back!" Lila started. Ceaser backed up and continued to laugh like a mad man.
"Give me back my shoes!! I'm warning you," Lila yelled in his face, starting to tug on his sleeve. Ceaser laughed even harder, but something in Lila's determined and serious eyes made his crazy laughter die away. His face turned into an expression of fear. He covered his mouth in shock.
"I know you did it! I was only playin witcha yesterday and before, but now I know it!! You beat that Hyerdahl girl on the head with a stick! Then it broke, so you pounded on her head with your shoes!!" Ceaser's eyes widened in shock. Too frightened and not wanting anything else to do with the girl, he quickly turned, intending to leave.
"Give them back to me!!" Lila screeched. Just then, the back door opened. They both froze. Lila's father appeared in the doorway.
"Lila? Ceaser? What's going on? I heard you yelling to him 'give them back to me'!" Paul put his hands on his hips and frowned. Ceaser quickly turned and left Paul and Lila. Ceaser heard Paul scolding his daughter, then he walked towards the basement. It was his room, and he often slept in there, but it was also close to the incinerator.
Ceaser looked around to be sure no one was looking, then quickly unlocked the small incinerator door and opened it. He saw the black Mary Janes stacked on top of each other, burning, but only scorched. He quickly closed it, and decided he'd ignore the child if she ever spoke to him. He didn't want anything to do with her. She was dangerous.
Meanwhile, Lila sat inside the small but fancy living room with a picture book in front of her. Lila closed the book, then looked up in thought. She then heard the Jolly Olly man near her house.
"Daddy?" she called to the kitchen. "May I have money for ice cream?" Lila asked.
"What? Oh, yes. There's some change on the coffee table," Paul answered. Lila took 35 cents from the small pile of change. She stopped, thought for a second, then grabbed a small handful of matches from the glass container that was sitting on top of the firesill as she glanced out a window and saw Rhonda down the street.
"Lila?" Paul frowned in suspiscion as he glanced from the kitchen.
"I wanted to play Jack-Straws with Rhonda. She's outside right now," Lila said quickly. Paul didn't like it, but let her outside anyway.
Paul watched her from the window out of curiosity. He saw her pay the Jolly Olly man and then run to the other end of the lawn, towards the basement door. He couldn't see her because of all the bushes that were surrounding the basement door. She remained behind the bushes for about a minute, then she skipped off to Rhonda on the other side of the lawn. Paul shrugged.
"Isn't that where the servant lives?" Rhonda asked, nodding towards the basement door and pronouncing servent as if it were a curse word.
"He's not really a servant, but a house keeper. He's very friendly too," Lila told her. Rhonda gasped as she saw a small trail of smoke coming from the basement door. Lila turned around to see. The small string of smoke became larger and larger, until the basement door and it's surroundings were covered in smoke. Rhonda screamed. Lila heard Ceaser yelling something as she widened her eyes in false shock.
Hearing Rhonda's screams, several of the apartment members rushed out to see what was the matter. They quickly noticed the smoke coming from the basement and it's locked door. Some men grabbed the shovels and pitchfork that Ceaser had left outside and began their attempts of breaking the lock. Finally, the two wooden doors burst open and Ceaser came running out, his body in flames as he attempted to smother the fire with his body.
Rhonda screamed and burst into tears. Lila quickly told her she had to go inside, then ran up the stoop and through the door. Paul was sitting near the window, looking very concerned.
"Lila, what's going on?" Paul asked nervously.
"I wouldn't know," Lila said simply, as if what was going on outside was nothing more then their neighbor showing off a new pet.
She caught her breath, then walked casually to the piano room. She sat on the expensive black piano bench and began the finger her favorite peice she had been working on. Moonlight Bay. Her father had to talk with her about what had just happened. He knocked on the door. It was locked, but Lila ignored it and continued playing her song, her fingers moving faster and faster.
Paul took a deep breath, then he glanced out the window. He realized what had happened, and he had seen everything. He knew he shouldn't have let her have those matches or go outside, but he did and only shrugged it off as it all appeared right before his eyes. Paul began shaking and he yelled out of the window for people to stop their yelling. It was only making things worse.
Miss Vitello rushed into the room to comfort Paul.
"Tell them to stop screaming and yelling and causing a commotion because none of it's going to help!! I should have seen this coming but I let her anyway!! I can't stand the noise and I can't stand any of this!! That man is dying and she's playing on the piano!!" Paul screamed the last sentence, tettering on the edge of insanity. He had let this happen.
"Paul? What on earth are you talking about?? What have you let her done?" Miss Vitello asked, overcome with confusion and impatience.
First the Hyerdahl girl, now Ceaser....and oh, poor Miss Marquet....he suddenly remembered. Without being able to control himself, he jumped up and ran to the door Lila was behind. He began pounding on the door with his fists, demanding her to come out. Miss Vitello ran to hold him back and get him under control. Suddenly, the music stopped abruptly and the door opened. Lila came out and Miss Vitello ran to embrace her.
"What has she done??" Miss Vitello asked Paul. Paul nodded.
"It's not what she's done...it's what I've done." Paul told her, still shook up over the past events and not quite sane. Miss Vitello assumed he was just tired, and offered to take Lila to her apartment so he can have some time to rest. Paul nodded in agreement. Just as they were almost through the door, Paul told her Lila will be up there shortly. He needed to speak with her. Miss Vitello nodded and walked though the door.
"Lila...did you-" Paul started, but he couldn't get himself to say the rest. Lila rushed up to her father and kissed him on the cheek.
"He told me he'd tell everyone what I did," Lila said simply. Paul froze.
"Lila...remember when we were living in Austin, and that lady, Miss Marquet, from upstairs came to babysit you often?" Paul started as Lila nodded. "She slipped down the stairs...right?" Paul looked up at her. Lila stood up and reached for a cookie on the coffee table.
"No daddy. I was standing behind her and I slipped on an ice cube, and pushed her down," Lila said in a voice Paul didn't recognize. She walked towards the door.
"Honey, please go up with Miss Vitello," Paul said in a voice he didn't recognize, either.
Whaddya think?!?!!? Reviews are greatly needed!! One chapter left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please review!! And thank you sooo much to all those reviews I've gotten so far
"Oh!! It's gorgous!! Just ever so beautiful!!" Lila smiled brightly as she took out one of the small teacups from the box and examined it. Paul smiled at her happiness.
"Oh, honey, make sure you throw this excelsior in the furnace," Paul told her as Lila picked up the large box under her arm with her other arm supporting it and walked towards the back door.
"Okay Daddy. May I go outside? I'd like to pretend I'm hosting a garden party," Lila smiled. Paul nodded, and Lila made her way to the back porch. Still standing, Lila set up the tea set on the small white whicker table, then sat down on another whicker chair.
Ceaser poked his head over the bushes he was trimming and scowled when he saw Lila. Not meaning for Lila to hear, Ceaser smirked and muttered something along the lines of "I know what you've done, and soon everyone else is too." Lila turned up her nose.
"You're such a silly man," she snapped. "Don't you threaten me again, or I'll get my papa," Lila narrowed her eyes. Ceaser rolled his eyes.
"You're stupider then I thought. If you do that, then I'll get the police and tell them what you've done!" Ceaser finished, teasing her tiny mind, although he didn't mean a word of it. A quick look of panic flashed in Lila's eyes, then quickly left. She glared at him.
"You don't know diddly squat," was all Lila could say.
"On, but I do. You hit that little girl with a stick. It broke, then you decided to hit her with your little Mary-Janes with the metal plates on them," Ceaser BSed, watching her squirm in her seat
and enjoying it.
"I don't have any shoes with metal plates on them," Lila lied.
"Of course you don't, because I heard them clattering down the insinerator. You intended on burning them because you were afraid the cops might get to them and see the blood on them!! They may be scorched but there's pleeeenty of blood left on them!! Well, you can't have them back now, even if you wanted too!! Because I've got them little shoes! And you'd better be treating me pretty if you don't want the cops to find out!!" Ceaser finished, and laughed loudly to himself. He was enjoying this. Lila gave him a blank look.
"Give me back my shoes please," Lila said patiently, keeping her eyes on her tea set. Ceaser laughed in reply, which meant a no.
"I want my shoes back. They belong to me," Lila stood up and lowered both her eyebrows, beginning to lose patience. This humoured Ceaser.
"Oh noooo! I've got those shoes, and ain't no one gonna take them away from me!" Ceaser laughed and pointed at her. Lila started towards him, and almost yelled.
"You give me back those shoes! They belong to me! You give them back!" Lila started. Ceaser backed up and continued to laugh like a mad man.
"Give me back my shoes!! I'm warning you," Lila yelled in his face, starting to tug on his sleeve. Ceaser laughed even harder, but something in Lila's determined and serious eyes made his crazy laughter die away. His face turned into an expression of fear. He covered his mouth in shock.
"I know you did it! I was only playin witcha yesterday and before, but now I know it!! You beat that Hyerdahl girl on the head with a stick! Then it broke, so you pounded on her head with your shoes!!" Ceaser's eyes widened in shock. Too frightened and not wanting anything else to do with the girl, he quickly turned, intending to leave.
"Give them back to me!!" Lila screeched. Just then, the back door opened. They both froze. Lila's father appeared in the doorway.
"Lila? Ceaser? What's going on? I heard you yelling to him 'give them back to me'!" Paul put his hands on his hips and frowned. Ceaser quickly turned and left Paul and Lila. Ceaser heard Paul scolding his daughter, then he walked towards the basement. It was his room, and he often slept in there, but it was also close to the incinerator.
Ceaser looked around to be sure no one was looking, then quickly unlocked the small incinerator door and opened it. He saw the black Mary Janes stacked on top of each other, burning, but only scorched. He quickly closed it, and decided he'd ignore the child if she ever spoke to him. He didn't want anything to do with her. She was dangerous.
Meanwhile, Lila sat inside the small but fancy living room with a picture book in front of her. Lila closed the book, then looked up in thought. She then heard the Jolly Olly man near her house.
"Daddy?" she called to the kitchen. "May I have money for ice cream?" Lila asked.
"What? Oh, yes. There's some change on the coffee table," Paul answered. Lila took 35 cents from the small pile of change. She stopped, thought for a second, then grabbed a small handful of matches from the glass container that was sitting on top of the firesill as she glanced out a window and saw Rhonda down the street.
"Lila?" Paul frowned in suspiscion as he glanced from the kitchen.
"I wanted to play Jack-Straws with Rhonda. She's outside right now," Lila said quickly. Paul didn't like it, but let her outside anyway.
Paul watched her from the window out of curiosity. He saw her pay the Jolly Olly man and then run to the other end of the lawn, towards the basement door. He couldn't see her because of all the bushes that were surrounding the basement door. She remained behind the bushes for about a minute, then she skipped off to Rhonda on the other side of the lawn. Paul shrugged.
"Isn't that where the servant lives?" Rhonda asked, nodding towards the basement door and pronouncing servent as if it were a curse word.
"He's not really a servant, but a house keeper. He's very friendly too," Lila told her. Rhonda gasped as she saw a small trail of smoke coming from the basement door. Lila turned around to see. The small string of smoke became larger and larger, until the basement door and it's surroundings were covered in smoke. Rhonda screamed. Lila heard Ceaser yelling something as she widened her eyes in false shock.
Hearing Rhonda's screams, several of the apartment members rushed out to see what was the matter. They quickly noticed the smoke coming from the basement and it's locked door. Some men grabbed the shovels and pitchfork that Ceaser had left outside and began their attempts of breaking the lock. Finally, the two wooden doors burst open and Ceaser came running out, his body in flames as he attempted to smother the fire with his body.
Rhonda screamed and burst into tears. Lila quickly told her she had to go inside, then ran up the stoop and through the door. Paul was sitting near the window, looking very concerned.
"Lila, what's going on?" Paul asked nervously.
"I wouldn't know," Lila said simply, as if what was going on outside was nothing more then their neighbor showing off a new pet.
She caught her breath, then walked casually to the piano room. She sat on the expensive black piano bench and began the finger her favorite peice she had been working on. Moonlight Bay. Her father had to talk with her about what had just happened. He knocked on the door. It was locked, but Lila ignored it and continued playing her song, her fingers moving faster and faster.
Paul took a deep breath, then he glanced out the window. He realized what had happened, and he had seen everything. He knew he shouldn't have let her have those matches or go outside, but he did and only shrugged it off as it all appeared right before his eyes. Paul began shaking and he yelled out of the window for people to stop their yelling. It was only making things worse.
Miss Vitello rushed into the room to comfort Paul.
"Tell them to stop screaming and yelling and causing a commotion because none of it's going to help!! I should have seen this coming but I let her anyway!! I can't stand the noise and I can't stand any of this!! That man is dying and she's playing on the piano!!" Paul screamed the last sentence, tettering on the edge of insanity. He had let this happen.
"Paul? What on earth are you talking about?? What have you let her done?" Miss Vitello asked, overcome with confusion and impatience.
First the Hyerdahl girl, now Ceaser....and oh, poor Miss Marquet....he suddenly remembered. Without being able to control himself, he jumped up and ran to the door Lila was behind. He began pounding on the door with his fists, demanding her to come out. Miss Vitello ran to hold him back and get him under control. Suddenly, the music stopped abruptly and the door opened. Lila came out and Miss Vitello ran to embrace her.
"What has she done??" Miss Vitello asked Paul. Paul nodded.
"It's not what she's done...it's what I've done." Paul told her, still shook up over the past events and not quite sane. Miss Vitello assumed he was just tired, and offered to take Lila to her apartment so he can have some time to rest. Paul nodded in agreement. Just as they were almost through the door, Paul told her Lila will be up there shortly. He needed to speak with her. Miss Vitello nodded and walked though the door.
"Lila...did you-" Paul started, but he couldn't get himself to say the rest. Lila rushed up to her father and kissed him on the cheek.
"He told me he'd tell everyone what I did," Lila said simply. Paul froze.
"Lila...remember when we were living in Austin, and that lady, Miss Marquet, from upstairs came to babysit you often?" Paul started as Lila nodded. "She slipped down the stairs...right?" Paul looked up at her. Lila stood up and reached for a cookie on the coffee table.
"No daddy. I was standing behind her and I slipped on an ice cube, and pushed her down," Lila said in a voice Paul didn't recognize. She walked towards the door.
"Honey, please go up with Miss Vitello," Paul said in a voice he didn't recognize, either.
Whaddya think?!?!!? Reviews are greatly needed!! One chapter left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please review!! And thank you sooo much to all those reviews I've gotten so far