A/N: Been a while since I worked on this. I was on sertraline tablets for anxiety for a while and from taking them they actually stumped me creatively. I struggle to put pen to paper, and haven't written much of anything in the last year. Since getting my life more in order, I want to make more effort with my stories so I'm going to focus on them, like this one.

Consider this the last chapter for past events, before it continues into the timeline of the game. Remember it'll be a reenvisioning, so no following line for line, word for word when it gets to familiar events. At that, I'm sorry for the delay and hope you enjoy.

Galerians
Caged Birds

Chapter 2: A fate worse than death

Fight. Lilia told him to fight. But fighting didn't do anything; they couldn't do anything. It was beyond their control, and it always had been. Their fathers had brought them into this—caused all of this, and it wasn't fair. The two computer scientists' intentions had been for the greater good, but they had no idea of the evil they would create, and what it would do to them.

For days after the carnival, things were rocky between Lilia and her father. No matter how much she tried tell him otherwise, Papa and Mr. Steiner were utterly convinced their children had been sneaking off more than once, even if that weren't the case. Papa's work schedule changed. He was home she was home, and he began dropping and picking her up from school. In the evening times, he'd lock the doors and windows and kept the keys with him while he worked in his study. Papa never said she was grounded, but that essentially was what it was, or house arrested as Rion put it.

The same thing had been happening to her friend too.

"Mother's not so bad, but Father won't stop giving me a hard time. 'Don't do this, don't do that' he doesn't shut up Lilia. He even locked the mechanism for that trapdoor—remember the one they put in my bedroom a few years ago?" Rion had sounded frustrated as she'd felt at the time, their moods rubbing too much off of one another. "They want to get me a private tutor too, keep me homed schooled instead so they can keep me locked up in here for God knows how long. It's driving me insane."

It'd been impulse—that was problem. They met on impulse, and they didn't plan anything. Planning could've prevented so much, they could've met in secret at a better suited time. Lilia remembered wishing she'd talked Rion out of going to the carnival, if it saved them from this mess.

A week went by, then two. Things improved a bit with their parents, though the circumstances didn't. Still, Lilia was relieved her Papa wasn't giving her such a hard time anymore, though he flat out refused to discuss to her anything about Rion, so she kept quiet. And Rion, he'd been in a better mood, but…well, it wasn't easy. He never did like being told what to do.

A mutual belief developed between them, that perhaps their fathers had put the sneaking off incident behind them, and wouldn't carry out the threats Lilia overheard from the two men those weeks before. 'Things will blow over,' Rion kept telling her, and Lilia foolishly believed him, and he believed himself.

And then it happened.

It was during school hours. Lilia was in class having to sit through a boring lecture from her history teacher Mrs. Peacham, about a war some two centuries ago in the 2300s. History was not a subject Lilia enjoyed much, and so like always, she and Rion were secretly talking telepathically while she'd taken notes off the board.

"Do you ever feel like running away sometimes?" Rion had asked her out of the blue. "You know, just away from all of this?

"Yeah, sometimes," Lilia replied ruefully, staring at her textbook showing photographs of war veterans in their old-fashioned uniforms. Those men and women all long dead, and the thought made her sad. "It feels easier to think about doing that, than to confront things."

"Yeah, same…"

Lilia had ceased scribbling notes in her book, instead beginning to draw swirly lines of waves instead, as a smile crept up on her lips. "Why? Do you want to make a run for it?"

"No," Rion said straight away, denial coming through on his telepathic voice. "You know my father. He'd send the FBI after me; probably microchip me too."

"Don't give him ideas, or he might think about it and make my Papa do it to me too!"

"Hah! Like they haven't stuck enough in our heads; they've probably already gone and done it already."

Lilia had held in a giggle, slowing the swirling of those lines drawn out from her pen around the written text. "But let's say we did it—got away. Where would you want to go?"

"Me?" Rion sounded surprised.

"Yes" Lilia responded.

There'd been a warm burning brewing in her chest then, which Lilia mistook for indigestion for a second.

"I, I haven't really thought that far ahead." Rion said honestly.

"I'm not surprised."

There was no reaction to her backtalk. Her friend seemingly had taken the question seriously…at least, enough that it took a while for him speak again.

"We'd be fugitives in a way right?" Rion sent through her mind at last. "Guess I would just go the last place anybody would look, where they couldn't track us down."

She'd tilted her head, losing her thoughts in the skies beyond the classroom windows, while Mrs. Peacham keeps rambling away. "You mean, out in some desert?"

"Sure, I guess, or some trailer park maybe. I don't know."

Lilia had smiled faintly. "That would be tough, for you."

"Why'd you say that?" Her friend asked.

Having accidently caught the eye of a fellow student, Lilia's smile had dropped and she immediately went back to writing the teacher's notes from the board.

"You, of all people in a trailer Rion? I'm not sure you could handle it…with all do respect your royal highness."

She'd hit the right nerve, and in response, the humor was freshly coated on her friend's semi-serious tone. "Hey, say that again and I'll send my personal butler after you."

"Point proven."

"Sure, you believe that," Rion had spoken, and could almost imagine the grin on his face he might've had at the moment. "I might be a rich kid, but I'm no—"

Lilia immediately dropped her pen on the desk, startled by the sudden ringing in her ears. It hadn't been the bell from the fire alarm, for she knew what that sounded like, and nobody else in the classroom reacted to it except her. High-pitched, like the typical ringing one got from inside their own eardrums time to time, but deeper in…like it'd been coming from inside her own head. She couldn't think straight.

"What is that?"

…

"Rion..? Hey, can you hear that, Rion?""

"Lilia Pascalle, is there anything you'd like to address to the class?"

Her history teacher's attention had been fixed on her, the middle-aged woman revealing displeasure from having to stop her lecture to the class. More and more heads turned to stare at Lilia, as their teacher grew impatient. "Lilia Pascalle, are you listening to me?"

"Rion, Rion come on."

The ringing rose and fell in volume, disappearing for seconds only to come back high-pitched, the degree of giving her a headache.

"I, um…" Lilia had lowered hers hands down from her head, but the ringing persisted. A sickly feeling began festering in the pit of her stomach, the same fear that forced her to start gathering her things into her school bag.

She just knew.

She knew what'd happened.

"Miss Pascalle!" her teacher called sharply and questioned her behavior, but Lilia hadn't stopped. She was already up, walking speedily through the rows of other school kids staring at her strangely as she went for the door.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't feel good! I have to go to the nurse's office!"

That was a lie.

Lilia never went to the nurse's office. One of her friends from another class, Fuu, had bumped into her when coming out from the girl's bathroom, and tried to flag her down after seeing she was in distress, but Lilia had ignored her and kept running. What was the point? She wouldn't have understood, or even believed her story anyway.

She left school premises, panicking and in a flood of tears as she ran for home. The whole time she'd been trying to contact Rion, but there's was only that infuriating ringing in her head that would come back in response, not her friend.

"Rion, answer me! Can't you hear me!?"

Her whole world felt it'd been falling apart that day, feeling a deep betrayal from Papa, from knowing he and Mr. Steiner had something to do with it.

From then onwards Rion's voice…Lilia couldn't hear it anymore. The ties that bind them remained intact, but communicating to each other through their minds was no longer possible. Interference stopped them. She'd sensed it a great number of times, Rion trying to reach her, like she tried to reach him. The pressure would build in her brain when that ringing her head starting up, and both would increase tenfold the harder he tried get through.

It didn't take a genius to figure out their fathers had gone through with their plan, and whatever they had done, it had worked.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, Lilia."

She hadn't been able look at Papa after he'd arrived home a few hours after she did, having been informed by the school she wasn't there. Papa had been mad for a bit, but not very long when he'd seen the state she was in.

He'd been sat at the edge of her bed, trying to make peace between them, but Lilia wasn't open to hearing anything. She'd kept her back turned to him from where she'd laid curled up on the blankets in her room. So many aggressive impulses had crowded her head from her and Rion's emotions, that Lilia would've screamed at Papa if she wasn't so mentally exhausted from the hours of crying. Anguish wore heavy on her thoughts by that point, with the ringing tuning in and out like a radio frequency from her friend still trying futilely to make contact.

Lilia had no more tears to shed, not in front of Papa.

There'd been silence, long and uncomfortable while the clock on her nightstand ticked the seconds and minutes away. Next to it was a small framed photo of her mother, with her short auburn hair, warm brown eyes, and the smile like an angel.

Dorothy.

It made Lilia sick, thinking Papa had requested all those years ago to Mr. Steiner that they give their new super computer the name of her late mother.

She'd heard her father exhale a sigh, his guilt ridden voice breaking Lilia from that train of thought. "Dorothy isn't the only reason we've kept the two of you apart. It's best you know that now."

It'd been enough of a pull, intriguing Lilia so that she'd turned her head to peer at him from over her shoulder, uncaring if he saw how red her eyes were.

"Know what?" Lilia had asked confused.

Having pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose, her father's expression was one of same, unable to look at her. "We haven't been completely honest with the two of you. Steiner believed it in your best interests for you both to be kept protected until the right time, but you should know the truth."

"The truth?" having sat up, the ringing in Lilia's head persisted again, from her friend's voice unheard, though Rion tried. "What are you talking about?"

Her father had taken a few moments to prepare, wringing his hands together and adjusting his watch as he'd often done when nervous. It took a few minutes for Papa to explain everything, and nothing more.

From then onwards, it all made sense…

Nine days later, it was her fourteenth birthday. Fourteen years on this planet, yet Lilia believed she had nothing to celebrate.

She finally understood, why she and Rion were kept apart, but Lilia couldn't stop feeling resentment to Papa and Mr. Steiner for being part of it. Other teenagers her age complained about being grounded and so forth, but she'd been cut off from her closest and dearest friend in the world, and she didn't know if she'd ever be able to see or speak to Rion again. Going off to secretly meet, it wasn't going to happen, not when trust from their fathers limited them more than ever.

Papa let up on the taxi service deal, allowing Lilia to go to school on her own terms, and even allowed her to hang out with her friends again. However now, he rang her more frequently on her mobile, wanting to know where she would be going after school, and telling her to be back by a certain time. It wasn't that bad, but having her father keep a close eye on her was added stress on her mind.

Lilia dreaded to think how strict Mr. Steiner was being with Rion, and if that private tutor her friend spoke about actually came to fruition. Despite the outbursts of anger surging out from him and into her no longer being on a daily basis, Lilia still feared the worst or him. The days became felt empty without her friend there just a whisper away in her mind. She'd lost a part of herself, and she wanted it back so much…that, it was the way it had to be. Still, being home alone when Papa was off working late became too much sometimes, and often by force of habit, she'd wind up speaking to Rion through her thoughts, fully aware he couldn't receive them.

Becoming depressed by it all, Lilia began distancing herself from around peers, along with Fuu, Maggie and her few other friends who'd try to cheer her up to no resolve. No longer was she able to focus on school, and left homework incomplete. Given enough time, her grades would've probably started dropping if she'd still been going to school now. And so what if they had? Lilia didn't care anymore about getting top scores or grades, or getting into the best college or university; education was trivial compared to the real problems going on in her life.

For her fourteenth birthday, she'd chosen to spend it alone, blowing off all offers from their friends to do something 'fun'. Yes, Lilia would've stayed cooped up in the house practicing the piano that was her only escape, but Papa soon put a stop to that idea. He'd arranged not to work with Mr. Steiner on her birthday, and so for that day, Papa spent it with her. He'd taken her to a nature reserve, the one outside of the city that Elsa visited with her and Rion when they were younger. It'd been a long time since Lilia had gone there herself, and the first time in a long time with Papa.

The reserve was still beautiful as always, with so much woodlands and nature surrounding them. Lilia could hear the gentle flow of the river; saw squirrels climbing up trees and that earthy pine smell she couldn't forget. There were no flowers, or honey bees, and it was much colder she would've preferred. It was getting to that time of the year when the leaves were starting to change color on the trees, but still so beautiful and serene.

She forgot there were so few places like that left in the world where mankind hadn't left their mark, and how lucky the Steiners were to live over in the forest district. That day Lilia rediscovered her love of such things and wonderful it was to be somewhere like that. She craved to be a part of nature, away from cities and people.

"You know, this is where I met your mother."

This wasn't unfamiliar knowledge. Papa had shared this story with her before. But in her saddened mood, Lilia was willing to listen, if just to gain some peace inside her troubled mind.

"Yeah…you said she worked in the centre."

Papa had smiled by that from where he was sat on that bench with her, wrapped up in his old brown business coat with a wooly scarf around his neck. His gaze fell upon the nature reserve centre that was just across from them on the other side of a picturesque river. Crossing that elegant wooden bridge, the reserve centre was made of timber designed to resemble a large cabin, and there had been an open deck area where the café was.

Customers were mostly seated inside at the tables that weekend, the clanking of plates and chatter of gossip carried from the open glass doors. Some small children played outside, and a few dog walkers and joggers were about the place, yet it felt as though she and Papa were mere spectators, looking in on their lives—invisible and unnoticed like ghosts.

"Something about Dot drew me to her instantly. It took me forever to muster the courage to invite her out; I wasn't the best when it came to conversing with women." Lightly removing his spectacles, Papa began cleaning the lenses with a handkerchief from his pocket. "It was a curse. Whenever she spoke, I became tongue-tied and I could never say what I wanted to. She must've thought me bizarre."

Lilia had tried to picture her mother in that place, her photo in this setting, smiling heavenly as she worked away serving customers. The mother in her mind was perfect, a flawless being who would later unknowingly captured her Papa's heart, and lead off to the chain of events to marriage, Lilia's birth, and her mother's death.

She'd wrinkled the candy bar wrapper in her hands, lacking the appetite to finish the final piece inside. It was the candy bar Toffee & Chocolate Crunch, but Lilia wasn't the one who enjoyed eating them...

"Mother said yes, didn't she?" Lilia said lightly, her words weak. "You said she did."

"Yes, certainly," Papa said with a smile, squinting over at that centre through his blurred vision. "Dot laughed so much later on when I told her my reasons for really been in there asking for all sorts of things off the menu. She assumed me to be picky with my food, not bashful of her. I never thought for a moment she would fall for somebody like me." Placing his spectacles back on, Papa rubbed at his mouth. "With her there everything fitted, and you coming into our lives made it all that much greater. She had everything planned you know, what school you would go to, and what we would teach you. She wanted the very best for you, Lilly"

Lilia had hunched her shoulders, her grip having closed around the candy bar wrapper as she'd sucked on her lips. No longer was she able to look at her father, while his sad eyes remained focused on that nature reserve centre, living a lost past.

"Am I anything like her?"

Papa had scratched at his chin, a tinge of something bittersweet there on his features. "Most definitely; she always had a good heart on her…so, considerate of others, but smart."

"Smarter than you?" Lilia asked teasingly.

That had gotten a chuckle out of him. "Perhaps."

No memories, not one. It was never easy losing somebody, but it was harder when Lilia had no recollection of her own mother. She was just a baby after all. When she saw other children with her parents or their mothers like a complete family, she would envy them, yet hope they never took for granted what they had because like her it could be lost in an instant.

It wasn't fair.

"I wished I'd gotten to know her," Lilia said, as she'd dug her heels into the ground, trying to hold off the tears. She'd heard ringing inside her head, from Rion probably affected by her mood change. Getting a hold of herself, Lilia tried to calm down, not wanting to worry her friend or bring him down with her when she'd sensed things so rocky with him.

"I'm okay."

The ringing, it stopped and a hollow feeling carved itself out from her chest.

"I think she would've wanted the same," Papa said, when at last he'd noticed something amiss with her, and concern immediately was upon him as he'd consoled her. "Oh Lilly…the Gods what am I doing? I apologize It's your birthday; I'm supposed to be cheering you up."

"No, it's okay. I like it when you talk about her," Lilia had answered, forcing a smile she wanted to feel so badly. "Thank you."

Seemingly believing things were well enough with her, Papa had given a small acknowledging nod, and stood up surveying the woodlands and the winding trails through it which were kept so well tidy for visitors. "Why don't we go for one last walk before lunch? I could do with the excise."

"Yeah, sure." Getting up, Lilia contemplated her thoughts, before pocketing the remainder of her candy bar away. "I think there's a path around the small lake we missed. Els…um…I went there once years ago. I wouldn't mind going there."

And that's exactly where they went. There'd been geese floating on the water's surface, the lake surrounded by those weeping willows to have grown much larger in those years since she'd last been there as a child. Lilia regretted neglecting such visits here, but enjoyed the time she and Papa had spent at the nature reserve. They were there for a near two hours more, eating out at the café in that centre while they talked about ordinary stuff and ordinary things. Her father brought up wanting to try out painting again during all of it, something he would later make the effort for by getting together the supplies of watercolors and oil paints, with the intent of teaching her too.

On the drive home, they listened to songs from bands back from the 20th and 21st century. It was from the special collection of music Papa had gotten her for her birthday, because of Lilia's love for old songs. He joked she came from another time, because she rarely ever listened to music from the present. Maybe that one thing, she could let pass on her disinterest in history, for music was her heart and soul. On that drive home, it was like she and Papa were a time traveling duo in their little time machine, listening to the voices of the past and even trying to sing along to a few. They just made stupid fools out of themselves, laughing by the end, and it was okay, even if things under the surface weren't.

Lilia wasn't a fool. She understood what Papa had been trying to do. He felt bad for cutting her off from her friend, and was trying to make up for lost time by spending more of it with her. If only she'd known they only had a few days left, maybe…who knows, she would've made that more effort.

"Lilia, I almost forgot. This is for you."

It was a package Papa was holding out to her after they'd come home, having taken it out from the broom closet by the front door. Lilia had already been heading to the stairs to go up to her room, when there her Papa was handing it to her, yet another gift. But this was different than the others presents, for the wrapping was plain brown, and neatly tied up with string.

"Elsa asked me to give it to you when I left Steiner's yesterday evening. I insisted I shouldn't take it since we agreed on…well, Albert doesn't need to know." Her father turned away after giving the gift to her, and went to hang his coat on the rack. "Just this one time, we can let it pass."

"How, how is she?" Lilia rushed out with. "Elsa, how is she doing?"

It was rare she got to ask about the Steiners. Often Papa preferred she didn't or he only kept to the basics, but now, being out of touch with Rion, she was desperate more than ever for news.

So fortunate for Lilia, her father was open to sharing that day.

"She's well, very good actually…all of the Steiners'," Papa hesitated, rubbing the tip of his nose with a thoughtful look in his grey eyes. "Elsa was just telling me before I left that, Albert's been playing chess with his son of late; apparently the boy's beaten him on more than one occasion, so well it seems there may be another chess master in his midst. Time will tell I suppose."

"Yeah, I guess…"

It was slow and rehearsed, as if her father had been preparing to tell her that, whether she'd asked about the family or not. The news of father and son seeming to be making a bends brought a great bout of relief and sorrow, for as glad as Lilia was for them, it made her feel empty inside still. She had been missing playing those board games with Rion, but at least she knew why his temper had died off some.

Lilia almost brought it up to Papa, if there was someway to reverse the block placed on their abilities so she could at least speak with her friend again…but she lost her nerve, knowing the answer.

"Well, I think I'm going to make myself a coffee," her father said after lightly clearing his throat, and so he'd gone on his way, heading for the kitchen.

Glancing down at that package in her arms, Lilia quickly gathered her jumbled thoughts.

"Th, thanks!" She'd called out to her father just as he was about to leave that small hallway. "Can you please tell her I said thank you!?"

Papa had hesitated in the doorway, before giving her a small nod.

"Of course."

She was up in her room in a flash, jumping onto her bed to start pulling away the string and unwrap that package. The present inside revealed to her was a beautiful single strap vest, beige with big silver buttons, and there was a birthday card that came with it, one with flowers on the cover—so typical of Elsa.

Inside it'd read:

To the birthday girl

I caught word you were feeling blue, and couldn't help myself in picking this out for you. Sorry if this isn't in your size. I hope it fits and it's to your liking.

As my mother used to say, our friends and the people we care about are like stars. Even if we can't be seen, they'll always be there.

Happy 14th Birthday

It wasn't signed, probably to keep it anonymous like the discreet packaging. The card had made Lilia glow, feeling the words coming right off the card as if spoken from the woman herself. Even after all that time, Elsa was still capable of mothering her from afar.

Setting the card aside, Lilia had lifted it up the vest as it unfolded to reveal more buttons and a belt attached to it with pouches…and as it did, something small fell out from the piece of attire. It dropped onto her lap, almost sliding off her leg and onto the floor if she hadn't been quick and caught it.

It was another present, a little thing with colorful wrapping paper of balloons and clowns that made Lilia think of her childhood clown doll that went missing just a few weeks before. Cautiously she'd opened it, gently tearing away the wrapping to find herself holding a pink bangle, the smooth plastic reflective in the light when turned. 'Pretty,' she remembered thinking

Her confusion was amplified when finding a small card came with it, yet on flipping it over, her heart skipped a beat. On the front of the card there was a painting of a theme park, with a Ferris wheel, and inside there was short message. The handwriting was by someone else for it wasn't as elegant as Elsa's, but Lilia already knew whose it belonged to.

You said you liked pink once

Happy Birthday

Lilia had never cried receiving anything before, but on that day she'd sobbed like a baby, both sad and happy tears.

"Thank you." She'd telepathically sent out to her distant friend as she hugged those two gifts close to her, wishing that it was both mother and son instead. "Thank you…"

Three weeks later, it started.

Lilia had been sat at her desk late one night, still in the clothes she'd worn when spending time over with her friend Fuu, Maggie and the others. For some unknown reason she couldn't explain, she hadn't been able to sleep well for the last few days. There was this ever growing uneasy festering inside her, which made Lilia uncomfortable in her own skin. Whether at school or at home, she couldn't escape it wherever she went, like eyes were on her 24/7. With this increasing paranoia, was a rising frustration, like Lilia wanted to do something about all this, but the problem was, she wasn't sure how.

To cope, Lilia started reading books on computer science, particular her father's copy of The New Replicative Computer Theory, of which Albert Steiner had written some years ago before Dorothy's creation. She'd never thought of following in her father's footsteps, but in light of everything, Lilia decided she wanted to learn it, if best to understand Dorothy more. Computing using algorithm, writing codes in the programming language of pythons, that was simple enough to follow. Reading Albert Steiner's book and those theories of his was a slower process, for the man was on a higher intellect level she wasn't yet capable of.

For a machine like Dorothy that functioned like a living organism, there was a deep complexity to what made Dorothy, Dorothy, and it almost scared Lilia by how much. 'Synthetic Life', reading it made Lilia think of the androids that were becoming all the rage for how realistic they were to resembling humans, and the controversy they were stirring up too across the globe.

When those books could do no more, and her head was overloaded with knowledge and weighed down by restlessness, it was then Lilia sat herself at her desk to write. There was a letter she had been trying to compose for weeks, and kept tripping over her own words and what she wanted to express. Still Lilia kept at it, in the hopes that somehow she could deliver it to Rion and his mother, despite having no idea how she was going to do that without Papa or Albert Steiner finding out. Truth be told, Lilia's attempts were never coherent letters, and that night was no different than the others she'd written and torn up. The letter began with her thanking Rion and Elsa for the bangle and vest Lilia had almost religiously worn since, and she told them she missed them. Then the letter's focus directed itself on Rion, writing about the unfairness of the roles they had to play, and how if only all of this would end.

I keep thinking of the carnival, and how much fun we had that night. I wish every day could be like that for us. Maybe you were right about running away. I don't think you were joking, were you Rion? I'd thought about it too once, the two of us runaways, but I know I'd miss home and Papa too much. After what he said, it would've been too dangerous anyway.

I envy other people being able to be just people. I miss talking to you. I sometime think that maybe you can hear me, but I don't know. Still I wind up talking anyway, pretending that you can. I can't help it.

It'd been over a month cut off from Rion. Those episodes of ringing in her head were less frequent, as if her friend lost hope of breaking whatever stopped them from communicating. His emotions had many ups and downs in that time, his happiness sparse through the low mood he experienced great bouts of, along with anger. Sometimes though, when she spoke to him out of habit, Lilia could've sworn whatever bad mood he was in at the time would settle. Coincidence and not, she continued doing that, talking about her day and the past, just to help herself feel better.

Lilia could tell Rion was sleeping at the time she wrote that letter, and it felt easier that way, getting stuff off her chest without his feelings interfering with her own. Maybe he or Elsa would never have been able to read that letter, and Lilia would've torn it up and throw it away like the rest, knowing it was unlikely she'd be able to get it to them. Whatever the case, Lilia never got to finish writing it.

The lamp at her desk suddenly shut off along with all the lights inside the house. She'd looked up, and just a second later, the streetlamps outside went out too. Sighing, Lilia had gotten up and walked to her bedroom window to pull aside the curtain, where she discovered the neighboring houses were blacked out too. A power cut, and tied only to that district, as Lilia had seen lights still visible off across towards the city, and the Mushroom Tower…

There had been a burst of activity from her father's bedroom down the hall, things falling on the floor like he was busy searching around for something, and being as quiet as a rampaging bull in a china shop. The second she'd heard Papa coming towards her room, she'd hurried in shoving the papers of that unfinished letter into her desk, just managing to slide the drawer shut as the door flew open and she was blinded by a flashlight.

"We're leaving, now!" Papa said upon entering as if it were a direct command. At first Lilia thought she was in trouble again, but then she'd noticed how manic her father's expression was with fear. There'd been a bag over his shoulder, like he were packed ready to go.

Confused and taken aback, Lilia had only stood there. "W…What? Papa—"

He hadn't waited around. Her father had gone straight over to Lilia, alarming her by how hard he'd gripped her wrist as he'd started dragging her to the door. "Now Lilia! I'll explain everything later! We have to get out of here!"

Dorothy.

A cold chill swept through her. It was happening, the time had come...

No time grab anything, they'd bolted downstairs and gone out the front door, not even stopping to grab their coats or for Lilia put some shoes on. She had run in her bare socks, across the cold stony driveway where her father went about unlocking the door garage. He'd made her to hold the flashlight as he went about pushing the door up, and that's when they'd heard it—an enormous crash of glass breaking from inside the house.

Startled, Lilia had turned around shining the light towards their house. Her body seized up immediately from hearing what sounded like a loud screech from one of the rooms upstairs, like…like an eagle of some kind.

Papa pushed the flashlight down and snatched it away from her, shutting it off. Grabbing the keys out from his pocket, he had unlocked that cherished vintage car of his.

"Get in!" he'd ordered.

She'd already been edging back towards the vehicle, eyes glued to the house. "But, what was that!?"

"Just get in, Lilia!"

There'd been the deep grumbles like those from a tiger or big cat, as blackened figures emerged out from the bushes. They were shaped like people and walked on two legs, but were hunched over and skinny as carried by mere bones. They'd gathered in groups like a pack, and by their rigid movements alone, she knew they weren't human.

Lilia had nearly screamed, already tearing open the car door to get inside. Papa had soon followed, tossing the bag he'd been carrying onto her lap as he frantically inserted the car keys into the ignition. The engine sprung to life, and the headlights snapped on...and Lilia never forgot what she saw.

Lit up by the beams, strange creatures came charging at the car, a flash of skinless bodies made of muscles, long claws and teeth, and huge red bug eyes that glowed. They were things of nightmares.

"Gods!" Papa had slammed his foot down on the gas peddle, just clipping the sides of the garage walls as they pulled out onto the driveway. The monstrosities lunged at the car, creating a loud bang as they hit the hood, but they were knocked aside like pins in bowling as the vehicle sped off.

Lilia had cowered in her seat, covering her eyes when one such creature slammed against her passenger door, cracking the glass. Yellow goo was left splattered on the window, not blood like a normal animal that would bleed. Those monsters, a whole choir of their terrifying animal-like shrieks broke out through the night as she and Papa sped away, along…with what had sounded like laughter, cackling.

Lilia had been hyperventilating, her heart hammering in her chest as Papa drove them out of the darkened neighborhood, leaving behind the home they had lived in for over seven years.

"What…wh...what were those things?" she'd barely managed to choke out.

She remembered Papa being pale, his fearful eyes wide and alert, focused on the road ahead. Lilia had never seen him like that before, so spooked. "Dorothy's experiments; I recognize them from the research data we hacked. She must've found out." He'd banged his fist on the dashboard. "Albert that fool! I told him it was a bad idea, but he just wouldn't listen."

The repulsive yellow goo splattered on the passenger window had been seeping in through some of the broken cracks in the glass. Lilia had pressed her back far into her seat, clutching her seatbelt as the vivid images of those terrifying creature crossed her mind.

"Experiments? But how!? She's a machine! She can't do that!"

"The hospital, Dorothy's…I'll explain once we stop, okay?"

"No, I want to hear it now!"

"Lilia there isn't time. I have to concentrate incase we're being followed," Papa said hastily, putting his foot down on the gas. The car picked up more speed. "I need you to contact the Steiners, the boy; can you do that?"

"But Rion can't hear me." Lilia responded, a shaky mess.

"That doesn't matter. Just, try," Papa urged frustrated. "Don't question me, Lilia. Just do as I say."

Unclenching her seatbelt, Lilia had looked away from her father and focused on the long road ahead lit up by the headlights. Through the will of her mind, she called out to her friend through those miles between them.

"Rion, can you hear me? Wake up! You have to wake up!"

Of course it hadn't work. It never had. Whenever she or Rion were asleep, it was impossible to communicate with the other. Lilia had better chance of it raining candy than talking her friend out of the land of nod.

"It's no good. I—ah!"

The tires screeched when Papa turned a sharp bend. The car reared to one side, the force pushing Lilia over to the right, and she'd winced upon bumping her head against the side of her passenger door. Some seconds later, ringing erupted in her head; low at first, the noise had grown louder. The heart jumped in her chest, a new wave of panic transferred over by her friend.

And so Lilia closed her eyes and concentrated harder than ever.

"Rion! Rion! You have to get out! You and your parents are in danger. You have to go now!"

More incessant ringing, anxiety had knotted in her stomach, but she wasn't sure if it was enough, or if any of her messages were getting through. The dull ache from the side of her head became an eureka moment then, realizing if she couldn't alert him of the danger through her voice, then she had to do so by other means…

"Rion hurry! GO!"

"Lilia? Lilia what in the—stop that!" Papa had yelled at her, reaching to wrench her hand away from where she'd been biting into her palm. Lilia drew blood, and it hurt like hell, but it wasn't deep. It did what it had to. Her friend was aware something was wrong, as the panic was amplified on his receiving end.

"It's okay, he knows now," She'd gasped, clutching her hand as it bled. The taste of blood was coppery on her tongue. "Maybe I, I think…"

Papa gaped at her like she was some kind of lunatic. He'd cleared his throat as they drove into brighter areas not affected by the blackout, where the streetlamps were lit. "Well…then, then good. Let's hope that's enough, just don't do that again," her father said quietly, almost withdrawn. "If that boy's got any sense to tell his parents, then the Steiners won't ignore it. I only pray Albert listens."

"Why can't you just call them?" Lilia had asked. "What you did to us, can't you just…like, I don't know get rid of it so I talk to Rion and warn them?"

"It's out of my hands. There's nothing I can do from here," Papa replied. "Besides Dorothy will be listening; calling them, it would only allow her to trace us."

Anxiously her eyes had sought her bracelet, and her beige vest. "Then we have to go to them!"

"We can't, Lilia," Papa told her, while overtaking a car ahead of them. "It's too risky, and you're too valuable to lose."

"But they'll be in trouble—"

"I know!" Papa had shouted, causing her jaw to lock tight. Too afraid to speak out, things went quiet, her father not saying a word while he concentrated on driving. He was keeping them off the main roads, and she could tell by the signs he'd been taking them away from the city, away from Dorothy, and the Steiners.

Lilia broke out in a cold sweat, a shiver tingling on her skin as Rion's unease within her spread. The car finally going at a less manic speed, Papa reached into his pocket and gave her his handkerchief.

"Here, apply pressure on it. Last thing you need right now is an infection."

Without protest Lilia did so, the wound on her hand stinging, but she didn't complain. Her hands were trembling on her lap; she wasn't able to stop shaking. It was cold out, but not that cold.

Her father released a long rattling sigh from nerves. He'd sounded less agitated that time. "I don't like this either Lilia, but Dorothy will anticipate us going there. We have no other choice. If…if we lose that virus program inside your head, we're all dead."

Lilia had said nothing. She'd only stared at the blood on that white handkerchief with the double R.P's stitched into it, the red stain dark in contrast to her skin.

"They'll be fine, everything will be fine." Papa reassured, having brushed a hand through the back of his thinning hair. "For now we stick to the plan Albert and I agreed upon. We'll wait at the meet up point for them; just keep trying to make contact for me until we get there, please."

She couldn't….her head was pounding, as her insides had begun knotting in terror.

Blood on her hand, blood in her mind, it was all she saw.

Lilia had squeezed her eyes shut, hunching over in her seat with the images of blood unable to be shaken away.

"I only hope Albert bothered to move that wrecked doll, then maybe…Lilia? Lilia!" The car slowed down, as Papa had pulled them over to the side of the road. The engine still on, his voice had been filled with worried. "Lilia what's the matter!? Talk to me!"

She'd seen it clear as day, the flash of something that nearly scared her to death like the monsters.

Blood dripping down toppled cardboard boxes…blood smeared on the polished floors at her feet, where lifeless eyes stared up at her in the dark, from inside the sockets of a skull that'd been caved in.

Mr. Steiner…

Dropping the handkerchief, Lilia dug her nails into her scalp as she'd let out of a scream. The ringing erupted louder in her head than it ever had before. The tears involuntarily began to fall from her eyes, that car becoming cramped like she was trapped in a cage. She couldn't breathe!

"No…no, no! NO! NO!"

"Lilia!?" Papa's hand landed on her shoulder, and instinctively she'd shoved him back.

"Don't touch me! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Lilia!"

She'd struggled to free herself from her seatbelt, clawing at the handle to push the car door open, and without even thinking Lilia had gone sprinting off into cold night, back down the road they'd traveled from.

Her father's door clicked opened seconds afterwards, having gone running right after her, shouting her name.

It'd been a stupid thing to do. More of those monsters could've been after them, and there Lilia had gone and bailed from their only set of wheels. She hadn't been thinking straight, blinded by that sixth sense feeling inside her—the desperate need to escape.

At the very same time, she was being pulled towards her friend. Despite all the distance between them, she was running with everything in her, as if she alone could save him and his family. Logic wasn't there, just the ringing that was blaring like a siren in her head.

Rion was terrified, he was so scared.

"Run! You have to get away! Get far away!"

Her foot had caught on an uneven part of ground, or some rocks; it'd been enough to bring Lilia down, scratching up her hands and knees as she'd landed in the dirt by the side of the road. The fall had brought her to her senses for only a moment…until she saw it again, something that shouldn't exist.

The image of a clock clamped in teeth was burned into her mind. A spilled milk carton mixed with blood, where vegetables soaked in the dark liquid like soup.

Pale skin, blonde hair where grey matter was exposed, belonging to the face of a woman she recognized…

"E-Elsa?" Involuntarily Lilia began shaking, struggling for breath. She couldn't move, her body frozen solid in place on the ground.

"Run! Get out of there Rion! RUN!"

As unprecedented terror from her friend consumed her, Papa had caught up and grabbed her from behind.

Shadows…in her mind's eye she'd seen shadows looming from around her.

Men in dark coats, they had her surrounded.

She'd screamed, and tried to run again. But Papa, he'd held onto her, locking his arms around her tightly as she'd started kicking and screaming.

"Lilia it's me! IT'S ME! You have to calm down!"

A slam of pain struck her in the back of the head, but her Papa was not the cause.

She'd been lying on the ground, the shadows all around her. And from above, she'd seen the face of a child, a boy floating on the ceiling with a sinister grin down at her…

It was to be then, like a snap of the fingers, hers and Rion's connection went abruptly calm and the ringing, it'd stopped. Rion was there, but unresponsive like before when he was sleeping. Lilia knew what it meant, what'd happened as she lost all fight in her, and she couldn't control herself.

"Lilia, it's alright. It's okay," Her father had been there on hand, hugging her as she'd broken down crying. By then she'd been in too much distress, fearing those glimpses of strange visions and what truth they may hold. The Steiners had been attacked, by something different than those creatures back at the house, and her friend was left unconscious somewhere, helpless against Dorothy...and Lilia couldn't do a thing about it.

In that brief moment, anger had surged through her like a hurricane.

"No it's not! IT'S NOT!" Lilia cried through the tears, near to shouting at the top of her lungs when she'd pushed her father away. "Stop lying! She's got them! Albert and Elsa are dead!"

Papa had stared in silent shock, before he'd insisted her to be wrong, but she assured him she wasn't. Lilia knew it in her heart, and from what she'd seen the; Mr. and Mrs. Steiner were dead, and Rion was in grave danger. Yet her father was slow to believe her, for he was too stubborn and afraid within himself to admit it.

Beyond of the road's barricades, across those many miles off into darkness, were the bright lights of Michelangelo City. The Mushroom Tower stood tall, its presence almost mocking them. The world felt as if it ended that night, and in a way, it did.

Shortly after, they would continue to travel further away from the city. Under a bridge some distance off, was where she and Papa had waited in the car for hours with the lights off. It was the meet up point for the two families, as arranged by Papa and Mr. Steiner in an emergency such as this.

But the family never showed up.

That'd been one month ago, and for that entire duration Lilia had been alone. Mr. and Mrs Steiner were dead; Rion was gone; her Papa was missing.

There was nobody left but her, and the beings hunting her down.

Galerians…