Later that night, after everyone went to sleep, I am woken up by the sound of heaving. After locating the sound,I head to Lillie’s bathroom.
“Knock, knock.” I walk in. She is leaning against the cabinet beside her toilet, her skin pale and clammy. I grab the thermometer and confirm that her temperature now matches mine. “What’s wrong?”
“Maybe I ate something bad?” Lillie has never contracted the stomach flu or food poisoning, even after sharing meals that affected Viv and I. This is why Tina was willing to risk me coming over this past week.
“We both know I always get sick before you.” We pause as another round of gagging overtakes Lillie.
“Maybe you have a better stomach now?” She continues. If I let her remain in denial, she will lock herself in her room and end up shifting alone.
“Then my parents would be sick first. We both know it’s your turn to shift.” I kneel beside her as I talk, ready for the onslaught of emotions.
She looks back at me with tears forming in her eyes. Her eyes match those of a deer’s in front of headlights. I put my hand on her shoulder and it sets her off with a big wail as she leans into my shoulder.
“I-I-I’m sc-sc-scar-ed” She chokes out while hyperventilating.
“Breathe, sister. I’m right here and I will be right here through all of it.” I use the nickname I gave her when we were kids as I pull her close and wrap my arms around her. “Take deep breaths.”
“I-I ca-can’t” She doesn’t stop. At this rate, she might pass out from lack of oxygen. I am thinking about what we can do.
“Then try holding your breath.” She does for a moment and I count, “One, two, three, four, five. OK, now breathe out slowly. One, two, three, four. Now try that deep breath.”
She slowly manages to do so. She is still sobbing and crying, but not hyperventilating.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to take the pain. I’m not as strong as you and Viv.” Lillie has always viewed herself as weak. I guess we all have insecurities.
“You are just as strong as Viv and I. And this week, I can see if there is anything to help with the pain.”
“What if there’s nothing? What if I shift in front of Tina, or your parents? What if I am in the middle of -” I stop her before she can spiral further into hysterics.
“These are all worries for another day, Lillie. For now, you need rest. Let's get you back to bed.” I pick her up the same way I did Viv this afternoon and walk to her bed. I tuck her in while joining her, letting her burrow into my side. My heart aches as I watch her slowly cry herself to sleep. I wait for a moment before getting up to leave.
I pause in the hallway, looking over at Viv’s door. I can hear her still asleep. I feel so overwhelmed. I still don’t know why this is happening, or how. This all came on so quickly, and no matter the research, I don’t know what part of the lore is real, and what isn’t.
I continue to my room but have trouble falling back to sleep. I want to talk to someone about my own worries. I feel so alone. Both my sisters look to me for reassurance, and my parents are in the dark. I want to tell Dad everything. He would be afraid at first, but eventually would listen to my worries, and help guide me through my thoughts. Even imagining this calms me down so I can drift to sleep.
When I get up the next morning, I stand in front of my door, listening to my sister’s bedrooms. Lillie’s breath is consistent and slow, letting me know she is still deep in slumber, but I hear movement from Viv’s room. She must be getting ready to wake up, if she isn’t awake already. I walk that way and pause at her door.
“Are you planning to stand there all day?” She calls out.
“I was about to knock.” I defend as I walk in. “How does it feel to cross over to the fantasy realm?”
She scoffs, smiling while shaking her head.
“Like I just finished training for it.” she jokes back. She looks away before awkwardly saying “Sorry for calling you insane and all that.”
“It’s okay.” I smile a bit. Normally, cornering Viv is the only way to get an apology, so it’s nice to hear her volunteer one.
“So what now?”
“Well, Lillie’s sick, so we should get ready for her first shift sometime within the next couple of weeks. We also need to decide which one to tell: Mom, Dad, or both.”
“I don’t blame her. You shouldn’t have let her see me shift, or told her it was coming. Sometimes not knowing is better.”
“I’m pretty sure you would have tried biting me in half after finding out I didn’t warn you.” She looks a bit pouty but says nothing. “Anyway, who do you think we should tell?”
“You weren’t making a joke? We aren’t telling either of them.” She gives me a side eye as she gets up and walks to her closet. “Not unless you want to be living on the streets.”
“I don’t think they would throw us out. We should at least tell Dad.” I really need someone to talk to that isn’t hot-headed.
“Well, how else would they react? I can’t even imagine a good reaction from them.”
“Do you honestly think we can keep this a secret? Mom and Dad will make us continue going to doctors until they find out anyway. Either that or until we move out and then they’ll nag us to go instead.”
“Well, let’s go with the second option. After moving out, we’ll come up with some excuse so they’ll think it’s normal.”
“Yeah, but what about the change in our behaviors?”
“The only one we have to worry about is you. If you hide everything right we can blame that on stress.” She retorts, obviously getting more irritated.
“And if they find out anyway, won’t they just believe we don’t think of them as parents? Besides, Lillie is telling Charlotte this week, so at least we’ll have some help.”
“Why aren’t you talking her out of it? We can handle this ourselves!” Viv’s voice is rising. I need her to see how she is losing her temper even now. If she can’t have a normal discussion, then there is no way she can handle going out in public.
“No, we can’t, Viv. You lose your temper far too easily and those closest to us need to be ready.”
“Ready for what? For me to attack? Do you think I’ll stoop so low I won’t know when to walk away?”
“I know you can walk away, Viv, but how about during school? Or appointments?”
“Well, there are two sisters that should be able and willing to help. Also, Charlotte can, since you and Lillie trust her so much.” Viv all but growls the last part. She shakes her head, then glares at me. “You better not tell them.”
“I need help too, Viv. I need someone to talk to about all this and Charlotte is only here for a week. That’s why Lillie is willing to tell her.”
“Right, because I’m too unreliable to talk to. Got it.” She growls at me before stomping away.
She slams the door and I close my eyes, taking deep breaths until I hear her slam the back door. I go to the window that overlooks the backyard and watch her enter the forest. I come out of Viv’s room and bump into Mom.
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