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Time went by slow in the small section in Denver , Colorado Not much happened there, but Lily was glad to have made friends. She was born and raised there, knowing everyone in the community. That was why it was a strange feeling to see a new face breach amongst the old.
"Hi there. My name is Vincent. I'm your new neighbor." It was a man with light skin, dark brown hair, a large nose, and thin lips that stood at her porch. He wore a button-up shirt and khaki pants with dress shoes. He seemed kind, but when Lily opened the door, she had a feeling of danger. That she should close the door and run. But instead, she smiled and called for her mother. Vincent kept his eyes trained on the girl as Mary walked to the door, clad in a thick robe as it was very early in the morning.
"Oh, you're the house across the street, right?" Mary asked, smiling towards the man and shaking his hand. The man gave her a curt nod but kept his eyes trained on the younger girl. Lily blushed and shied away, stepping behind her mother and uttering a soft 'it was nice to meet you.' She left the door and walked back upstairs to get ready for the school day.
But that wasn't the last that she saw Vincent. He seemed to be everywhere she was; the supermarket, after school, the park, everywhere. Her mother invited him over one day for dinner, wanting to be nice and welcome him into the neighborhood. Lily was a little wary, getting bad feelings and a painful twist in her gut at the mention of the creepy man's name.
"Behave now. We want to make a wonderful impression on this man." Mary told her daughter. Lily sighed and nodded, smoothing down her black dress and tucking a blonde strand behind her ear.
"I just think he's creepy, that's all." She muttered. Mary huffed and patted her daughter on then back.
"He's not. Not everyone is out to get you, Lil." Her mother smiled. The doorbell rang, and it was time for dinner, and Lily was suddenly nervous. Her stomach dropped, and her fingers twitched, but the smile on her mother's face spoke differently. So, Lily smiled back and watched as her mother opened the door and let Vincent enter their house.
"You two look lovely." She now realized he had an accent from a place she couldn't put her finger on.
"Thank you! You look pretty good yourself." Lily knew what this was about now. It's been years since her father abandoned them... and she guessed it was okay for her mother to move on. But at least not with him.
"Come on. The table is over there." Mary pointed, and Vincent threw her a large smile before his eyes flittered to Lily. She shrunk away and turned into the kitchen, her dress flowing behind her with her quick turn and stride.
When Lily brought the food to the table, she saw the disgust on his face at the food. It was steak, medium rare with mashed potatoes and a salad on the side. She furrowed her brows but said nothing, especially when their eyes met. She was uncomfortable, and the danger sense grew and grew until it felt like bile in her throat.
