Hey There, Delilah

Family is Who You Love and Who Loves You

Song: Bansuri flute music by Buddha's Flute

Kiki knew something was off the second he stepped into the townhouse with Caius behind him. The house was loud, always so damn loud, when his sisters and mother got together. But now it was silent. There was no one to greet them at the door as they slipped out of their coats and toed off their shoes.

His dark brown eyes scanned the first floor. He found nothing out of place besides the unnaturally silent ambiance. The living room was tidy and still in the black and white minimalistic style his mother loved so much. The kitchen was shiny and silver. Packed with various household items. The tiled flooring smelled like pine-sol. He could tell even from all the way up here at six feet tall. Mrs. Lodovico had done a deep clean before they came over.

The Indian food sat on top of the quartz countertops, untouched and waiting. Caius walked past him, his wool socks slipped against the sleek cherry hardwood floor. It made Kiki's mouth curl upwards to see the gangly ginger struggle to walk without his house slippers.

Caius vanished downstairs without a word and into the basement where his room was. It was one of the bigger rooms with a full bathroom and marble flooring attached. Taking after their mother, his design mirrored that of the first living room. White, black, and minimalistic. It had a barely lived in appearance which Kiki found ironic since he'd lived there his whole life.

Caius was too busy changing out of his weed scented clothes to care much about anything else. He was starving and moments away from tearing into the Indian food alone if his family didn't hurry up.

Kiki's large hands slipped into his dark brown trousers. Tweed and tailored. He wandered down the silent hallway, peeking into the full marble bathroom. Nope. No one was in there and the double vanities were untouched. His old bedroom was empty (except for all the flowers, what the hell) and there was no one out on his private patio. His mom's room was empty too.

The garden looked especially pitiful given the fact that fall was killing it. Kiki found himself a little sad that Sylvie's flowers were wilting. Pink rose petals covered the cold ground. He closed the door, banishing the rising memories before they could ruin his night.

When he entered the second floor he frowned. The silence continued as he poked around the stainless steel kitchen. His fingers thrummed against the granite countertops. From there he had the perfect view into the second living room. This one was the complete opposite of the one on the first floor.

The gorgeous brick walls displayed art from well over 200 years ago. The wine rack was stacked and there was a chic chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Nothing too fancy. It was actually fairly simple and not as expensive as it looked. There was a discarded coat, dark chocolate brown, tossed in front of the cozy gas fireplace. That meant that Lilah was home, somewhere, but not on her floor.

Kiki peeked into her bedroom, a cute thing full of dark academia decor and natural moonlight. It was messy after she moved back in to keep Lonnie company. But it was also empty and so was her marble bathroom and private balcony.

She had to be with Lonnie on her floor.

Feminine whispers greeted him as he entered the third floor. Passing Lonnie's bedroom that looked like the color blue puked all over it, he pressed his ear to the bathroom door. He knocked to announce his presence and said, "Yo, Caius is gonna eat everything if you don't hurry up."

"Ok!" Lilah called out, startled as she helped Lonnie into another oversized shirt. No pants because Lonnie was not in the mood to wear any with a broken leg. "We'll be out in a second."

"K. Where's Mom?"

Lilah shrugged even though he couldn't see her. "I thought she was on the first floor?"