What A Lovely Night

Chapter Seventeen -Lilith Ito: Evolution-

Lilith's P.O.V.

It was raining when we got the news.

Quincy, a secretary at Night Mare's agency, had sent us a letter declaring that Night Mare had passed away.

Father didn't show a single emotion on that cold face of his, but he still gave me that letter.

At first, I didn't want to believe it.

When Headmistress Martín caught wind of me as they had gathered Night Mare's things from her house, I still couldn't believe it.

When the teachers of M.H. Academy talked to me, desiring to know about their dead friend's legacy, it still didn't hit me.

Only when Headmistress Martín was standing in front of my house, umbrella in hand, dressed in a black suit to pick me up just like Night Mare had every chance she got, picking me up for Night Mare's, no, Erika's funeral, did it finally hit me.

As I rode in Headmistress Martín's car, I realized that Ai and I were truly alone.

Headmistress Martín had asked if I had wanted to speak during it, but I told her no. If I hadn't had blinders on from being so lonely, I probably would've realized that the entire class of 2A was there.

During the reading of her will, I accepted the letter that she had left for me. Then, Headmistress Martín and I talked about what I wanted to do for a while. Finally, Ai took control, handed the letter over to her, and told her that I would be taking the transfer exam into the sophomore class of M.H. Academy.

The months leading up to the exam had been some of my harshest. It was deserted at the mansion, Father having whisked everybody away to their vacation home in London while I went to the funeral, their return scheduled for the start of Liam's next school year. My mother hardly had time to text me, never mind calling me.

I spent most of my time training with the resources I had. Unfortunately, the weapons that Night Mare had given me became so overused that, at one point, my lance broke. Headmistress Martín had gotten me new equipment when she saw the state of my weapons during one of her weekly visits.

Father abruptly returned home one day, just a week before I was to take the transfer exam.

When he discovered what I had been up to, he realized his mistake of leaving me behind. Because I was on a path that would put me above him, which apparently he hated more than he hated me.

I remember laughing in his face when he told me not to go. I had punched him square in the jaw and told him to try me; the muscle I had put on had actually sent him stumbling back away from me.

And when I passed with flying colors, Headmistress Martín welcomed me into M.H. Academy with open arms. When Father heard I had passed, he kicked me out of the house, to which I had made up some excuse to Headmistress Martín as to why I had showed up at her front door that day with all of my belongings.

I felt like I was a child that Headmistress Martín had adopted, but I never thought of her as a mother figure. She was more like a person I could rely on. Someone I could trust. A reminder that I wasn't totally alone.

And then the flashback was gone, and I was staring into the void.

I turned around to see Ai behind me, and we locked eyes. In the middle of us, who sat in a chair, was Ailith. She looked up, and we saw that her facial expression hardly resembled ours. Instead, her face was twisted in anger and disgust.

Like she was out for vengeance.

"You're not ready to remember the whole story just yet," she told us, her tone cold and harsh.