The Empaths (Book one in The Empaths series)

Chapter Ten

The next morning, the girls woke early and began cleaning Lilith's room before her parents could see the mess.

When everything was tidy and back to normal, Lucy sat on the end of the bed. "Are you sure you're both alright with everything I told you last night?"

Both girls sat down beside her. "Everything is fine, Lucy," Rachel replied, patting her friend on the leg.

"It's not really," Lucy said. "But it's good to know I haven't frightened you both away."

Lilith reached across and pulled both Lucy and Rachel into a hug. "We're not going anywhere, don't worry."

Rachel and Lucy collected their things and they all went downstairs.

Judy and George were having a whispered conversation in the kitchen, which ended abruptly as soon as the girls entered the room. Both looked agitated, but Judy plastered a wide smile on her face as she turned to the girls. "Good morning. How did everyone sleep?"

All three girls glanced sideways at each other.

"Oh, fine," Lilith answered, quickly crossing the room to switch the kettle on. "We're just going to have some breakfast."

"Sure, you know where everything is," Judy said, as she took her husband by the arm and led him from the kitchen.

"Thank you for having us, Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer," Lucy called after them.

"It's Judy and George, sweetheart," Judy called back. "And you are most welcome."

"Your parents are so nice," Rachel said, as she pulled out a stool from under the island bench.

Lilith smiled. "I'm very lucky." Her expression darkened a little. "When I came out, it was a real shock for them. I could see it. But they just were so great about it. They accepted me for exactly who I was, no questions asked." She shrugged and leaned against the bench. "After what happened with Jamie, I was a mess, and they were so worried. I think they would've done anything to take away the pain I was feeling."

Lucy and Rachel watched on with sadness. Lucy had already heard Lilith's story and she knew how much it pained Lilith to speak about it. Telling Rachel was a big deal.

"Who is Jamie?" Rachel asked, carefully.

Lilith looked at Lucy, who smiled sadly, but nodded once, encouraging Lilith to go on.

"Jamie was my girlfriend," Lilith replied, her expression portraying her pain. Her emphasis on the word 'was' made Rachel's brow pinch together.

Lilith's eyes glistened and she quickly wiped away a tear that dropped down her cheek.

Lucy could see now that Rachel had slowly begun putting the pieces together.

"What happened to her?" Rachel asked in a whisper.

Once again, Lilith looked at Lucy before answering. Lucy quickly stepped around the island bench and rested her hand on Lilith's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. It's going to be alright, she thought.

With a deep breath, Lilith replied, "Jamie took her own life."

Lucy wrapped her arm around Lilith now as a look of horror passed over Rachel's face. "Oh Lilith, I'm so sorry."

Lilith wiped her face again, and she looked up with a sad smile. "Kids can be pretty brutal, and I guess the bullying became too much for Jamie to bear." She reached up and took Lucy's hand. "I know how it feels to wrestle with something so dark that it almost consumes you. And loneliness can sometimes feel like it will swallow you whole."