Butterfly Moth (GxG)

• lycaeninae •

Lycaeninae: Often called coppers, it is a subfamily of the gossamer-winged butterflies. The relationships of the Lycaenidae are not fully resolved. Sometimes the Polyommatinae and Theclinae are included in the Lycaeninae; in particular the Theclinae tribe Eumaeini contains many similar taxa.
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16

Hemera Leora was right where she promised that she would be on Monday as well, peering into the house and wondering why the girl never liked to show herself. They had gone that far, why not just reveal herself?

"Hey." She was beyond excited to find out more. Her last class ended early, meaning that Molly thought she was still at school. However, when Leora's eyes swept over the same environment that she always seemed to see, there was something out of place.

On the floor sat a piece of paper. The handwriting was very messy and large, a bit hard to read at first. Having to take a moment to properly look it over, she deciphered the letters:

Who are you? Tell me about the outside.
What does a sunburn feel like?

Leora had to reread the last question several times to be sure that was what it said. It did. What an interesting question. Why would she want to know about sunburns? Couldn't she just go outside and get one for herself?

"My name is Hemera Leora Danaus." She answered the first one. "But everyone usually just calls me Leora or Leo. If you ever want to address me, you could call me Leo."

Then she thought about the statement for a long moment. Tell me about the outside. There was so much that could have meant. Leora assumed that she meant outside of the house. But there was simply so much to cover and Leora didn't know what the girl already knew.

"Well, the outside if very pretty." Leora tried to find the right place to begin. She decided that if the girl didn't know about sunburns, then she probably didn't know a lot about daytime in general. "The sun warms up anything in direct view of it. There are all sorts of bugs - red beetles with black spots called ladybugs, fluffy yellow and black striped insects called bumble bees, caterpillars that grow colorfully patterned wings called butterflies - but there are some that like to bite or sting. Flowers and grass grow towards the sunlight, and birds love to sing their friendly songs.

"Now, sunburns feel painful. Have you ever burnt your hand on a fire before?" After a moment, there was a single knock. "It's like that, but it only really stings when you touch it and it's caused by the sun. Hence the name. When your skin is healed, the burnt skin peels off and you get a new layer of healed skin.

"Then there's the nighttime. I think that is absolutely beautiful. The-" She was suddenly cut off by a two swift knocks. That meant no. Did she not want to hear about the night? "I'm sorry. Did you only want me to talk about the day?" One knock. Nodding to herself, Leora went back to talking about what she knew best.

"If you stay out in the sun for too long, you can get heat-stroke. But if you take the proper precautions you'll be fine. Sometimes if the day is especially warm, you can go down to the beach and swim in cool water. When you do that, the sand gets so hot from the sun that it almost burns your feet when you stand there for too long." Pausing for a moment, Leora added. "Overall, it's worth it to try it out. You should come out sometime."

Unfortunately, the girl never said anything as a result, nor did she even bother to knock. Leora wanted to learn the truth, she wanted to know what caused the girl to be trapped inside of that house. But she didn't ask. Instead, she said, "I'm sorry that I've been so nosy, I probably scared you at first. I know a little bit about what it's like to be trapped inside all the time." Leora knew that she didn't understand it to the extent that the girl probably was trapped, but she understood it just enough to say it.

"My parents won't let me out at night. They make me stay inside and go to sleep even though I'm usually not tired. I know it's not the same, but just..." Leora took in a deep breath. "Just don't be scared of me, okay? If you ever decide that you need someone to speak to, I'll listen. Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow. Goodbye."

Leora stood up and stared at the old maple wood door, wishing that she could open it. What was it like for the girl inside? If everything that Leora knew about her was true so far, then she must not know about how perfect it could be outside. As much as Leora wished only for the night, knowing that some people were hidden from the day made her feel selfish.

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