Chapter 104: The Friend
The next day.
Inside the classroom of the Evernight Academy, the morning sun spilled through the windows in long, golden shafts. The instructor at the podium was currently lecturing on the classification of flora and the management of Mana-enriched soil.
Lily rested her chin on her palm, her large eyes blinking lazily as she scanned the room. Suddenly, her gaze stopped.
In the very corner of the classroom—a seat that had remained empty since the start of the term—someone new was sitting.
It was a girl.
She sat in a state of perfect, eerie stillness, her back straight and her hands folded neatly upon her knees. She had raven-black hair and skin so pale it was almost translucent. She wore a grey cotton dress that was impeccably clean but looked as though it belonged to a different era. She didn't look at the teacher, nor did she look at her textbook. She simply stared at the wooden surface of the desk before her.
Perfectly motionless.
RING—!
The dismissal bell for recess tolled. The instructor snapped his book shut.
"Alright, that is enough for today. Everyone, go outside and enjoy the air."
"RECESS!"
The classroom exploded with the sound of cheering children. The screech of chairs being pushed back and the frantic patter of feet merged into a chaotic din. A boy by the door waved toward Lily.
"Lily! Hurry up! We're starting a game of kick-stone!"
"Coming!" Lily chirped back.
But her eyes drifted uncontrollably back toward the corner. The new girl was still there, exactly as she had been during the lecture. The noise and joy of the other children seemed to flow around her, unable to touch her.
At Sunflower House, whenever a new child arrived, Hans always encouraged the others to be the first to speak to them and include them in their games. This new classmate looked terribly lonely.
Lily hopped off her stool and trotted over to the girl's desk.
"Hello there! My name is Lily. What's yours?"
The girl gave no reaction. Her eyes remained fixed on the desk, as if Lily didn't exist at all.
An awkward silence pooled between them. Lily tilted her head, trying again.
"Did you hear me? I'm Lily."
Still, the girl didn't move. Lily felt a tiny pang of confusion. She leaned in closer, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Are you sad? Is it because you're new and don't know anyone yet?"
Silence.
Lily decided the girl must simply be pathologically shy. She reached out and gently took one of the hands resting on the girl's knees. Slowly—agonizingly slowly—the girl lifted her head and looked Lily in the eye.
Lily was momentarily taken aback by the intensity of the gaze, but she quickly broke into a radiant smile.
"You finally looked at me!" Lily cheered. "I'm Lily. And you?"
The girl's lips ghosted over a whisper. "...Anya."
Lily gave a vigorous nod. "Anya? What a beautiful name! Anya, let's be friends!"
Anya stared at her, neither nodding nor shaking her head. But Lily had already made the executive decision.
"Great! Come on, Anya, I'll show you around!"
Lily tugged at Anya's hand, pulling her from her seat. Anya followed the momentum, standing up with that same quiet, ethereal grace. Lily led her out of the classroom.
Out in the corridor, the sunlight was brilliant.
"Lily! What took you so long?" Tom, the boy from earlier, ran up to them.
Seeing him, Lily proudly made the introduction. "Tom, look! This is my new friend! Her name is Anya!"
Tom looked at Lily, then at the empty space beside her. He scratched his head. "New friend? What are you talking about?"
Lily gestured emphatically to Anya. "She's right here! Can't you see her? This is Anya!"
Tom peered at the air again, his brow furrowing. "Lily, quit joking around. Big Brother Miguel is waiting for us at the training grounds. Let's go!"
"I'm not joking!" Lily's voice rose with frustration. "Anya is standing right here!"
Anya stood perfectly still next to Lily, watching Tom with a neutral expression.
Tom shrugged. "Okay, fine. Whatever. Hello, 'Anya.' We're going to play now." He waved dismissively at the empty air and ran off to join another group.
Lily's lip curled in a pout. She turned to Anya. "They're like that. A bit slow in the head. Don't mind them."
Anya said nothing.
Lily clutched Anya's hand and led her to the school's central courtyard. Miguel and the other children of Sunflower House were gathered under the shade of a Great Oak, dividing up some snacks.
"Lily, where have you been skulking?" Miguel asked, handing her a piece of a wheat cracker.
"I was getting my new friend!" Lily "pushed" Anya forward for the group to see. "Everyone, look! This is Anya! She just joined our class today!"
Every child in the circle turned their gaze to Lily. Then, they followed her gesture to the patch of grass beside her.
There was nothing there but sunlight and dust motes.
"Lily... who are you talking to?" Miguel's brow drew together. He felt Lily was acting strangely today.
"To Anya!" Lily insisted, stressing every syllable. "She. Is. Standing. Right. Here."
A girl with pigtails let out a giggle. "Lily, did you learn a new magic trick? Did you conjure an invisible friend?"
"It's not magic!" Lily's cheeks puffed out. "Anya is real! She's right here!"
To prove it, Lily vigorously shook the hand she was holding. To the other children, it looked as though Lily was simply waving her own hand through the air.
"Alright, Lily, that's enough," Miguel said, his tone taking on a "Big Brother" severity. "Come eat your snack and stop playing games."
"I AM NOT PLAYING!"
Lily's voice cracked, a hint of a sob catching in her throat.
Why?
Why won't anyone look at her?
Anya was clearly there. Grey dress, black hair, standing as still as a statue.
"Why are you all pretending she isn't there?!" Lily stomped her foot in the dirt. "It's mean! Hans-nii said we have to be kind to people!"
"But Lily... there really isn't anyone there."
"THERE IS!" Lily screamed back. "Look closer! She's right next to me!"
Lily dragged Anya toward Miguel. "Miguel-oniichan, look into her eyes! She's right here!"
Miguel looked at Lily. He saw the desperation and the mounting tears in her eyes. He saw the red rims of her eyelids. But beside her, there was only empty space.
He knelt, trying to keep his voice gentle. "Lily... was it that war story the teacher told yesterday? Did it scare you that much?"
"NO! It has nothing to do with that!" Lily shook her head violently. "It's Anya! My friend Anya! Why don't you believe me?!"
Lily felt a crushing sense of injustice. She only wanted to introduce her new friend. She wanted Anya to be part of the Sunflower House family. Why was the world being so cruel?
"Anya, talk to them!" Lily turned to her, her voice pleading. "Tell them you're here!"
Anya lifted her head, her obsidian eyes fixing on Lily. Her lips moved.
"They are afraid."
"See! She spoke! Did you hear that?!" Lily shouted at Miguel, grasping at the words like a lifeline.
Miguel and the other children exchanged a worried glance. All they saw was Lily talking to the wind, her expression growing more frantic and unstable by the second.
"Lily, really. Enough," an older boy said. "This isn't funny anymore."
"I'M NOT JOKING!"
The tears finally broke free. "It's real! Anya is real!" She gripped Anya's hand with both of hers, as if afraid that if she let go, Anya would truly cease to exist. "You're all mean! You're bullying Anya! I'm never playing with you again!"
Sobbing, Lily turned and bolted, dragging Anya with her.
"Lily!" Miguel called out, but she didn't look back.
She ran past the training grounds, past the main building, and into the small, overgrown garden behind the dormitories—a place where students rarely ventured. Lily collapsed onto the grass, clutching her knees and weeping loudly.
She didn't understand. She truly didn't understand.
Anya was there. Why would everyone lie and say the world was empty?
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