The group had retreated back into the garden—the same one where she had first been introduced to everyone. The air was cool, carrying the faint scent of damp earth and blossoms, and Lilith found herself drifting into thought. Her mind wandered back to the pond: the vivid red hair that caught the light, the sharpness of his eyes, the lean muscles that moved with effortless grace. He was undeniably her type, and she couldn't even deny it to herself. Still, she knew she shouldn't indulge in that reckless "love at first sight" moment. She didn't even know what kind of creature he was, whether she'd ever see him again, or what his personality was like. But damn, he was fine, she thought, cheeks warming at the memory.
A sudden voice startled her, pulling her back to reality. She jumped slightly, and the rest of the group laughed as her face flushed crimson.
"What's on your mind, fox?" Stella teased, her tone playful. If it was possible, Lilith flushed even harder, her mind replaying the sight of water dripping from his bare, tanned skin. She squealed softly and buried her face in Stella's shoulder, desperate to hide her flustered expression.
"I—I think I fell in love…" she muttered, barely audible. The group froze, turning to look at Keira, whose expression shifted for just a split second—but they noticed.
"Really? Who was it?" they asked, voices carrying a subtle edge. Lilith caught the change and quickly brushed the topic off. "Nah, I probably won't see him again." An awkward silence settled over them until she nudged Keira. "Should we go back up? You know, rest a little?" Keira hummed in response. Something was odd. Lilith felt it in the way the others looked at Keira with worry.
"Keira, calm down, please don't lash out" —Catherine "What a bitch" —Stella "Stella! We can't really blame her. It's her feelings; she doesn't even know. I'm just… overreacting, I guess" —Keira
The two animals rushed upstairs after Candice reminded them of their little sleepover. Shutting the door behind them, Lilith plopped onto her bed while Keira sat on her own, leaning against the wall with a visibly forced smile.
"They're not here now, so tell me—who was it?" Keira asked, feigning interest, as if she only wanted to break the silence. Lilith flushed once more, covering her face with her pillow.
"It was the strangest encounter! I was thinking and then got lost. When I heard water, I followed the sound and arrived at a pond. That's where I saw him, bathing. I tripped, which was embarrassing, but he helped me up and… and—he should be ashamed! He didn't even try to hide his… no, I won't even say the word. When you guys returned, he disappeared, but I saw a strand of his hair…" she trailed off. Keira leaned forward, suddenly invested. Only one person ever bathed there.
"What color was his hair?" she asked softly.
"Red—"
"No way," a voice interrupted. It was Stella. "You fell for Mr. Red Ice?"
"For real? I've never seen him smile before—not even a twitch!" Candice exclaimed. Keira nodded. Catherine walked up to Lilith and shook her hard.
"Tell me, did he smile? Or even smirk?"
Lilith, confused, replied hesitantly, unsure how her words would be taken. "His lips twitched… just a little—"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—"
"No fucking way? You got a reaction from—" —Candice
"Him? Mr. Red Ice?" —Stella
"Girl, you're his type." —Sabrina
"Definitely," Keira agreed, before realizing that wasn't the feeling she thought she had. She smiled.
"Did Keira just—" —Catherine "Yeah, she definitely just did." —Stella "I can hear you all, youknow… Maybe I just missed Kelly. That's all." —Keira
Lilith, still flustered, tried to redirect. "But… are all of you that comfortable bathing out in the wild like that?" she asked curiously, not wanting to face the embarrassment again.
"Nope. Only when people find him first, I guess. No one's ever actually seen him, but Felix said he does that often," Sabrina answered.
"First off, who's Felix? Second—that's exactly what he told me when I asked! 'Only when they find me first,'" she mimicked, burying herself back into the sheets. The rest laughed, and the conversation carried on for a while, filled with teasing and speculation. Eventually, the others began retreating to their rooms to get dressed for the sleepover. Lilith and Keira chose to stay as they were—because, well, theme animal, right?
The laughter faded into the quiet hum of the night, but Lilith's thoughts lingered on the pond, the red hair, and the fleeting twitch of his lips. She didn't know if she'd ever see him again, but the memory burned bright, refusing to fade.
*****
The time for the sleepover came, and the girls were all gathered in the S duo's shared room. It was decorated in a mix of green and brown—a weird duo to some, but here it blended perfectly. Intricate porcelain pieces were scattered everywhere, and a dangerous-looking plant stood proudly on a shelf beside a bed that Lilith immediately assumed belonged to Stella. Classic, she thought, judging from the girl's personality. The room had been chosen because it had the largest window of them all, one that revealed a stunning display of stars at night.
Lilith introduced them to a game called charades. Pure chaos followed. Stella, impatient as ever, would get frustrated and yell the word outright when no one guessed correctly—even when her gestures made absolutely no sense. Keira, meanwhile, would immediately get embarrassed the moment a word was handed to her, fumbling through awkward movements. Lilith, being the pro, managed to portray her words with ease, though the others somehow still managed to get them wrong more often than not. Eventually, they grew tired and made a massive pile of soft blankets and pillows in front of the huge window. They all piled into it, gazing at the stars until sleep claimed them one by one.
Swish. Swish. Scrape.
Lilith's eyes snapped open at the faint sound of sweeping. At this hour? Strange. But what was even stranger was the fact that she decided to get up and check it out—alone.
Reaching the end of the hallway, Lilith froze.
The creature froze too.
They stared at each other for three long seconds.
And then she screamed: "AH—!" The creature winced, covering its ears.
"What the hell are you!?" she demanded.
The tiny being scoffed, clearly offended. "Could you keep your voice down?"
Lilith blinked. "You can TALK?"
The creature sighed and went back to sweeping. "Obviously."
"You're a—"
"Brownie."
"You're a brownie."
"Yes."
"Like… a magical brownie?"
It stopped sweeping, giving her a look. "What other kind would I be?"
She screamed again when a hand suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes widening in shock.
So, this is how I die? In a strange land, surrounded by mysterious creatures, she thought grimly, just as a voice came from right behind her—and she stilled.