Chapter 2 - THE GHOST IN THE KITCHEN
The door creaked as Elena returned,
leading a small figure by the hand.
Lily was eight years old,
but she carried the gravity of an old soul.
She was wearing a Cubs cap that was too big for her,
the brim casting a shadow over her face.
She stopped at the edge of the rug,
her eyes taking in the machines,
the wires,
and the dying man on the bed.
She didn't look afraid.
She looked curious.
She looked like she was analyzing the situation,
calculating the odds.
Just like I used to do.
"Hello,
sir,"
she whispered,
her voice tiny but clear.
I felt a strange warmth bloom in my chest,
a brief respite from the ice.
"Hello,
Lily,"
I said,
trying to force a smile that wouldn't shatter.
"I like your hat."
She touched the brim,
a small,
guarded smile appearing on her face.
"My mom says it's for luck."
"Do you need some luck?"
Vanessa laughed,
a cold,
brittle sound that didn't reach her eyes.
"Dante has all the luck he needs,
child."
"Now,
Elena,
take her back to the service area."
But Lily didn't move.
She walked closer to the bed,
her eyes fixed on the porcelain cup Vanessa had placed on the table.
"That tea smells funny,"
Lily said,
wrinkling her nose.
Vanessa’s posture stiffened.
"It's a special blend for the fever."
"You wouldn't know anything about it."
Lily looked at her mother,
then back at me.
"My grandma used to make tea with bitter almonds."
"She said it was to make people sleep forever."
The air in the room seemed to vanish.
Dr. Harris looked at the cup,
then at Vanessa.
I saw the flicker of panic in Vanessa’s eyes before she masked it with a sneer.
"Don't be ridiculous,"
Vanessa snapped.
"Elena,
get this child out of here immediately."
"She's clearly disturbed."
Elena moved to grab Lily,
but I raised my hand.
"No,"
I said,
my voice gaining strength.
"Leave the cup."
"Dr. Harris,"
"take that to the lab."
"Test it for everything."
Vanessa stepped back,
her face pale in the dim light.
"Dante,
you're listening to a child?"
"You're insulting me in our own home?"
"If it's just tea,"
I said,
my eyes never leaving hers,
"then you have nothing to worry about."
"But if it's not..."
"Then we have a very different conversation to have."
Dr. Harris took the cup with a gloved hand,
his face grim.
He knew what I was suggesting.
He knew that in my world,
the closest person to you is often the one holding the knife.
Lily looked at me,
her gaze steady.
"I hope you feel better,
Dante,"
she said.
She used my name.
Not 'sir'.
Not 'Mr. Moretti'.
Just Dante.
And in that moment,
I knew.
I knew why Elena had come back.
I knew why the girl had my chin.
May you like
And I knew that I couldn't afford to die yet.
There was too much to protect.
