──────────── shameless
⨳ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟬𝟬𝟭 . . . ꗃ ≀ ▊✹
❛ a bitch named agatha ! ❜ · ˚.‧ .

✹ . . . LILLA WAS BORED OUT OF HER MIND, sitting there in the office of the restaurant. She wasn't working, nor was her brother Dante, who sat on the other side of the desk in the chair for people who were merely visiting and didn't actually use the office, so she didn't know why they were there. Okay, well, that wasn't true. They were there because a storm was brewing, which was typical in the Outer Banks, so much so that storm-prepping was second nature to most, and their parents wanted them to be somewhere they knew they'd be safe. Plus, the restaurant was open and busy, so Dante and Lilla were helping hands if needed. But still, she'd much rather be somewhere else.

Her phone was in her hand as she typed away, not listening to the news Dante had playing on the TV. It was the same shit they talked about during everyone approaching hurricane—the wind mileage, the expected chaos, the wanted safety of others, which she was all for, and just blah blah blah. That was all she heard—just the repetitiveness of local news networks. It wasn't like she wasn't glad they were covering Hurricane Agatha on the news and making sure people were aware of how bad it was so they could be safe, but it did get really old after hearing it so many times. Most people on the island were already fully aware of what to do.

The snapping of two fingers in front of her face caught her attention. But, at first, she ignored her brother and his attempts to get her to look up. She just kept her eyes glued to her phone, like most teenagers do. "Earth to Lilla," he taunted, snapping his fingers again. Then he poked her forehead a couple of times, making her wonder how they were related in any sense, let alone twins. "Twin sister, are you still in there? Or has your brain been completely destroyed by the blue light your phone emits?" He paused, waiting for a response. Still, he did not get one. "Oh! Are you a zombie now? At least then you'd be interesting."

She looked up boredly, giving him an eat-shit look.

"So she is alive!" Dante teased, with a faux shock lacing his tone. "I thought I was going to be an only child for a second there."

"What do you want, Dante?" asked Lilla.

"Are you paying attention to this?" His expression turned slightly more serious as he gestured to the TV screen with his thumb. He looked at it for a long moment before meeting his sister's bored gaze once more. "Hurricane Agatha is expected to make landfall tonight."

Lilla gasped, sitting up a little straighter in her seat as she put her hand over her heart, like she had just been told someone was so life-altering. Her eyes studied Dante's face. He seemed to be taking her shock seriously. "A hurricane in the Outer Banks?" She watched him with slightly narrowed eyes, slowly coming to realization of her fake dramatics. "Whatever are we to do?" She dropped the act a second later and rolled her eyes, falling back against the chair.

"You're such a bitch," Dante retorted, smacking her arm.

She just smirked and returned her attention back to her phone. She was texting Sarah, her best friend, the girl she loved more than anything and who listened to all her ranting, no matter how stupid it may be. Lilla had no idea how that girl was related to her she-devil brother. Or even Wheezie, her little sister, for that matter—the two were so different, it was baffling. They didn't look alike, either.

Lilla: i need to get out of this place, or i will lose my mind.
Sarah: you haven't already?
Lilla: ...
Sarah: kidding, you can come to my house if you want. just be safe! i don't want to lose you to a bitch named agatha
Lilla: LMFAO already omw

With her plan in mind, Lilla got up from her cushioned office chair and began gathering her things that were somewhat sprawled out on the desk. She could feel her brother's eyes on her as he watched her with curiosity and confusion, but she ignored him. Tucking her phone into the back pocket of her jean shorts, she grabbed the strap of her bag and placed it on her shoulder, then rounded the desk as she booked it for the door.

"Where are you going?" She heard Dante call out from behind her as she exited through the already-opened door.

A reply did not come from her as she made her way down the hallway and through the swinging double doors of the kitchen. She'd been hoping her parents wouldn't be back there, or rather just her dad, who was the chef and someone she could easily get by when he was too busy with his work. She had to go out the back door when she wanted to sneak out of the restaurant (could one sneak out when they were eighteen years old and could legally do what they wanted since they were an adult?) since she was sure her parents didn't want her interrupting the fine dining of their customers. Yes, fine dining.

Los Morales, her family's restaurant, was a fancy-ish place to eat—a sit-down restaurant, if you will—unlike some other places in the OBX. This included The Wreck, a place owned and operated by a wannabe Pogue's parents. The Wreck was a more grubby, hands-on, go-sit-down-and-have-a-cold-beer kind of place. It was where some of the middle- and most of the lower-class people spent their money after a long day's work. It was chaotic. And, as much as she hated to admit it, Lilla preferred the chaos of The Wreck over the primacy and properness of Los Morales.

She piled through the kitchen, going past many of the workers, saying quick hellos to Jorge, who was the main sous chef, and Adeline, who was a server. She didn't see her mother or her father in sight, which was odd for the latter because he was the chef. But, then again, he could be—

Coming to a halt as she ran straight into someone else, Lilla grimaced. Taking a step back, she looked up at who she had just run into, seeing her dad, clad in his black uniform with Chef Grey embroidered on the chest, looking down at her with his arms crossed over his chest and his expression stern.

"Hey, Pa," she greeted sweetly. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Where are you going, Mija?" he asked, not giving into her charm.

It was odd for Lilla to hear him call her Mija, even after all these years of her being alive and hearing him do so. It was odd for her to hear him speaking Spanish in general. When one heard him, not seeing his face, they wouldn't even know that he was a white guy, quite literally the only fully white person in the kitchen. His Spanish was nearly perfect. He had learned it for her mother (whom he had also created Los Morales for and with) when they were merely dating, but things were turning serious, so he could not only communicate with her in her first language but also so that he could speak with her family without having to be translated. It was cute and sweet when Lilla thought about it, but it also made her sad. She wondered if she'd ever had someone love her like that. Not that she needed someone or their love in life, but it would be nice.

"Uhm, Sarah invited me over," she told him.

His brows raised just a little. "You are aware that a hurricane is approaching, right?"

"Sure am," Lilla replied with a short nod. "And you are aware of how Sarah gets during storms, right?" Sarah didn't get any specific way during storms besides being slightly frightened like most people; that was just a thing she and Lilla had come up with when there were storms and they wanted to be together but their parents wouldn't let them. Suddenly, Sarah was so panicked about the storm that she needed Lilla by her side and wouldn't let up until she was with her. And it worked.

"Lilla," her dad said with a hint of worry and warning.

She slowly made her way past him, and he followed her movements. "Sorry, Pa. I've got to go. I can't leave Sarah alone. And it's better for me to leave sooner rather than later, before the roads get too bad," she explained with a small smile as she walked backwards a few steps. Then she turned on her heels and quickened her footfall towards the door.

"Lilla!" her dad called out as she got further away from him.

She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Jorge step closer to the man. "Aye, come on, Chef. If the girl wants to go see her friend, let her go see her friend." He lifted his hand to Lilla as his other fell on his boss's shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be just fine. She always is."

"Thank you, Jorge!" Lilla blew a kiss in the man's direction.

Her dad just gave the man a stern look, which Jorge countered with a grin. The Sous Chef removed his hand from the man's shoulder and turned around with a shake of his head as he went back to his work, muttering something under his breath that Lilla was too far away to hear.

The girl pushed open the back door of the restaurant and entered the hot air of the island. The sun was still out brightly, showing that the hurricane hadn't reached them quite yet, but she could see some dark clouds rolling in from the distance. She made her way around the side of the building to the front, smelling the fresh ocean air. When she found her car, a black 2018 BMW X3, which she named Bonbon, she opened the door and climbed inside, putting her bag in the passenger seat. She then closed the driver's door.

Did she feel slightly bad for leaving Dante behind now that she was settled in her car? Yes, but he wasn't really friends with Sarah. They got along because they grew up with each other, but they weren't nearly like she and Lilla were. Dante had his own friends and his own car, so if he wanted to leave Los Morales, he could. But she knew he wouldn't, being more attached at the hip, for lack of a better comparison, with their parents. Not to say that she wasn't extremely close with both her mom and dad, but she liked to get out and explore every once in a while.

Lilla pulled her phone from her back pocket, placed it on the phone holder attached to her dash, and plugged it into her charger. Then she pushed the start button next to her steering wheel to start the engine, and since her keys were in her bag, it did. Her phone automatically connected to the radio and started charging, so she shuffled her playlist, and 'Gold Rush' by Taylor Swift started playing. She turned up the volume before switching from park to reverse to back out of the parking space she was in, then shifted to drive, and she began her way to figure eight—hers and the Camerons' neighborhood.

When she drove past her house and then pulled in front of the familiar Cameron estate that she practically lived at most of the time, she turned into the driveway and parked. She cut off the engine, grabbed her phone and bag, then got out of the car. Looking up at the sky, the dark clouds had rolled in a lot faster than she thought they would, and the wind had picked up, cutting through the warmth of the day and sending a chill down the girl's spine. She regretted only wearing a cropped shirt and jean shorts as she walked to the front door. Luckily, she knew Sarah would have something for her to wear.

Reaching the house, Lilla went up the steps and opened the door like it was her own house. Ward and Rose had always told her that she could come whenever she wanted because she was like another daughter to them. Her eyes immediately caught onto her best friend, who was walking down the stairs rather quickly with a bright smile on her face. Lilla closed the door behind her, only turning to face forward so that she could be crushed with a tight hug.

"I've missed you so much," Sarah mumbled into her hair.

Lilla lightly laughed, hugging the girl back with her chin awkwardly resting on her shoulder due to their five-inch height difference. "Sarah, we saw each other yesterday and have been texting all day," she reminded her.

Sarah pulled back with a pointed look on her face. "I know," she replied rather defensively. Her hands then clasped on either side of her best friend's face, leaning closer to her as she stared intently into her eyes. "But it's still been too long." One of her arms dropped to her side while the other brought her hand around Lilla's wrist. "Come on." She turned and began dragging the girl towards the staircase, not waiting for a response of any kind.

Lilla gladly followed her. They climbed each step and then went down the hall until they reached Sarah's bedroom door. Lilla's room was just a few doors down, so the girls could always be close when she stayed over. But usually one of them would end up falling asleep in the other's room. The room Lilla had was really for those few times she actually slept in there—a mere gift that came along with being friends with Sarah.

When they entered the blonde's room, Lilla was dragged over to the bed, barely giving her enough to close the door behind them. Sarah let go of her wrist as they sat down, and Lilla put her bag beside them on the bed. Staring at the girl across from her, Lilla could tell that she was up to something, and it wasn't because of the smirk on her face.

"You'll never guess what I found when I was storm-prepping with Scooter earlier," she told her. Her brows lifted a few times, like a guy who didn't know how to flirt but was still trying to be slick when hitting on a girl. Her bottom lip fell between her teeth as if she were doing everything physically possible to hold on to what she wanted to say.

"Oh no," Lilla mumbled, raising her brows. "Is it something that's going to make me want to cry?"

"Maybe," Sarah replied, dragging out the word with a shrug. She then turned around, facing her back to her best friend, and stuck her hand under her pillows. When she focused back on Lilla, she had an old, metal, and rusty Powerpuff Girls lunchbox—the one where the two girls had hid all of their secrets, among other things—in her hands and a conniving grin on her face. She shook it side to side, making the contents rattle around inside, while Lilla just looked at it for a moment.

And then it hit her.

"Oh God," Lilla groaned, placing her head in her hands. She wanted that thing to burn in hell, and she wanted to cry. She knew she would. But not sad tears; annoyed and embarrassed tears. Why did the universe hate her? Why didn't that lunchbox corrode and turn to dust along with one specific thing inside like it should've? She could hear Sarah open the lunchbox and dig around in it. If she were remembering correctly, there were small little knickknacks in there, along with friendship bracelets she and Sarah made well over seven years ago, and that one thing that should've never existed. If she knew her best friend like she thought she did, then she was sure the girl was after that.

The sound of paper crinkling as it was unfolded confirmed her theory, making Lilla want to crawl in a hole and never come out—to become one with the soil, insects, and worms. Sarah then cleared her throat as she prepared herself to read, and Lilla peeked through her fingers, seeing her hold the old piece of paper like she was about to give a speech. That made her just bury her face further into her palms, feeling nothing but dread for what was to come.

"Dear Rafe," Sarah began reading. "Wait, no, that's too formal. Should this be formal? I don't know. I'm not sure I should even be writing this at all. I mean, you're Sarah's brother, after all. It's weird, but I have to get this out." She paused, giving the girl in front of her a curious look, despite her not seeing it. "Jeez, Lil, you were whipped," she joked, laughing at her friend's expense. Then she returned to the letter. "I'll just get right out and say it. I've had a major crush on you since I met you. I don't know why, so if you're curious, don't ask me. It's all still so confusing to me. I've told Sarah about it." She looked up at Lilla again. "Thank you for that, by the way." Her eyes went back to the paper. "She said it was fine and that she didn't mind. She actually laughed at first. I guess she thought I was joking, but I'm not. Anyway, I don't know if you feel the same, but I think you might. Hopefully you do, so I'm not making a complete fool of myself with this letter. Who am I kidding? I probably am," she continued, and Lilla let out a muffled groan into her hands. "I can't believe you had a crush on him, by the way."

Lilla looked up from her hands and glared at her best friend. "I did not have a crush on him! I was just a confused twelve-year-old."

"Lilla, I'm literally holding your love confession in my hands," Sarah countered with a bored expression, waving around the letter. She watched as Lilla just rolled her eyes and put her head back into her hands. "Tell me, Rafe," Sarah continued. "Does your heart beat a little faster when you're around me? Do you get flutters in your stomach, like butterflies? Do you wish you could—?"

The lights flickered, and then suddenly, the girls were sitting in complete darkness.

"Woah," Sarah muttered as Lilla lifted her head. Their eyes found each other's, confusion twisted on their faces. With Sarah reading and Lilla having an internal crisis, neither had realized just how bad the storm had gotten. The wind had picked up, and they could see through the slit between Sarah's curtains that it had begun to rain. And the sound of branches hitting the side of the estate was easily heard. The two rose from the bed, and Sarah set the letter down in her spot. They then both turned on the flashlights on their phones and slowly made their way to the door, trying not to run into anything.

Lilla's hand found the doorknob, then she turned it and pulled open the door. She lifted her phone, expecting to see an empty, dark hallway, but instead she saw the bane of her existence dressed in a Polo shirt, khaki shorts, and loafers. His hair was styled to the side, like every other typical rich frat boy, and he had a smirk on his face as he looked down at her. She hated that he was over a foot taller than her; it made it quite hard for her to be intimidating to him. With others, like Topper, Kelce, and the Pogues? It was easy, but with him—God, he drove her insane!

"Hi, Lilla," he smugly greeted her, causing her to narrow her eyes.

She wondered how long he had been standing out there. She prayed it wasn't long, not needing him to know about that letter that she'd never worked up the courage to give to him. She was glad she didn't. He was a prick! And she was happy to know that he didn't know that she'd felt anything for him once upon a time. She could feel Sarah's eyes on the back of her, also looking down at her, just not as much. It made her curious as to what the Camerons ate to make them so tall. "What are you doing?"

He didn't reply, knowing that it drove her crazy. His smirk just grew even wider.

"Fine then," she clipped, with a tight smile of her own. "Move."

Still, Rafe did not comply with her demands. He just stood in front of her, looking like his usual I-own-a-yacht-and-you-don't-because-you-are-poor self. She wondered if he knew the frat boy aesthetic wasn't something that most girls found intriguing. It just made him look like a try-hard who could get away with anything because his daddy has money in the bank. Oh, wait! That was exactly what he was.

Lilla's expression became apathy as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned all her weight on one hip. This caused Rafe's amusement at her disinterest to heighten as he looked her up and down, but finally, he stepped aside, lifting his hand for her to go by. And she took this opportunity, dropping her arms to her sides and moving past him with a bump into his arm. "Capullo," she muttered under her breath, but loud enough for him to hear, as Sarah followed behind her after closing her bedroom door, shaking her head with a small smile.

"Hey, don't trip down the stairs!" Rafe called out from behind them.

Knowing him, he would probably be the one to push her.

Lilla glanced over her shoulder with a glare, wondering if that was a warning or threat. She just saw the boy smirking with his hands in his shorts pockets. Oh, how she hated him with everything in her. He was so annoying! Letting out a deep breath through her nose and focusing forward, she and Sarah held their phones up so that they could see where they were walking and carefully began descending the staircase.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Sarah glanced around, holding up her flashlight. She and Lilla continued forward, looking for Ward or anyone else. "Dad? Rose?" the blonde said loudly as they made their way towards where Ward's study was. Neither girl was paying attention as the man approached, until Sarah turned and ran straight into her dad. "Oh my! God," she gasped, placing a hand over her heart.

Ward's hands fell on the side's of her arms, holding her upright. "Are you alright, sweetie?" he asked, with furrowed brows.

"Yeah, you just scared me," she replied, sending a glance to her left, where Lilla stood, looking equally shocked. Then she focused back on her father. "Uhm, the storm's getting pretty bad, isn't it?"

Ward nodded, pushing his lips together in a thin line. "Don't worry. I'm sure the power will be back on in the morning once everything has passed." He sent them both a reassuring smile. "You two should just head back upstairs and get some rest."

"Okay." Sarah nodded.

Ward offered her a small smile, then placed a short kiss on her cheek. Then his smile was given to Lilla before he walked away. It was then that Lilla realized that the man was walking around without any kind of flashlight or anything. It was strange. Well, Ward was somewhat of a strange man, in her opinion. There was just something off about him, but she didn't question it too much since he was Sarah's dad. Besides, most everyone on the island had something weird about them.

After that, she and Sarah just made their way back to Sarah's room. They closed the door behind them as they entered, then made their way to the bed, still using their phone flashlights. When they sat down, kicking off their shoes into the floor, they pushed all of Sarah's stuffed animals, pillows (besides two), and the closed lunchbox off the bed. Lilla then dug in her bag, pulling out her laptop, as Sarah got up and found her battery-powered lantern.

"You're lucky I charged this," Lilla told her, holding up her laptop for Sarah, who had just turned on the lantern and set it on her nightstand, to see. "We can watch movies."

"I love you." Sarah excitedly smiled, sitting down on her bed and snuggling under her blanket with Lilla, who just returned the smile and opened her computer.

Lilla lifted her chin pridefully. "I fear I love you more."

And with that, the two girls laid down, picked out a movie to watch, and then fell asleep halfway through it. Neither had realized that before they fell asleep, when they rid the bed of everything that was on it, there was just one thing missing—one thing that was not on the bed any longer, nor was it on the floor with the rest or in the lunchbox; one very important thing that did not need to get into the hands of anyone else.

And they still didn't realize it the next morning when they woke.

The sun was shining through the window, right into the girls' faces. They were cuddled together, both of them suffering from bedhead. Lilla's eyes were the first to flutter open, and she inhaled a deep breath as she rubbed her eyes. Her laptop was still open, but the screen was black, and she was sure it was dead. Her gaze found a sleeping Sarah, looking peaceful, and a small smile fell on her face.

It didn't take long for her to wake up, and then they were getting ready for the day and were outside while workers cleaned up the estate's grounds. Lilla was standing in shorts and a black bikini top, watching Sarah swat away birds from mice with a tennis racket. The heat had definitely come out to play that day. Her arms were crossed over her chest, studying her friend, who was also in jean shorts and a red bikini top, curiously. She was waving around the tennis racket like a mad woman as the birds called and swarmed in a circle. Lilla wasn't superstitious, but she knew that birds—more specifically, crows, which these were not—circling wasn't a sign of good luck by any means.

"Sarah!" the two girls heard Ward call out. Lilla glanced over her shoulder, seeing the man standing on the back porch with a woman by his side. She looked familiar, but Lilla couldn't quite place her.

"I'm busy!" Sarah replied, not even looking away from the birds as she swung at them a couple more times.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sounding extremely confused.

Lilla didn't blame him.

The man began walking towards the two as Sarah explained, "The burrows filled with water from the surge." Then she began to run to the left, chasing after the birds and saying, "The birds are having a field day!"

Lilla followed her quickly as Ward and the woman he was with moved in closer to them as well, trailing behind Sarah but not as quickly as the girl's best friend. "The birds have to eat too, Sarah," Ward reminded her. They followed her into a more open part of the land, closer to the dock.

"No, it's mouse genocide out here," she countered, still completely focused on the birds.

"Yeah, that's my girl!" Lilla cheered with a smile, pumping her fist in the air as her shoulder-length hair slightly swayed with the movement. "Save those mice!" She dropped her hand to her side as Ward and the woman gave her a curious look. Shrugging her shoulders carelessly, she asked, "What?"

"No!" Sarah shouted, swatting her tennis racket, as a bird flew down into the bush.

Ward stepped forward, focusing back on his daughter. "The cycle of life is what it is, sweetheart. Now, come on," he tried to reason with her.

"I can't be a part of it. First they come for the mice, Daddy." Sarah finally moved away from the birds, turning to face her dad. Her eyes immediately landed on the woman next to him, and her expression twisted in the smallest amount of embarrassment.

"Yeah, well, I have an actual human being... that you might give some help to," Ward informed her.

Sarah walked a little closer, seeming to feel bad for taking so long to pay attention. "Oh, my God," she said softly as the woman stepped closer to her and stuck her hand out to shake. Sarah kindly took it. "I'm Sarah. I'm so sorry."

"This is Lana Grubbs, Scooter's wife," the man introduced, raising his hand to the woman. Lilla then realized why she looked familiar. Lana and Scooter came into Los Morales sometimes. For date nights and whatnot, she supposed. And she served them most of the time, and that made her feel bad for not remembering her right away. "Now, you were storm-prepping with him, right?"

"Yeah. He helped me latch the cabin on the Druthers," Sarah answered, glancing back at the yacht that was docked at the end of the boardwalk before focusing back on the two in front of her. Lilla moved to stand closer to her side, curious as to why they were asking about Scooter.

"Last night?" asked her dad.

"Yeah." She nodded, her voice a little breathy.

"And did he go out after that?"

"From here?" Sarah furrowed her brows, and Lilla crossed her arms over her chest, both looking at the man like he was crazy for that question. Which he was.

"Yeah," Ward confirmed.

"No. Are you crazy? There was a hurricane," she replied, sounding like she was worried he was losing his mind in his old age. Anyone would be crazy for going out in a hurricane; everyone knew that.

Lana then spoke. "Well, did he say where he was going? Get a phone call or mention... anything?"

Sarah shook her head, focusing on the woman. "He didn't say anything to me." That seemed to make Lana's heart drop, given the expression on her face and the way she glanced over at Ward, who met her gaze and then focused on Lilla.

"What about you, Lilla? Do you know anything?"

The questioned girl looked between both of them as they stared at her with a slight bit of hope. "No, I'm sorry. Sarah and Scooter were storm-prepping before I got here, and he must've left before then as well, because I haven't seen him since the last time he came into Los Morales." That seemed to dim the last piece of hope that Lana had, making Lilla feel terrible.

"I'm so sorry," Sarah continued. "Is he okay?"

Ward kept a small smile on his face, seeming to try and keep a somewhat good spirit. Hope. He stuck out his hand reassuringly and said, "He's absolutely okay." At the same time, Lana added, "I hope so." The man put his hand on the concerned wife's back and began guiding her away from the two teenagers. "He's just hunkered down somewhere, alright. We're gonna find him."

"I'm so sorry," Sarah repeated.

"Thank you," Lana replied, continuing to walk away with Ward.

"He's probably just hunkered down somewhere with a six-pack," the man said again, his voice fading from the girls' hearing as he and Lana got further away from them.

Sarah and Lilla shared a concerned look, and then the seabirds started calling again, and the blonde's attention was snatched away for a second. But before she could move away, Lilla grabbed the sides of her face, making her look down at her. "Be free, my little butterfly. Soar away and save those mice!" And with that, Sarah laughed, and Lilla gently pushed her friend away, letting her "soar" like the free spirit she was. Sarah went back to swatting at the birds, while Lilla went back to watching her with amusement. Sadly, that amusement didn't last long.

"Ah, there's our little Rich Bitch." The familiar, and frankly annoying, voice of Topper was heard from behind Lilla, causing her to roll her eyes. Of course, he was using that stupid nickname that was coined so many years ago. She and Topper didn't quite get along, despite him now being Sarah's boyfriend. He hung with Rafe and Kelce mostly, which was already a point loss for him. He was also obnoxious, arrogant, gullible, and the stereotypical rich, frat boy-looking guy.

Turning around, Lilla focused on the boy and his two friends. It never failed. Most of the time, anywhere Topper went, Rafe and Kelce followed. Or any other way to arrange that. "Oh, goodie, it's the Golden Trio!" she said with fake enthusiasm. They were no Harry, Ron, or Hermione by any means. "The real question is, which one is the chosen one?"

"Was that a Harry Potter reference?" asked Kelce, then looked at Topper beside him, giving him a get-a-load-of-this-guy look as he pointed at Lilla.

Rafe didn't seem to be paying attention to the girl, which she did not mind, or his two friends, and was merely looking off into the distance, no doubt at his sister jumping in the air and swatting at birds with a tennis racket. His hands were in his pockets as he chewed on gum with his brows furrowed. "Hey, Sarah? What are you doing?" he questioned loudly to get her attention.

His sister didn't reply; she just continued with her antics.

"Let her live her little butterfly dreams, Rafe," Lilla countered, crossing her arms over her chest.

His eyes found her, and he looked at her up and down as a small smirk curled at his lips, brushing his finger a couple of times on the underneath of his nose smugly as Topper and Kelce moved forward.

"You sure like butterflies, don't you, Lilla?" asked Topper with a smile.

Smirking, Kelce added, "Yeah, like the ones that flutter in your stomach."

Lilla's brows knitted together as she gave them a confused look, with her arms still crossed over her chest. "What the fuck are you two talking about?" They were making no sense whatsoever. They never made sense, but still. She wondered if the products of the dry cleaners they used were killing their brain cells with each passing day. She sure knew the boys were killing hers.

"Right, man?" Topper smacked the back of his hand on Rafe's arm.

Lilla focused on him, seeing the look he was giving her. His hands were back in his pockets as he stared at her curiously. Her brows furrowed even deeper, watching him as he nodded towards the house. "I think the power's back on. Come on," he told Topper and Kelce. The two boys sent one last look to Lilla before they began walking off with Rafe.

What the hell had they been talking about?

And then it hit her. Lilla's eyes widened with realization, and she dropped her arms to her sides in a panic. She turned around and booked it over to Sarah, who had traveled even further away from the house. "Sarah!" she called out. "Sarah!" Her voice was more tense and hushed. She stopped behind her friend, whipping her sweating palms on her shorts. Then she took a few steps forward, her hand landing on her best friend's bicep. Sarah's eyes found her, giving her a questioning look as she let the tennis racket hang in her hand and by her side. Lilla told her, "We have a big problem."

They sure did.

✹ . . . ella's thoughts ! · ˚.‧ .
okay, so there's not very much rafe in this chapter, and there won't be in the next chapter either, but trust that he will be more present as this fic continues... obviously (just like in the show!) also, sorry it took so long to update oml, but be glad that i got the random urge to start thoroughly planning this fic and writing for it 🤭

i don't really know how i feel abt this chapter- like, i don't hate it but i also don't like it... idk maybe it's bc i've been writing for the hpu fandom so much lately that writing for something else is weird and it feels kinda off 💀 like idk if i should've waiting a few chapters to introduce the letter or not but we're gonna roll with it for rn

was i going to originally name this chapter "hurricane agatha? more like hurricane lilla" but couldn't figure out a way to make it work with what actually happens in the chapter, so i scrapped that idea? yes, yes i was.

n e ways, i really hope you enjoyed bc i've already almost finished chapter two and hope to have it published soon !!!

make sure to comment and vote 🥳

kisses.

━━━━━━━━━━━━ 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦
𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 . . . © -lostgardens,     2024

word count.  5973. written. 4.8-9.24. published. 4.10.24.