There she was, a young lady sitting in the middle of the room on a squeaky wooden chair, holding a paint brush as if waving her hand gently to create a piece. A boy was what she drew—light sapphire hair that seems to sparkle in the sun and ocean eyes that stares at you with unexplained sadness. It wasn't her intention to draw him but it was just as though her hands moved on their own. Once the painting dries, she touches it as if wanting to embrace it, yet the boy from this painting is non-existent. As a teardrop fell from her left eye, a sudden knock came from the door, quickly she wiped the tear away.

"Auntie Lyris!" The door opened slowly and what welcomed her was the sight of a small child, her niece.

"Hello Lyn! Is your mommy outside?" She cheerfully greeted.

"Yup! She's cooking dinner for us." The eyes of the little girl moved to look at what she was painting. "Who's that?" She asked, curiosity seemed to fill her mind.

A faint memory came to her, a boy was running through a flower field while holding her hand, he said something that was inaudible. Lyris smiled bitterly, but the child didn't notice it.

"A dear friend," she answered.

"Oh, can we meet him since he's auntie's friend?" Lyn asked.

"Oh sweetie, we can't unfortunately. He's from somewhere far away... we won't be able to see him." Then, she added, "Now, why don't we go outside and play?" Lyn was unaware that it was her auntie's way of changing the topic—a way of escaping this room.

A lot of time passed by while they were playing hide and seek when Lyris's elder sister called them, "Lyris! Lyn! It's time for dinner. The last one here will clean the dishes!" Lyn gleefully ran as fast as she could to reach the table first while her auntie only walked to let her win.

"Lyris, are you sure you're all okay now?" Mira, the mother of Lyn and her older sister, asked. It was because she was comatosed for a month due to a car accident that took their parents' lives. She took Lyris in as she was the closest relative she had and she couldn't bear to watch her sister grow up alone. Despite her hatred for their parents, she loves her little sister. Whereas, Rhealyn, the little girl, never met her grandparents because of Mira cutting them off from her life.

"I'm okay." Lyris grinned, "Oh, that smells nice!" She complimented the beautiful dish prepared in front of them.

Her sister looked at her and softly smiled. "That's good to hear. Well then, let's dig in!"

~~~

After the heartful meal, while Lyris tried to stand up with the dishes in her hands, Mira stopped her and said, "I'll do it. Now you go and rest." Despite Lyris efforts to help out somehow, Mira was adamant.

"Please, if you're feeling restless, get Lyn to bed for me." And so, she did the latter and went to Lyn's room.

Lyn was there playing wih her dolls when she said, "Sweetie, let's go get ready to bed now."

"Hmm... ah right, auntie! A kitty went under my bed, she just hid there and I can't reach her," she giggled.

"A stay cat? That's dangerous." Lyris then went to see under Lyn's bed but there was nothing there. "Let's see," she says as she grabbed her phone to use as a flashlight.

There it was a black cat, which for Lyris was ominous due to her past experiences and this specific cat looks disturbingly similar to the one she saw before.

"Big sis! There's a cat under Lyn's bed." She called.

"Oh? I'll be there real quick," Mira answered. Her big sister then arrived a few minutes, still rubbing her hands on a cloth to dry it.

Suddenly the cat ran outside the window at full speed. "That's weird." Mira asked, "Did you open the window, Lyn? Close it after you open it, alright?"

"But mom! I never opened it," she stated.

"Lyn, don't lie, I never opened it as well. While auntie here hasn't gone to your room since earlier," Mira said, her looks was as if it was saying that she had been naughty. Lyn just sulked there and went to her bed, burying her face into the blanket.

"Ugh, kids. Where did she learn to lie?" Mira sighed.

"Big sis, let me handle her, okay? I understand how you feel."

Mira looked at Lyris and smiled, "Alright. I'll leave you two."

She proceeded to lock the windows before going out to do her things. The lack of rooms in the small house and because of Lyris using one room for her artworks resulted for her to sleep with Lyn on the same bed.

Lyris then comforted the little girl, "Don't be too harsh on your mommy. She's trying her best." Before succumbing to her tiredness and hoping to atleast be able to dream of him in her sleep.

~~~

The next morning, Lyris woke up with Lyn no longer beside her, perhaps the young girl has woken up earlier than she did and decided to give her auntie some more sleep. Lyris stared blankly at the ceiling before completely sitting up to prepare herself. Suddenly, she thought of the dream she had last night—it was nothing. She didn't remember nothing, it was her dream that was empty. There was only a void of darkness as she felt her body drowning in what seemed like water. She has a very conflicting hate-like relationship with water. Despite it accompanying her in the past, it was futile in helping him. She looked outside the window only to see that black feline again.

"Shoo!" She exclaimed as she signed to the cat to leave but it was to no avail for it was unbothered and only glared at her. "I hate cats," she said before leaving the room.

While closing the door of the room, she greeted, "Good morning big sis." Then she asked out of wonder, "Where's Lyn?"

"She wanted to give the cat some food." She answered.

"But ism't that too unsafe? What if the cat scratches her?" Lyris asked.

"Lyn said she'll just leave some food outside and won't touch the cat. If her hands smell even the tiniest bit of her touching it, she's dead to me." Mira firmly answered. "But, I think it's better if you go and get her."

"Okay, I'll see what she's doing." Lyris went outside to look for her mischievious little niece.

Where has she gone off to? Lyris thought to herself as she wanders around the small garden in the front lawn. Then, there she was, the small girl.

"Lyn, what are you doing?" Lyris asked.

Her niece was in the bushes looking for something. "You do know that if you get yourself dirty, mommy's gonna give you a punishment, right?"

Lyn stopped and went out of the bushes. "Yeah, I know!" She answered with her face covered in soil.

"Big sis! Look at Lyn!" She snitched on the little one.

"Hey! No! Auntie, no!" Lyn abruptly grabbed her auntie's clothes trying to use it to clean herself with.

Mira came outside with an angried-look. "Lyn!" She shouted, "Go to the bathroom and clean yourself! Now, young lady!" The only thing Lyn could do was to pout and fulfill her mommy's commands.

"Come on inside now, Lyris." Mira said and Lyris followed after her sister while giggling about the funny morning. Unbeknowst to the two, Lyn was already holding unto something that she found in the bushes.

It was such a sunny day. It's no wonder the rain will soon come find its way.

~~~

Earlier that night when the moon was in full bloom and the wind was swaying, causing the leaves from the tree to fall on the ground. A shadowy figure walked outside the alleyway near the small house of Mira. "Argh, why can't she remember anything? This is bothersome. She needs to fulfill her promise or I'll be in a predicament." A male voice was heard, a sound no ordinary human could hear. Maybe it would be heard as a cat meowing angrily.

The noise came from the black cat. It left something in the bushes by the field in front of Mira's house before deciding to rest by the window of the second floor.

~To be continued...