The Azalea's Willow; Episode 2

"What are you doing here? the girl said.

I thought they had accepted you in!"

"They don't believe me. They kicked me out." Azalea deadpanned. The girl in the frumpy clothing sighed. "Okay. I know exactly what you need."

She stood up and walked around to a small shelf.

She reached up and grabbed at something,

She held out a necklace to Azalea.

Azalea took it. "Thanks Willow!" She said and placed the necklace in a back pack. "Yes yes, now, GO.." Willow commanded, slightly annoyed by the failing girl.  

Lyla looked up, the sound of small footsteps clicked in her bedroom.

"YOU! Why did aunt Victoria let you in?!" Lyla yelled.

Azalea raised her hands up in the air. "She didn't. I sneaked in. Now, I know you don't believe anything I say, but, PLEASE look at this!" Azalea cried out with emphasis.

Azalea pulled the necklace out of her back pack and held it up.

"Where. Did. You. Get. That?" Lyla questioned. "It was given to me." She replied.

"Here, take it!" Azalea said and held it out.

Lyla snatched it out her hand and looked at it. It was true. This had been Lyla's mother's necklace. the only material item she had valued."

She turned around and went to her nightstand, she lifted up the pink part, revealing a compartment. She placed the necklace in there, it landed next to the letter stating how Azalea was Lyla's younger sister, but Lyla would never believe that.

"Look, I know you think I'm your sister, BUT I'M NOT. Okay?" Lyla said angered.

"I am your sister, you just don't want to believe that!" Azalea yelled back.

"NO. I'M NOT." Lyla argued. "Fine! Willow!!!" She called out.

Willow walked in. She raised a fist, and with a smash she hit Lyla.

The stubborn girl fell back unconscious.

"Get anything that might be important. I'll get her." Willow barked out. Azalea nodded and went about, gathering things into her backpack.

A while later....

 All Lyla remembered was darkness, falling down and feeling like she had been hit by a train.

"She's waking up." Willow said quietly.

Lyla opened her eyes and raised a hand to rub her newly forming bruise when she realized she wasn't at home.

"WHERE AM I?!" She demanded and stood up on her feet. She felt a bit lightheaded, but she shook the feeling.

"You're in my, home...." Willow answered.

"Now. You may not believe she is, but AZALEA IS YOUR SISTER."

Willow dropped the purple backpack.

She pulled out the necklace and dangled it above the dirty ground. "Take it. See that Azalea is telling the truth." Willow crooned.

Lyla reached out and accepted the necklace once again.

She looked at it in her hand, how beautiful it was....

Willow interrupted the girl's thoughts. "There is no way Azalea could have gotten that unless your mother had it given to her." Lyla glanced up and glared. "She is not my sister, okay?" she snipped. Willow laughed a bit. "Look, you may not believe it, but she is.You want the truth? Your mother died months before she was born, but the doctor's preserved Azalea, kept her alive through your mother's body, and a few weeks later, when she was just big enough, Azalea was born. As an immensely small premature baby." Willow explained.

"Then why wasn't I told this!?" Lyla asked, still dismissing the facts. Willow put her arm in front of Azalea. "Because you were too little, you never knew your mom was going to have a baby, and besides, your Aunt didn't know, and you had already been placed with her. Poor little seven year old you, all alone." Willow chuckled. 

"I was not alone." Lyla said defensively. Willow smirked. "Oh yes, of course you weren't alone. But Azalea is, and she needs her big sister. If you don't take her in, she is going to be placed permanently into a very bad place, where she will work and cook and clean, and she won't go to school or get medicine, and like all the other children, if they can't stay healthy like that, they die. And if they don't die or leave by the age of eighteen, well, their fates are terrible as well. She needs your help Lyla." Lyla couldn't believe what would happen to the little girl, she couldn't be that person though! But she couldn't be that person either...."

"Just let me go home so I can think about it,

please....." Lyla asked quietly.

Soon after.

Once again Lyla awoke with no sense of where she was. 

She stood up, she was somewhere in some field.

She stumbled forward and reached for the backpack laying near her. She teetered around as she realized somebody had put her heels on her feet, they must have grabbed them at some point of time. She grabbed the back pack and started walking. She had to follow the power lines to get home, she couldn't be that far away.

Many hours later.

The group of people searching Lyla's room stopped, footsteps in the doorway.

Lyla walked in and dropped the backpack with a thud. The group turned around.

"LYLA!" They all cried out. Mrs. Reins stumbled forward. "Oh honey! I found you missing and we've been looking for you for forever! And we were just searching for a clue of where you went, and-"

Lyla cut her off and hugged her tightly.

Mrs. Reins guided the shaking girl to the bed where they sat down.

"Are you okay?" Emmy asked. Lyla barely nodded a reply.

"Okay. What is this?" A boy asked.

Lyla stood up and ran over to him. She hugged him close, making him almost lose balance.

"Danny! What are you doing here?" Lyla asked, swallowing her fear and inability to speak.

"Lyla, we've been best friends since we were babies, your aunt Victoria called saying you were missing and I rushed over here." He explained.

"Now, what is this?" He inquired promptly.

Lyla sat back down, "I don't want to talk about it." She said.

"Lyla, what is that bag?" Mrs. Reins asked her. As Danny placed the bag beside Lyla.

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!" Lyla screamed and threw the bag away, it hit the wall and fell onto the bookshelf. Tears were starting to glide down Lyla's face, making her even more a mess.

"Alright everyone, let's go wait somewhere else while Lyla cleans herself up." Mrs. Reins said and pushed Emmy and Danny out.

Twenty minutes later,

Danny walked back in to the room.

Lyla had cleaned up, and was laying on her bed, eyes closed, the mysterious back pack open beside her.

"I don't want to talk aunt-" Lyla stopped as she saw her life long best friend standing there.

Danny went over to the backpack and opened it up.

He pulled out the necklace and remembered it instantly. Unlike Emmy, Danny had known Lyla before the accident with her parents.

He also knows all of the things about her room, all her secrets and everything she loves. He opened the nightstand and placed the backpack in, and dropped the necklace on top.

As he closed the night stand back up he paused, he knew exactly what she needed.

He went over to the wicker seating and removed the old little blanket it from it.

He took it over and placed it on her lap, tucking it in just the way she likes it. 

He then grabbed one of the oldest books she has and sat down with it, then he remembered one more thing.

He got off the bed and lay down beside it. He lifted up the bedding and pulled out Lyla's favorite old stuffed animal.

She couldn't believe how amazing he was, he remembered all the things that comforted her.

He placed the dog on her lap and opened the book, turning to her favorite quote. He began to read it aloud,

"Learn to laugh at your worries and you'll never run out of things to laugh at." He recited clearly. 

He read off more quotes, silly ones as well, making her laugh at times.

He got to the back of the book and pulled out a little poster. "Looky here! I remember making this, the fourth grade, you and I together, looking at a book of quotes like this one." He said in a fun way.

"Laughter is a tranquilizer with NO side effects." He read off the card. He glanced up at Lyla, she was smiling now.

"Now, do you think you can tell me everything that happened?" He asked seriously. She nodded and began from the beginning.

He listened to her carefully, making notes of the situation.

He scooted over next to her, her little blanket covered a bit of each of their laps. "Please don't leave." Lyla begged quietly and grabbed his hand. Danny nodded and they talked a bit more. Eventually she started to become extremely tired from her day, so Danny found a blanket and the two curled up together to sleep, just like they did when they were little kids.

He looked at her peacefully sleeping face, he needed to go home, it was late..

He got out of the bed and checked to make sure she hadn't noticed his warm body slip away. He saw the book and poster still on the floor from earlier. He picked it up and carried it to the shelf.

He placed it in the proper place and then put the poster with the quote on it in a place he knew she would see.

He looked back at her one last time to make sure she was still asleep, then walked out of the room and quietly left the sleeping home.

CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK FOR EPISODE THREE!

Lyla Bennsley; Astrid Overland,

Azalea Crier; Rosalia Carter,

Willow Porter; Charlotte (Charlie) Carter,

Danny Thomson; (A gentlemen.)

Mrs. Victoria Reins; Samantha Parkington-Carter,

Emmy Drew; Rebecca Carter,