CHAPTER FOUR – A Quiet Weekend-Third Person POV
1232 Words
“Peace feels ordinary until the day you realize it was a gift.”
The week passed in a way that felt almost too ordinary.
After everything Lily had noticed—and all the questions that still lingered without answers—she expected life to feel different. She expected the world around her to shift, for something to reveal itself, or for the strange feeling that had followed her for weeks to finally make sense.
But nothing happened.
The sun still rose every morning.
Her alarm still rang at the same time.
Students still hurried through the academy’s gates, filling the hallways with laughter and conversation as though nothing in the world could ever change.
Maybe…
That was what made it feel so strange.
Life had a way of moving forward even when someone’s heart was weighed down by questions they couldn’t answer.
Lily settled back into her usual routine.
Every morning she walked through the school gates beside Sophia, listening as her best friend talked about everything and nothing all at once.
Sophia had a remarkable talent for filling silence.
“And I’m telling you,” Sophia declared one morning, hugging her books to her chest, “this year’s carnival is going to be legendary.”
Lily smiled.
“You say that about everything.”
“Because I’m usually right.”
“You also said the cafeteria would start serving edible lasagna.”
“It was edible.”
“Barely.”
Sophia laughed.
“Fine… maybe I exaggerated a little.”
Lily couldn’t help laughing with her.
Moments like these were the easiest parts of her day.
With Sophia, she didn’t have to think about the locked attic.
Or the way her father always changed the subject whenever she mentioned it.
Or the countless questions that refused to leave her mind.
With Sophia…
She could simply be Lily.
An ordinary eighteen-year-old girl worrying about homework, upcoming exams, and whether her best friend would ever stop talking.
Vanessa Hart remained impossible to ignore.
She still carried herself with effortless confidence, walking through the academy as though every hallway belonged to her.
Her sharp remarks hadn’t disappeared, but lately she seemed more interested in preparing for the upcoming carnival than finding reasons to torment Lily.
Even so…
Lily never completely lowered her guard.
Vanessa had a way of smiling that made kindness feel like another disguise.
As the days passed, carnival preparations slowly took over the school.
Colorful posters decorated the hallways.
Teachers reminded students about fundraising booths.
Class representatives debated ideas during lunch.
The baking competition became one of the most talked-about events on campus.
Even Lily found herself looking forward to it.
Maybe she needed something simple.
Something joyful.
Something untouched by mystery.
By Friday afternoon, when the final bell echoed through the academy, relief washed over her.
The weekend had finally arrived.
She walked home at an unhurried pace, enjoying the peaceful streets and the gentle breeze that rustled through the trees.
For once…
She allowed herself to stop searching for answers.
When she reached home, the familiar silence greeted her.
It wasn’t lonely.
It was comforting.
Home had always been the one place where she felt safe.
She climbed the stairs and stepped into her bedroom.
It wasn’t the largest room in the house, nor the fanciest.
But every corner reflected who she was.
Photographs of her and Sophia decorated one wall.
Old sketches and watercolor paintings she’d made years ago were carefully pinned above her desk.
A small corkboard displayed handwritten quotes, encouraging notes, and tiny reminders she’d written during difficult days.
Near the window stood a tall bookshelf overflowing with well-loved novels.
Some were perfectly arranged.
Others leaned against one another after being reread too many times to count.
Her study desk rested beneath the window where the morning sunlight always poured in.
Books, notebooks, colorful pens, and neatly stacked school papers covered its surface.
Some notebooks contained homework.
Others held poems, story ideas, and dreams she’d never shared with anyone.
Lily sat quietly on the edge of her bed.
She looked around the room.
Whenever life became confusing…
This was where she came.
Here, she didn’t have to pretend.
She could think.
She could dream.
She could simply breathe.
Her eyes drifted toward the photograph resting on her bedside table.
She reached for it.
It was an old picture of her and her father at the beach.
She couldn’t have been older than eight.
Both of them were laughing as a wave crashed around their feet.
He looked younger then.
Less tired.
His smile reached his eyes in a way it rarely did now.
Lily smiled softly.
Her father wasn’t a man who spoke much about his emotions.
He carried many things in silence.
But one truth had never needed words.
He loved her.
She had never doubted that.
Even when he avoided difficult conversations…
Even when he refused to answer questions about the attic…
Even when he insisted he was fine when she knew he wasn’t.
She carefully placed the photograph back where it belonged.
Just then…
She heard movement downstairs.
“Lily?” her father’s voice called.
“I’m coming!”
She hurried downstairs to find him standing in the kitchen, preparing dinner.
The delicious aroma of garlic, herbs, and tomato sauce filled the room.
“You should be resting,” she teased.
He looked over his shoulder and smiled.
“And you should be studying.”
“I already finished my homework.”
“So you claim.”
“It’s true this time.”
“This time?”
She laughed.
“You make it sound like I never study.”
“I’ve learned not to underestimate creative excuses.”
She gasped dramatically.
“I would never.”
“Oh?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“What about last month when you claimed your math homework had mysteriously disappeared?”
“It did.”
“You left it in your locker.”
“…Details.”
Her father laughed.
A real laugh.
The kind that warmed the entire room.
For a little while…
Nothing else mattered.
They talked about school.
The upcoming carnival.
Sophia’s endless excitement.
The baking competition Lily planned to enter.
Her father promised to taste every practice recipe she made.
“I’ll happily volunteer as your official taste tester,” he said.
She smiled.
“That’s a very important job.”
“I know.”
“And I’m highly qualified.”
Their laughter filled the quiet house.
Neither of them realized how precious those ordinary moments truly were.
Later that night, Lily changed into comfortable clothes and settled beside her bedroom window.
Outside, lights gradually disappeared as the neighborhood drifted into peaceful silence.
She rested her chin against her knees.
A strange thought crossed her mind.
What if people never realized they were living their happiest memories…
Until they became memories?
She frowned.
The thought felt strange.
Heavy.
She didn’t know why it had appeared.
Downstairs, she could hear her father’s faint laughter as he watched an old television program.
The familiar sound made her smile.
She closed her eyes for just a moment, silently wishing that nights like this would last forever.
Tomorrow would come.
Another week would begin.
More classes.
More carnival preparations.
More ordinary days.
Or so she believed.
She had no way of knowing…
That this quiet weekend would be the last truly peaceful one she’d ever have.
- Writer
