Chapter 56
The hallway was filled with parents and guardians waiting for their turn to have a word with Ms. Ruiz. Lily sat on a bench nearby, next to her brother, watching people come and go. She noticed the few curious gazes thrown at her and her brother, words spoken behind the papers they were holding.
The time on Lily’s watch read that it was already two in the afternoon. Their Aunt Arianne had yet to arrive, and Lily was starting to think more than she should. It was the first time their Aunt Arianne hadn’t arrived on time. The sudden change unsettled her more than she expected.
“Stay here, Leo,” she told her twin brother. “I’ll just get something p>
Lily hopped from her seat and walked toward the table set outside their homeroom teacher’s office. She picked up a pamphlet for their trip and returned to her brother.
Ms. Ruiz stepped out of her office and guided the parents and guardians to wait in the meeting room on the third level of the building. She provided the room number.
The parents started moving with their children and walked away, clearing the hallway. Lily and Leo didn’t move an inch from their seats and waited for Arianne. Waiting had become familiar.
Steady clicks of high heels on the floor caught their attention. They saw their Aunt Arianne taking long strides toward them.
Leo jumped off his seat and met Arianne halfway, while Lily was visibly relieved at the sight of her.
“Sorry,” Arianne apologized to the twins. “My meeting went longer than expected. Are you alright p>
“Ms. Summers, these are the required things the twins would need to bring to the trip. Let us know if you have any questions p>
Another teacher arrived just in time and handed Arianne a paper.
Lily watched Arianne skim the pages, her thumb pausing once before she turned one over. Leo, on the other hand, looked at the other kids holding their mothers’ hands.
Leo had stopped crying like this lately—less shaking, fewer nights where he woke gasping—but Lily still watched his hands whenever Arianne was near. When he leaned into her, the tension always left first.
It helped.
But Lily didn’t trust it yet. Normalcy, she had learned, could be temporary.
Lily lowered her gaze. She disliked it whenever the bell rang, signaling the end of school hours. She didn’t like how their classmates excitedly ran to their parents while she and Leo had to wait for their nanny or a bodyguard to pick them up.
She didn’t like to look outside, knowing her mommy wouldn’t be there, waiting for them. Lily knew that no matter how much she wanted to see them again, that wouldn’t be possible.
Today, a meeting to prepare for the trip was scheduled. Parents and guardians of their classmates arrived. Lily didn’t expect their Aunt Arianne or Uncle Franz to come, but one of them did.
Lily was startled when Arianne picked her up from the ground, while Mira took Leo into her arms. She instinctively wrapped her arm around Arianne’s neck, noticing how tall she was.
“Are you uncomfortable? Do you want me to put you down?” Arianne asked.
Lily shook her head and rested her chin on Arianne’s shoulder. She noticed the light green tea scent coming from Arianne’s clothes, so different from her mommy’s distinct flowery perfume.
“Uncle Gio said you had a meeting,” she whispered.
That was why Lily had memorized the trip schedule earlier, when Ms. Ruiz wasn’t looking. She wanted to be prepared in case there was no one to accompany her and Leo.
“Yes,” Arianne affirmed. “There was a last-minute change that needed my attention p>
Arianne started walking down the hallway before turning to her right to take the stairs. She took the steps carefully, one at a time. Lily then understood why Arianne and Mira chose to hold her and Leo.
“Leo said he wanted to see the animals at the zoo,” Lily murmured, getting Arianne’s attention.
Arianne hummed. “He’s lucky then. It’s on our itinerary. What about you? Is there something you’re excited to see p>
Lily didn’t answer immediately, but there was one item on the itinerary that had caught her attention.
“The aquarium,” she said after a long silence.
“Really? Do you like koi fish too?” Arianne asked.
Lily pulled away and looked at Arianne with surprise written across her face.
“How did you know p>
Arianne smiled and patted Lily’s nose with her forefinger.
“You are like your father in so many ways,” she whispered.
Lily stiffened in Arianne’s arms. She hid her face against Arianne’s shoulder and fell silent.
Arianne didn’t press the issue any further.
When they arrived at the meeting room, several heads turned toward Arianne. The meeting had already started without waiting for them. Ms. Ruiz stopped mid-sentence upon seeing her.
A few recognized her and whispered to their companions. Arianne took a seat, placing Lily on her lap while Mira did the same for Leo. Ms. Ruiz then continued where she had left off.
Leo glanced at Arianne and his sister, wondering why he wasn’t being held by Arianne this time. He didn’t contest it and chose to cooperate.
The meeting proceeded. Arianne listened, ignoring the noise around them. The teachers gave an overview of the itinerary. The trip was scheduled to start at seven in the morning and end at five in the afternoon, with a two-hour break from one to two p.m.
Lily sat unmoving on Arianne’s lap. She looked at the timeline written on the board, noting how long the trip would take.
“As for the seating arrangement, we decided to separate boys and girls one of the coordinators commented, before glancing at Arianne. “Is that alright, Ms. Summers p>
Lily was about to argue. She didn’t want to be parted from her brother, but Arianne spoke first.
“No,” Arianne declined politely. “I would rather have the twins stay together. This is to prevent unnecessary problems along the way p>
The coordinator hesitated, then crossed out the line and rewrote it.
The change went through as if it had never been a question.