Birds chirped in the tree next to Lily’s bedroom window. The morning was still early so the sun just peeked through the window, a thin line of light stretched to Lily’s bed and settled on her nose. When her nose started to heat up she opened her eyes, still taking in that she was indeed awake. Lily sat up and listened to the creak of the floor boards outside her door. The door knob turned gently and her mother’s head popped in.

“You’re awake already?” Mother said.

“Yes.” Lily answered. There was a bit of silence as Lily stayed sat in bed.

“Well, out of bed you, you’ve got school you know.” Mother said before closing the door again.

Lily dragged herself out of bed, to the bathroom, and into her school uniform. Her mother always tried to get her to wear the boy’s pants or convince Lily to wear bright pink stockings. Being unique in a conformist school is romantic, Lily’s Mother would say. Lily liked to look normal though. It was safe.

“Ready for your first day of school, love?” Her dad asked as Lily walked into the kitchen. He was still in his underwear and wore a fluffy burgundy robe. His eyes were narrowed from sleep and there was a bit of a stubble on his chin.

“I guess.” Lily shrugged. She climbed onto a stool and looked down at a bowl of cereal.

“Are you okay? You seem tired- were you up late reading?” her dad asked curiously.

“No, of course not.” Lily replied, wrinkling her nose.

“Well that’s no fun, we were much more rebellious when we were your age.” He sighed.

“Alright, hurry hurry, I’m almost late for work and I need coffee!” Mother said as she rushed into the kitchen, her professional bun a bit less professional and her shirt only half tucked in.

“Goodness Lav, you’d think after ten years of being late you wouldn’t care anymore.” Dad said as he popped toast into his wife’s mouth and redid her hair as she tucked in her shirt.

“I can still try to be professional, Eric.” She huffed.

“I didn’t marry you for traits I’d hope you’d have one day.” Eric said.

“Are you saying I have no chance of being professional?” Lavender asked. She turned around with an expecting look on her face.

“Have a nice day.” Eric hollered as he escaped the kitchen.

~

Lavender glanced into the rear-view mirror at her daughter in the backseat. Lily looked out the window, watching the kids outside who were walking, biking, or running to school. The car pulled up to the curb in front of Garden Elementary. Before Lily could exit the car, her mother turned around looking at her, eyebrows knitted.

“What’s up today. Usually I have to beg you to wake up in the morning. Like you’re at Fantasy park and you don’t want to leave for the day. You’re silent too, and not ‘Lily-silent’” Lavender said, “Strange-silent.”

Lily looked down at her knees and shrugged. She reached up for the car door, placing her hand on the handle, waiting for her mother to approve. Lavender sighed in defeat and Lily jumped out of the car, slamming the door behind her as she ran off.

Garden Elementary was hardly as romantic as the name suggested. The school was concrete and dull, with the typical strictness that came with small conservative towns. Girls were to wear long brown skirts and boys brown khakis with tan polo shirts to match. At the front doors to the school stood five old women with straight backs shooting up toward the sky. The feared hall monitors scanned for any child out of order. They smacked the calves of unsuspecting children whose skirts were too short, or pants were wrinkled. It was very known that many boys sat in the nurse’s office, waiting for their pants to be ironed thoroughly by the school nurse. The women constantly pursed their lips at every student, except one. Their pursed lips cracked and fell as Lily approached the front of the school.

“Ms. RidingHour!” they said in unison. The five elder sisters nodded their heads in approval of Lily’s clean and pressed uniform. Not even the tie was a hair crooked.

“Hello Ms. Queens...s” Lily stumbled. They all had the same last name. None of them married.

“So pristine! Such responsibility!” They praised.

“Nothing like her parents.” One of the Queens mumbled. The others nodded in smug sorrow. “Good day Ms. RidingHour.”

“Good bye Ms. Queens...s.” Lily struggled to say.

The Queens giggled in satisfaction at the small and petite girl.

The main hallway of Garden elementary was populated with kids. In the front of the school building were all the kindergarten through 4th grade classes. Each teacher’s door was filled with print outs of typical rosy cheeked cartoon children, and the name of the teacher who taught in each room. Down the hallway were large double doors that marked the split between the rest of the school and the 5th graders. The 5th grade wing was much more drab than the K through 4th one. The only thing on the doors were small labels with the teachers’ names on it. Lily had to walk all the way to the end to reach her class: Ms. Gold’s 5th grade class for the advanced. It hid in a dark corner of the 5th grade wing. As she walked down the hall, the other 5th graders gave her dirty looks. Not only because of her small, and as the other kids would say, wimpish stature but because it was considered posh to be in such a class. Lily wasn’t bothered by it too much. She only needed her one friend anyways.

That was Riley and that was why Lily was practically running down the hall. She felt anxious and relieved to tell Riley how crazy and silly her dream was last night. To sit down next to Riley who would be eating sliced cucumbers at her desk, number 9. Her jacket would be slung over her seat like normal and nothing- nothing of her dream would have any value. Lily opened the door to the classroom.

Dianne sat in the front seat, early to class as usual, and cleaned her large glasses. The three boys, Ty, Will, and Chrys joked around in their corner of the classroom. They were the kind of boys whose mothers made them go into the advanced class for their own good. Of course, outside of the class they laughed and joked about people like Lily as if they were on the outside.

There was no one else in the classroom. No one at desk number 9. Not even a jacket slung over the seat. A big bubble of air formed in Lily’s throat. This always happened whenever she felt sick inside and no amount of gagging could break the bubble stuck in her throat. It kept Lily from doing and saying things. It kept her from revealing what she wasn’t supposed to reveal.

“Lily?” a hand touched Lily’s shoulder.

Lily looked up into her teacher, Ms. Gold’s face.

“Why don’t you take your seat darling? Same as last year.” Ms. Gold smiled. Lily nodded and shuffled to her desk, right behind number 9.

The minutes went by and classmates of Lily’s walked, or ran, in taking their seats. Lily sat at her desk, leaning forward on it with her eyes on the door. Each time the door swung open she held her breath, only to release it when it wasn’t Riley. The bubble of worry in her throat expanded, making her chest hurt.

Ms. Gold was recounting the handouts she had brought with her when the bell rung for class to begin. When she lifted her head up she was quite stunned at the scene before her. More than half of her class was just empty seats. There was an awkward silence as the teacher as well as the students looked and wondered at the large amount of absences. It made Lily tremble in worries, the memory of Riley standing on that beach warped into several other children, slowly being engulfed in black smoke.

“Well, it looks like summer hasn’t ended for some of us,” Ms. Gold finally chuckled. “We’ll have to greet our late comers with an abundance of riveting school work, won’t we class?” With that, the class was started. However, as wonderful as Ms. Gold made every lesson, Lily couldn’t help but stare at the desk in front of her, wondering where its occupant could be.