LILY'S FATHER COMES HOME

One day you might just find something worth living an eternity for. Lily felt like she had been waiting for an eternity. Waiting for someone who could make her feel alive, who could hold her in their arms and make her forget the dullness of her existence. She had no interest in the boring English class that droned on and on. She rested her head on her desk, her orange brown hair spilling over her shoulders, and closed her eyes. She dreamed of a different life, a life full of adventure mystery, and romance.

She didn't hear the teacher's voice growing louder and angrier as he noticed her snoring. She didn't hear the whispers and giggles of her classmates as they watched her sleep. She didn't hear Joana, her best friend, trying to wake her up.

"Psst, Lily, wake up, wake up! The teacher is looking at you. You're going to get in trouble!" Joana whispered frantically, nudging Lily's arm. "Come on, Lily, please, wake up!"

But Lily was too deep in her slumber to hear her. She snored louder and louder, oblivious to the commotion she was causing.

"GET UP, LILY!" Joana shouted, losing her patience. She grabbed Lily's shoulder and shook her hard.

Lily jolted awake, startled and confused. She blinked her sleepy eyes and yawned. She looked around and saw the teacher staring at her with a furious expression. She saw the other students staring at her with a mix of amusement and pity. She saw Joana looking at her with a mix of concern and annoyance.

"What's going on, Joana?" Lily asked, rubbing her eyes. "What happened?"

Joana sighed and rolled her eyes. "You were snoring, Lily. In the middle of the class. Again. Don't you ever pay attention?"

Lily felt a surge of embarrassment and anger. She hated being the laughingstock of the class. She hated being lectured by Joana. She hated being bored by the teacher. She hated her life.

She wished she could escape from it all. She wished someone would come and rescue her. She wished she could find something worth living an eternity for.

Lily, wake up! How dare you sleep in my class? Being a bright student doesn't mean you can disrespect me and your classmates, the teacher shouted furiously.

-I apologize, sir. This won't happen again, Lily said firmly.

The clock struck one and the English teacher dismissed the class. Joana and Lily grabbed their backpacks and headed out of the school gate. As they walked along the familiar path to their homes, Joana noticed Lily's lips moving silently. "You're doing it again, Lily," she said with a hint of annoyance. "What are you mumbling about this time?" Lily looked at her friend and shrugged. "Nothing much. Just how boring everything is. The only place I feel alive is in my library, where I can escape into other worlds,", Lily signed and kicked a pebble on the road.

"You live in fairytales, Lily. They're not real. Your boyfriends are fake. How can you be my bestie? When will you find your true love?" She pitied and annoyed her friend, who was naive and blind to the world. Lily smiled and hugged her book. She thanked and saddened her friend, who was cynical and bitter about the world. She believed in magic, in love, in happy endings. She believed that fairytales were dreams that could come true.

Joana, breathe. Slow down. You're talking so fast, you're making my head spin. I like a good mystery, but only in fiction. The characters I read about are so perfect, that they haunt me. Remember the book I told you about? The one with the bold protagonist? I can't get her out of my mind.

Lily, you know what I'm talking about, right? Joana said, rolling her eyes.

I feel so hopeless and lonely. I don't think anyone will ever love me, Joana.

But I'm trying to be strong and brave. You know I love adventures. Adventures are the only thing that makes me feel alive. I'll stick with adventure, embrace adventure, said Lily.

They were so involved in the conversation, that they forgot that they had reached their destinations. They parted ways.

-by Lily.

-by Joana

By the time they returned home, the sun was already settling down and darkness was filling up the skies.

As Lily burst into the house, she looked overjoyed to see her favorite dish waiting for her on the table. She rushed to the kitchen and threw her arms around Hannah's waist, feeling a sense of comfort and security in her embrace. "Hannah, I'm home!" she exclaimed, her heart filled with happiness. Hannah smiled warmly, understanding how much this simple gesture meant to Lily.

Hannah turned around and smiled. But when she saw the ice cream cone in Lily's hand, she frowned. "Lily, you're eating ice cream again? How many times have I told you not to eat ice cream in winter? You're going to catch a cold, you naughty kid!" she scolded while gently pushing Lily away. She had been busy preparing her favorite dish but had now finished.

Lily was happily enjoying her ice cream and didn't mind Hannah's nagging. She then planned to sit down and eat her evening meal when Mrs. Wu suddenly noticed her joyful expression. Upon seeing this, Mrs. Wu grew extremely furious as she harbored immense hatred for Lily. Her sole desire was for her daughters, Anastasia and Emily, to marry into wealthy families.

Lily had two step-sisters: Anastasia and Emily. While Emily cherished Lily like a true sister and even admired her, Anastasia's feelings of jealousy towards Lily kept intensifying with each passing day. Meanwhile, Hannah, who was the housemaid of the Wu family, also held Lily in high regard.

Lily had struggled with feeling like an outsider and a burden to those around her. However, she persevered and worked hard to become independent, to move, and to start a new chapter in her life. Despite feeling remorse for leaving her beloved uncle, she recognized that it was

"What in the world were you thinking?!" Mrs. Wu bellowed, her face twisted in fury. "How dare you eat that meal without permission! Get out of this room right now and go prepare some hot tea for us. And take that plate with you!" With that, she snatched the plate from the table and flung it across the room in a fit of anger.

As Lily wept, her eyes grew increasingly sore. She eventually left the room, her tears no longer able to be concealed.

It must be difficult to see a loved one in such distress. And when Hannah tried to intervene,

Atleast let the girl eat- How could yo-

Do not interfere, otherwise I'll fire you.

Mrs. Wu's response was less than understanding. It's understandable to feel frustrated and helpless in such situations.

Hannah chose to stay quiet, contemplating her situation. Despite facing financial struggles and having six children to provide for, she recognized the importance of her job and the necessity to support her family. She remained determined to overcome any challenges that came her way and to find ways to thrive in difficult circumstances.

Suddenly, the landline telephone rang. Ting! Ting! Ting! Mrs. Wu answered the phone. "Hello, who is this?" she asked. The person on the other end of the line said, "I am coming back today at 6 p.m. Please take care of my daughters until I arrive." Mrs. Wu was ecstatic to hear this news and jumped up and down with joy.

Lily couldn't help but feel her heart swell with joy at the thought of seeing her uncle again. She knew how hard he had been working for their family, and was looking forward to expressing her love and gratitude to him. However, at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness knowing that his stay with them would be brief.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Lily retreated to her library, her favorite place in the house which kept her away from her aunt. She loved reading books, especially romance novels. She curled up by the window, holding a book in her hands. The moonlight cast a soft glow on her golden hair, making her look like a fairy tale princess. She was so engrossed in the story that she didn't hear the knock on the door.

Mrs. Wu sprang from her seat, dropping the remote control on the floor. She ran to the door, her heart pounding. She opened it and gasped.

There he was, her husband, Lily's uncle. He was tall and handsome, wearing a hat, an umbrella, and a long winter coat. He smiled at her, his eyes shining with love.

"Anastasia, Emily, where are you all?! Your uncle has come!" Mrs Wu cried out, tears of joy streaming down her face.

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