Lily's father sits on the couch watching some show, taking no notice of the intruder. Willow walks past, into the hallway of bedrooms.
Go ahead. Go to Azrael, or Lily's dad. It will make no difference.
She knows.
She steps into Lily's room. Her bed is neatly made, with various realistic stuffed animals on her blanket against the wall. A computer on a sticker-covered desk sits next to figurines of cute mascots. One of the figurines is of Capsune Beepku, a digital idol Lily adores. There's even a poster of her taped to the wall. Willow touches her finger to the poster, running it along Beepku's strawberry-colored twintails. She once told Lily she was going to get her that exact poster for her as a birthday gift... as soon as she got the money for it. Lily tried to protest, saying she could afford it herself, but Willow insisted. She stumbles past the poster and collapses onto her friend's bed, her body suddenly unwilling to move.
It's only natural she would have the poster now. You only impeded her happiness, as you do with everyone you've ever interacted with.
"Be quiet. Don't you think I know that already?" The tears threaten to start flowing again. Willow grabs a large seal plush and holds it in her lap.
I am only making my point clear. It's time to make your choice. You can either stay here, where everyone is happy, or you can return to your world. Your world where you caused the death of your parents, murdered the assailants, and made your brother lose his eye for you. If you choose to stay, you will remain here forever, and you may watch your friends live their happy lives.
"I..." Willow balls her hands into fists, squeezing the seal between her arms. "I want to..."
Before she can finish "I want to go home," She thought of the way Lily walked past her. Lily doesn't even know that she's gone. Nobody does, and nobody ever will. Is there any reason she should go back? If they never notice she's gone, and they're happier in this world, then she shouldn't force them to go back to the world where she exists.
That's it, then. She's decided.
Well, dear, Which is it? Stay, or be taken home?
She was getting ready to give Wallow her final decision before she hears a noise. The front door to Lily's apartment opens and closes again, and Willow hears her friend's voice just over the sound of the TV.
"What? What is it, Nyani? We're gonna be late for the movie."
Two pairs of footsteps approach the door before bursting into Lily's room, where Willow still sits on the bed. The forgotten girl just looks at them, holding the seal plush close to her chest. Nyani, the monochromatic girl Lily was walking with before, looks around the room with her large curious eyes.
"What's she looking for?" Willow asks, but her shade makes no response. Neither Lily or Nyani see the seal on Willow's lap because for them it's still in its original place. Instead, Nyani spots the poster of the virtual idol and points at it, staring at Lily.
Lily tilts her head. "Yeah? What about my Capsune Beepku poster?"
Nyani says nothing, only emphasizing the poster with her finger.
"You've seen it before, haven't you?" Lily continues. "I got it a few weeks ago, when ██████-" she paused, and cleared her throat. "When... I... I can't remember..."
Nyani puts a hand on Lily's shoulder, still saying nothing. Willow is starting to think she's incapable of speech at all. Lily's eyes gleam with moisture. She starts to rub them, but that only makes it worse. Soon, her eyes are red with flowing tears, but Lily just sounds confused.
"Nyani, what is this? Why am I crying?" she says, sniffling.
Willow reaches her hand out to her friend. "Oh, oh Lily... I'm sorry..."
She watches as Nyani takes Lily's hand. At first she didn't know what this mysterious girl was doing, but then she positions Lily's hand so it was on top of Willow's own. The ice-cold feeling shoots through her hand again, but it's not as surprising this time. Nyani looks down at where Willow sits, then back at Lily. The girl can't seem to see Willow, exactly, but she must know she's there.
Lily's knees buckle, and she falls to the floor, hands now on her face. Another figure, Azrael, enters the room behind the girls, hearing the commotion.
"You sense it too, Lily?" Azzy says without elaboration. Perhaps he figures it needs no explanation, or doesn't know what he means himself. Either way, Willow has stopped listening to everything going on. She gets off the bed, putting the seal plushie down, and faces the corner of the room. The darkest corner, the one in any room she's always scared of looking at. She says only three words.
"Take me home."