See her now, thrashing in her sleep, dreaming of a world where she is forgotten. Her dearest wish is to be seen, and to be heard.
She stirs and awakens, tears slowly flowing. She wipes them from her face with her sleeve to get a clear look at her room. The walls are an aged pink. There's a shelf nailed to the wall holding up a collection of stuffed animals. With a sudden hope in her heart, she looks down at the blanket she's under. Apricot stripes. Her bed frame that familiar earthy brown. Her dresser is there, full of her own clothes, and her phone is charging on her nightstand. She looks out her window at the cold winter day. The sun is impeded by a thin layer of clouds, but the brightness is just how it should be. It looks like it might snow later. Before Willow can fully accept that she's home, there's one more check she must make:
...
Good... silence. No tick-tocking to be heard. With a sigh of relief and a sense of contentedness she hasn't felt in three years, she lays back down, grabbing her phone.
Flueus 8th, 1003.
WilloWisp: hi lily.
Lilybug: Good morning Willow! Up already?
WilloWisp: yeah.
WilloWisp: i just wanted to ask.
WilloWisp: do you want to watch a movie today?
Lilybug: Yes, that's perfect! Me and Nyani were already going to the theater tonight at 7. Please join us!!! (Bring a heavy jacket, too!)
WilloWisp: ill try. and theres one more thing. i want to show you around my attic after. its where my mommys paintings are kept.
She holds her phone to her chest and smiles. Her phone vibrates as Lily sends another text, but she doesn't bother checking quite yet.
"I think you're wrong, Wallow," she says aloud. "I think my friends, even Mint, they're all happy to have me here."
She turns her eyes to the corner of the room.
It is empty.