You don't know what obsession is... Until you meet me. (ON HOLD)

Obsession Chapter 9

Ok, so here it is (finally) -- a week later than promised (which i apologize 1000 x 1000000000000000000000000000 times for, but at least you got (i hope) my reason in my (first-ever!) message sent to all my fans (thank you for being there!)

and.... well-- i guess the only thing left to say is:

COMMENT!!!

COMMENT!!!

COMMENT!!!

COMMENT!!!

COMMENT!!!

...and (if you'd like):

VOTE!!!

You don't know what obsession is...

Until you meet me.

Chapter 9

Lily's POV

It wasn't really that far - it had just seemed that way when I'd walked around between the houses for TWO HOURS (!!!). What? At the time I had lived in this neighborhood for what - a week? That was excusable. And I hadn't exactly paid attention on the way there, with Emma screaming bloody murder the whole way (actually, it had been quite fun, and after a while, I'd joined).

Cain seemed amused by my discomfort as his home came into view.

"Do I have to go inside?" I asked, once again, as we walked up the stairs to the front porch.

"You'll be fine." He tried to assure me with a slight tightening of his grip on my hand. "They don't bite", he said, and then flashed a grin. "Much."

I groaned. This was going to be so awkward. I wished myself a hundred miles away. Even better - I wished myself back to New York. Not that there would be anything for me back there - no friend, no boyfriend, no apartment... I'd be better off staying with Cain, I thought. And mom, I added belatedly, immediately feeling guilty for (once again) forgetting about her (what kind of a horrible daughter was I?). She spent all her time working to feed me and so that we could have a place to live - and I forgot about her every chance I got!

It was strangely dark inside the house (but only, I suppose, because we came from the outside and were used to the bright daylight). It was not, however, silent. There were people everywhere, it seemed - from children to elderly, and everyone seemed to be talking, or shouting, or screaming, in case of the youngest children. And yet they all seemed to notice right away when Cain and I walked in, and as if by the press of a button: utter silence. I swear - with what seemed to be over twenty people just in the vestibule - one could have heard the drop of a hairpin. Every eye was upon us.

"Well..." I said, shifting slightly. "This is awkward."

No one moved. Who were all these people? I turned to Cain.

"Should I wait outside? I can - wait outside."

He grinned down at me, but before he could say anything, a beautiful, redheaded woman came rushing through the doorway to the living room. She was smiling widely, and it was as if she was glowing, all of her. She had warm, chocolate eyes, and she was looking at me as if she knew me - as if I were already part of the family. Hm. I don't know - maybe that's silly. Or wishful thinking.

The first thing she did was to walk straight up to us and hug me.

"Hello, Lily. Welcome", she said. Wait - how did she know my name? "I'm Ellen, Cain's mother. Please - make yourself at home."

I smiled back at her as she let go of me.

"Thank you, Mrs Evans", I said politely, thankful of her interruption of all the awkwardness.