Page 1 of Vexed

CHAPTER ONE

Lily

“Remember to be back before dark!” Mommy’s voice echoes behind me as I skip out the front door and down the porch steps. “I know mommy.”

Skipping along the sidewalk, I make my way to the park next to our house. There’s a big playground with swings, slides, seesaws, and rope climbing. I always come and play for a few hours after school, heading home just before dinner.

A smile pulls at my lips as I realize I’m the only one at the playground. I don’t have friends, not even at school. Everyone thinks I’m weird and doesn’t want to play with me.

But I’ve gotten used to it by now.I have always been the odd one out, but Mommy told me I’m a special girl and the right people will come into my life and never leave, so I have made peace with being alone.

I make my way to the swings, on my tippy toes, I try to get myself on the swing without falling face first on the ground. I’m still a little short, like my mommy.

Swinging back and forth in silence, with only a light breeze in the air and the sun casting pretty yellow and orange colors across the sky as it sets, I take a deep breath of fresh air.

I have seen other kids playing at the playground with their friends or their mommies and daddies, but I always wait until they’re gone before I come and play. I don’t know how to make new friends, so I keep my distance until I can play alone.

The silence is suddenly disturbed when the deep voice of a man speaks from behind me causing the hair on the back of my neck to rise.

“Hello there.”

I whip around startled and see a tall man, dressed in all black standing there with his hands behind his back, a slight smile on his face.

I slowly get off the swing and take a few steps back. Mommy warned me about strangers. She always tells me there are bad people in the world who would hurt me. I'm considering running home as fast as my little legs can carry me.

“I—I’m not allowed to talk to strangers,” I say in a fragile voice, glancing towards the house and he nods.

“Smart girl, well then, my name is Vexlorn.” He introduces himself with a genuine smile, showing off his shiny teeth, and I can’t help but stare at the two sharp teeth. I think it’s called canine teeth. Like what doggies have. And cats.

I know better, I know that I should just run home, but for some odd reason—I don’t feel scared. His presence has a comforting feeling.

“M—my name is Lily.”

“Now we aren’t strangers, are we, Lily?” He says, kneeling on one knee to meet my height.

His eyes soften as he stares at me. His silver eyes.

I have never seen anyone with silver eyes before, well, not a real person, only characters in some of the cartoons I watch. I like it. It’s different. Pretty.

“I guess not,” I say with a slight smile.

“You look a little young to be here by yourself, Lily. Where are your parents?”

“I’m eight—actually,” I say placing my hands on my hips as I stare at him with a frown. My response pulls a chuckle out of him. His voice is deep. Deeper than my daddy’s. He is also a lot taller than my daddy too, “And my mommy is busy with dinner, so I should probably go now.”

He rises, standing straight and fixing the sleeves of his fancy suit jacket, “You don’t want to keep her waiting, off you go.” He says, waving me off, and flashing me a bright smile.

I give him a sincere smile before skipping off, yelling as I pass by him, “It was nice meeting you, Vex.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Lily.” His voice echoes from behind and when I turn around to wave at him, he’s gone like he was never even there.

My joy vanishes and the skip in my step is gone. Maybe I’m so lonely that I imagined someone was there. It happens a lot. I talk to myself most of the time and pretend I have a friend.

Mommy took me to the doctor because she was concerned about how extensive it had gotten, but he said it’s normal for kids to have imaginary friends when they’re lonely.

He said I should try and make more real friends, but that scares me. Mommy even took me to different play groups so I can socialize with other kids, but I always end up playing by myself.

Other kids scare me and I feel better when I’m on my own and in my little world. When I watch movies about fairy tales or magical worlds, I wish that I could somehow be sucked in through the screen and live there along with all the fairies and talking unicorns.

Blowing out a breath, I notice the street lights turning on one by one.I better get home before the sun sets and it’s completely dark outside.

For the next week, every day at the same time—Vex was at the playground.

He wasn’t my imagination after all. He would talk to me and make me laugh, even push me on the swing so high that I would laugh until my tummy hurt.

He liked the nickname I gave him. He says he also doesn’t have many friends.

Like me. I gave him a nickname, not only because he is my friend now, but because his real name is too hard for me to pronounce.

But every time I would leave to head home, he’d vanish.

I told my mommy about him, but she didn’t believe me.

First, she yelled at me for talking to a stranger but as soon as I told her about his pretty colored eyes and his sharp teeth, she just sighed and told me it was my wild imagination. I swear it wasn’t. He is real. And he is my friend. My only friend.

Sitting at the breakfast table, I anxiously wait for Mommy to place the pancakes in front of me. Mommy’s pancakes are my favorite, especially when she decorates them with strawberries to make a funny face.

Daddy sits next to me, reading a newspaper and sipping on his cup of coffee. Folding the paper and placing it on the table, he asks, “Have you made any new friends at school, pumpkin?”

I softly reply, “Um, not really. No one likes me,” keeping my eyes on my hands as I twirl my fingers.

Daddy’s hand softly touches my shoulder, and I lift my eyes to meet his.

With a smile, he says, “That’s their loss.

Anyone would be lucky to have you as a friend.

” Daddy gives me a wink before taking another sip of his coffee.

“Well, I have made one friend. His name is Vex, and he always pushes me on the swings at the playground,” I chirp with a wide smile on my little face. However, Mommy scowls at me as she places my plate stacked with pancakes before me.

“He is not real, Lily,” she says sharply, sitting beside Daddy. My smile drops, but Daddy gives her a look before averting his gaze to mine.

“I’m glad you have someone to play with, pumpkin.” I know he is only saying that to make me feel better, but it doesn’t help. Vex is real. To me. He is.

I don’t care what Mommy says. I don’t bother saying anything as I start eating my breakfast. I’m not that hungry anymore, but Mommy will get mad if I don’t finish my food.

“Eat up, Lily. The bus will be here any minute,” Mommy says as she takes a bite of her own pancake.

I always loved going to school, loved to learn and play.

But there is this one girl who keeps making fun of me for talking to myself.

She calls me weird. I don’t like it. I don’t like going to school anymore.

The horn of the bus makes me jump, and I quickly get up, grab my fluffy pink backpack, and give Mommy and Daddy a kiss on the cheek before running to the front door. I can’t wait to get home so I can go to the park and play with Vex again.