Releasing two chapters because I can 😗✌

-Lilah's POV-

"Ma'am, was there anyone with you when the incident occurred?" I paused and swallowed the lump in my throat, quickly wiping my eyes as I tried to steady my voice enough to answer. The police officer waited patiently as I took a deep breath.

"My sister, Katelyn." My voice cracks and my eyes water again. "Katelyn Flowers. She... she's gone. Disintegrated."

"I'm so sorry for your loss." He says, but I can tell there wasn't any real emotion. He was just doing his job, and there were probably thousands of other they needed to interview after me. He just wanted to hurry this along. "How old was she?"

"16," I choke out. "She went to Midtown High." He typed something in his computer before turning back to me.

"Alright, ma'am, we've got her right here." He says, clicking something. "You're free to go."

"Thank you," I whisper and get up. I quickly walk out of the station, anxious to check who was still here.

---------- 1 Year After the Blip---------

I sigh and set my purse down on the counter. It had been a year exactly since Kay died, and I still wasn't alright. She took half of me with her that night, and I still hadn't healed. I've spent nearly a third of my life raising Kay, and losing her the way I did, so abruptly, it tore me apart.

People have started to call it "The Blip," but I hate that name. It's a name that belongs to something whimsical and light-hearted, some fairytale, not a horrifying day that wiped out half the population. I think it's people trying to convince themselves that what happened was a dream, some crazy story, so that they don't have to face what really happened. 

I hate my new life. I hate living by myself. I hate having extra money that should have gone to her. I hate not being able to step in her room again. I hate having to take down all the pictures of her. I hate the nightmares. I hate hearing her favorite song on the radio. I hate seeing Looney Tunes. I hate this so much. I hate it.

---------- 2 Years After the Blip ----------

I still live in the apartment. Although it hurts, I can't bear to leave it behind. Leaving the apartment would mean leaving the last thing I have left of her, and I'd rather live the rest of my life in pain than forget Kay. She means everything to me, and moving into a new place would mean starting a new life without Kay, and to me, that's the ultimate betrayal.

The Avengers, or what's left of them anyways, finally told us what caused the incident. They said that it was caused by a Titan named Thanos who wiped out half the universe. With a snap of his fingers, half the population from each planet was gone, including Kay. 

I wish it were me instead. She had her whole life ahead of her, why should I get to live instead of her? She was smart, she was artistic, she was in a committed relationship with a boy who loved her more than anything, she was kind, she had good friends, she was selfless, and she was ambitious. She was everything I could never be.

---------- 3 Years After the Blip ----------

"Happy Birthday to you!" My friends sang around me and I smiled. Life is hard without Kay, but everyday gets a little easier. I still miss her like crazy, but I'm able to smile without feeling guilty. A little, at least.

"Blow out the candles!" My friend Ariana urges me. We met at a support group; she lost her parents, but they weren't with her when they disintegrated like Kay was. "C'mon Li, you're not getting any younger here!" She jokes and I feel a pang in my heart at the nickname.

Even though it was an easy one for people to come up with, it still reminds me of Kay. She used to call me it when she wanted something, and no matter how far I think I've progressed, I still can't get through simple things without thinking of her. I put on a fake smile and blow out the candles, laughing slightly when I realize they used trick candles. They carefully take them out and slice the cake, handing me a slice. It's chocolate. 

Her favorite.

---------- 4 Years after the Blip ----------

I'm finally able to go into her room again. Four years is a long time, but my support group says it's better late than never. I can't sell any of her old stuff, I nearly had a breakdown just taking one of her posters off the wall, but I can at least box some of it up and turn the room into a spare bedroom. It took me a few hours, since I would get off track every time I saw something sentimental (which was basically everything), but I eventually got a lot of it put away. I put the boxes in my closet, I couldn't even send them to a storage facility. 

I realized recently that all the family I've ever had is gone. It's a bit sad it took me this long, but it finally set in. I lost my parents, then Kay, Aunt May and Peter, even Sam. Everyone who's ever supported and loved Kay and I are gone, and then Kay left too. I'm completely on my own.

---------- 5 Years After the Blip -----------

I sigh and lay my purse on the table, grabbing a pudding cup and a spoon for a small snack. I'm thirty now. I still can't believe it, life really flew right by me. It seems like just yesterday Kay and I were dancing in the kitchen on her thirteenth birthday, and now I'm on my own still working a job I took ten years ago to support my baby sister. 

I sat down in the recliner and switched on the TV, turning it to The Hunger Games. I was bored and needed something to do, and I happen to love this series. I settle in and watch Katniss volunteer for Prim, making me think of Kay. I finish my pudding cup quickly and get up walking to the kitchen to throw it away. I toss it in the trash and grab a glass, filling it with water. I turn around and my jaw drops, the glass slipping from my hand and smashing on the floor.

"Lilah?"

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Hey guys! I was listening to "Two of Us" by Louis Tomlinson (my baby who deserves the world and so much more) while writing this and it made me want to cry even more. I think of how much Lilah has been through and realize Louis' been through more, and he's real. He lost his mother, sister, was closeted and put under so much stress by management, and is just now getting free. You might've caught the "I wish it were me instead" line, which was a direct line from his song. Welp, time to have my third Louis breakdown of the day, I hope you guys liked the chapter! Go stream Walls ;)

Love you all lots!