Her Rebirth.

Back in the house, Lilac had taken a warm bath and changed into Amelia’s clothes—a pale oversized sweater and soft lounge pants, as hers were drenched. She walked into the sitting room where Amelia sat curled into the corner of the couch, arms crossed, eyes cold.

Lilac gave a small, hopeful smile. "I’m happy you finally wanted to see me."

Amelia sneered. "Lest you cry to the media that I left you to die in the rain." Her voice was cold like ice. "Don’t push it, Lilac. I can still throw you back out there."

Lilac’s smile fell, and she became much more serious. "I just want to talk."

Amelia turned to Kai and gave him a nod. He didn’t move at first, then he went to Amelia, pressed a kiss on her cheek, his eyes glaring at Lilac coldly. Then he said, "Call me if you need anything," and he stepped out of the room to play with Poppy in his room.

Once he was gone, Amelia turned her attention back to Lilac.

"Well?" she snapped. "What do you want now?"

Lilac hesitated, her fingers twisting in her sleeves. "I was thinking... maybe we could start over."

Amelia scoffed. It sounded bitter, and at that moment, Amelia knew that the emotions of the original Amelia were gradually seeping in, and she let it. "Let me guess, because the Cosgrove family is in crisis, and it’s likely Mason and Ray will abandon you if things don’t go well? Pfft, what am I saying, they’ve already begun to abandon you, just like you once caused them to abandon me."

Lilac looked down as she bit her lips, then she said in an aggrieved voice, "But you... you were the one who abandoned me first."

Amelia frowned. "What?"

"You don’t remember, do you?" Lilac looked up at her with watery eyes, a sad smile tugging at her lips. "You really don’t remember..." Her voice trembled.

Amelia felt her stomach twist.

Lilac stepped forward suddenly and grabbed Amelia’s hands, gripping them tightly. Her eyes were frantic, as if she was scared she was going to lose Amelia forever. "Amelia, why don’t you remember?! You promised me... you promised me, Amelia, yet you were the first to turn your back on me."

A sharp pain shot through Amelia’s head. It was sudden and piercing, like a sharp sword being passed through her skull. She gasped, stumbling a step back.

"Let’s end this conversation," she muttered, her voice strained. She wrenched her hands free from Lilac’s grip and turned away, climbing the stairs quickly while still clutching her throbbing head.

By the time she reached her room, the pain had dulled, but her heart was still racing. Kai looked up from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed. The moment he saw her face, he placed Poppy down, stood, and crossed the room to her.

"What happened?"

Amelia looked into his eyes, her own filled with confusion. "It seems..." she whispered, "I might have forgotten something really important."

Kai’s expression darkened with worry. "What do you mean? What did Lilac say to you?"

Amelia’s eyes flickered in confusion. "I don’t know either." Then she sighed weakly. "I need to sleep. I’m having such a bad headache that I think I might die."

"You need to go to a hospital," Kai said immediately, reaching for his phone. "We’re going now."

Amelia weakly grabbed his wrist. "Kai, no—wait. Don’t panic. It’s probably just stress. I’ll rest. If I’m still feeling this bad tomorrow, we’ll go then. I promise."

"Amelia—"

"I promise," she repeated, softer this time, brushing her fingers against his hand. "Just stay with me tonight. That’s all I need right now."

He stared at her, clearly unconvinced, but eventually lowered the phone.

"Fine," he muttered, helping her sit down on the bed. "But if you so much as wince in your sleep, I’m carrying you to the hospital myself, and I won’t care what you say."

Amelia gave him a tired smile and leaned into his chest. "Deal."

He wrapped an arm around her protectively, his other hand resting against her forehead, as if trying to will the pain away.

---

The park was lively as the laughter of children rang through the air. The park was normally where parents would bring their children to play whenever they were bored at home, but it was also a place where parents sought to abandon their children for a short while when they saw them as a nuisance. And she was one of them.

"Don’t come near us, you dirty rat!"

"She smells weird," another added, scrunching up their nose.

"She doesn’t even have a dad. No wonder she looks like that."

A small girl stood in the center as kids circled her like vultures, tossing twigs and giggling. Her black hair was tangled, and her clothes wrinkled and a little too big. It was obvious that whoever her guardian was didn’t have much time to spare for her. Her arms were drawn in, shoulders hunched like she could disappear into herself, and her blue doe eyes were almost void of light.

Little Amelia had been playing tag with Ray a few feet away. She was wearing a pink dress and, on her hair, was a neatly tied bow. No one wanted to play with her apart from her brother Ray as they called her a freak because her eyes were red, but she didn’t really care because she had her brother Ray. She had been chased by Ray when she saw a little girl almost her age surrounded by children, with bruises on her skin and things being thrown at her.

"Stop it!" she shouted. "Leave her alone!"

The children blinked in surprise at the sudden intruder.

"You can’t tell us what to do!" one of them snapped. "Besides, she is dirty and smelly!"

Without thinking, Amelia bent down, scooped a handful of dirt, and hurled it at them.

"Now you’re dirty too!" she yelled. "So what’s the difference?!"

Their eyes widened in outrage.

"Get her!"

They swarmed her. And obviously, due to their numbers, they overpowered her. They shoved her down, yanked her bow from her hair, and splattered her pink dress with mud. But that didn’t mean she didn’t fight back. She punched, bit a boy’s hand, pulled a girl’s hair. Eventually, the fight ended. The children lost interest and ran off, laughing again.

Amelia sat in the grass, her dress muddy, her bow half undone, a scrape on her cheek and a few other bruises.

She turned to the girl, still standing where she’d been left, like she couldn’t believe what just happened.

"You okay?" Amelia asked, brushing dirt off her knees. Then with a wide smile, she asked, "Wanna be my friend?"

The girl blinked at her, surprised by the sudden question.

"But... I’m dirty. I smell bad."

Amelia grinned widely.

"Me too now. So we’re the same. Let’s be friends."

The girl stared at her for a moment. This was the first time anyone asked to be her friend. Normally they would laugh at her and call her mean names, but now... This strange, messy girl with a wide smile and a mud-splattered dress was asking to be her friend.

After what felt like an eternity, the girl slowly nodded.

Amelia stuck out her hand, clearly happy that she had just obtained a new friend.

"I’m Amelia."

The girl reached out, hesitating just a second before slipping her small, bony hand into hers.

"Lilac."

"Come on!" Amelia grinned, pulling her along. "Let’s play together."

The two of them, together with Ray, played in the grass for a long time, from pretending to be pirates sailing through leaf-covered seas, to playing tag, and finally, racing and tumbling and laughing until they collapsed in a giggling heap under a tree. Afterwards, there was silence; they were tired, after all. Then...

"We’ll be friends forever, right?" Lilac whispered to Amelia, who was lying beside her. Her fingers fidgeted in fear, afraid that Amelia may refuse or insult her.

Rather than what she feared, Amelia turned to her, still breathless, and squeezed her hand.

"Yeah. Forever, let’s be friends."

Young Amelia didn’t understand what she meant, nor the implications of it. All she knew was that she was happy at this moment and she really liked this new friend of hers. Though she was a bit shy, she was still very fun.

Lilac smiled shyly and her cheeks flushed pink, clearly happy.

But before she could fully relish in her happiness, a voice called from the distance.

"Amelia! Ray! Look at your clothes! What on earth—?"

Their nanny marched over, fuming. Amelia stood and dusted herself off, dragging Ray behind her as she waved goodbye at Lilac.

"See you soon!"

Lilac waved back with both hands. Though sad that her new friend was leaving, she was comforted by the fact that they would still meet again.

That was the last time they saw each other until—

Everything felt so empty and colder. Her mother was gone and her father had brought someone else home, a woman with a wide smile and a too-sweet voice. Everything smelled different. Nothing felt right. In her own home, Amelia felt like a stranger.

In her room, where she had isolated herself, there was a knock.

Amelia opened the door.

A girl stood there, taller now, her hair brushed neatly for once, an excited smile on her face. She held out a small bouquet of lilies, her eyes lighting up like she was seeing the sun for the first time in years.

But Amelia didn’t remember her. She only knew her as the daughter of the woman her father had brought home.

"I hate you!" she screamed in rage. "I wish you’d just die!"

Then she slammed the door.

Behind it, Lilac froze. Her hands dropped to her sides. The lilies slipped from her fingers, their white petals scattering across the floor. Her eyes welled with tears, but she didn’t cry—not really. She just turned around and walked away.

Amelia woke up.