Chapter Text
Lillie woke up very early that morning to moonlight filtering in as the window in her room was all but thrown open. Scrambling out of bed, she resisted the urge to scream as an older man in baggy dark-gray clothes climbed in, his hoodie masking his face from any security cameras. “You Lillie?” he said gruffly. Lillie was too frightened to lie, so she nodded. “Your bro Gladion asked me to pick you up. Grab anything you want and let’s get outta here.”
Her brother sent this man? Lillie knew better than to trust strangers, but at the same time, a part of her acknowledged that Mother was… being less than pleasant to her.
She had been since Father left, and after her big brother did the same-
All she packed was a few books she liked, her diary, her phone, and her favorite plushie - a chubby pink creature based on the legend of the moon rabbit before she walked over to the man.
“Grab on and don’t let go.” The next thing she knew, she and him were sliding down the walls of her - of Mother’s home. It was nice that they just lived far away from everyone else, but something told her there might have been a reason for that… at least they weren’t on some island in the middle of the ocean or anything.
Dodging any lights that would set off alarms able to be heard by anyone within a five-mile radius, the man swiftly moved (not dragged, not yanked) Lillie into a beat-up pale purple minivan (black would have seemed sketchy, Lillie supposed). A woman with pink hair in twin streamer-like tails popped some bubblegum from the driver’s seat as her cohort shuffled in from the other end. “Lillie, huh?”
Finally awake enough to speak, Lillie stammered out, “Y-Yes, ma’am?”
“Just making sure we got the right girl,” the woman laughed. “Plumeria. I’d shake your hand, but us two and Guzma here got places to be. Buckle up, kid.”
“Buckle- oh, y-yes!” Once both Lillie and the man - Guzma, apparently - had buckled in, Plumeria slammed on the gas and took off.
Lillie was about to fall asleep again when Guzma handed her something - a plastic wrapper labeled Ribombun with a small glazed pastry inside. “It probably ain’t your usual breakfast, but unless you’re gonna go back to sleep, get somethin’ in your stomach.”
Lillie was beginning to understand that Mr. Guzma was one of those people who pretended not to care, never mind how much they actually did. It was… oddly endearing, especially compared to Mother’s selective love.
The principle of trusting them had been simple enough. Lillie trusted Gladion. If Gladion trusted Mr. Guzma and Ms. Plumeria, then Lillie could give them a shot.
Odds are they weren’t lying about knowing him, too. They knew Gladion’s name, and he wouldn’t have given it out freely.
I hope I’m right about all this, Lillie thought before drifting off again.
While it was still relatively dark outside by the time they got to what was likely where Lillie would spend a good while, thanks to the now-rising sun, she could still see one familiar face waiting at the door.
His hair was a fair bit wilder than it had been when he’d been at home, and he was dressed in a black hoodie and shorts that Mother would have dropped dead if she saw him wearing them.
The second the car rolled to a stop, Lillie jumped out of the car and immediately ran to hug her brother. The two cried into each other’s arms for a solid while, though Gladion would later deny it.
“How…” Lillie eventually asked, though the 14-year old was still latched onto her big brother, “how did you find these people?”
“Ran into them one day, trying to delay the inevitability of getting home,” Gladion whispered back. “We planned this for the entire summer, with a few bribes to Wicke.” He gave a rare grin. “Granted, she didn’t know about the plans, but she was all-too-willing to help.”
“Is that where you were all this time?”
“I’m sorry I was gone for most of those days, but it was worth seeing you now,” Gladion smiled as he rubbed his hand through his sister’s hair.
“All right, you two, let’s get inside,” Guzma grumbled, herding the two inside. “You two have school next week, and Brat Junior here needs a house tour.”
Lillie tilted her head innocently. “School?”
“Yep,” Plumeria yawned. “We registered you for the same school as your brother ahead of time. It ain’t that far from here.”
“When in the world did- oh, right. The entire summer, you said…”
“We needed to get it done before the next school year started, that’s all. Hope you don’t mind going from private tutors to public schools.”
“I wasn’t expecting to be able to continue my education, so this is completely fine.”
“Your lucky day, then,” Guzma chuckled. “This afternoon, though, you gotta get some sorta tests done over there. Somethin’ about judging where you are. I dunno. Kukui always liked weird metaphors.”
“He probably meant something about your education level,” Plumeria explained. “Freshwoman, softie, junior, senior and whatever. Anything else before the house tour? I’m exhausted.”
Lillie decided against asking Guzma who Kukui was right now as Guzma showed her around the house.
It was… nothing like Mother’s house, but after a pure white mansion that had little personality to speak of, something more humble was a welcomed change. They only had three beds, and Guzma and Plumeria had their own rooms, so Lillie would be staying in Gladion’s room. After today, she needed him with her, so there wasn't a complaint.
Before Guzma went to try and nap, he said, “By the way, I need to smash your phone.”
“Wh-what?!”
“Nothing personal. Glads warned me about trackers, that’s all. I’ll repair it once I’m finished takin’ care of any funny business.” Lillie supposed it was fair, and she handed him her phone. Cracking his neck from side to side, Guzma grinned menacingly. “I appreciate the trust, kid.”
As he walked to his room to begin the aforementioned smashing, Lillie and Gladion went to properly get some sleep. Gladion had been up all morning stressing, apparently.
“You know, you could’ve at least told me what you were doing…” Lillie mumbled as she laid down on what was the softest bed she had ever been in in her life.
“I couldn’t risk anyone finding out,” Gladion responded as he rubbed his sister’s head. “…If I could’ve told you earlier, I would have.”
“I still can’t believe you were able to pull this off.” Lillie’s eyes started to close. “You… knew what would’ve happened if you failed, right?”
“It wasn’t easy trying to find the exact layout of all of the alarms,” Gladion chuckled as he fell onto the pillow. “The purple van was Guzma’s idea by the way. He was like, ‘Black is a creep’s van color. We won’t look so suspicious in purple, plus it’s much cooler than black!’.”
Lillie was able to let out one tiny giggle before she went quiet again, feeling her brother holding onto her tightly.
“We’re going to be okay now… I promise you.”
She knew he was right… she knew…
Guzma woke Lillie up from her sleep, only a tad roughly. “Hey, c’mon. We got places to be, remember?”
“Huh…? Oh, yes, right!” Lillie got out of bed and followed Guzma outside to the van. To her shock, it was now colored white. “How did you…?”
“Plumes’ idea. Something about invisible ink or whatever. Now hop in, kid.”
Lillie decided against questioning it as she hopped in the back. Guzma inserted his keys, the ignition roared to life, and they took off at blinding speed. Lillie nearly shrieked, but she swallowed her fear in order to be polite and held on for dear life as Guzma took her to Hau’oli High. It was a stark contrast to Hobbes’ careful yet efficient driving.
So that’s why Plumeria drove them to their house…
“Like a glove,” Guzma chuckled as he unbuckled.
… Lillie figured the ‘not on a dangerous mission to rescue a child from an abusive family’ side of her new caretaker would take some getting used to, as she was frozen in shock before finally unbuckling. Guzma noticed, grumbled something underneath his breath, and helped her step out of the van.
Lillie stared up at the school. It had a rustic, almost bucolic aesthetic, she thought to herself as she and Guzma entered. Guzma flashed his ID to the receptionist. “Morning, Hale. Kukui’s expecting us.”
The receptionist, whose name tag indeed read Ms. Hale, gave a patient smile. “Morning, Mr. Bromley.” Checking something on her computer, she hummed in affirmation. “Yep, he’ll be ready. Try not to damage his door this time, okay?”
“Yeah, I know.” Guzma smirked a little as he and Lillie were guided down a small hall. Once Ms. Hale left for her desk, Guzma rapped loudly on the door - not hard enough to damage anything but loud enough to make Lillie jump.
A man who didn’t look much older than Guzma in a baseball cap and sunglasses opened the door. If his hair was longer, it might have been frazzled as he bemusedly greeted, “Good to see you too, Guzma. Haven’t lost your touch, have you?”
“You’re the one who called me destruction in human form, Kukui,” Guzma scoffed. His sneer turned into a tired scowl. “Look. Me and Plumes have been up all damn morning. We got two urchins to worry about now, and that’s outside’a work. Let’s get Lillie placed, and then we’re outta here.”
Principal Kukui sighed. “Well, I can’t pretend I don’t understand wanting to get extra sleep, ‘cuz.” Looking at Lillie, he gave her a calming smile. “So you’re Gladion’s sister, huh? I’m Principal Kukui. Welcome to Hau’oli High!”
“N-Nice to meet you, sir,” Lillie said nervously as Principal Kukui guided her to a testing room. Guzma let them go, sitting down in the waiting room where Ms. Hale was.
As Principal Kukui sat down across from Lillie at a table in a room, he said, “I imagine you feel nervous, but we’re not deciding much today - we just need to see your education level so I can put you in the right classes, okay?” Beginning to feel calmer, Lillie nodded. “After you finish these little exams, I’m gonna have someone show you around the school while they’re being processed. Some of the material may be stuff you haven’t learned yet. That’s not a bad thing - just try your best.”
Lillie nodded as he began passing over sheets. Lillie was glad she’d gotten some sleep today, because she was able to do pretty well for herself. “I think I’m finished, Mr. Kukui.”
… she hoped.
Principal Kukui, who had been moderating her, came over and took the last set of papers. As he straightened them out, Lillie noticed a strange red bracer around his arm. It didn’t fit his aesthetic, exactly, but Lillie wasn’t really intrigued enough to ask about it.
“I bet you did great, kiddo. Now, your guide should be arriving in a minute… probably less.”
Lillie exited the room with Principal Kukui just in time to hear a call of, “I’m here, Uncle K!”
Lillie looked to the voice and silently gasped at the sight of a young woman her age. Her hair was in messy black pigtails, and she wore a large straw sunhat with a hibiscus adorning it and an orange floral top.
She’s pretty…
A voice that sounded like Mother’s snarled at her, making her quietly eep. “Hey, I don’t bite,” the girl giggled.
Principal Kukui looked from the girl to Lillie before introducing them. “Lillie, this is Selene Kiyomizu. She volunteered as a student assistant back when she was a freshwoman, and she’s staying with me and my wife given her… circumstances. Selene, this is Lillie, Gladion’s sister. He’s mentioned his family before, I think.”
“You’re Gladion’s brother?” Something bad passed over Selene’s face, but she followed it up with the most energetic aloha Lillie had ever heard. Lillie swore she could hear cheesy pop music in her head - the type that played in movies whenever a love interest was introduced-
Don’t let your innocence be tainted by something so ugly, Lillie. It’s unbecoming of an Aether-
“I’ve heard a lot about Gladion’s family, but it’s so good to finally put a face to you.”
Lillie stuttered out, “Yes, I do have… a face… I suppose… er, I mean-”
Selene just laughed. “You’re silly, Lillie.” Lillie flushed. “I heard this was your first time in a public school. You might have a bit of trouble navigating the place at first, but don’t worry. If you need help getting anywhere, there’s always someone in the hall who’s willing to get you to where you need to be. I’m also gonna be walking you to class the first week.”
“Glad to see you two are getting along,” Principal Kukui chuckled. “Well, I’ll go get these exams graded. Take care of her, Selene!”
The second Principal Kukui was gone, Selene frowned at Lillie. “Can I make something clear to you real quick, Lillie?”
“Er… s-sure?”
“Me and Gladion are besties. I know that his family - that you - treated him like rubbish.” Lillie yelped and attempted to explain that Gladion didn’t like having to interact with Mother specifically, but Selene cut her off. “Easy, girlie. I’m not gonna bully you or anything. I’ve been there, and it’s no fun. I’m willing to believe you and maybe your parents have changed if you’re coming here now. That said, if I find out you’re being mean to one of my best buddies…” Her face returned to the sunny smile from earlier. “Well, let’s get this tour started.”
Lillie made a mental note to talk to Gladion when she and Guzma returned to his house. In the meantime, she paid attention to Selene and wished to the stars that she could earn her trust.
Lusamine snarled to herself as she stormed to her private quarters. First her husband disappeared, then both her bratty children left her almost within the same year? Unacceptable!
It would be simple to just call the force, but that would lead to too many prying questions, and Lusamine wasn’t eager to take a risk and have her dirty underbelly cut open.
There was only one choice, she knew. Opening a compartment with a ten-letter combination, she pulled out a white, jellyfish-themed locket brooch. When she put it on, a white light shot out from it before settling into a small floating creature. “Wait, you’re not-”
“Your last holder and I are married,” Lusamine told the tiny being. I can’t simply take my children back, that points to me. I have to do this the hard way. “I intend to use your powers to find him. The documents he shared with me… let me be sure I understand the Wish.”
“You know what that could do to you! To anyone!”
“Then it’s a good thing you’re not the one making it, Uttu. The Wish can edit reality itself as I see fit, correct?”
“Y-Yes, but there will be a price to pay-”
“And someone else will pay it. You will probably be happy to hear, however, that I’m not going to use your power today. The public schools start their semesters soon… there won’t be any shortage of volatile teenagers. We’ll wait until then.” Lusamine hummed, before a malevolent smirk came over her face. “Actually, as a precaution, some practice may be in order. Uttu, Let’s Whirl.”
Her appearance suddenly changed into a white dress with a white sun hat with star patterns on the top. A blue mask appeared on her face, and a cat o’ nine tails appeared in her hand. “I suppose I will need to leech off others’ strength from hiding… thus, I’ll undergo the alias of Parasite.”
She scowled. “I’ll find you soon enough… I’ll find all of you.”