Lila Flower ❀ D7 {Fin}

Lila story began 9 months before birth, when she was conceived on a drunken night between her parents. Though a surprise, the little one was not unwanted and when her mother found out she was pregnant again she was somewhat delighted- she loved children- but she was also worried that the baby would be sickly or be like other Oak children. Her first and second were lucky but luck always seemed to run short. She kept her hopes up however. After a smooth pregnancy that lasted 38 weeks, Lila Flower was born on a summer morning in the Oak residence; a small brick house, with an assortment of flowers outside and thatched roof, which sat beneath amongst birch and oak trees. By the time the golden sun begun to peak over the distant mountains, Rose Flower-Oak gave one last push and Lila Flower was brought into the world. The child wailed and squirmed as her parents looked on, so happy, and two little children peered into the bedroom through the keyhole. Lila weighed 7 pounds and 2 ounces, the biggest child out of the three to be born to Rose; she had bright hazel eyes and soft sepia hair.

Little Lila began to grow, fast, and soon her little paddy feet were stumbling all about the house while she emitted odd baby babble as she went. Lila loved to explore, everyday was adventure for the young tot. Her parents always had to keep a close eye on their youngest daughter or else she would end up clambering up onto the kitchen table or toddling about the house at full speed; often she would get hideous bumps and bruises on her head where she would run into the table. Lila was always willing to try out new things but sadly her attention span was not long enough to play with her siblings for very long. It was not that she would become bored with playing with one item, but she would simply drop what she was doing and watch aimlessly around the room. Her elder sister Daisy would get upset when her sister did this; she didn't understand why she would just stop. Nor did her parents, they didn't think anything of it.

Until her first grade teacher called them in for a meeting on their daughters progress.

"What do you mean you think somethings wrong with her??"

As little Lila watched on- or so they all thought as she daydreamed that she was in a far off place- the teacher began to explain that their daughter was prone to day dreaming; often becoming overly absorbed in this. It was true, Lila did have a very Fantasy Prone personality and she always had. When she had lost her attention on games as a younger child, she was simply dreaming of a far off place where she was a hero. These fantasies were vivid, bright and they felt real to Lila most of the time; and the teacher told the parents she often had an imaginary friend call Joan that she would play with rather than playing with other children. However, there was a plus side.

"Aside from that... your daughter has shown high skills in remembering things"

The parents glanced at the daughter. Lila looked at them with a blank stare before smiling, coming back to reality. She nodded in agreement, itching to go play. Her parents could believe that their daughter could remember facts, moments, sounds and smells as if they were a photograph- the teacher used a fancy term for it, eidetic memory, but they were too uneducated to know the true meaning of the words. The teacher continued talking about how well their daughter was doing, despite her daydreaming, and it left both parents feeling more relieved than they had arrived. They left the teachers office, their daughter in tow, happily holding hands. Maybe their daughter was safe from the Oak curse.

They were wrong.

One day, Lila was screaming something fierce. She had broken something, a old toy that was rotting away and covered in dust, and she was dreadfully upset about it; but why she retreated to the corner of the room when her father entered the room, was a mystery. At first, he thought she had been having a hallucination due to her 'fantasy prone' personality (as her teacher would say) but as he got closer, she began to shout at him. Begging him for forgiveness. Except it wasn't his name she was screaming at the top of her lungs.

"IRIS I'M SORRY!! JAKE!! I'M SORRY!!"

Her father was very confused. He certainly wasn't Jake, nor did Lila look like she was having a hallucination- she was not dazed out- so why was she calling Jake's name? It took some time and persuading to calm down the 8 year old but soon she was colouring on the carpet floor. When Rose got home from the shop, Jack went to her and informed her of what had happened; how their daughter had called him Jake. Both thought, hoped, it was just a moment. Perhaps and anxiety attack? they had told themselves as they fell asleep, but they were wrong. Rose began to notice it too, Lila would slip up, call someone by his name or get frustrated when she called you by his name and wouldn't come to her. Her pictures always contained two people- herself and her eldest brother, Jake. Slowly her parents realized she had been unlucky like so many Oaks before her. Fregoli Syndrome had befallen little Lila and it meant she thought everyone was the same person; just in disguise. When confronted about it one time, Lila simply replied.

"Jake why are you wearing a disguise?"

The parents played along with it- hoping this odd syndrome would pass- responding to the name. However, there was one other thing they didn't understand; why did she call the Jake? He had been taken away when she was very small, there was no way she'd remember him.

Yet Lila did remember him. Simply pictures: photographs of a summer day when the grass had been cut, the sun was bright and the sky was pristine. A laughter, a hug. More laughter. Her brothers smile and little Lila herself chanting "NO! JAKE! NOO!" while she giggled furiously as dashing fingers tickled under her arms. These were all the memories she had of Jake, he had been taken away by the peacekeepers sometime later and Lila does not like to remember that. She remembers some, loud baning, splintering doors, screams and cries and men in white uniforms dragging her brother from the house. That had been the last time her parents and sister had seen him but Lila saw him everyday. She thought it was great fun that her big brother is dressing up all the time, to make her laugh and giggle; though sometimes when he shouted it made her sad and remember when the peacekeepers dragged him away and hurt him.

Lila, now 12, now always wonders what costume will her brother wear next as she remembers laughter, tickling and sunshine.