That evening, Lily rushed home, her heart hammering with a strange rhythm—half hope, half dread. The air felt heavier as she opened the door, shadows stretching long in the fading light.
Inside, Kemet was on the couch, bathed in the cool blue glow of the TV. He sat cross-legged, completely engrossed in a documentary about the moon landing. His wide, fascinated eyes looked almost childlike.
"You're back early today," he said, not turning from the screen. "But... did people really fly to the moon?"
Lily smiled despite herself. Her chest ached a little.
"Yeah," she said softly, setting her bag down. "A long time ago. And since then, we've done even more incredible things."
Kemet finally looked at her, awe written all over his face. "This era never ceases to surprise me. Just when I think I've seen it all... it reveals something even more mesmerizing. But going to the moon? That... that's beyond epic. There's nothing like it."
She chuckled lightly but then shrugged. "I know. But not everyone believes it. Some say it was fake—that it was all a show. Who knows the real truth? Probably only the government."
Kemet frowned, curiosity shifting to concern. He studied her face for a moment.
"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.
Lily hesitated. Her fingers curled into her sleeves. "There's... something I need to tell you."
Kemet's body tensed like a string drawn taut. His expression darkened. "You're sending me away... aren't you?"
"What?" Lily blinked, surprised.
"I overheard you and Madam Catherine this morning," he said, eyes dropping. "When you left… I knew something had changed. I've tried figuring things out on my own today, but nothing made sense. So... how much time do I have?"
She stepped forward, her voice barely above a whisper. "One week. That's what my mom said. But my friends—Taylor, Ji-Ah—they found a place. A safe one. You'll even get paid. It's not ideal, but it's something. I promise."
Kemet looked away, jaw clenched. The muscles in his face twitched like he was trying to hold something in.
"I understand," he murmured. "She's protecting her home. You don't have to explain. And I'll take your friends' offer. I don't want to be the reason you lose your people."
"She's just... overly protective. It's part of her job. But she'll come around," Lily said, taking a shaky breath. "And my friends? We disagree all the time, but we always come back to each other."
Kemet turned his head slowly, eyes soft but serious. "If I leave... will I still see you?"
Lily's breath caught. She blinked, startled by the quiet urgency in his voice.
"Do you want to?"
He looked at her then—really looked—and something unspoken passed between them. A tender ache wrapped around her chest, the kind of feeling you get when you realize you're already in too deep.
"Yes," he said. "You're the only thing that feels real in this world. Everything else is noise. But you? You're like the silence between storms. The only place I feel... steady. When I was lost, you believed me. You didn't laugh. You didn't run. You stayed. People like you... they're not meant to be lost. You're one in a million, Lily."
Her heart felt like it cracked open—sweetly, painfully. The words weren't just words. They were a confession wrapped in reverence, raw and unguarded.
She flushed, unable to hold his gaze. "Th... thank you. But... the lake house isn't far. It's just a 45-minute drive. I ..... We can come by whenever we want. If... if that's okay with you."
Kemet stepped closer, the air charged with something thick and tender.
"It's okay with me... if it's okay with everyone," he said with a small smile. "Not that I'm rushing or anything but... when do we go?"
"Relax, cowboy," Lily said, grateful for the shift in tone. "Taylor's texting me at seven. We've got time. You'll need something called an ID—but I know someone who can help with that."
Later, as the sky deepened into velvet and the stars blinked awake, they cooked dinner together—Kemet taking the lead, Lily laughing as he bossed her around in the kitchen. When Taylor's message came with the good news—Kemet would start work in four days—the room lit up with quiet joy.
But the celebration was short-lived.
Catherine stepped through the front door like a storm cloud interrupting sunshine. She stopped in the kitchen, eyebrows raised.
"Well. Since when are you interested in cooking, Lily Jameson?"
Lily smiled. "A lot can be changed by the flap of a butterfly's wings."
Kemet didn't quite understand, but Catherine did—and this time, she chose silence over argument. She disappeared upstairs to wash up.
When she returned for dinner, the air had shifted. Even she couldn't resist the spell of Kemet's cooking. Bite after bite, her walls began to crumble—not with words, but with flavors too good to ignore.
"This is amazing," she murmured. "You're quite the chef."
Kemet smiled politely. "It's the least I can do, ma'am. Thank you for your kindness."
After dinner, Kemet retreated to bed. Lily stayed back, watching her mother work on her laptop.
Quietly, she walked over. "He'll need ID if he's going to leave."
Catherine looked up slowly. "What makes you think he won't leave without it?"
Lily met her gaze. "Because if he doesn't get it... I'll go stay with Grandma Debby."
Catherine's eyebrows rose. "You're bluffing. She'd never let you—"
"She will," Lily interrupted. "Especially if I tell her how often I'm left alone."
There was a long pause. Then Catherine closed her laptop and stood—not in anger, but with something like admiration.
"And you say you don't want to be a lawyer?" she said, smiling faintly. "Alright. I'll get it tomorrow. But one week. That's final."
Lily nodded. "That's all we need."
The next night, Catherine returned with a brown envelope and handed it silently to Lily.
"He has to be gone. The clock is ticking," she said.
Kemet, sitting in the living room with Ji-Ah—who had now become his official slang tutor—looked up and grinned as Ji-Ah exclaimed, "No cap! That means, like, for real!"
Lily watched him laugh, her fingers tightening around the envelope.
The countdown had begun. But so had something else.
The next four days passed in a haze of tension. Lily and her mother barely exchanged more than necessary words, the air between them stretched tight and thin. Catherine avoided eye contact. Lily avoided confrontation. Meanwhile, the sadness between Lily and Kemet lingered in every room. Though he wasn't going far, the thought of not finding him in his usual spot each evening was already carving out a quiet ache in her chest. She'd gotten used to his presence—the way he'd sit cross-legged in front of the TV, head tilted at whatever confused him, asking questions about everything from commercials to cartoons. She would miss the scent of his cooking, the surprising way he turned leftovers into something comforting. And though no one admitted it aloud, his absence would leave a silence none of them were ready for. Especially her.
But Lily kept it in. She told herself it was for his own good—that letting go was part of protecting someone. She didn't cry. She didn't argue. She just waited for the day .
The long awaited day fainally arrived , a saturday cloaked in a grey sky and soft chill. Catherine left early, without saying goodbye. She didn't give reasons—only told Lily to make sure Kemet was gone before she returned. And just like that, the weight of the day fell onto Lily's shoulders.
By early afternoon, Kemet was getting ready when Emma's car pulled up outside. Taylor, Ji-ah, and Maya stayed outside, giving their friend space. They knew this wasn't just another ride—it was a quiet goodbye dressed as an errand.
Lily went to her room and came back with a small box. Without thinking too hard, she walked to Kemet's door and opened it.
Her breath caught.
He was half-dressed, his back to her, wearing only pants as he searched through a drawer. His bare skin was golden in the light, muscles shifting slightly with every movement. She saw the curve of his shoulders, the lean strength in his arms, the stillness of the moment holding them both and a trio of scars slashed across his back—jagged, healed badly, remnants of something violent and painful.
She froze.
"I—I thought you were done," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, eyes darting away.
Kemet turned at the sound of her voice, a look of mild surprise on his face. His chest was bare too—smooth and firm, like something sculpted—not perfect, but striking in a way that made Lily's heart skip.
She turned around quickly, cheeks burning. "Sorry. I didn't mean to just... walk in like that."
"It's okay," he said, casually reaching for his shirt, voice calm. "You can wait in here if you want."
But Lily was already halfway down the stairs before he could finish the sentence. Her heart pounded in her ears, the box still clutched tight in her hands. It wasn't the scars or his body—it was the realization that something in her had shifted. She couldn't name it. She just felt it like a blush that wouldn't fade.
A few minutes later, Kemet came downstairs fully dressed—in Lily's father's old clothes. The shirt was a little too big, the pants slightly loose, but he wore them with quiet confidence.
Lily looked up and smiled, grateful for the distraction. "We're definitely getting you a new look before you go."
"Why?" he asked sincerely. "Do I look bad?"
She shook her head, grinning. "You look like someone's retired uncle. We're going to fix that. The girls are dying to style you."
He tilted his head. "They really care about that stuff?"
"They care about you," Lily said, then quickly looked away before the weight of her own words settled too heavily.
She handed him the box. "This is for you. That's your new identity. Your name stays Kemet, but your new last name is Millers. Kemet Solomon Millers. Born October 29th, 2004. From Chicago. Parents gone. You just moved here recently."
Kemet listened in silence, flipping open the envelope and examining the ID cards, papers, and—somewhat incredibly—a driving permit.
"You can't drive yet," she added, "but I thought it might help you blend in better. Just in case."
He nodded slowly, taking it all in. She handed him a small box next—her old phone. "Also... this is my old phone. Ji-ah was showing you how to use it yesterday, so it should be familiar. My number is saved under 'Lily.' It's the only contact in there. Just in case of an emergency."
There was a pause.
Kemet looked at her, then gently took the phone. "So... I guess this is goodbye?"
Lily nodded slowly. "I'm going to miss you here."
Kemet exhaled, looking at the house like it already belonged to someone else.
"You know..." he said, his voice low and raw, "I didn't know what a home felt like until now. But more than that, I didn't know what it meant to be seen. To be believed. You gave me that."
There was a beat of silence. He looked up.
"I don't know how to thank you for all this," he said.
"You don't have to. Just… keep going. That's thanks enough."
He looked at her for a long moment, his eyes softer than she'd ever seen them.
"I'll miss this place," he said. "I'll miss you."
Lily swallowed. "I'll come visit. Bring you whatever you need."
They walked out together. The girls cheered when they saw him.
"We thought you chickened out!" Maya laughed.
"Next stop—the mall!" Ji-ah shouted.
At the mall, the girls didn't hold back. They picked out shirts, jeans, sneakers, jackets—more clothes than Kemet had ever owned in his life. He tried to say, "It's too much," but they cut him off every time. By the end, they'd filled two suitcases.
Overwhelmed, Kemet turned to each of them and said, "Thank you." He meant it deeply.
They had lunch, laughed more than expected, and by late afternoon, Emma's car rolled down a winding road toward Hawthorne Creek.
The lake house stood like something out of a dream—wooden, worn, wrapped in a porch that hugged every side. The lake glittered in the soft light.
Kemet stepped out, eyes wide. "This is where I'm staying?"
"For now," Lily said, grabbing the suitcases.
Taylor added, "Keep it clean, feed the dog, mow the lawn. Easy stuff."
Taylor smiled as she looked toward the fenced pasture just beyond the house. "I actually fell in love with this place because of the horses. Two beautiful white stallions used to live here. I begged the owners to sell them, but they wouldn't."
Kemet turned to her, eyes curious. "They're not here anymore?"
"No," she said softly, "they moved them yesterday. But the stables are still out back."
There was a wistful silence before Taylor added, "But you've still got company."
"Dog?"
As if on cue, a golden retriever came bounding out from around the porch. He barked once before leaping into Kemet's arms.
"This one already loves you," Taylor laughed. "His name's Buster."
Kemet scratched behind the dog's ears. "Back home dogs are trained to hunt escaped slaves, I have never seen one so friendly like this one."
Ji-ah nodded. "It's friendly and loyal just like you."
He smiled—but then it flickered.
"I don't know if I deserve that."
Lily reached for his arm, eyes searching his. "I think you deserve more than you realize."
The girls exchanged quiet glances, small smiles dancing on their lips.
"I'll visit," Lily said softly. "Whenever I can. You won't be alone."
Kemet looked at her like she was the only solid thing in the world. "You saved me, Lily. Not just from the outside... but in here." He tapped his chest. "You didn't give up on me. I won't forget that."
Her heart beat faster. "You're not alone anymore, Kem. Not while I'm here."
Ji-ah whispered to Emma, "Did you hear that? If she isn't in love, I don't know what love is."
They all smiled as the group stepped into the house. Inside, the air smelled of cedar and quiet beginnings. The light slanted golden through the windows, illuminating the dust like stars in midair.
Kemet stood still in the middle of the room. "This is more space than I've ever had."
Taylor walked past him and whispered, "Then it's yours."