~Chapter One~

The moonlight broke through the darkening clouds which moved in the night sky at a rapid speed. Erilyl lay in bed, watching the movement of the clouds silently. She smiled, the glow of the moon lighting her face, gracing her features.

It was way past midnight. In fact, it was already 2:52 AM for her, but she didn't quite mind that she was losing precious sleep time. Erilyl was waiting for it to be 3 AM, hoping for her friend to come on Skype, or another app they kept in contact with, to talk to her.

Now, it is a crazy time to be skyping anyone, but it wasn't all too crazy for Erilyl. She waited every night possible that she didn't sleep away just to talk to her friend Oliver.

Oliver lived all the way in Birmingham, England, which was 5 hours ahead in time of Toronto. It was morning now for Oliver, and Erilyl was waiting for him to get up and text or skype her. It was a daily routine for the two, texting whenever possible and skyping when the both of them got home from school.

Erilyl's phone vibrated, and excitement shone in her eyes as she took it out from under her pillow. A smile tugged at her lips as she unlocked her iPhone 5 that her parents had gotten her for her birthday last year. Oliver was awake; the proof was the text he just sent to Erilyl, who was overjoyed with relief there was no need to wait any longer in silence.

'Hey Eri, I'm getting ready for school again,' said the text.

The girl was quick to respond, with a, 'Good morning Oli-bear! It's 8 now right? You might be late~'

'You're still up!? It's 3 AM, way past your bed time…' Oliver replied, followed by another text, 'You don't have to stay up for me all the time… You greet me every morning!'

Erilyl bit her lip, half embarrassed that Oliver noticed she stayed up specifically for him, and half worried that he might find her annoying. She was unsure how to write back.

'I… I'm sorry then.' With that, Erilyl decided to put her phone to sleep, her finger hovering over the power button. But Oliver had sent yet another text and Erilyl's curiosity made her go back to check.

'Don't be, I don't mind but I do worry for your health. You also have school, and if you text me at 3 and wake at 6-7, you may not be getting enough sleep,' Oliver said. Erilyl found herself suppressing a smile, as heat rose to her face. 'Gtg, sry. Go to sleep now, my Eriri! *hugs*'

Erilyl gaped at his words. Did Oliver just proclaim her as his? The hugging was part of their routine, but his claim over her was new. Although she was more than content about this, Erilyl couldn't help but wonder what was going on in Oliver's head when he typed and sent that.

Erilyl's cheeks flushed as she slipped her phone under her pillow once again, heart pounding while she squeezed her eyes shut. She inhaled, then exhaled slowly, struggling to stay awake and think properly.

Oliver was always messing with her, but she rarely let his words get to her. However, Erilyl didn't know that although she managed to keep her emotions at bay, Oliver always had effects on her. Erilyl couldn't be completely emotionless, for she was no robot. And even robots can have emotions if taught properly.

For Erilyl Winters, she found happiness in talking with Oliver Sylveski. She truly trusted Oliver, even though at the start she had doubts whether he was a trustable teenager like herself or if he was a pedophile.

It's rare for Erilyl to place trust in anyone; how Oliver managed to earn it over the internet in just a few days remains a mystery. It's even more of a mystery how Oliver could make her so happy. Erilyl is not one to open up to people easily, always faking her smiles and masking her emotions towards them. But Oliver was special, obviously.

Very unlike Erilyl, Oliver is extremely open with himself. He would answer embarrassing, personal questions and wouldn't mind, which Erilyl dared not to ask in fear of Oliver getting the wrong idea. Not that she wasn't curious. In return, Oliver didn't ask any questions about her. Erilyl didn't mind, she preferred to isten to Oliver's life over talking about herself, and he knew that, though he wished to learn more about the mysterious girl.

Erilyl smiled slightly, knowing that Oliver must always be wondering about her identity and life. She was proud for being able to keep that all a secret whilst still befriending and earning the trust of Oliver.

Neither had many friends, even though people would be attracted to Erilyl's mysterious aura and personality, or awed by Oliver's honesty. Yet both had the unapproachable glint in their eyes at many times, which was the reason for their small amount of friends. Although both were popular in their respective schools, people actually feared them, ever so slightly.

Online, however, they were friendly as could be. In fact, this was how they met. The two had first met on a roleplay group on a site called Crunchyroll, but they hadn't gotten close at all yet. A short while after, Erilyl discovered another roleplay group where she met an online friend of Oliver's, who she got along with. That person invited his friends, which included both Erilyl and Oliver to a chat on yet another site, NeatChat.

For a long time, the chat was active but as time went on, everyone got busy. Oliver was displeased, and asked Erilyl if they could keep in contact through a phone app. He mentioned that the said girl smile back then. It turns out that only Oliver and Erilyl have kept in contact and not many others have done so. Even the one who began the NeatChat rarely went online anymore.

Erilyl stopped thinking back to how she met Oliver and eventually fell asleep, letting the darkness finally greet her, the silence being her lullaby.

Morning arrived almost too quickly and Erilyl pressed the button to stop the alarm set on her phone from ringing. She groaned as she rolled off her bed, which obviously wasn't a good idea since the bed was at least half a meter tall.

"Ow!" she exclaimed as she quickly sat up to check for injuries. Erilyl frowned as she realized that she now had a bruise on her left elbow. She let out a small sigh, "Well, it's inevitable…"

Now kneeling at the side of her bed, she reached for her phone, its screen lit up. There was a new notification; it was obviously a text from Oliver. Erilyl's face brightened as she read it. She decided to reply, 'I've woken up! I hope you had a good lunch… I rolled off my bed and bruised my elbow, ow! :('

Erilyl walked over to her closet, selecting a casual outfit for the day. Oliver had already returned the text, 'Awh, Eri are you okay?'

She responded briefly that she was fine and had to go to school now. Her parents were already eating, and Erilyl could hear her older sister Seira, running down the stairs screaming that she would be late, and her older brother Adrien entering the house, groaning out of exhaustion from his morning jog.

Erilyl sat at the dining table, quietly eating her breakfast. There was tension in the air, which was broken almost as soon as Seira and Adrien entered the room.

"Good morning!" Seira greeted cheerfully.

"Mornin' Mom, Dad, Seira," Adrien stated, sitting down in his usual seat as he began to wolf down the contents of his plate.

Erilyl's eyes were downcast as she ate absentmindedly. Seira finished breakfast first, and gulped down her orange juice.

"What's the rush, sis?" Adrien asked, "It's still just 7:25."

"Seira has prefect duties," Carol, their mother answered. "Isn't that right, sweetie?" The said girl nodded as she threw on her jacket and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"I think the correct term in her school for Seira's position would be student councillor right?" Erilyl spoke up for once.

Carol's lips pressed into a thin line, seeming displeased that Erilyl had corrected her, or maybe it was because she was talking for once. Nonetheless, she nodded.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about you. Good morning, Erilyl," Adrien said to his youngest sister. The said person kept her eyes on her food, knowing that she'd always be invisible to everyone, even her family.

Over the years, the loneliness Erilyl felt developed into the problem that she never smiles- unless she was conversing with Oliver. He was her light, and although she didn't know it, she was his.

Erilyl got up from her seat. "…Anything else before I leave for school?"

Their ever cheerful father, Aaron exclaimed, "Why, yes! In fact, we have good news for you. My company has offered me a trip to the UK because I've been working so hard!"

Erilyl blinked, her father's words processing in her brain. "Please give more details. How does this concern us?"

"Clearly he hasn't finished speaking yet," their mother snorted. Adrien, Seira and Aaron all gave Carol a warning glance. Although Erilyl was always forgotten, the three could be quite protective of her at times.

Seira stood at the doorway, waiting patiently for their father's next words so she could leave. Erilyl stood in place, anticipating the answer. Adrien, who was calmly drinking his juice, nodded at their father to continue.

"Carol denied my invitation to come with me, so two of you can go with me instead! Oh, you must be wondering why two of you can come with me and not just one. It was originally an offer for three, one of you, Carol and myself but they didn't know I had three children!" Aaron explain, grinning from ear to ear.

"I won't have time to go," Adrien said immediately. He put on his jacket, not bothering to change out of his sweaty clothes. Erilyl noted to herself that it was Thursday, and so Adrien likely had PE for first period, so he brought at least on set of clothes to change into later. With that, he left.

Her attention directed back at their father, who was surprisingly beaming at Erilyl. She was startled, and swallowed before asking, "W-what is it?"

Seira was still standing at the doorway, "Hurry up please. It's been two minutes and in three more I have to go or I'll be late. I'll go to the trip, can I leave yet?"

"Nobody asked you to stand there," their mother said in a joking tone, smiling gently at Seira. "By default you're going, since Adrien isn't. And… you," a dlicker of annoyance flashed in Carol's eyes as she glanced at her youngest daughter.

Seira left the house, and now it just Erilyl and her parents.

"Aren't you leaving too?" Aaron asked, smiling at Erilyl. "I hope you have a good day, and tell your teachers today that you'll be taking leave for an entire month."

Erilyl was more than shocked, "I… I'll miss a whole month of school? My grades may lower from perfection! And you told me never to skip school so that my marks aren't disappointing…"

"But we'll finally get to sepnd time together," her father said, putting his hand on top of hers. "Isn't it time we strengthen our family bonds?"

Erilyl snatched her hand from him, her bangs falling from its tucked position behind her ears and hiding her tear filled eyes. "Since when was I in this family?!"

The heartbroken girl ran out, grabbed her school bag and headed for school, slamming the door behind her. Erilyl ran all the way to school, trusting her legs to take her where she wanted and not get last. Meanwhile she was breaking down, struggling to hold in her tears.

By the time she reached school, Erilyl had calmed down and erased any trace of her tears. She connected to the school's wifi as she walked to her locker, checking for texts from Oliver. There were none, and that didn't help with her mood.

At lunch, Erilyl finally go a text, and she excitedly checked her messages. It turned out it was just her older sister reminding her to talk to the teachers about her vacation leave. Erilyl had already done so, and had just finished talking to the school secretary about it.

The Winters siblings all go to different schools. Both Seira and Adrien attend high school, two different ones. Seira went to an IB school, while Adrien took a french immersion program at another one. Erilyl, like her brother takes a french program, but she's in late extended. And being the youngest of her family, she was still attending middle school. They are all at the top of their classes; Adrien and Seira always pass with flying colors. Erilyl was the only one who struggles with keeping her perfect scores, though nobody but herself knows that. Everyone knew of Adrien and Seira, so Erilyl thought it was important not to lower her family's reputation and not disappoint everyone. However, Erilyl thought that by just not studying at an IB school she already felt like a disappointment.

The rest of the day flew by, and then it came time for Erilyl to head home. Not one text had been received today at school. Was Oliver abandoning her? Maybe it was because she hadn't said anything important, or he was doing homework, she reassured herself.

Erilyl absentmindedly walked onwards home, unaware of her surroundings. Unlike the morning when there were little to no cars, there were now hundreds of cars speeding by. Just as Erilyl was about to cross the street, she got pulled back.

"It's a red light, Eri," a familiar voice stated. The said girl snapped out of her daze and looked up, only to find her brother staring down at her. "Why are you so late? I had to come out to search for you… Seira was worried, as was Dad."

"Father wouldn't care, let alone Seira," Erilyl murmured in reply. Inwardly she realized on the way home, she either took a detour unconsciously or stopped randomly mid-daze. "Or you, Adrien…"

"Erilyl…" Adrien was at a loss of words.

"Let's just get home," Erilyl said coldly. The day had not been well and she doubted it would get better either.

---

A series of knocks came at the door. Erilyl stared at her bedroom door, then rolled her eyes back to the ceiling.

"What is it?" the 12 year old called out.

"Dinner time. Head down," Seira's muffled voice could be heard from behind the other side of the door. Then she just left, like always.

Erilyl sighed, and sat up on her bed. Today she didn't talk to Oliver, other than that morning. She hated breaking routines, and talking with her best friend was a daily thing. Yes, Oliver is her best friend.

Erilyl decided to go downstairs to eat. She had enough of sulking for the day. It was late now anyway, there was no chance that Oliver would be around to talk, and he had his own life to lead. Maybe she did bother him a lot, and Oliver didn't want to tell her. Erilyl knew that she annoyed everyone; maybe even her greatest friend found her annoying.

Both Seira and Adrien were already at the dinner table. Erilyl wondered why nobody had begun eating yet. Seeing her confused expression, Carol spoke up, "We were waiting for you, darling."

Erilyl stared at her mother as though she were insane. Was this a dream? Her mother had never spoken so sweetly towards her. "Me?" she looked around, pointing at herself.

"Of course!" Aaron piped up. "Who else could it be?" He had a huge smile on her face but his eyes showed that he was troubled.

"What is it?" Erilyl asked in a cautious tone as she took her seat. "What happened?" She looked around, and noticed that Seira was looking down, fists clenched up in her lap. Seira realized her younger sister's staring and gave her a gentle smile. This made Erilyl all the more curious.

"Turns out that your older sister wasn't who we thought she was. She's been lying quite a bit the entire time," their mother began in a chilly tone. "She's finally admitted to her… sins."

Erilyl knew that the pause in her mother's words were to add a dramatic effect, and this surely made Seira wince. She watched Seira carefully, also noticing that Adrien was eyeing her.

"Yes, I stopped being a part of the student council last year at Saint Hopes High I go to school early in order to meet up with my boyfriend, Hunter Leanor. I have skipped classes to spend time with him, and I come home late some nights for a short date with Hunter, not because of student council work," Seira declared firmly, blushing out of embarrassment from either having to reveal the truth or having spoken of Hunter.

"Adrien was aware though?" Erilyl inquired quietly. The morning's events replayed in her head, clicking together. She glanced at Adrien who'd kept eyeing her the entire time. He quickly looked away.

Their parents leaned in, slightly confused. Erilyl didn't know if she should speak again, seeing as she rarely participated in family conversations. There was also a chance Adrien would answer her question, though he didn't show any signs of it.

"Would you care to explain?" Carol asked Erilyl. The one this question wass directed at was inwardly confused as to why her usually cold mother was seemingly opening up to her and being so… kind. Then a thought struck her. Maybe her mother was just trying to make Seira jealous? It seemed to be a failure though, try as she might.

Nonetheless, she provided an answer, "This morning, Adrien seemed confused why Seira was heading for school so early. When you answered his question saying she had duty, he changed the subject instead of acknowledging the answer. I know I had spoken up at that point but my words are usually ignored. Adrien chose to speak to me for once instead of ignoring me, possibly because he wanted to avoid the original subject he'd brought up in the smoothest way possible so that nobody suspected anything."

Both parents considered this idea and then stared at Adrien for confirmation or denial. The eldest son let a smile sigh escape his lips, a smile spreading across his face. "You picked up on all the small details, as unimportant as they seemed. You truly are a genius like us all."

"Do not change the subject to such an irrelevant topic," Erilyl said sharply. She could tell that he was trying to expose her secret of struggling in school whilst escaping the problem at hand. Erilyl chose to pick up her fork to eat the completely untouched food. They were having lasagna tonight, but it seems this dinner may go to waste if nobody began to eat any time soon.

"It is as Erilyl suggested. I did know about Seira and Hunter's relationship, but I thought it to be none of my business so I disregarded it this morning, choosing not to reveal it," Adrien explained with a false but convincing smile.

Seira looked up quickly, recognizing her brother's tone of voice. "There's more to it, isn't there?"

Their parents did not pick up the details or catch up as quickly. They were unable to figure out this problem. Sure, they may be the parents of three incredibly smart children, but they themselves were not as smart.

"I arranged for the students not to elect you in the student council this year. It was easy for me to text everyone that you already had too many responsibilities. This is why nobody voted for you. I knew Hunter liked you and being a good friend of his, I decided he pased the test to be your boyfriend. I set you two up, basically," Adrien said, smirking.

He noticed Seira opening her mouth and held his hand up. "Yes, there is even more to this. What is my motive in doing such things? You'll have to figure that out yourself."

Erilyl decided to take it upon herself to solve this case, now halfway done her dinner. She loved mysteries so it was about time she decided to try solving one herself. The gears in her brain turned quickly, and she turned to Seira to ask, "What was your position in the council?"

This caught her sister's attention, also causing confusion within the other members of the family. What was Erilyl catching up on that they were not? "I was the student council president, of course…" Their mother snorted, rolling her eyes, showing distrust and disbelief. "It's true!"

"That's fine, I believe you. Now then, who is currently in this position? I assume it's another girl? Perhaps you know her?"

Adrien's breath hitched, which made Erilyl's lips quirk upwards. His actions had confirmed her suspicions, and right she was. Now for Seira to answer and let the pieces come together.

"Yes, her name is Sylvia Burnes. How is she relevant?" Seira raised an eyebrow, not understanding Erilyl's intentions.

"I suspect that Adrien likes Sylvia, and I bet she wanted to be the student council president, but couldn't because of you, who was much more popular than she and would thus earn more votes. Seeing that his friend liked you and passed the boyfriend test, he arranged it so you two met, keeping you busy from noticing his actions of notifying everyone of his lies about you. To him it was a win-win situation, so he didn't find any flaws in his plan," Erilyl explained. "Clearly he didn't think it through. He doubted anyone would notice, piece out the evidence or even pick up the clues."

"Genius!" Seira exclaimed. "That's exactly what happened, Mother!"

Carol sighed, shaking her head. "Perhaps this matter seems important to you, but the original problem is concerning not his lies but yours. Of course, I do know that his lies lead into yours. So to say, I am thoroughly disappointed in the both of you. I declare Erilyl as my favorite child."

However, the said person was not pleased to earn her mother's love in this way, to say the least. But speaking up now would be a bad idea, especially since Carol was already riled up. If all three of the Winters siblings stood against their mother, something bad was bound to happen.

'Case closed,' Erilyl thought to herself. 'I haven't spoken so much in a long time… Well other than when I talk to Oliver.' A smile graced her face as she thought about her friend. All sound in the room ceased, and when Erilyl snapped out of her daze, she realized there was a shocked silence. She put down her fork and asked, "What is it?"

"Y-you smiled," Adrien said, appearing flabbergasted as his cheeks reddened. "That…" he couldn't speak.

Seira too, was amazed, her eyes fixated on Erilyl. There was a spark in the former's eyes, one of knowledge, though she was mostly surprised. "Erilyl…" she murmured.

Carol appeared to be the most awed, her cheeks stained with pink as well, "You looked… well… you looked…" She couldn't speak properly.

"Beautiful," Aaron finished her sentence. "I think we all love your smile. You should really smile more."

They were all curious what caused the youngest in their family to smile, but didn't ask due to the shocked state they were in. The one being marveled at didn't know of her captivating smile's effects on her family, and simply resumed eating innocently.

Her siblings were the first to snap out of their phase, followed by their father and lastly their mother. Aaron cleared his throat, trying to regain the attention of his family. They all provided him their undivided attention immediately.

"We will be leaving for the trip this Sunday. I assume the both of you have informed your teachers?" Aaron asked. Both Erilyl and Seira nodded mutely. "Perfect. Bring your school binders and textbooks, and just check on your class homework pages daily, and do whatever work you can. This way, you won't completely miss school."

"What clothes should I pack?" Seira asked. "And which city will we be visting in the UK?" Erilyl, who'd revrted back to being quiet since a while ago, lifted her eyes from her dinner plate out of her own curiosity.

"The weather is currently much warmer than it is here, though you should also prepare clothes for any chances of cold weather too," Aaron answered. "As for which city of Britain we'll be going to, it remains a secret, and hopefully a surprise."

A flash of hope flickered in Erilyl's eyes. 'Please, some place I could possibly find Oliver or meet up with him…' she thought, unconsciously tightening her grip on the fork. 'Anywhere close would be great…' Her actions did not escape Adrien's eyes.

"Tonight's dinner was full of surprises, but I think I prefer how it usually is. It's natural for Erilyl to be quiet, no offense," their mother stated, glancing at her youngest daughter with unreadable emotions. "And I don't think I could bear with hating Seira and Adrien or treating them differently. Everything will go back to normal by tomorrow."

Erilyl nodded, not caring all too much. She stood and put her now empty plate in the sink. With thatm she dismissed herself to her room.

That night, it wasn't uncalled for that she had a nightmare. The day had been full of unusual events and it felt stressful to Erilyl, not to mention, Oliver hadn't been himself while talking to her either. Oh wait, he didn't talk to her at all.

That's what put her to sleep right away, the feeling of betrayal, or more specifically, pain. She didn't want to bother waiting for someone who didn't care for her. Erilyl didn't want to lose her sleeping time to wait til 3AM again just for Oliver. If one is to treat Erilyl in a certain manner, she returns the favor, either gladly or if they were special, stubbornly.

She doesn't want to hurt them, but she hated feeling as though she lost, so she had to avenge herself. The stubborn side of her couldn't not take revenge. Even if, at any point she trusted them.

It's hard enough to earn Erilyl's trust, losing it also means Erilyl herself got wounded. One mistake breaks a bond, one broken bond wounds a person involved, and one wounded soul cries forever til they've been rescued and misunderstandings cleared. That too, only takes one explanation.

But if Oliver isn't around to explain, things will only go downhill.

---

How's that for my first story? :) I really hope people will read and review ._. As more people come to read (and I really hope people review, reviewers motivate me!) I'll explain the truth behind this story... and what it really means to me. As the story progresses I'll reveal how this idea came to my mind, but you should also keep in mind to watch out for drama!