Embedded Files
Two days passed in a blur of colouring books and whispered secrets. Leo was still staying with Elena, sleeping with Lyla on her bed. He refused to go back to the big, empty house next door, his anger at his mother simmering just below the surface.
The bond between Lyla and Leo had cemented into something unbreakable, a secret club with its own language and rules. They moved like a single unit, two small shadows attached at the hip.
But the calm was shattered on Friday afternoon when the doorbell rang.
Ding. Dong.
Elena opened the door to find Diana standing there, clutching her purse like a shield. She didn't wait for an invitation; she swept inside, her heels clicking frantically on the hardwood.
“Dinner tonight,” she demanded, her voice vibrating with nervous energy. “Mark wants to meet Leo properly. And you and Lyla have to come. I need moral support, El. Please, it’s the first time he’s seeing Leo since... well, since everything.”
Elena agreed, if only to make sure the boy didn’t feel abandoned. When she broke the news to the children, Lyla’s face lit up. It didn't look like a smile of excitement rather it looked dark with intense curiosity.
“A dinner,” she whispered to Leo as they sat on the rug, surrounded by a chaotic sea of toys. “That’s where we find out if he can be broken and if he cries like babies.”
He nodded solemnly, picking up a plastic truck. “And if he’s not?”
“Then we make him leave,” she giggled, picking up a pair of plastic scissors from her toy box and snapping them shut with a sharp click. “Trust me, Leo. I’m the doctor.”
“Okay,” he answered, trusting her completely.
Lyla stood up. “Let’s go see if our neighbours have shifted yet.”
“Why?”
“Come on.”
“Fine.”
They ran outside, the screen door slamming behind them. They stood on the sidewalk, peering at the house next door. The driveway was empty, the windows dark.
“I see no one,” Lyla reported, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Do you see anyone, Leo?"
“Same,” he replied, kicking a pebble.
“Let’s go to the park,” she decided, bouncing on her heels. “I’ll race you. I’ll run faster.”
“You’re cheating again,” the boy accused, though he was already smiling.
“Go!”
The two sprinted down the sidewalk, their laughter echoing in the quiet street. The girl reached the park gates first, breathless and triumphant. As they entered, the other kids on the swings saw Lyla. One by one, they slipped off their seats and drifted toward the far end of the park, leaving the playground silent.
“This is perfect,” she declared. “You can go swing. I’ll hang upside down on the monkey bars.”
“No, that’s dangerous,” he frowned, watching her climb the metal rungs.
“Only for little babies,” she teased, hoisting herself up. “Like you, Leo.”
“I am not a baby.”
“You act like one.”
“I do not.”
“You do.”
“I don’t.”
“You do.”
“Whatever,” the boy huffed, marching toward the swing set. “I’ll go swing.”
Lyla climbed to the top bar. She hooked her knees over the cold metal and let her body drop, hanging upside down. Her dress fell over her head, and the world turned into a dizzying blur of sky and grass. Then, without warning, she unhooked her knees.
She did a mid-air flip and landed on her feet in the sand with a soft thud.
“LYLA!” Leo shouted, jumping off the swing and running toward her. “Are you crazy? That was too high!”
She laughed, a wild, breathless sound. “Hahaha. I landed it.”
“Don’t do that ever again,” he scolded, his face pale. “You could have... You will die, like Daddy did.”
The girl stopped laughing. She tilted her head. “Leo, I have a question. What is dying? People say it a lot and I know it is something bad, but why is it bad? ”
The boy looked at his shoes, his voice dropping to a whisper. “It means when somebody goes to the hospital and then... and then that person sleeps forever. And you can never see that person again.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened. “You can never see your daddy again?”
“Yeah,” he sniffled. “And Mother doesn’t care. She’s replacing him with another daddy. A new one.”
“Do you think he is different from your old daddy?”
“Probably.”
“Ohh.”
Leo looked up, tears stinging his eyes. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight. “So, Lyla, promise me you will never do things like that again that are dangerous. Because I don’t want you to die. I don’t want you to sleep forever.”
She looked at his hand in hers. She felt a strange warmth in her chest. “He wants to keep me.”
“Promise,” she said softly. “Now, let’s go back home. I’ll let you win the race this time, Leo.”
---
At 7:00 PM sharp, the three of them walked the short distance to Diana’s new house. It was a grand Victorian structure, shadowed by large oak trees that creaked in the wind. The moving boxes were still piled high on the porch, making the house look cluttered, but the lights were warm and inviting.
Diana opened the door before they could even knock. She was wearing a tight red dress, her makeup perfect, but her eyes were frantic.
“You came! Thank god,” she breathed, hugging Elena and kissing Lyla and Leo’s cheeks. She looked down at the children. “Aww look at you two! Leo looks so handsome. And Lyla looks like a princess. You look so… well-behaved.”
“We are very behaved kids,” The girl smiled sweetly, batting her eyelashes.
They walked into the living room. A man was standing by the fireplace, checking his watch. He was tall, with slicked-back hair and a suit that looked expensive. He looked like every stock photo of a businessman Elena had ever seen, polished, successful, and slightly detached.
“Mark, darling!” Diana chirped, rushing to his side. “This is Elena, my best friend. And this is… Leo.”
The man turned. His smile was polite, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He extended a hand to Elena, then looked down at the boy.
“So, this is the famous Leo,” Mark commented. His voice was smooth, calm. “Diana has told me a lot. You like football, kid?”
Leo shrank back a little, nodding silently. “Yes, sir.”
“Good, good. We’ll have to play that sometime,” he said dismissively, turning back to the adults. “Let’s have a drink.”
“You two can go and watch the TV,” she cheered, though her smile looked forced.
As the adults moved toward the bar cart, Diana watched Lyla and Leo sit down on the sofa together, their shoulders touching. She sighed wistfully.
“Look at them,” she pointed, gesturing toward the children. “These two bonded so well. It’s adorable now, but it’ll be so sad when they stop talking.”
Elena frowned. “Why would they stop talking?”
“Well, you know how it is,” Diana said, swirling her wine. “They grow up. They get lives. Their future partners won’t like it if they’re still attached at the hip to their childhood best friend. Jealousy and all that.”
From the sofa, Leo’s head snapped up. He looked offended.
“Then I’ll marry Lyla,” he announced loudly.
The room went silent. Mark raised an eyebrow, and Diana stifled a giggle.
“Excuse me?” Elena asked, amused.
“I said,” the boy repeated, crossing his arms stubbornly. “I’ll marry Lyla. She’s nice. And I like her. Then no partner can tell us to stop talking.”
The boy's mother laughed, clapping her hands. “Oh, isn’t that precious, Mark? Young love.”
The man chuckled politely. “Right. Well, good luck with that, sport. Marriage is expensive.”
Lyla looked at the boy, her expression unreadable for a moment. Then, she smiled, a genuine, small smile that didn't look creepy for once. “Okay, Leo. But you have to share your fries. Forever.”
“Deal,” the boy promised, bringing his pinky out.
“Then does it mean we are boyfriend and girlfriend?” she asked curiously.
“Yes,” he declared.
Elena felt a pang of warmth amidst the anxiety. It was sweet and innocent. Or at least, as innocent as Lyla could get.
---
“Dinner is served!” Diana called out a few minutes later.
They gathered around the large mahogany table. Mark sat at the head, with Diana on his right. Elena sat across from her, with the two children squeezed together on the other side.
The food was good, and the atmosphere was surprisingly calm. Mark talked about stocks and his job at a tech firm. He wasn't mean, just boring. He treated Leo with a kind of polite indifference, like Leo was a piece of furniture that had come with the house.
“So, Leo,” Mark said between bites of steak. “You’re going to school near here, right? Good. Education is important. My firm only hires the best.”
“Yes, sir,” the boy mumbled.
Lyla, however, was watching Mark like a hawk. She didn't like how he looked at Leo, like he was an afterthought. She reached into her pocket. Earlier in the garden, she had caught a small, harmless jumping spider. It was currently residing in a little tissue cocoon in her dress.
“If he’s bad, we break him,” she had told Leo.
Mark wasn't bad, not like the bullies. But he wasn't good either. He was just… taking up space. Space that belonged to Leo’s real dad.
As the man reached for his napkin to wipe his mouth, Lyla’s hand darted out under the table. She unfolded the tissue and dropped the spider onto his lap, just as he lifted the napkin to his face.
He paused. He felt a tickle on his thigh. He looked down.
The spider jumped onto his trousers.
Mark wasn't a screamer. He was a businessman. But he certainly didn't expect wildlife on his dinner pants.
“What the—?” he jolted, dropping his fork with a clatter. He stood up abruptly, shaking his leg. “There’s a… there’s a spider on me!”
Diana gasped. “A spider? Where?”
“On my leg! Get it off!” he brushed frantically at his pants, his composure cracking. The spider leapt onto the table, scuttling toward the salad bowl.
“Auntie! Look out!” Lyla shouted, pointing with exaggerated horror.
Leo, catching on immediately to the game, screamed in mock terror. “It’s huge! It’s a monster!”
Elena looked at her daughter. She saw the glint in the girl's eye. “She did this,” the woman thought, her heart skipping a beat. “She definitely did this.”
Mark, finally composed but flushed with embarrassment, sat back down. He adjusted his tie, looking flustered.
“Well,” he laughed awkwardly, trying to regain his dignity. “That was… unexpected. I apologize. I don’t do well with creepy crawlies.”
“It’s okay, Mark,” Diana said, patting his hand. “It’s just a spider. Probably came in with the moving boxes.”
“Right. Right,” the man cleared his throat. He looked at Lyla, who was eating her peas with an innocent expression. “You kids alright? Didn't scare you?”
“No, Mr. Mark,” she answered sweetly. “Leo and I like spiders. He even catches them all the time. Don’t you, Leo?”
The boy looked at Lyla, then at the man. “Yeah. I love them.”
Mark looked at him with a newfound sense of unease. “Right. Good. Good. A very uncommon hobby.”
The dinner continued, but the air had shifted. Mark was quieter now, glancing occasionally at the children as if they were a different species. He hadn't yelled. He hadn't thrown a fit. But his "perfect" image was cracked, just a little.
---
As they left that night, Diana pulled Elena aside on the porch.
“See? It wasn’t so bad,” she whispered, glancing back at Mark, who was checking his watch in the hallway. “He’s… trying. He really is.”
“He seems… nice, Diana,” Elena lied gently. She looked at the two children waiting on the path. Leo was holding Lyla’s hand tightly.
“Lyla,” she called out. “Say thank you to Auntie.”
“Thank you, Auntie,” said the girl. She looked up at the house. “Goodnight, Mark. And you too, Auntie. Leo will stay with us today as well.”
“Goodnight, Lyla. Goodnight, Leo,” Mark said from the doorway, waving stiffly.
As they walked back to their house, the cool night air nipped at their faces. Leo squeezed Lyla’s hand.
“He screamed,” the boy whispered, giggling.
“He didn’t scream,” she corrected. “But he jumped. He’s jumpy.”
“Does that mean he’s breakable?” he asked.
Lyla looked up at the moon. “Everything is breakable, Leo. Should we let him be here for a bit? For Auntie? She seems to like him.”
“What about me?” he asked, his voice small. “I don’t like him.”
Lyla stopped walking. She turned to him, her face serious in the shadows.
“I am here for you, Leo. Your girlfriend. I like you even if Auntie doesn’t, so let’s let Auntie be.”
“Forever?”
“Forever.”
For a brief moment, the world around them seemed to stop. Their gazes lingered on each other's faces.
"No, that is my toy; go away," a loud voice boomed from across the street, the words heavy and blunted as if shouted through a thick scarf.
"Leo, do you hear that?" the girl asked. "Sounds like some people are fighting."
"No way, you're just hearing stuff again," Leo dismissed, waving his hand.
She puffed up her cheeks. "No! I'm sure I heard it," she yelled, stomping on the ground.
"I hear nothing at all."
"But—"
"Give me my car back!" Another voice erupted from afar, but Leo and Lyla had already moved far away.
They walked the rest of the way in silence, two small figures holding hands against the dark, their secret stronger than any spider.
Click to go back chapters menu: The Neighbour Pact
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse