Having stood dumbfounded by the experience for several minutes, I lightly slapped my cheeks.

I-I should probably go back before they finish the meeting. I really, really don't want to explain any of this. But, before I go...

I took one last view at the garden, soaking in the impossible vibrancy of nature and the flawless arrangement of colors and shapes that even a renowned artist couldn't hope to match. But, it's not just the imagery, it's the sweet, fresh scent of flowers in bloom, the soothing, gentle light that graces your skin, the delicate swishing and swaying of leaves as the wind caresses them...

As miraculous as it all is, only a single word is needed to describe this place, this world. And that is...

Life.

And, in this single, fleeting moment... I feel more alive than I ever have.

Spinning on my heel to take my leave and allowing the dress's skirt to flutter as I do, I felt a faint, nervous twinge at the back of my neck that caught me off guard. Though it felt unusual, I wrote it off as simply twisting my neck around too fast.

Slowly opening the door leading back inside, I peaked a scarlet eye past the wood, scanning each side of the hallway before slipping inside.

I silently dashed towards the stairs, but just before I could take my first step upwards, I noticed the heavy, oaken door opening as a tall, middle-aged man with short, raven black hair and blood red eyes stepped out. I pressed my back against the stair's walls, hiding myself in a panic. That must be Sebastian's father, which means...

"Thank you again, Lord A'Ketsueki," I heard mother's voice say.

"Simply business as usual, Lady O'Sang," the man responded in a deep, husky voice.

A bead of sweat trailed down my cheek. Yep, meeting is over.

With a burst of urgency, I rushed back up to the third floor, not bothering to check corners. They were very likely to check on me, so I needed to get back in my room and changed now.

With the sound of a second ker-chunk, my door was safely shut and I immediately went to the dresser and grabbed whatever was on top, which ended up being a fresh, pink t-shirt (I spared a flash of appreciation for the color) and black sweatpants.

Setting them on top of the dresser, I began to slip the dress off but hesitated for a moment, deciding to handle it gently and with care. I realized this was probably not the last time I was going to wear it... b-but it needs to come off for now!

I quickly swapped into the clothing that wouldn't result in a barrage of intense questioning and folded the dress as best I could before returning it to the box it came from.

Gently sliding the box back under my bed and internally apologizing for treating the box so poorly earlier, I looked back at the door making sure it was closed tight.

And... I did it! I was completely in the clear!

I took a massive sigh of relief as I sat on the foot of my bed.

"Wow..." I whispered to myself. That stupid idea actually worked.

I still couldn't believe today's events... I mean, seeing the garden itself was the goal, and while I certainly achieved that with flying colors, it's everything else that has my mind running loops...

I wore the dress and liked it, saw myself in the mirror as a girl and liked it, had a guy treat me as a girl and really liked it...

...and he called me Lily... and I loved it.

"W-What does this mean?!" I asked the air as my head spun in confusing circles.

I looked down at my body and went deep into thought.

Do I.... d-do I prefer being like this...? Being a... being a girl? It's not like I've had much experience with it, but... it's not like it's made me unhappy... just the opposite. But maybe it's not fair to compare it with my experience as a guy... I mean, if, for example, I had remained as a guy after turning into a vampire, would I still feel as alive as I do right now? I'm sure I'd still love the food, the sense of having family, having friends, the sensation of a hot bath, and fresh, clean clothes on my back... but would I feel as if something was missing? Could I truly find happiness like that? I don't know... but... if I'm happy like this, is there a reason to go back to being a guy? What if I could be even happier as a guy and I just don't know it? 

Ker-chunk

I recalled Amber's words. She made it sound as if the difference was night and day, at least for her... so maybe it would be horrible? What if... what if my name was like... Bob.

Hi, I'm Bob and I'm a manly man.

…Ok, I can't imagine that at all... it's kind of unsettling, to be honest... really unsettling.

But, what if... w-well, what if my name was Lily?

I felt my heart leap in joy at the thought. Ok, in that case...

Hi, I-I'm a g-girly girl... a-and my name is...

"...Lily?" a familiar voice suddenly asked.

"Y-YES?! H-Hello?!" I instinctively responded as my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

"Woah, calm down there, Lil'," the werewolf girl, Millie, said.

"Yeah, we didn't mean to scare you, but you were kind of zoning out," the vampire girl, Amber, added.

"O-Oh..." I said, feeling temporary relief before blushing in confusion. "W-What did you call me?"

"...Lil'?" Amber responded with a brow raised.

"Oh... ok..." I said as I calmed down. I must have misheard...

"Anyway," she started, "why is there a lily in your hair? Where did you get that?"

"H-huh?!" I responded, flabbergasted. "I-..."

Oh no. I forgot about the flower Sebastian placed in my hair.

"And, where in the world did the curtains go?!" Millie asked with the weight of an anvil.

How could I possibly have forgotten about the curtains, too?!

"I-I, uh... I-" I helplessly stammered.

Amber managed to put the pieces together first as a look of shock spread across her face.

"...You went to the garden, didn't you?" she asked.

The guilt was written as plainly as possible on my face.

"But, how did you...?" Millie began to question. "Did you wear that?! I see the fabric sticking out!" she said as she pointed towards my legs.

D-Did I not slide the dress all the way under my bed? Oh god, oh god oh god oh god...

"I-I'm sorry!" I shouted as I went into full panic mode. "I really, really wanted too see the garden so I took the curtains down to test it and then and then-"

"Hey, hey," Amber said in an attempt to calm me. "We're not mad, just worried."

"Yeah, I mean... did you really wear that...? Are you ok?" Millie gently asked.

I shut my eyes tightly and prepared to bite the bullet.

"...Yes..."

They both paused for a moment.

"Well, move aside so we can put it back up," Millie directed.

"...Ok..." I softly said as I scooched out of the way. Wait, put it back up...?

Amber pulled the blankets back while Millie collected and held up the wad of cloth I had folded the curtains into earlier.

Oh. I left those under the covers... right...

"How were you able to bear the pain, though...?" Amber questioned. "The curtains are made of sunsilk and wrapping yourself up in them would work as makeshift clothing against the sunlight... but, against the intense rays found in the garden, it could only dampen the pain at most."

"I-... well..." I said, unsure of what to say...

"You even lasted long enough to pluck a lily as a souvenir, but... are you ok?" she worriedly asked. "And, why put it in your hair?"

"I'm okay... I feel good, actually," I admitted, trying my best not to dig a deeper hole. "And, uh... it was pretty...?"

She closely eyed me as she considered her thoughts. Then, she lightly smiled.

"...If you say so. Just don't do it again, ok? You might have been able to withstand the pain, but anything can happen. You could have gotten locked outside, for example."

If the way raw light felt against my skin when I tested it earlier is anything to go off of, then her example is nothing if not terrifying.

"I won't. I promise," I said, meaning it.

"Good," she said, relieved.

I slowly removed the lily from my hair, gently holding its short stem with my thumb and index finger.

"Here," I guiltily offered Amber.

"What? Why?" she asked with a confused brow raised.

"I stole it..." I confessed with a heavy heart. "It's going to die anyway, so..."

"If you like it, keep it," she said with a bright, encouraging grin. "Flowers from the O'Sang garden never wilt. It's part of why they're so special."

"Really...?" I said with a spark of relief. "Then..."

A warm, genuine smile spread wide across my face.

"I like Lily. I'll... I'll keep it."