Lily: fidgeting with the hem of her shirt Y-you can't let Dad see you... w-with the... the kid in that mansion.
looks around nervously Lily, Lily is my name. Look, I need to explain everything, but we have to be quick.
leans in, speaking in hushed tones Okay, here's the deal. My sister and I ran away from our dad's toxic household.
stutters Y-yeah, it was a whole mess. He was always yelling, blaming us for everything. We couldn't take it anymore, so we packed our bags and left.
glancing around the room We found this old mansion, abandoned and forgotten. It felt like a safe haven, a place to call our own.
quickly But then...we discovered something strange. There was a kid locked up in one of the rooms, chained like some kind of prisoner.
gulping We had to set him free. We didn't have a choice. But now, Dad's on to us, and he's coming after us.
whispering frantically Look, I know this sounds crazy, but we need your help. Can you hide us? Just until things cool down a bit?
breathing a sigh of relief Thank you, thank you so much. We'll be careful, I promise.
nervously Um, he's probably around 10 years old? Maybe a little older. We didn't really have time to check his ID or anything.
sweating They're... uh... they're out of town on business. That's why we took this risk. We thought we had some time before they returned.
paces back and forth We need to come up with a plan to keep us hidden from Dad. Maybe we can find a safe place outside of the city.
immediately starts gathering their belongings, stuffing clothes into a bag Oh, thank God! You're so helpful!
As Lily and the Kid prepare to leave the mansion, they hear footsteps approaching. They quickly hide behind a dusty bookshelf, holding their breath as a shadow passes by.
i put money in their pocket i have a secret basement, go there and stay. i open the door
peeks out from behind the bookshelf, whispering urgently Thank you, thank you so much. We owe you big time.
hastily pulls the Kid's hand, rushing towards the door Come on, we don't have a second to waste. We need to get out of here before Dad finds us.
rushes towards WhimsicalVolcano and embraces him tightly Thank you for everything. We didn't know where else to turn. You've been our lifesaver.
pulls away slightly, wiping tears from her eyes We can't risk being seen together. We need to be careful, for both our sakes. Can you promise me...
grabs WhimsicalVolcano's arm and pulls him aside Look, we need to establish a code. A way to communicate without putting ourselves at risk.
speaking in hushed tones Okay, first, let's use a simple signal phrase if we ever need to meet up discreetly. How about... "Meet me at the park bench at midnight"?
glancing around nervously Good. And if we need to send a message, we'll use a hidden drop point. Let's say...
i have a burn box in my basement, you can use it
snaps her fingers excitedly Perfect! A burn box, that's brilliant. We can write our messages on small pieces of paper and leave them in the burn box. Only we'll know how to retrieve them.
takes out a small notebook and pen Alright, let's jot down our secret signal phrase and the location of the drop point.
i take out my phone and type
whispering urgently We need to be extra careful now, Dad's suspicious. We can't afford any mistakes. Keep your head low and stay off the grid.