GENESIS
"Don't worry, it's going to be fun," Kieran said again, fiddling with his phone and the strange glowing circle he called a ring light.
I glanced at the setup, then at him. The only thing I understood was that he seemed very serious about… whatever this was. He had explained it earlier—something about TikTok, posting, and trends—but it still didn't make much sense. Why film ourselves doing something silly?
I blinked at the phone again.
Before I could try asking him—without words—something tugged at my hand.
"Lily!" Daisy grinned up at me, practically bouncing. She still had her school bag slung over one shoulder, her shoes half-off. "This is going to make you a famous TikToker! Like Uncle Kier!"
Tik…Toker?
I tilted my head and furrowed my brows.
She giggled. "It's an app! You already have it on your phone. It's where people post fun videos. Uncle Kier has millions of followers!"
My eyes widened slightly. Millions?
"He's, like, super famous on there," she added proudly, like it meant he was royalty. "People love him. And now they're gonna love you too!"
I looked at Kieran, who was smirking like he knew all of that already. Of course he did.
I raised one brow and crossed my arms loosely.
He shrugged, all innocent. "Guilty. Verified and everything."
That earned a soft exhale from my nose. Not quite a laugh. But close.
Daisy tugged me closer to the light. "We're gonna do the pointing trend! It's easy. I'll show you, okay?"
She pulled out her little tablet and opened the app. A video began to play. A girl stood with two others, and every time a word popped up on the screen—Best cook, Most dramatic, Sleeps the most—they each pointed at someone.
I watched closely. It actually didn't seem hard. No dancing. No talking. Just… pointing.
Daisy beamed. "See? We'll do it like that. You just point. You can even roll your eyes if you want."
I looked at Kieran. His phone was already set up and recording.
"You'll do great, princess," he said, and this time there was no teasing in his voice. Just something soft. Proud.
I hesitated, then nodded once.
Daisy squealed. "Okay, okay! Let's start. Uncle Kier, cue the sound!"
Kieran tapped something and the music began. He stood beside me, Daisy in front of us. The first word popped up:
Who fell first?
Daisy pointed at Kieran dramatically. Kieran smirked and pointed at me.
I blinked.
Wait… that was about love, wasn't it?
The next one appeared.
Who's the boss in this relationship?
Daisy pointed at me, grinning like she knew a secret.
Kieran hesitated… then pointed at me, too.
I stared at him, surprised. His grin widened.
Who apologizes first after an argument?
I pointed at him.
So did Daisy.
He laughed under his breath and mouthed, "True."
More questions flashed by.
Most dramatic? Daisy pointed at herself with both hands.
Most jealous? Kieran pointed at himself with zero shame.
I covered my mouth, laughing silently.
By the end of it, my cheeks were warm, Daisy was twirling, and Kieran was watching me like I'd just handed him the moon.
"Perfect," he said, stopping the recording. "You killed it."
I gave him a look—I'd barely done anything—but he just chuckled and tapped away on his phone.
"Say hello to your TikTok debut," he murmured.
I felt a strange flutter in my chest. Nervous. Curious. A little scared.
But not of him.
Of what it meant—for people to see me.
Still, when Daisy took my hand and bounced excitedly, and when Kieran leaned over to kiss my temple with a quiet, "I'm proud of you, princess,"
…I decided maybe it wasn't so bad.
Even if I didn't fully understand it, I could feel what mattered.
Their love.
And somehow, that was louder than words.
****
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Daisy let out a sudden scream.
I jumped up from where I sat on the floor, heart thudding, spinning around just as the maid did the same. Richard, however, stood calmly in the corner of the room, completely unfazed—as if he was used to this kind of drama.
I rushed over to Daisy and grabbed her shoulders. The maids came to stand just behind me, their eyes wide with concern.
Before I could ask what was wrong, Daisy looked up at me, practically shoving her tablet into my face. Her eyes were sparkling.
"Look, look, Lily! The video we made has 5.7 million views—in just a few hours!"
What?
What was she talking about?
Mia stepped forward. "Can I see that, Daisy?" she asked gently.
Daisy handed her the tablet without hesitation. I stood up straighter and glanced down at the little girl. She didn't look hurt or upset—just absolutely thrilled, with chocolate smudged around her mouth and jaw.
Good. She was fine.
I looked up at Mia and the other ladies gathered around her. Their eyes were wide with shock.
"She's right," Mia said. "The video has over five million likes. And you should see the comments."
Daisy clapped her hands excitedly. "Read it! Read it!"
Mia tapped on the screen. For some reason, my heart started pounding in my chest. Hard.
She began reading. "One of them said, 'Oh my god, she's so pretty. No wonder Kieran agreed to settle down, even after saying he never would.'"
Joy chimed in, eyes glued to her own phone. "Someone's even asking if you have your own page where you post." She looked up at me with a small smile. "They want more of you."
My… own page?
To post?
Daisy tugged on my clothes. "Yes, yes! You need to have your own page, Lily! People will love you. And I'm sure Uncle Kieran wouldn't mind."
I stared down at her, then at the women around me. They were all nodding eagerly, full of excitement and energy.
But then, Revelation stepped forward.
"No. That's not a good idea."
The room went quiet.
Everyone turned to look at her. Daisy frowned and crossed her arms over her small chest. "And why not? Lily will do great there!"
Revelation turned to face both of us. "No, she wouldn't. It would just cause unnecessary problems."
Unnecessary problems?
What did she mean by that?