Lily

by R. M. Walker

  “They’ve gone,” Jake said, and came over to Lily. He stepped up behind her and drew the zip down on her wetsuit, and then moved away again.

  Lily saw them turn their backs as they concentrated on getting out of their own wetsuits. She tried to work it off but it was tough, and she couldn’t get a grip on it to get it down her arms. No matter how hard she tugged, she couldn’t get it to move.

  She admitted defeat and called out to them. “Can I have a hand, please?” Matt came towards her and started to unpeel her from the suit, making her laugh.

  “It’s like peeling an onion.” She laughed as the wetsuit landed around her ankles with a wet plop. Matt crouched down and touched her foot. She balanced herself with one hand on his shoulder and lifted her leg. He tugged it off and then repeated the process with her other foot. He stood up and set his nose against her cheek and sniffed deeply.

  “You smell too good to be an onion.” He chuckled and turned back to carry on dressing. She lifted her towel and wrapped it around herself, suddenly conscious that she was going to be stripping out of her swimsuit with them there. They kept their backs to her as they peeled off their own wetsuits. Nate’s board shorts pulled down with the suit and she got an eyeful of his firm butt that made her breath catch in her throat. She turned away. Part of her wanted to watch, but she knew that was wrong on all sorts of levels, not least of all by betraying a privacy they were extending to her. She stayed under the towel and wriggled out of her swimsuit. She dried as best as she could and then shimmied into her clothes, still under the towel. She dropped the towel as she dragged her jeans up her hips. She did them up and turned to face them. They were finished before her, but they were still facing away, talking quietly together.

  “I’m ready.” She pushed her feet into the dry pair of trainers she’d brought with her.

  “When you get back tonight,” Josh said, coming towards her with Jake beside him. “Wash the wetsuit off, and then hang it to dry outside.”

  “I’ll give it back to you on Monday.”

  He shook his head. “We gave it to you. It’s yours now, Lily Pad.”

  “Thank you.” She leant forward and kissed Josh on the cheek and then turned to Jake. Just as she drew close, he turned his head and his lips brushed hers deliberately. She backed up quickly, turning to get her backpack, feeling flustered again. He’d kissed her. Matt had kissed her. She didn’t think friends kissed like that. But they hadn’t said anything, so it could be nothing more than friendship to them. She could see herself dating them, but she couldn’t see herself being able to choose one over the other. And that would be a problem if they liked her too.

  She couldn’t have them all; but she couldn’t, wouldn’t, choose just one.

  Other than kisses, and if she was honest they weren’t more than a peck, none of them gave any indication they wanted to date her. She was reading into things that just weren’t there. She was probably having internal debates over not falling for them, and all they wanted was another friend. She had to stop her heart from ruling her head. They were just friends. Good friends, and that was all they would stay.

  The Seer

  One of the advantages of being constantly on the move was that Lily learnt how to interact with people she didn’t know. She could put a smile on her face and be easy going while hiding all sorts of emotions, like nerves and shyness.

  Jonas Rutledge was like no one she had ever met before, though. Whether it was because she knew he was a teacher and she never interacted with them outside of classrooms, or whether it was because he had clear blue eyes that she was certain could see right into her soul, she didn’t know. Whatever it was, she didn’t feel completely comfortable with him. She felt as if she had to be on her best behaviour; her back ramrod straight as she perched on the edge of the sofa, a mug of coffee clutched in her hands.

  Her eyes darted around the room, trying not to be too nosey, but fascinated with what she could get quick glimpses of. The boys, however, had no such worries as they sprawled around his living room as if it was their own house. Matt had a cat, Mysty he’d called it, curled up on his lap, and he was scratching it behind the ear. Nate sat at a desk under the window, spinning the globe that sat on top of the desk. The twins were slumped on the other sofa staring at her, which made her feel even more uncomfortable.

  The room was crammed full of books. There were books on shelves, desks, and in piles on the floor. Lily had never seen so many books outside of a library, and it made her hands itch to see what he had. A large map of the ancient world was the only framed picture in the room that she could see at a quick glance. It hung above the fireplace. The mantelpiece was crammed with wooden carvings and a clock that was so old that it looked as if it had been made at the same time as the house. She could hear it ticking from where she sat. She let herself look at it for a few minutes and saw it was one that had the sun and the moon appearing on the face, depending on the time of day. Either side of the fireplace were wall fittings that looked like gas lights, but had probably been converted to electric.

  “Where did you move from, Lily?” Jonas sat in the armchair by the fire. His fingers steepled under his nose as he watched her, elbows resting on the arms of the chair.

  “Brighton, I mean Portsmouth. No, well, Brighton then Portsmouth,” she said, nerves making her babble. She coloured up and hastily looked down at her coffee mug. He was weighing her in the balance, and she could see that the jury was still out on his decision.

  “Lily moved to Portsmouth at the beginning of the summer from Brighton, but then came here just over a week ago.” Nate spoke up, and she nodded, thankful for his help clarifying. She took a sip of her coffee and spilled some down her chin. She wiped it away hastily, her cheeks bright red with embarrassment. She was messing this up big time, but every sense she had was on high alert. It wasn’t as if he could give her detention or give her fifty lines. She just knew that he was obviously important to the boys, and she didn’t want to let them down.

  “Matthew was explaining you have epilepsy.” Jonas stretched his legs out in front of him. “That must be quite tiring.” There was no hint of pity in his voice, and for that she was glad.

  Lily shrugged, her eyes on the pattern of her mug. “I’ve always had it, so I don’t really think about it,” she admitted.

  “Still, it would be restrictive,” he said and suddenly got to his feet. It startled her and she jumped, spilling some of the coffee onto her jeans. She hastily wiped at it, apologising as she did. He came over and took the mug from her and then gripped her hand. She made a strangled noise in the back of her throat at his unexpected actions.

  “Look at me.” His voice was deep, commanding, and she found herself obeying him.

  Her eyes met his, and it was instant. She could feel herself falling, her eyes rolling back into her head. Something was being pushed into her mind. She could hear voices, see flashes of images that didn’t make sense. She wasn’t in his house anymore. A schoolyard. A bird that was fluttering around on the ground. A much younger Matt picking it up. The bird flying away. The images raced through her mind quickly, like cartoons on a TV.

  Her hand was released, and she slumped back heavily. The images cleared; she was in his living room, not a schoolyard. A searing pain made her grip her head, crying out. Fear filled her as she struggled to comprehend what had happened. Did he cause that? Did she have another fit? She couldn’t think through the pure agony in her head.

  “Lily, Lily.” Matt’s voice in her ear had her struggling to get away from him. She didn’t understand what was happening to her. Fear morphed into terror as she felt her hands being pulled from her head.

  “No, get off me!” she cried out, the pain making tears course down her face. She was dying. Whatever he’d done, she was dying. She heard Nate order Matt to do something, and then a hand was placed over her forehead. It felt cool against her heated skin, and then as quickly as it came, the pain left her. Matt grunted, and she looke
d towards him in panic, her hands clutching the sofa she was sitting on. Blood was pouring from Matt’s nose. Josh, or was it Jake, stuffed a cloth under his nose, and then all four of them were surrounding her, hands on her knees, back, and shoulders.

  “What the fuck did you do to her?” Nate demanded, rounding on Jonas angrily. Matt had the cloth stuffed against his nose with one hand, his other on her shoulder, but they were all looking at Jonas. Lily looked over at him, the fear growing in her mind. He was sitting back in his chair, fingers once again steepled under his nose as he studied her. She couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. She needed to get out of there; she started to push herself up, trying to get through the boys. She didn’t know what was going on, but she knew she was in danger. There was something hugely wrong, and her fear was making her sweat.

  “I wanted to see one of her fits,” he said calmly. “Lily, I can tell you one thing, that was not an epileptic seizure. You do not have epilepsy.”

  “What?” His words, completely unexpected, stopped her in her tracks. She looked at him, her eyes going no higher than the top button of his polo shirt. “What are you talking about?” Fear crouched in her mind, threatening to overwhelm her.

  “You saw things, didn’t you,” he said calmly. “You saw Matthew as a boy, in a schoolyard. And a bird, didn’t you?”

  She gasped. How had he known that? She looked at his eyes, but he was no longer looking at her, but into the dead ashes of the fireplace.

  “Lily, we need to talk to you,” Nate said urgently. “But we need you to keep an open mind, and we need you to promise that you won’t repeat what we talk about here.”

  “What?” She was repeating herself, she knew it. But nothing was making sense, and a feeling of impending doom was hovering over her. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what they were going to say. She shook her head in denial, but Josh and Jake caught her hands in theirs and crept closer till they were pressed against her knees. She couldn’t take her eyes away from Jonas staring into the fireplace. He was lost in thought, a frown tugging his eyebrows together. She didn’t understand what was happening to her. She felt as if she’d been cast adrift at sea with nothing to hold onto and she was terrified she was going to drown.

  “Please, Lily, listen,” Josh begged her. She dragged her eyes away from Jonas to meet Josh’s gaze.

  “What did he do to me?” she demanded. There had to be a logical explanation to all of this, she was just missing it in her panic. She forced herself to calm down, to think rationally, refusing to give into the confused terror.

  “We don’t think you get epileptic fits, Lily,” Nate said quietly. “That first time we met you, you fitted because you touched Matt.”

  “I don’t… no!” She shook her head, trying to process what he was saying. Why was he saying that? “I have epilepsy. I’ve been to enough doctors over the years, and had enough CAT scans to know what I have.” Confusion filled her as she looked back at Matt. His nose had stopped bleeding, and he was dabbing at it, his eyes on her. “What did you do to me?” she demanded.

  “I took away your headache,” he said quietly. “It’s not the first time I’ve done it. I made you sleep it off when you left last night.”

  “What do you mean you took away... no, no, that’s not possible.” She shook her head, trying to push herself back away from them. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Because we care about you, Lily May. You’re one of us.”

  One of them? Was this some kind of weird initiation thing they had going on? Was it some horrendous joke, or a test, or some crazy thing she had to do to be part of their group?

  “One of you? What are you talking about?”

  “We are Fae, and you are a Seer,” Matt said quietly.

  “You’re….” She stopped and stared at him. She studied his eyes, trying to find the light of humour in them, because they were obviously playing a trick on her. And a rotten one at that.

  “Your fits aren’t epilepsy, they’re visions. You’ve been having visions,” Josh said. She looked down to where he was sitting back on his heels next to Jake. They were shoulder to shoulder again, hair hung into their eyes; eyes which were squinted in concern.

  “Did he put something into your coffee?” she whispered, looking at Nate. “Do you feel strange? Slightly light headed?” It was the only explanation she could come up with, that they were currently high on something. But that didn’t explain what Jonas had done to her, where the images and sounds had come from, nor the blinding headache which Matt appeared to have taken away with a touch of his hand, leaving him with a bloody nose. Unless her own coffee was also spiked and this was some dreadful trip. Horror filled her as she looked over to where her mug sat on the coffee table.

  “We’re not high, Lily May,” Nate said. “We’re not drugged, and neither are you. We’re Fae. Fairies if you must call us that, although I really don’t—”

  “Fairies?” She cut him off. That was the last thing she expected him to say. “Fairies as in Tinkerbell, and wings, and pixie dust?” she asked in derision. Did they really think she was an idiot?

  “No, not like Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell was a pixie, not a fairy, and she wasn’t real either! Just listen to us!” Nate bit out, irritation in his voice, and it sparked her own anger.

  “Okay, show me your wings then!” It was clear they were messing with her and betrayal shot through her, closely teamed with anger.

  “We don’t have wings,” Jake said, his hand on her knee still.

  “Of course you don’t! Because that’s not possible, is it?” She shoved their hands from her knees and got up, pulling herself free from Matt and Nate.

  “You’re thinking of story books,” Matt said quickly. “You need to forget everything you’ve read or heard over the years, Lily.”

  “I need to forget…” She shook her head and looked down at them. “You think I’m stupid, don’t you? You’re having a laugh at my expense. Oh, look, it’s the new girl who has fits, let’s mess with her mind. Make her think we like her, and then play a joke on her.” She shoved past Josh and Jake to get to the door. “I’ve met people like you before, idiots that think it’s funny I have fits. Idiots that reckon it’s cool to try and make me fit just so they can get a kick out of watching me twitch about like a… like a….” Words failed her as anger crashed around her, leaving her devastated and hurting. She hurt so badly it felt like her heart was being ripped from her chest. Tears spilled from her eyes. “You made me care about you! You made me like you more than I should!” She saw them get to their feet, desperation on their faces, but she wasn’t going to be caught like that again.

  “Lily, we’re telling you the truth! We know it’s hard to understand. Nate! Show her!” Matt nudged Nate’s shoulder urgently.

  “Lily May, look!” Nate held up his hands, palms upwards, and she saw two blue flames dancing on them. For a second it threw her, made her gasp as she stumbled back slightly. But then she remembered the street entertainers she’d seen in London. They could do things that defied gravity. Sleight of hand made all sorts of things look possible. She shook her head angrily, her eyes locking with Nate’s.

  “You should perform on the streets of London,” she said, wiping away the tears that were still dripping down her face. “You’d be ten a penny though.”

  “I’m not performing, come and touch it, Lily May,” he commanded her. His head was tilted slightly to the left, his eyes were even bluer, a shine to them that almost had her stepping forward.

  “No, I won’t let you hurt me anymore,” she cried out. She turned and ran from the room, her heart beating painfully in her chest. It felt like her whole world was collapsing around her. She couldn’t bear the pain of their betrayal. They’d been playing with her this whole time. Playing with her feelings and her emotions. They’d seen her vulnerability and used it against her. They’d made her want so much more from them, and it made her hate herself. She’d been so needy, so blind, so caug
ht up by how they looked after her, how they made her feel when they touched her, that she’d missed their motives. She had been played for a fool.

  She slammed the front door behind her and ran down the road, not caring where she went, blinded by pain and tears. She finally came to a stop when she was unable to run anymore, pain ripped through her sides as she bent, hands on her knees, her breathing heavy.

  She had made a fool of herself. It was her fault she’d left herself wide open. She should never have let them get so close to her. Why would they do something like that, though? She’d had jokes played on her before, been bullied as the new girl, but never had it made her hurt as much as they had.

  As practical jokes went, it was the most far-fetched. Fae, fairies, magic, what sort of idiot did they think she was?

  “Lily? Lily!” She heard her name being called, and for a heart stopping second she thought it was them. But when she looked up it was the man from the optician's. He was on the other side of the busy road, getting out of his car. Concern was clear to see on his face.

  “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He shut his door, and then checking both ways he dodged the passing cars to run across to her. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and a red tie, making him look professional.

  “Lily, I saw you running down the street as if the hounds of hell were on your heels. Are you in trouble? Is someone chasing you?” He didn’t touch her, but he did look her up and down, as if assessing her for damage.

  “No, I’m fine… I’m…” She realised she didn’t know where she was, or how to get back to the village. Jonas lived in the town and with a sinking feeling she realised she’d left her backpack at his house, along with her phone and money. She was completely lost with nowhere to turn, except back to them.

  “You’re not fine, Lily.” He stepped forward and brought a handkerchief from his pocket for her. “Let me take you home. I’m on my way back to Trenance anyway.”