“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m sure the reporter will do everything possible to make it easy on you. This is a great chance to get your story out there and get some traction for our mission.
Lily nodded. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll do my best.”
And, for the rest of the day, Lily did her best to mentally practice how she was going to answer questions. She had known that if she put herself out there as someone who had been cured of the bear flu that the media would eventually be interested. The idea of talking to a news reporter wasn’t completely foreign to her, but she had thought she would have more time before she had to do that. She had imagined it would somehow get to the President that there was a cure, he would talk to his people, who would need to go to the lab, and for a while Lily would be in the background. Maybe the cure was officially out she might have to do a few interviews.
That evening after dinner, Lily escaped to the roof of their hideout to be alone. She lay flat on her back and looked up at the stars, admiring how bright they were in the absence of city light. The view reminded her of the eerie feeling she felt when she was in the middle of the abandoned city of Chicago with no lights.
“These are strange times, eh?” Bash said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and lying down next to her.
Lily grunted but didn’t say anything. She didn’t know whether to be annoyed or happy that Bash had interrupted her solitude.
“Don’t worry about the reporter,” Bash said, correctly assuming that Lily was indeed worrying about it.
“Easy for you to say,” Lily said.
Bash laughed. “Just be yourself, Lily. All you have to do is tell them your story. Tell them you’re cured. They’ll believe you or they won’t. If they don’t, then we’ll move on to the next news outlet or the next plan until we find something that works. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself.”
Lily sighed. “I was quite the perfectionist growing up, so it’s hard not to put pressure on myself. Especially when the thing I want to be perfect about now is saving humanity. I’m still a perfectionist, but I think it’s a good thing. It means I care about my work and want to be the best.
Bash laughed. “I admire your drive, but I disagree with you that perfectionism is a good thing. Sure, you should always strive for excellence, but perfection is the real estate of the gods. It’s not something us mere mortals can ever achieve. Trying to do so is only going to make you miserable. So go easy on yourself and stop freaking out about every little thing.
For a moment, Lily was quiet. She hadn’t ever thought about it that way, and she wasn’t sure she believed in any kind of god. But Bash did have a point. Humans would never be truly perfect at anything. Maybe she should have realized that sooner so she could spend more of her life living and less of it worrying about achieving more gold stars at school or work. She had spent so much time trying to impress people, but now all of her old classmates or colleagues were dead anyway.
“I’ll try to relax a little,” Lily said, not sure how else to respond. She almost wished Bash hadn’t come up here. Sure, he was nice to look at. But he made her nervous, like he could see right into her soul or something.
“Should you be out here on the roof? Someone might see you,” Lily said.
As usual, Bash just laughed. “You’re so scared of everything,” he said. “There’s no one around for miles, as far as I can tell. This area is abandoned. And even if someone saw us, they can’t tell I’m a shifter from this range. They’d have to come right up to us and scan my eyes.”
Lily frowned and decided she needed to be a little more direct.
“Well, I need to concentrate on preparing for tomorrow, and being lectured about my perfectionist tendencies isn’t helping,” Lily said.
Bash laughed again. “Alright, alright. I can take a hint. I’ll leave you to it. Let me know if you need anything, and don’t stay up too late. The most important thing for you is a good night’s sleep.”
Lily gave Bash a wave as he walked back toward the stairs that led to the inside of the house. She should’ve been relieved that he was gone, but she watched the spot where he disappeared for a long time after he left. She hated being around him and she hated being away from him. That boy was nothing but trouble.
Chapter Five
The next morning, Lily found herself nervously sitting across from a reporter while an assistant fitted a lapel microphone onto her collar. The reporter, Susan, was young. She looked about twenty-five, which was the same age as Lily. For some reason, Lily had imagined that the reporter would be older, not a nervous young woman who seemed almost as nervous as Lily. Susan hadn’t said much, although, to be fair, Bash was doing quite a bit of talking. There wasn’t much space for anyone else to speak. In a rare, quiet moment, when Bash had taken the cameraman to show him where the restroom was, Lily and Susan were left alone. Lily smiled over at her nervously and Susan smiled back just as timidly.
“Is it true?” Susan asked.
“What? That I was cured of the bear flu?” Lily asked.
“No,” Susan said. “Is it true that everyone here but you is a shifter?”
“Yeah, it’s true. I’ve seen them shift myself. It’s pretty crazy.”
“Aren’t you scared of them?” Susan asked, her voice sounding even shakier.
Lily smiled. Somehow, the fact that the reporter felt nervous made her feel less nervous herself.
“I was scared at first. But only because all I’ve heard for the last half year or so was all about how dangerous shifters are, and how they’re out to get humans. I realized through spending time with these guys that that’s not true at all. They’re pretty normal humans, who just happen to be able to turn into an animal.”
“Wow, so you’ve seen them shift,” Susan said.
“Yeah,” Lily said. “It’s pretty impressive. Like a scene out of a science fiction movie or something. But, like I said, they’re pretty normal humans other than that. They’ve never done anything to harm me, and in fact they saved my life.”
Just then Bash and the cameraman walked back in, interrupting their conversation.
“We ready to go?” the cameraman asked.
“Ready,” said Susan, suddenly sounding more confident as she took on familiar role of reporter. “Lily we’re going to be asking you a bunch of questions, so just answer them as best you can. Don’t worry if you feel like you messed up or stuttered. This isn’t live, so we can edit things out if we need to.”
Lily simply nodded, and then the cameraman gave a signal that the camera was rolling. Susan started speaking, her voice now strong and sure, and completely different from the high-pitched nervous tone of just a few minutes earlier.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Susan Jones here for Channel Eight News, and with me today is Lily Young . Lily claims to have been cured of the bear flu, and it appears there may be hope for humanity after all. Now, Lily, my understanding is that you lost your entire family to the bear flu, is that correct?”
“Yes,” Lily squeaked out, immediately hating herself for the nervous energy filling her. But if Susan noticed Lily’s nerves, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she smiled and continued.
“I’m really sorry about your family. I understand that you caught the bear flu while trying to save their lives, is that right?”
Lily took a deep breath. “That’s right. I tried to take precautions by using a face mask and all of those things that they tell you to do. But it didn’t really help. The bear flu is pretty sinister. Once it gets hold of someone close to you, it doesn’t matter how many precautions you take. You’re going to catch it, and I did. I was all alone with no one to take care of me, so I quickly got sicker and sicker.”
“But you didn’t die, as we can plainly see now,” Susan prompted.
“I didn’t die,” Lily agreed. “A funny thing happened. I passed out at some point, delirious from the fever and the effects of the flu. But when I woke up I was in a strange lab, and I didn’t feel quite as bad
as I had before. It turns out that the lab was actually a research lab where a group of shifters were working on a cure for bear flu.”
Susan’s eyes widened like this was the first time she heard that the cure came from shifters. Lily had to hand it to her. She was pretty good with the dramatics.
“Shifters!” Susan said. “How did you know they were shifters?”
“Well, they told me,” Lily said. “And I’ve actually seen them shift at this point. So I’m pretty sure it’s true.”
“You must have been scared, then,” Susan said. “After all, we all know that shifters are dangerous.”
“Well, that’s what we’ve been told,” Lily said. “But, like I said, these guys saved my life. I’ve gotten the chance to get to know them better over the last week, and I can definitely say they’re not the dangerous, scary creatures they’ve been made out to be. In fact, they’re almost the same as you and me.”
“Wow,” Susan said. “That’s pretty crazy. But let’s back up for a minute. Can you explain how, exactly, the shifters saved your life?”
“Well that’s the crazy part,” Lily said. “They actually have developed a cure for bear flu. It turns out that shifters are immune, and when these shifters discovered that, they made a cure.”
“Don’t you think it’s awfully convenient that they’re immune?” Susan pressed. “Doesn’t that give credence to the theory that shifters invented the bear flu to wipe out humanity?”
Lily paused. She had to admit that this same thought crossed her mind. But after seeing how much like other humans shifters were, she just couldn’t buy into the idea that they were some sinister group trying to wipe out humanity.
“No, I don’t think it strengthens that theory at all,” Lily said. “Most of the shifters have been in hiding and persecuted, and haven’t really had a chance to come up with some grand scheme to wipe out humans. Besides, if they wanted to wipe out humans, why would they come up with a cure?”
“And you really think this cure works?” Susan asked.
“I know it works,” Lily said. “I’m living proof. My life was over. I had given up all hope, and yet here I am—alive and well. In fact, I’ve never felt healthier.”
Lily was starting to feel less nervous as the interview went on. Susan was well prepared with questions, so all Lily really had to do was answer.
And answer she did. For the next hour, Susan continued to question her, digging deep into every possible angle on the cure. Susan even brought in Juno at one point, to explain a little bit about how the cure actually worked. By the time everything was wrapped up, Lily was feeling exhausted, but hopeful.
“Do you think people will believe us?” Lily asked Susan as they packed up to leave.
Susan shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll do our best to get it out there, but to be honest it can be hard to sell people on anything related to shifters. I don’t know if enough people will trust in the cure. I’m not sure how much to trust myself. How do I know they didn’t just bring you in here to pretend to be a human cured of bear flu?”
Lily was a bit shocked, although she shouldn’t have been. It was true that she had no proof besides her word. And yet Susan had seemed so into the story. Lily had really thought she believed it. Susan seemed to sense her surprise, and she smiled kindly at Lily.
“Just wait and see what happens. You never know what people will believe,” she said. “You just gotta throw stuff out there and see what sticks. Good luck to you, all right?”
With that she shook Lily’s hand and left. Lily stood in the room for a long time by herself, trying to process everything. She might have stayed there even longer if it hadn’t been for the fact that Bash poked his head in.
“Hey you,” he said. “We’re heading back to the hideout. You coming, or are you going to stare at the wall all day?”
Lily sighed. “Coming,” she said, and headed towards the door.
“Why the long face?” Bash asked. “I thought the interview went pretty well.”
“I did, too,” Lily said. “But Susan seemed kind of skeptical over whether people will believe us or not.”
Bash smiled and put his hand on the small of Lily’s back. “Don’t worry about it. We did the best we could. We’ll keep trying until we get our story out there one way or another. And when we do, all the doubters will be sad they didn’t listen the first time. Now come on. Let’s go get some lunch.”
He winked at her, then started walking out of the room. Lily nodded and scurried after him, trying to hold on to the little thrill of warm pleasure that was radiating across her body from the spot on her back where his hand had been moments before.
Chapter Six
Bash stared up at the ceiling in the darkness, unable to sleep. As hard as he tried to think about something—anything—else, the only thing he could focus on was Lily. Her face floated in front of his mind’s eye, and he replayed every interaction he’d had with her over and over again. He was beginning to think he had misjudged her. He thought she was timid, and, truth be told, she was. But she was changing. She was showing enough courage to try, and he admired that. He knew that her mission to go to the White House today had not been all that dangerous. He would never have sent her alone if he thought there was any significant danger. But he also knew that, in Lily’s mind, this had been a big step. It had taken a lot of courage for her. Bash was smart enough to recognize that things he thought were easy, like talking to a reporter or going to Washington alone, were difficult for Lily. But she was stepping up and proving to the group that she had something to contribute. And, in the process, she was stealing his heart. Bash let out a frustrated sigh and flipped over onto his stomach.
He’d been wishing for a lifemate for a long time, even though he tried to put up a stubborn, tough guy front and act like he didn’t need anyone. He knew deep down that he wanted someone by his side. He wanted a warm body next to him at night. He wanted a hand to hold when he went for walks in the woods. He wanted a pair of soft lips to kiss, and, most of all, he wanted someone with a sweet heart to raise cubs for him. But it had been hard for him to find someone like that. He’d done a little bit of dating, and the problem was always that he was too much of a daredevil. None of the sweet girls wanted anything to do with him. He was too wild, and too much of an envelope-pusher. Bash figured Lily would react the same way all the other girls had—running away from the boy whose middle name was “Risk-Taker.” Not to mention the fact that the whole clan was pretty busy right now trying to get the word out about the bear flu cure. There wasn’t exactly a lot of time to get to know someone, go on dates, or fall in love. Bash did okay during the day, but here in the darkness he couldn’t distract himself. He kept thinking about Lily, and his heart rate kept increasing. She was beautiful, kind, and had a heart of gold—exactly the kind of girl he wanted, and exactly the kind of girl who would judge him for being a bad boy.
With another long sigh, Bash squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to fall asleep. He needed to rest, because tomorrow would bring a fresh load of work. Hopefully, the reporter’s story would come out and there would be a favorable response. But, if there wasn’t, he would have to start working on finding a new reporter or some other avenue to get the word out about the cure. He didn’t have the luxury of sitting around and resting during the day.
But no sooner had Bash squeezed his eyes shut than he heard a loud crash coming from downstairs. Instantly alert, he sat up in bed and breathed in deeply, trying to smell whether there were intruders in the house or if it was just one of his clan mates being too noisy on a midnight run to the kitchen. Another loud crash came just as Bash caught the scent of a stranger. Someone was definitely in the hideout. And from the sound of it, they were up to no good. Bash jumped out of bed and started running toward the stairs. Moments later, there was a sound like a loud explosion, and smoke and noise filled the air. Bash was knocked to the ground from the force of the blast, which was probably a good thing, because moments later gunfire ra
ng through the air and bullets went whizzing over his head. He heard the sound of Calum’s voice yelling at the intruders with an angry roar, and it sounded like Mia was not far behind. True to form, his friends were rushing into battle. But Bash’s first thought was Lily. He had to keep her safe, and not just because she was a vital part of their plan to get the cure to the world. His heart couldn’t take it if anything were to happen to her.
Bash resisted the urge to yell out her name, knowing that doing so would only draw the attackers’ attention to him. The last thing he wanted was for them to follow him into Lily’s room. Bash army-crawled along the floor, staying low to avoid the spray of bullets that occasionally shot through the air. When he made it to Lily’s room, he found her in the corner, cowering with a pillow over her face—not exactly a shining example of courage, but he couldn’t blame her in the current moment. The situation was dangerous and intense.
“Lily,” he said, coming over to her. “Lily are you okay?”
She pulled the pillow down from her eyes just enough to see him.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice cracking with fear.
“I don’t know,” Bash said. “Someone found our hideout, and they must know that we’re shifters, or that we have a cure for bear flu or something. Whatever the case, they’re obviously not here to make friends with us.”
“Are they going to kill us?” Lily asked.
“Well, they might want to, but they’re not going to,” Bash said. “Come on. I’m going to get you out of here. They should know that shifters don’t go down without a fight, and we’re damn good fighters.”
Just then, Juno rushed into the room.
“Oh Bash! Lily! Thank God! I was hoping no one had made it up here. Calum and Mia are doing a pretty good job of keeping them downstairs, but there are a lot of them.”
Courage in a Fur Coat (The Fur Coat Society Book 5) Page 3