The Other Scott

by Lady of the Mists

Chapter One: Lily Bryant

A young girl of seventeen years of age stared at the building crowd as they filled into the gym for the state championship. Her brown hair fell into her face with a look of casual elegance, falling halfway down her back and her bangs framed her wide, fey green eyes.

Lily Bryant bit her lip fretfully as she hoisted her bag higher onto her shoulder, trying to make her decision. "Well, here goes nothing," she sighed as she headed into the gym, taking a seat at the very top, where neither one of them could see her. She was ready for them to take notice of her, not just yet.

The game seemed to go on forever, but she noticed that one of them kept looking over into the crowd, his gaze fixed on a man, who kept whispering to his companion. He had a grim look on his face as he watched Nathan Scott. As the game started, she couldn't help but think that everything she'd ever heard about Nathan being a great basketball player was just talk, because she knew that she could play better than he was right now. But as the second half started, he began picking himself up and "came out on fire," as the announcer so accurately described.

As it drew to a close, it was surprisingly close, but the Ravens managed to win it by a three-pointer by Lucas Scott. Lily smiled as the fans slowly started filing out of the stadium, about to follow them when she saw a man heading towards the stands she was sitting at.

"I know that you have people to answer to," she heard him say as she ducked behind some bleachers, listening to the conversation Mayor Scott was having with the other man and his partner. "But you built your plan on a kid with a dream. You can't blame him for going a little weak at the knees."

"Weak?" the other man asked, looking up at Dan Scott. "You think he looked weak? Because he looked pretty strong to me." He paused, looking away. "I'll be in touch."

Dan gave a short nod, started to head back up the stairs when the other man spoke. "You know, I didn't pick Nathan because he was the star of the basketball team; I picked him because he's Dan Scott's son. But it turns out the kid actually has a soul." He sighed loudly. "Never would have bet on that."

Lily shrank further into her hiding place as Dan walked past her, but he either didn't notice her or she wasn't of enough importance to be noticed. Waiting until she was sure that Dan had disappeared, Lily glanced back at the two men who were talking amongst themselves.

"No, don't worry about it, Bear," the man said firmly. "I'll take care of everything. That kid's going to pay . . . one way or another."

His words set a chill down Lily's spine and she slowly and carefully edged away from her hiding place, accidentally knocking down a mop bucket as she hurried away from the stadium.

"Who's there?" the man demanded, standing up. But he only caught a glimpse of a brunette girl hurrying away before she turned the corner and was out of sight.

Lily was taking deep breaths as she was outside again, making sure that the man and his partner didn't see her.

This can't be good for Nathan, she thought. Even though she didn't know much about him, just the little that her mother had told her in her letter that had been given to Lily after her death, she still cared about him. And she didn't want anything to happen to him.

Making her decision, Lily hurried and managed to catch the last bus that was headed back to Tree Hill. She knew that she had to find Nathan and warn him about the man before something terrible happened.

But she also had the terrible feeling that she was going to be too late before she found them.

--

Lucas Scott glanced up as a teenage girl stepped into the café, looking around them as though she were searching for someone. "Hey, can I help you?" he asked her.

"Um, yeah," she said with a weak smile. "I'm looking for your brother Nathan."

"He just left," Lucas told her just as the sound of screeching tires emerged from the street outside. The girl's brown hair whipped around in her face as she turned and immediately raced outside, Lucas at her heels.

"Nathan!" he yelled, seeing his brother lying next to Haley's motionless form. "What happened?" he asked at seeing his best friend looking so vulnerable and helpless. How could this be happening?

"He just hit her, man!" Nathan screamed.

Lucas yanked out his phone, already dialling. "I'll call 911," he said, putting the phone to his ear. The girl was keeping silent, her green eyes fixed upon Haley.

But his brother wasn't paying attention to either one of them. His dark blue gaze was fixed upon the black car that had hit Haley before crashing. He scrambled to his feet. "Lucas, stay with her," he ordered before racing off to the car. Whatever happened after that, Lucas wasn't sure. He couldn't see Nathan and the ambulance arrived so fast.

"She's been hit by a car, you got to help her," Lucas told the EMT as he loaded Haley into the ambulance. "She's pregnant."

"What's her name?"

"Uh . . . Haley," Lucas told him, feeling strange. He was also having trouble breathing and stringing two words together.

"How long has she been pregnant?"

"I don't know . . . a few we—" Lucas struggled to finished the sentence, suddenly realising what was wrong. It wasn't that he was having trouble, breathing, it was . . . it was . . .

"If—if she . . ." Lucas gasped, trying to push out the last words before his heart gave out and he collapsed onto the ground. He only heard the girl let out a scream of alarm as he was swallowed up by the blackness.

Lucas opened his eyes, looking around him in confusion. The entire street was empty and clear where it had been full of commotion just a few minutes ago. Getting to his feet, he looked around, trying to figure out what was going on when he caught the glimpse of someone walking down the street, a good cry from the café.

"Hey!" he yelled, racing after the man. "Hey, hold on a second!" He caught up to the man and grabbed his shoulder. "Excuse me, could you please tell me what's happening?"

The man turned around and Lucas stared at the man, unable to believe his eyes as he stared at him. He smiled at Lucas's bewilderment. "Hi, Luke," Keith said gently while his nephew continued to gaze at him in obvious astonishment.

--

Lily hated hospitals more than anything else. And being in one where Lucas and Haley were somewhere being operated on was worse than the usual scenarios. The last time that she'd been in one, it had been when her mom died and she was left with nowhere to go.

Closing her eyes and leaning against the back of the chair she was curled up in, Lily remembered her mother's dying words to her before she was pushed out of the room by the doctors.

"You must go to Tree Hill, my daughter," Alyssa Bryant whispered softly, her fey green eyes staring up at her grieving daughter. "It is time for you to learn your past . . . and your future."

"Mum—"

"Go, girl," Alyssa told her, determination in her voice. "Promise me that you'll go and you'll find them. Everything will come out as it should be, but only if you find them." She struggled to keep going, the light starting to dim in her green eyes. "Promise me, Lily. Promise me now."

Lily took a deep, shuddering breath. "I promise, Mum. I—I'll go and I'll find them. But what does my finding them have to do with anything?"

"You learn soon enough," Alyssa replied. "In Tree Hill lies the secrets of your past that your father tried so hard to keep you from . . . and your future. Only in Tree Hill will you find the answers."

"But, Mum, what answers?" Lily cried. "I don't understand what it is you're trying to tell me! I haven't been trying to find any answers! And I certainly don't want anything to do with my father. He did nothing but abandon us with nowhere to turn. Why should I want anything to do with him?"

"It is not him that you should be asking, but them. They haven't done anything to earn your anger, Lillian Gabrielle Bryant. Do not project it into innocent bystanders." Alyssa's voice was firm. "Now, you listen to me. It is time to reveal yourself to them. They will be the only family you have left. Go to Tree Hill and find them . . . and find your destiny."

Looking up at Nathan as he sank down onto the chair next to her, Lily couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Anyone with any feelings whatsoever would feel sorry for the scared boy that was sitting in front of her. Of course, he had every right to feel afraid. His pregnant wife was lying somewhere in this hospital, being prepped for surgery, with a massive amount of injuries, and his brother had just had a heart attack. Both of them could possibly die.

Reaching out, she touched Nathan's shoulder gently and he jumped, startled, before looking at her wildly. "Hey, it's gonna be okay," she told him. She forced a reassuring smile at him. "They're both going to be fine, you'll see."

Nathan stared at her, then shook his head. "I wish that I was as sure as you are," he said, his voice choked.

Lily watched as his shoulders began racking and sobs were emitting from him sharply. Doing the only thing that seemed to make sense to her, Lily wrapped her arms around him, trying to soothe him. "Easy, Nathan," she said softly, rubbing circles on his back. "It's okay; everything's going to be okay."

Easy, Nathan, she thought to herself, hoping he would get the silent message. It's going to be okay. Just breathe, little brother. I'm here. I'm your sister and I'm here.