[A/N] Well well well. Looks like I CAN get a chapter out in time-and not be a slowpoke! I'm so proud I got it done early! TT_TT
I honesty had no idea it was going to be completed this quick. I think this is enough to go by, since I didn't want to make this chapter too long. The goal is to try to make you guys see Lily in a different light to break her from the Mary-Sue cliche. Will I succeed? Find out!
Her memories drifted farther and farther back to times she did not wish to return to. It was the first year of high school. She could only remember the anxiety and fear of not knowing anybody. This was a horrible idea. Her mother thought it was best for her to socialize with people her own age, instead of being home schooled like Lily wanted. But her mother felt it wasn't good for her to be cooped up in the house everyday all by herself. After all, Lily was an only child. But Lily didn't mind being home alone. It was being out about by herself that she despised the most. Since she was going to have to endure four years of agony in here, Lily figured she'd at least try talking to someone. It was quickly regretted when she would try making small talk to different groups of girls, and still ending up friendless.
Lily figured if no one wanted to hang out with her or get to know her then why should she keep pushing herself? If someone wanted to be her friend, then they should go to her! As an alternative Lily turned to books. For the most part, Lily read books during breaks and lunch period. She would purposefully sit at the table that wasn't occupied by anyone so she could read in peace. Once she was done with lunch, she would head straight for the library.
The school library was her haven. It was the only saving grace that stopped her from screaming at the top of her lungs. It was nice and quiet with students either doing homework or working on the computers. Usually the computers were all occupied, but if there was a free seat, Lily would snag it, and go on her favorite website that consisted of writers posting their stories based on their favorite movies, TV shows, video games, cartoons, and even books! She enjoyed posting reviews, and everyone on there was so nice.
Other than reading, Lily enjoyed watching movies. Sometimes she would lie to her mother, and tell her she was going with friends, when she would really just go by herself. She loved them because they were just like books. They were an escape from the dull life that was reality. Fantasy and romance were her favorite genres because they were something nonexistent in this world. Most importantly, they made her feel something. Lily usually lived her days at school like a zombie, and hardly ever spoke. When she did, it was usually because a teacher called her on.
"Lily, what is your favorite book?" The English teacher asked.
Everyone in the classroom turned their heads, expecting an answer. Of course, Lily wasn't surprised. English was the only class where she was repeatedly called on. This class was a love-hate relationship. Love: because English was her favorite subject. Hate: because she was constantly picked to answer questions. But this time, the class had to go around saying what their favorite book was. Guess she didn't realize that it was her turn since she sat in the last row by the window.
"Oh, umm…I have many."
"Just one is fine." The teacher smiled.
"American Psycho." She replied dully.
"Really? I've never read it, but I hear it was on negative terms with feminists."
Lily lightly nodded, turning to look at the window as to avoid eye contact.
"Why is it your favorite?"
Sighing, she glanced back at the teacher. "You get to be inside the mind of a blood thirsty murderer."
A very brief silence lingered, and the students looked at Lily as though she were a murderer herself. They whispered to each other—a couple of them saying 'what a weirdo.' But Mr. Lyle was satisfied, and hushed the class to be quiet. It seemed as though he was trying to get them to stop talking bad about her.
Junior year came around, and it was really no different than the last two years. Lily predicted this was how it was always going to be. That was what she thought anyway. On a typical Friday, Lily snuggled up on a couch with a glass of cookies and milk, and watched all the movies that were showing on TV.
"Lily, I'm going out to have dinner with my friend." Her mom announced as she opened the front door.
"Okay."
"Why don't you come with me?"
"No thanks. I'd rather watch The Mummy."
"It's Italian." She bribed.
"It's The Mummy."
"You're going! Now put your shoes on, and let's go!"
There were so many people in the huge restaurant. The good thing was that it was dimly lit, giving it a romantic feel to it. But it was still very loud, and crowded to the bone. A woman with long wavy brown hair motioned for them to head over to her table.
"Patricia! This must be your daughter." The woman looked at Lily with greeting eyes.
"Yes it is. Say 'hi' Lily." Her mother ushered.
"Hello."
Her mother leaned over the table to whisper to her friend, even though it was close enough for Lily to hear. "She's a little shy."
The friend looked at Lily and smiled. "That's alright. It can be a little awkward breaking out of your shell. I know it took me a while too." She chuckled.
Lily only nodded in agreement.
As they looked through their menus, Lily found herself having no appetite at all. Of course it was because of the atmosphere, and the fact that she hated restaurants. They always made her feel sick to her stomach. She was dreading the time she would have to eat her food. To prevent that, she decided not to order anything. "I'm not hungry. I'll just have a lemonade."
"You don't have to finish it all." Her mother said. "You can always save it, and take it to go."
Those words comforted her enough that Lily changed her mind, and ordered the lasagna when the waiter came by. It was surprisingly not that long for the waiter to come back with the food. Or maybe she droned out the conversation they were having, along with the rest of the noise coming from everybody else. The lasagna was placed in front of her, making Lily feel as if she was being mocked by it. She stabbed her fork into it and glanced at Susan and her mother, who were already quickly devouring their meals as they chattered away.
Lily clenched the fork, feeling her anxiety rise with the thought of not being able to finish her meal in time. If she didn't finish quickly, they would have to wait for her.
They're gunna stare at me while I eat! I'll take too long! I can't eat this! People will look at me and wonder why I haven't eaten yet! If I eat too fast, I'll choke! I'm gunna die!
"I-I gotta use the restroom." Lily quickly stood up, and headed for the back of the restaurant, looking desperately for an exit.
This is so stupid! I wanna go home and eat in peace! Where's the…exit…?
Whether it was the anxiety or stress, she felt her head throbbing as nausea started to kick in. This was annoying, but yet, she expected it. It always happened whenever she was forced to go eat in public places. This was entirely her mother's fault! Her legs felt as if they were about to buckle at any second, until someone held her by the shoulders.
"Whoa! Be careful." A male voice said. "Looked like you were about to fall. Are you okay?"
Lily slowly looked back to see a young guy with short back hair, brown eyes, and a plain grey T-shirt. "Uhh…umm…sorry. Didn't mean to cause traffic."
His eyes widened in delight. "Hey, I know you! You're Lily Korda!"
She furrowed her brows, giving him a suspicious look. "How do you know my name?"
"Well, we do have three classes together." He chuckled. "Don't you remember me?"
Lily only stared at him blankly.
"Ouch!" He teased. "Since you don't remember, I'm Jerry Morris. We also had the same English class with Mr. Lyle last year."
"Right…" Lily softly replied, with her head only focused on the fact that his hands were still gently holding on to her. They felt strangely safe. As if they wouldn't let her dare fall down. But why not? "I need to leave now, so"—Her legs wobbled as she tried walking away from his grasp, but his hands only gripped her in alarm.
"No need to rush. I gotcha! How about I take you back to your table?"
"No! This one here," She nodded to the booth by the window, "is fine."
He helped her sit down, and as soon as she thought she could exhale in relief, he slid in the spot across from her. Her body stiffened as she wondered why he was still going to linger beside her. It was already weird enough that the boy knew her, and she could not recall his face at all. Lily assumed if she looked out the window without speaking, Jerry would get the hint, and let her be.
"You're not much of a talker, are you?"
"Obviously not." She retorted, still gazing out the window.
"Even so, you seem…much brighter than when were at school."
This time, she turned her attention to him. "What makes you say that?"
He looked at her intently. "I see the way you are during class. You kind of remind me of an expressionless doll getting the life sucked out of her. It's like you hate every second your in there."
Lily could only look at him in alarm. Could he really see right through her? It is possible for a person to see her? To see her misery? No. Not some stupid boy.
Jerry nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he chuckled uncomfortably. "You know…I didn't make fun of you when you told Mr. Lyle about your favorite book. It was actually the first time I noticed you."
Lily warily kept her eyes at him. He was odd. Perhaps there was a motive of some kind.
"The way your looking at me, tells me that you really don't wanna talk about school; totally understandable. What do you like to do?"
Another question. "I like books and movies." She impulsively answered.
Her response made Jerry perk up. "Do you go with anyone from school?"
She almost laughs at this, but controls the urge. "No. I go by myself."
"Oh…" he awkwardly replied. A short pause followed, until he broke it by saying something else. "Why don't we go to the movies? You can pick any movie you want. My treat."
Lily starred at him with her guard still up. Jerry warmly smiled back at her. He certainly seemed innocent enough. Besides, going to the movies for free was more on the positive than negative. Then again, she hardly knew him. He could be bad news. "Okay." She lied. "I'll go."
"Cool! I just got my license not to long ago. Tell your folks where you're going. I'm gunna get the car ready."
He slid out the booth, and walked towards the parking lot. Lily took the opportunity to rush back to her own table where Susan and her mother were still conversing. "Mom, can we go home now? I'm not feeling very well."
Her mother grabbed her arm and sat her down in the chair next to her. "Stomach ache?" she questioned.
"Umm, yeah. Shouldn't have eaten so much of the cookies before we left. So, can we go now?" Lily glanced back to see if Jerry was nearby with the car.
"In a minute Lily. Were almost done talking."
"I don't think I can sit here much longer."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine." She dug through her purse and handed Lily her keys. "Go lay down in the car."
As soon as the keys were in her grasp, Lily stood up, only to be bumped into Jerry.
"Oops! Sorry! Ready to go?"
Lily's eyes widened as she mentally cursed at him over and over for coming back inside. "Uhh—well—umm…" she tried to think of an excuse.
"Is this your friend Lily?" Susan asked.
She whirled around. "Ah, no. I just met—"
"Jerry Morris." He held out his hand for both of them to shake. "I'm Lily's classmate. Were going to the movies, if that's alright?"
Her mother's face was shocked, but then changed into contentment. "That's very nice of you Jerry, but Lily isn't feeling very well."
"No no! I'm fine now. Here Mom." She handed back the keys. "Were going now. C'mon Jerry." She involuntarily grabbed his hand to lead him out the restaurant.
Patricia grinned at her friend. "I had no idea my daughter made friends with a boy."
Susan laughed. "What a way to find out."
Jerry didn't ask about Lily's odd behavior on the way there, or when they were in the theater. Lily was completely absorbed in the movie. Her eyes flickered with delight when the female lead had to train her body, mind, and soul, in order to defeat the enemies that awaited her high up in the mountains. What she didn't know was that Jerry kept glancing at her every so often. From then on he tried to make her warm up to him, by offering to take her to the movies whenever she wanted. At school it was always so easy spotting her in the hallway—even if a book covered her face most of the time.
In the beginning, Lily became annoyed by Jerry constantly sitting with her during lunch, walking with her to the classes they had together, and even changing his seat so he could be next to her. It was annoying…and then slowly something inside her changed. She began to talk more, express her opinions. Lily even told him that she wanted to be a writer someday. Jerry was always willing to tell her anything about himself when she asked. Lily found out that he was on the golf team, and was pretty popular among the school. She also knew all to well that the majority of his friends didn't like them being around each other—especially the girls that had crushes on him.
None of it mattered to her because the best part of it all was Jerry always ditched his friends for her. He also found out about her anxieties, and as a result, he made sure to never leave her alone for too long in places where she wasn't comfortable. In time, Lily became dependant on him. The library was no longer her haven. It had become Jerry. Life could get any better for her, until senior year came around, and Jerry wanted them to be a couple. Lily was hesitant, thinking about how much his friends were probably hating everything about it.
"I do if you do." She said.
"I do." He surely responded.
"Then yes."
Jerry immediately pulled her in close to plant a kiss on her lips. A wave of bliss washed over her, and carried her out to a sea of heaven. Was this what it felt like to be with someone?
Her mother had been the one to push her to go to prom. She said she had to because Jerry was expecting it. As she went through countless dresses in the dressing room, the last one wasn't so bad. It was simple, but it was a pretty comfortable short satin brown dress that nicely complemented her figure. Lily took a moment to stare at her reflection. For a second, she couldn't recognize the girl in the mirror. She pressed her hand against the mirror; wondering…hoping this happy part of her would stay stuck inside of it.
With all eyes on her as they walked in, Lily wasn't calming down. She was quick to regret coming to an event such as this. She instantly glanced down once she felt Jerry take hold of her hand.
"It's okay. You're with me." He assured.
Goodness, he was so handsome in a suit. How could she just run out on him?
Lily nodded.
"Let's dance for a bit."
"No, I'm good."
"It's a slow song. You can just follow my lead." Jerry pulled her through people, and onto the dance floor where couples were dancing together very romantically. He gently set her in the correct form as they slowly began to waltz back and forth.
"Jerry…they're staring at us." Lily blushed.
He grinned. "That's cause no one knows I can dance properly."
Lily rolled her eyes, and they immediately widened when Jerry leaned in to peck her on the lips. Her face flushed, as she quickly peered around to see if anyone saw. Jerry only laughed.
"It's cute when you do that, even though we've been dating for almost a year now."
Lily pouted. "Whatever."
They danced every slow song that came on, and Lily could tell Jerry was getting hot in his suit. They sat back down at their table.
"You thirsty? Cause I'm gunna go get something to drink."
Lily got up. "I'll go."
Jerry raised a brow. "You sure? I have no problem doing it."
"It's fine. I can do it." She eagerly wanted to help him cool off.
"Alright then. Some lemonade would be great."
Lily walked over to the refreshments table where some of the girls were already gathered around, talking about boys. She grabbed a two cups, and put them under the machine that had the lemonade.
"Getting a drink for your boyfriend?" A girl mocked.
Lil glanced up to see Eleanor, Jerry's ex-girlfriend, calmly sipping her drink with an evil smirk on her face.
"As a matter of fact, I am." She smugly pressed the button that pours out the drink.
Eleanor snatched Lily's arm. "Don't think your such hot shit just because you're going out with him. He'll get tired of your freakish nature eventually, and then he'll come running straight back to me."
Lily yanked her arm back. "You're not intimidating in the slightest. Leave us alone." She grabbed the drinks, and turned to leave when both of her arms were instantly tugged back, causing the cups to fall on the ground.
"Let's take her down the hallway." Eleanor ordered her friends, who dragged Lily away.
"What the hell? Let go off me!"
"Here we are." Eleanor announced. Her friends shoved her to ground.
Lily looked around to see they were in the school hallways where there was nobody in sight. "I'll scream." She warned them.
"Go ahead." Eleanor dared. "The gym is too loud for anyone to hear you anyway." She whipped out a pair of small scissors while she motioned her friends to pin Lily down.
"Don't you DARE!" Lily snapped, as tried breaking free.
Eleanor walked around her, snipping the scissors in amusement. "Now, what should I cut first? That pretty hair of yours…or that ugly dress?"
"I'm going to tell on all of you!"
"Dress it is!" She bent down, and began cutting into the fabric of the skirt.
Tears streamed down Lily's face, as she begged Eleanor to stop. The girls only laughed at her, as Eleanor continued to ruin the dress. The echoes of their cruel enjoyment triggered a pulse within Lily's heart. A rage seeped into her very being, and began to rip out of her torso in the form of hands identical to her own. They stretched out, gripping every girl by the throat and slamming them on opposite sides of the lockers. Lily slowly stood up, her head throbbing with a burning sensation. It felt as if her head were splitting in two. And it was, as Lily violently shook her head back and forth, trying to keep it from separating. Something…someone was trying to get out. Lily screamed in agony as the hands began to choke the girls of their own free will. Voices filled her head, and she didn't know how to make them stop.
Kill them!
Let us out!
Crush their windpipe!
We'll make them suffer!
Release us!
"NO!" she shrieked. "MAKE IT STOP!" The hands obeyed, dropping the girls to the ground. They all fainted, except for Eleanor, who was still coughing. Lily felt another pulse within her body, as something manifested out of her stomach. Wide-eyed, she watched in horror a head came out first, followed by its breasts, arms, hands, and them stopping at the torso. Lily gasped, alerting the being to completely twist it faceless head around. To her disgust, it looked exactly like her if someone had erased her face with a giant pencil. Eleanor screamed in terror as she tried to make a run for it down the hallway.
The clone reached down to grab the scissors that were on the floor, and lunged at Eleanor by stretching out its body from within Lily. It flung the scissors at her, but to Eleanor's luck it missed. Instead, the clone reached out to grip her by the back of her head, and slam her face into the lockers. It repeated to do this over and over again, as blood splattered everywhere.
"STOP STOP STOP!" Lily desperately screamed.
The clone seemed to listen this time as it abruptly let Eleanor go, and quickly retreated back into Lily's stomach, along with the hands that previously attacked the other girls. Lily gasped heavily as she fell to her knees. An overwhelming exhaustion invaded her body, as if all her energy had been burned out by a jogging marathon. Despite this, all she could think about was Eleanor. She wobbled over to her, and shook her head in disbelief. "Eleanor!" Her entire face was unrecognizable, as it had become completely swollen. "Jesus Christ!" Lily checked the pulse on her neck, and to her relief, Eleanor was still alive.
"Wha…happen…" She could barely speak.
Lily was astounded that she had no idea what just happened. Should she tell the truth? No! If she did, everyone would it was all Lily's doing. Everyone would definitely blame it on her. The only thing she could do was lie, and hope Eleanor would believe it. "Eleanor…Eleanor, listen to me. All of us were attacked by a group of men who—who wandered into this school. They tried to rape us but we fought back…and we all got brutally beaten instead. You understand?"
She said nothing. Lily assumed she couldn't so she grabbed her limp hand. "Eleanor, if you understand, squeeze my hand." Her heart beat like crazy as she mentally prayed to god it would fool her. Lily felt her hand get squeezed. "Eleanor, I'm going to go call help. I'll be right back." She dashed down the hallway, wondering if what just happened—really happened. She stopped in front of the gym, hesitating whether she should really alert the teachers. Maybe she should pretend she wasn't even there. Then again, how would she explain her torn dress? Lily sighed heavily. She would have to stick to the lies she fed Eleanor. Lily opened the double doors, and prepared for the worst.
The cops ate up every lie Lily gave them. She even surprised herself when she pretended to cry. Well, the tears were real, but more on the fact that she almost killed everyone. It benefited her greatly because Jerry was paying extra attention to her. It was short lived though, because he was also giving a lot of attention to Eleanor by visiting her in the hospital. When she got out, he was still being extra nice to her, or even doing her small favors when she asked him. Lily knew it was guilt that made Jerry become this way, so she tried to ignore her jealously. On the bright side, Eleanor and her friends never bothered Lily again, and in time Lily pretended that the freakish incident never happened.
A couple days before graduation, Lily told Jerry he already did enough for Eleanor.
"Don't say that Lily. She's been through a lot."
"So was I! The whole reason I was in that mess was because of her! She dragged me out there to begin with!"
"You don't feel bad for her at all?" He said offensively.
Not one bit.
"I did, but I'm not going to feel bad for her all my life now, am I?"
"You need to stop being jealous."
Lily closed her locker. "And you need to stop seeing your ex."
Jerry sighed. "I don't wanna deal with this right now." He walked off, leaving her alone.
Lily bit her lip to refrain from crying. The whole day he had been avoiding her, and she would catch him walking Eleanor to his classes, or helping her with her books. The mere sight of them laughing together placed a heavy weight on her heart. The weight only intensified when she thought he didn't care about her, or her feelings. Without even knowing it, Eleanor was right. Jerry grew tired of Lily, and in the end, he ran back to her.
Lily stopped trying to get Jerry's attention, and soon enough, she went back to her old routine of spending most of her time in the library. Sometimes, she hoped Jerry would walk in, apologizing for his arrogance.
When graduation finally came around, Jerry had the audacity to talk to her as though nothing happened. Lily replied casually, keeping the conversation to a minimum, as she blankly starred at the sky while the valedictorian gave his speech. Was any of it real? What is even considered real? No matter how she looked at it, the same conclusion always arose. What happened to Eleanor…what happened to Lily…all of it was real. Denying or accepting it didn't matter anymore. She still saw it with her own eyes. And it could very well happen again, if triggered at the right moment.
After the ceremony was over—along with dealing with annoying pictures from family, and Lily's mother obliviously forcing her to take pictures with Jerry—Lily was finally able to go to her car. She chucked her cap and gown in the back, and drove off, hoping to never return to that miserable place.
Lily spent the next couple of days in the living room watching movie after movie while reading countless online stories. She also took it upon herself to learn how to cook, remembering how Jerry found it attractive of women who can make a good meal. Deep inside her, she hoped if she could make a delicious dish, he would come back to her. But it was all pointless dreaming. She hadn't heard from Jerry through call or text, but it surprisingly didn't bother her. Lily had come to the realization that it was best for Jerry to never see her again. It was for his own safety. She didn't know when her abnormality would strike again, but she knew being emotionally unstable at the moment wasn't good for him to be around her. Not only did Lily want him to be safe, but it was also a fact that Jerry had to be safe because Lily wanted to hurt him. Just thinking about him ditching her for Eleanor felt like it was enough for her to go rampant.
The doorbell rang, and Lily wasn't expecting any of her mother's friends to come over. Maybe it was Susan? Lily opened the door, and her body immediately stiffened once she saw Jerry standing in her doorway.
He stuffed his hands in his pocket, looking very uneasy. "Umm…is this a bad time?"
"What are you doing here." She demanded.
"I uhh…wanted to tell you something. Is that fine?"
No! It's not fine!
"Yeah…I guess."
"I'm going away for college…it's out of state…in Washington." He waited for Lily to respond. When she didn't, he kept going. "I know I've been an asshole these last couple of weeks…so I came here to tell you that I'm sorry. Also…umm…I wanted to say goodbye."
Lily squeezed the doorknob. "Goodbye huh…?"
"I…I'm sorry Lily…"
Lily shook her head. "Don't apologize. It's fine."
"It's fine?" Jerry repeated, slightly taken aback.
She nodded. "It's for the best."
Jerry honestly seemed hurt by her words. He leaned in to kiss her, but she stopped him by resting a finger on his lips.
"Goodbye Jerry." Lily whispered as she slowly closed the door in front of him.
She didn't think she'd ever see him again after that day. A couple of months passed by, and while Lily was driving down the street, she caught a glimpse of Jerry kissing Eleanor. All she felt while everything set in motion, was betrayal. It was the last memory of him before the glass began slicing her flesh. Funny thing, Lily was already feeling the same pain.
[A/N] So...? What's the diagnosis? At first, this chapter was going to be a typical breakup past. But I figured that would be too boring for you guys to read, and too painfully boring for me to write. After all, this is an MK story! I wanted to give this flashback a meaning. To do that, I decided to spice it up by including the first time Lily's powers awakened. I was going for a more 'darker aspect' because the nature of Lily's power is really grotesque and disturbing.
I wonder if any of you noticed, but I've mentioned Lily being compared to a doll quite a few times. Among most of the meanings in the story, it also secretly symbolizes the Mary-Sue character. The name itself always reminds me of a doll. You know, those creepy old porcelain ones. Just thought I'd give you guys some inside scoop lol
I forget to say this but...please review! Doesn't have to be bible long! I wanna know your thoughts! Gimme gimme gimme! :p
And for those of you who have reviewed, THANK YOU! I get so happy knowing my story isn't completely dead TT_TT
