One Month Later
"Lily? Yoo hoo, earth to Lily." Kelly Newman waved her hand in front of her friend's face.
Lily shook herself out of her daydream and looked across the table at her friend. "Sorry, Kel. What'd you say?"
"I asked if you were sure you didn't want to come home with me." Kelly repeated, popping a French fry into her mouth.
Lily shook her head. "No, I'm going to stay here. Work on my paintings."
"You know, this isn't healthy Lil. You never go out, your work is dark to say the least. And you've got this unhealthy fixation on some guy named David." Kelly gestured with another French fry. "Mom's worried about you. I'm worried about you."
"There's nothing to be worried about. And lots of artists have a subject. David's mine." Lily watched the rain run down the large windows around the dining hall. "He's just a guy I knew. That's all."
"There's nothing I can say to convince you to come home with me?"
Lily shook her head. "Sorry Kel."
Kelly shrugged. "Alright. But if you change your mind, you call. Okay?" She got up with her tray.
Lily nodded and watched her friend take her tray up. She came back to collect her bag and gave Lily a quick hug.
"I'll see you in a week kiddo."
"Yeah. Have a good time at home." Lily hugged her back.
"I will." Kelly waved as she left the dining hall.
Lily watched her friend go and pulled out a heavy leather book. She pushed her tray away and opened the book to the last drawing she'd worked on. Dwayne's dark eyes looked up at her from the page. She turned back a few pages and found the drawing she'd done of all the Boys. They were lounging around the cave, David reading in his usual chair, Paul lounging on the couch wearing headphones and Dwayne and Marko working on their bikes. With a sigh, she opened to the last page where she pasted Laddie's note. She brushed her fingers over the note and closed the journal, stuffing it back in her bag. She slung her bag over her shoulder and disposed of her tray.
***
Lily trudged through the slush back to her dorm. Winter seemed never ending in Seattle this year. And it was no snow and all slush. If she'd had food in her room, Lily would never have let Kelly talk her into going out to the dining hall. She cursed under her breath as she crossed another icy puddle.
"Lily."
She froze and threw a look over her shoulder. There was no one there. She shook her head, the wind playing games with her head. She huddled further into the large black woolen coat, breathing in the scent of its former owner still not faded despite the passing of two years. The scent forced her thoughts to places she didn't want them to go. A boardwalk in Santa Carla,
cerulean eyes and blond hair. She shook her head to clear away the memories and picked up the pace as the wet snow began falling in fat heavy flakes.
"Lily."
She hurried into the dorm, ignoring the call of the wind. She didn't see the figure that detached itself from the shadows outside. He watched as she entered the building he couldn't. With an anguished cry, the figure took to the sky.
The dorm was quiet, most of the students already gone home for break. The overhead lights were off in the lobby, only a few table lamps casting their glow about the room. She nodded to the security guard at the desk before heading to her room. Whitehall Cottage, Lily's dorm was the oldest building on campus. Most of the students preferred the other more modern dorms but Lily loved the feel of the old building. Her room was between the first and second floors, down the hallway and up a few steps up from the main floor. A shake of her head sent water droplets flying as she unlocked her door.
Lily dropped her bag just inside the door and hung the coat on the hook by the door. Her room was blessedly warm and she sighed as she kicked off her shoes. Only a thin strip of light from a street light came in through her closed curtains and she left her light off. She didn't need to turn it on, her enhanced sight picked up enough light for her to avoid hitting her knees on the desk.
Lily quickly divested herself of the heavy wet clothes and pulled on soft flannel pajamas. With a sigh, she looked at the pile of laundry that needed to be put away and the homework that beckoned to her but ignored them both. Pushing books and laundry aside, she crawled under her down blanket and was
soon asleep.
***
Lily awoke with a cry. Her sleep had been troubled with dreams about the Boys, her first since the nightmares right after the attack. She dreamt that David was alive, that he'd been in her room. But when she approached him, he turned his back on her and disappeared. She stretched, snuggling further under her blankets. The world seemed to be determined to not let her forget her past.
Looking around her room, she sighed when she caught sight of the piles of research books waiting for her on her desk. Lily didn't have the energy or inclination to work on any of the assignments that were due after break. An unfinished painting sat on the easel by the window. David's cerulean eyes watched her from the dark shadows of the painting. With a sigh, she got up, gathered her shower things and headed for the bathroom.
"Lily? Yoo hoo, earth to Lily." Kelly Newman waved her hand in front of her friend's face.
Lily shook herself out of her daydream and looked across the table at her friend. "Sorry, Kel. What'd you say?"
"I asked if you were sure you didn't want to come home with me." Kelly repeated, popping a French fry into her mouth.
Lily shook her head. "No, I'm going to stay here. Work on my paintings."
"You know, this isn't healthy Lil. You never go out, your work is dark to say the least. And you've got this unhealthy fixation on some guy named David." Kelly gestured with another French fry. "Mom's worried about you. I'm worried about you."
"There's nothing to be worried about. And lots of artists have a subject. David's mine." Lily watched the rain run down the large windows around the dining hall. "He's just a guy I knew. That's all."
"There's nothing I can say to convince you to come home with me?"
Lily shook her head. "Sorry Kel."
Kelly shrugged. "Alright. But if you change your mind, you call. Okay?" She got up with her tray.
Lily nodded and watched her friend take her tray up. She came back to collect her bag and gave Lily a quick hug.
"I'll see you in a week kiddo."
"Yeah. Have a good time at home." Lily hugged her back.
"I will." Kelly waved as she left the dining hall.
Lily watched her friend go and pulled out a heavy leather book. She pushed her tray away and opened the book to the last drawing she'd worked on. Dwayne's dark eyes looked up at her from the page. She turned back a few pages and found the drawing she'd done of all the Boys. They were lounging around the cave, David reading in his usual chair, Paul lounging on the couch wearing headphones and Dwayne and Marko working on their bikes. With a sigh, she opened to the last page where she pasted Laddie's note. She brushed her fingers over the note and closed the journal, stuffing it back in her bag. She slung her bag over her shoulder and disposed of her tray.
***
Lily trudged through the slush back to her dorm. Winter seemed never ending in Seattle this year. And it was no snow and all slush. If she'd had food in her room, Lily would never have let Kelly talk her into going out to the dining hall. She cursed under her breath as she crossed another icy puddle.
"Lily."
She froze and threw a look over her shoulder. There was no one there. She shook her head, the wind playing games with her head. She huddled further into the large black woolen coat, breathing in the scent of its former owner still not faded despite the passing of two years. The scent forced her thoughts to places she didn't want them to go. A boardwalk in Santa Carla,
cerulean eyes and blond hair. She shook her head to clear away the memories and picked up the pace as the wet snow began falling in fat heavy flakes.
"Lily."
She hurried into the dorm, ignoring the call of the wind. She didn't see the figure that detached itself from the shadows outside. He watched as she entered the building he couldn't. With an anguished cry, the figure took to the sky.
The dorm was quiet, most of the students already gone home for break. The overhead lights were off in the lobby, only a few table lamps casting their glow about the room. She nodded to the security guard at the desk before heading to her room. Whitehall Cottage, Lily's dorm was the oldest building on campus. Most of the students preferred the other more modern dorms but Lily loved the feel of the old building. Her room was between the first and second floors, down the hallway and up a few steps up from the main floor. A shake of her head sent water droplets flying as she unlocked her door.
Lily dropped her bag just inside the door and hung the coat on the hook by the door. Her room was blessedly warm and she sighed as she kicked off her shoes. Only a thin strip of light from a street light came in through her closed curtains and she left her light off. She didn't need to turn it on, her enhanced sight picked up enough light for her to avoid hitting her knees on the desk.
Lily quickly divested herself of the heavy wet clothes and pulled on soft flannel pajamas. With a sigh, she looked at the pile of laundry that needed to be put away and the homework that beckoned to her but ignored them both. Pushing books and laundry aside, she crawled under her down blanket and was
soon asleep.
***
Lily awoke with a cry. Her sleep had been troubled with dreams about the Boys, her first since the nightmares right after the attack. She dreamt that David was alive, that he'd been in her room. But when she approached him, he turned his back on her and disappeared. She stretched, snuggling further under her blankets. The world seemed to be determined to not let her forget her past.
Looking around her room, she sighed when she caught sight of the piles of research books waiting for her on her desk. Lily didn't have the energy or inclination to work on any of the assignments that were due after break. An unfinished painting sat on the easel by the window. David's cerulean eyes watched her from the dark shadows of the painting. With a sigh, she got up, gathered her shower things and headed for the bathroom.